I spent 15 seconds poring over the pop up opt in form.
Then I closed it out.
I never returned to the blog.
The blog content looked promising. I dug the title of the blog post. The domain name sounded enticing. Up my alley. All checks marked, across the board. Good deal. So I clicked through to the blog post. I immediately saw a large pop up form dominating the blog. No worries. I’d quickly close out the opt in pop up and enjoy the content I was there for.
Yeah….right.
I searched for the “X” to close out the pop up form. I could not find it after 5 seconds. 10 second later, still no “X”. Fed up, I spent 5 more seconds looking for a clickable link that would exit the form for me. To close it out.
No dice.
After 15 seconds of careful analysis from an eagle-eyed, patient, calm and peaceful blogger, I closed the browser. I exited the blog. I will never return to the blog. No traffic coming from my end. No blog comments. No retweets to my 52,000 followers. No blogging friendship. Nope. All lost. All gonzo.
If I am a patient, calm, observant blogger, with my eagle-eyes, scouring for a way to exit the pop up opt in form so I could enjoy the content I was there to read, imagine how quickly 99.99% of impatient, hurried, rushed readers and bloggers would close the browser and exit the blog the split second they did not clearly and easily see and click the “X”?
My over-under; 1-2 seconds flat.
Most human beings lack patience.
If you put up barriers to your blog – like the barrier I experienced yesterday, trying to find the dreaded hidden “X” that the blogger has likely hidden, because they fear missing out on subscribers, but instead, piss off folks and kill their blog – virtually all readers but the most patient, or the most rabid, loyal fans, will immediately turn around at the barrier and exit your blog. Never to return.
People have many options available to them. Far more than your blog. If you put up a barrier that cannot be avoided quickly and easily, with a clear, easy to see exit link to a pop up form, or something similar, most readers stop at the barrier within seconds and leave your blog. For good. Seriously. I am not returning to any blog whose blog owner is so desperate that they actually make me work hard to get their content.
I can get the most brilliant blogging content quickly and easily on Pro Blogger.
Check out my friend Maxwell Ivey’s blog:
Zero barriers to that blog; he allows you to access any content you want quickly and easily, so you can feast on his knowledge, share his content, comment on his blog and hire him.
Why struggle jumping through hoops and trying to get through or around barriers on lesser known blogs?
I know you want to grow your email list. I get it. Just don’t devote so much desperate energy to growing your list that you piss off the very readers you want to attract, by making it painfully difficult for said readers to get over or around or through barriers, like sneakily or unintentionally hiding ways to close your pop up opt in form, which of course diminishes reader experience and creates a barrier to the helpful content you should be getting in front of your reader’s eyes as quickly as possible.
How to Do it
Make the experience as seamless, quick and easy as possible.
Use an instant pop up as soon as readers visit your blog if you decide to go the pop up route. Clearly indicate how readers can exit the pop up within 1 second. A huge “X” or large lettered text indicating how to close the opt in form work nicely.
Don’t get too tricky; some of your readers may not understand English well, and your clever but insulting “I’d rather be broke” exit option may fly over their heads.
You just lost the chance to make more money through your condescending cleverness.
Your Turn
How do you create a seamless experience for your blog readers?
Video
Watch me gab about this concept from lovely New York City: