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Grow Your Newsletter: 11 Social Proof Tips That Actually Work
How to Create FOMO and Turn Your Newsletter into a Must-Read Resource
Nupur Mittal
March 30th, 2025
During the 16th century, professional applauders called "claqueurs" were placed during Opera or theatre performances. They would start clapping to create a ripple effect through the crowd.
That’s social proof 101—a psychological trigger that influences how people make decisions.
Yet, most creators overlook this while growing their newsletter audience especially when over 50% of consumers consider online reviews the most important criterion for online purchases.
By leveraging it, you can get an edge and turn your newsletter into a growth engine.
Let’s dive into 11 proven social proofs for newsletter growth.
Table of Contents
Why Trust Me?
Nupur has first-hand experience working with email marketing platforms. She has designed many newsletters and has written a few issues. She understands what goes into building an email audience and genuinely believes in the power of owning your audience.
1. Showcase Subscriber Count
Subscriber count gives an instant stamp of validation to potential subscribers.
The “join 330,000+ subscribers” text on The Milk Road newsletter’s landing page instantly builds credibility. It sends a signal that the content is worth reading.
A huge subscriber count also triggers FOMO, as readers might think they’re missing out on something helpful.
You can make this number even more compelling by including a few prominent subscribers' names. Haroon Choudery does this on his Not a Bot newsletter landing page.
2. Highlight Testimonials from Engaged Readers
Testimonials from happy readers are a digital version of word-of-mouth marketing. Their words build trust among potential readers and encourage them to click the subscribe button.
They become tenfold more powerful when shared by leading voices in your niche or when a positive outcome is mentioned.
As a marketer, how tough would it be to not subscribe to Devin Reed’s newsletter after reading such convincing words from industry leaders?
You can also use testimonials to get more paid subscribers, a tactic that has worked wonders for beehiiv user Kaitlyn Arford, founder of the Freelance Opportunities newsletter.
Here are some easy ways to start collecting testimonials:
Send a ‘Share your feedback’ email to the most engaged subscribers
Add a ‘Share testimonial’ in the newsletter footer
Ask your existing clients or customers for feedback
Once you have a bunch of testimonials, figure out the best placement.
You can
Create a wall of love to host all your testimonials
Place it right next to the newsletter signup button
Share as social media posts with a link to your newsletter
Pro tip: If possible, add how long the reader has been a subscriber to show even more impact. Just like Jay Acunzo, author of the Playing Favorites newsletter, does.
3. Showcase Companies Where Your Readers Work
If your readers work at household names like Canva, Apple, or Forbes, take advantage of that.
Seeing these famous names instantly triggers a response like, 'If people at Canva read this newsletter, it must be worth reading.’
Katelyn Bourgoin, author of the Why We Buy newsletter, does this beautifully. She shows logos most favored by her target audience of marketers, building instant newsletter credibility.
Add a work email or company field to your newsletter signup forms to get this data.
Then, pick the most relevant logos and show them prominently on the newsletter landing page.
4. Highlight User-Generated Content
Show user-generated content (UGC) like tweets, LinkedIn posts, or Reddit threads from readers raving about your newsletter.
It can be a tip they learned from your newsletter or a list of newsletters they enjoy while sipping their morning tea.
Every positive mention builds your reputation. You can expand your reach and get new subscribers by borrowing these mentions.
We really liked how Nik Sharma, author of the DTC newsletter, created a wall of love by embedding tweets from his readers.
To do this, search for your newsletter name on social channels. Save posts that mention you.
Take screenshots or embed post URLs across email landing pages, social media channels, or emails.
5. Use Case Studies & Success Stories
Case studies allow potential readers to picture a visual outcome for themself.
Think of them like an extendable version of testimonials.
If a reader shared that your tips helped her improve the email open rate by 20%, you can expand on it by sharing more tangible details.
Some other ideas to approach case studies:
Talk about the benefits a subscriber receives by converting to a paid subscription
Curate mini-profiles of your community members and their achievements
Share behind-the-scenes looks at how your newsletter helped high-profile subscribers
When you feature real humans behind your newsletter, it creates a snowball effect, leading to higher subscriptions.
Aaron Whittaker, VP of Demand Generation & Marketing at Thrive Digital Marketing Agency, saw similar results when he used this tactic.
