Avoid mistakes that could be leading to low sign-up rates
1. Make it clear that they will NOT be getting spammed
Have you ever signed up to download a free e-book or template and suddenly you have a series of emails back-to-back, scheduled to come in every hour? You remember the irritation and annoyance you experienced that turned you off the free resource you looked for in the first place, yes?
That's what the folks you're targeting are also afraid of. That the moment you're invited in, you'll turn into a vampire who'll suck the air out of their inboxes. A short, no-spam statement helps to assuage these fears.
2. If using socials, let them know you will NOT be DM'ing their followers
There's no bigger nightmare than granting a platform access to your socials and suddenly there's a flurry of new updates and posts that have your name on them that you did NOT write. Some very unscrupulous platforms even went ahead to contact your followers and market to them.
While this has mostly stopped, a lot of internet users still have some PTSD from that error. So, make it clear upon sign up that you will NOT be posting on their behalf.
3. Only ask for information you will absolutely need
In one of my product roles, when we shortened the sign-up form to only require Name and Email in our sign-up page, we increased account creation by 31%. There was additional information we needed such as an optional disability declaration for our users with visual and hearing disabilities; and we found alternative ways to get that info away from the sign-up page. We experimented with pop-ups, banners and emails.
My favourite platforms are those that give me a Single-Sign On option with either Gmail or LinkedIn. My second favourite are those that only asked for first name and email; done. A good rule of thumb to consider is this: if you can do without it, leave it out. If you cannot, include a statement why you absolutely need it.
4. Don't ask for Credit Card info for a free trial
Free trials are an incredible way for product-lead growth strategists to jumpstart their user acquisition process. To make this more impactful, you want to reduce as much friction as is possible for users to jump in and engage with your product.
You need to understand the journeys users are faced with when you ask for their credit card info while signing up for a free trial. What happens if they were night surfing and cosy in bed or watching Netflix and you ask for CC info? Depending on how much competition your product has, more often than not it's a lot easier for them to abandon the sign up process rather than get up, go look for their cards so they can sign up.
Leave the credit card requirement until after the user is happy with your product and is ready to get the real, post-trial benefits.
Reduce friction.
5. How delectable is your value offering?
There's a saying that goes, 'An average product with great marketing eats a great product with average marketing'. Getting eyeballs on your page is the hard part- granted. But it's such a massive fumble when you get folks to click on your link and then welcome them with a dry, boring copy that doesn't explicitly mention the kind of value they will get from signing up.
For inspiration, have a look at the World'd Best Copy in One Place.
Don't fumble this bag. Get users through your door and then delight them with the brilliance of your actual offering .
If you'd like to learn more about how to transition from product newbie to a product pro, you might like this.