How to Increase Your Blog Subscription Rate by 254% There's an action that almost every blogger wants his or her users to take. Most of these bloggers use a single word to convince readers to take this action. They use this word because other bloggers use it. Do you know what that word is? Subscribe. A week and a half ago I had a sudden realization. Subscriptions generally cost money. Think about that for a second. It's jarring, especially if you've spent the past few months or even years incessantly asking your readers to subscribe. What Does It Mean to Subscribe? Here are the definitions of "subscribe" from two online dictionaries. Dictionary.com: "to pledge, as by signing an agreement, to give or pay (a sum of money) as a contribution, gift, or investment." Merriam-Webster.com: "to write (one's name) underneath." Are you being completely clear with your word choice? When you ask your readers to subscribe, are you asking them to do the virtual version of writing their name underneath? Or are you asking them to agree to pay you a sum of money? You want your readers to sign up for a free service because every time one of them does, your blog becomes a little bit more valuable (and you get a small ego boost). You need to make it absolutely obvious to these people that it costs nothing more than a few seconds of time to get valuable content delivered directly to them via RSS or e-mail. Word