6. Flaunt Media Mentions & Features
If your newsletter gets recognized by industry-leading media, flaunt it.
This type of social proof works particularly well for reaching new audience segments who may not know you but trust the featured publication.
You can use this tactic in two ways:
Create a ‘Featured in’ Section
Display logos of publications that have mentioned your newsletter on your landing page.
Place this section "above the fold" to make it immediately visible to new visitors, just like Pinch of Yum newsletter’s landing page.
Quote Media Praise
Extract and display highly relevant quotes from media coverage. Maybe Forbes featured you in the top 10 must-read newsletter, or a niche site ranked your newsletter #1.
Amanda Natividad’s newsletter, The Menu, was recognized as a Top Marketing Newsletter by Forbes. And, she borrows Forbes's credibility to gain new readers.
7. Run Referral & Ambassador Programs
Referrals are one of the best social proofs to leverage.
People trust their friends' recommendations more than brands’. When your existing readers share your newsletter with friends, those new subscribers are more likely to sign up.
On top of that, they get rewards with every share.
Everyone benefits—you gain new subscribers, readers get rewards, and their friends find valuable content.
Cheapskates London has gained thousands of new subscribers by running one of the most bizarre but successful referral programs using beehiiv.
They track each referral using beehiiv and randomly pick a winner from their referral spreadsheet.
Some of their prizes include tickets to a Spanish food festival, a rug-making workshop, or limited-edition prints.
Make your referral program interesting by offering rewards that your readers would love.
You can also encourage more referrals by highlighting how many existing subscribers have referred and the rewards they have earned.
8. Use “Members-Only” Status
Exclusivity increases the perceived value of your newsletter.
When people see a newsletter as exclusive or membership-based rather than freely available to everyone, they attribute higher value to it.
If you run a paid newsletter (or are thinking of one), here are some ways to build exclusivity:
Display member count: Join our exclusive community of 5,000 members for advanced in.
Feature member-only benefits: Early event access, private Slack community, or mentorship programs.
For example, Lenny Rachitsky, author of Lenny’s newsletter, builds perceived value by offering a sneak peek into this paid subscription. He shares a summary of paid subscribers’s perks and a picture of monthly community meetups.
9. Showcase High Open & Engagement Rates
Display specific, impressive numbers that show real reader engagement
"Join 10,000+ marketers who open our newsletter at a 65% rate"
"Our average reader spends 4.5 minutes with each issue"
Such metrics address the potential subscribers’ primary concern—is this newsletter worth my time?
Pull engagement metrics from your email service provider’s analytics dashboard. Show weekly or monthly open rate or click-through rate beneath your sign-up form.
For extra credibility, date-stamp your metrics (e.g., "Data as of February 15, 2025") to show transparency.
10. Add “Real-Time” Sign-Up Activity
By showing real-time activity, you send positive signals to potential subscribers that your newsletter is active and growing.
Growthmarketer newsletter uses a real-time pop-up showing 8 marketers subscribed in the last 4 days. It validates potential readers' interest and creates FOMO.
Such real-time pop-ups also remove the reader’s hesitation of being the only one interested in subscribing.
Use tools like Wisepops or Optimonk to show real-time activity in the following ways.
Show a simple number counter. 327 people joined in the last week
Show a live activity feed. 5 people from your industry subscribed in the last hour
Show recent testimonials. Just subscribed a week ago, and it’s so good
11. Write Guest Post on Leading Newsletters
Write guest posts for leading newsletters in your niche to show your expertise and gain access to a wider audience.
By writing guest posts, you also position yourself as an expert that potential readers can trust.
Ethan Evans, retired VP of Amazon, wrote a guest post for Lenny’s newsletter, one of the most recognized newsletters for product marketers and managers.
He borrowed Lenny’s audience of 900k subscribers to show his expertise and writing style.
Identify newsletters in your niche that accept guest posting. Then, find relevant topics to pitch.
Once you get the guest post, leverage it by adding something like "Featured in [Newsletter Name]" on your landing page.
Conclusion: Build Trust, Watch Growth Follow 🚀
Social proof isn’t just a nice-to-have; it’s a growth lever.
Start with the basics.
Highlight your subscriber count and add impactful reader testimonials to your newsletter landing page.
And, if you want to implement more of these tactics, check out beehiiv for growing your subscriber list.
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