The Subscriber Giveaway Campaign

Run a supplement, food & bev, or other replenishment focused ecommerce brand?

Let's talk about a question you're probably very familiar with: "How do I get people to subscribe to my subscription program and keep them from cancelling".

At 100 Celsius, we have a strategy that we help many clients implement to make signing up for their subscription programs way sexier. Let's break down the Subscriber Giveaway Campaign.

What Is A Subscriber Giveaway Campaign?

This campaign is exactly what it sounds like. Every month (or quarter if you'd like), you put together something awesome to give away to one lucky (or several lucky) paid subscribers.

Basically, you accomplish two big objectives with one campaign.

1. You're giving prospects, one-off buyers, and lapsed subscribers a fresh reason to "get off the fence" and subscribe - every single month. They might not be motivated by "get 10% off"... but they might be motivated by "get 10% AND the chance of winning a free home gym".
2. You're giving active subscribers a great reason to stay subscribed. This plays into the psychology of loss aversion. If they cancel or pause, they'll lose out on the potential to win something awesome.

When done well, this type of giveaway campaign can drastically increase the amount of new subscribers you convert every month - creating a big "acquisition spike" during a 2-3 day window around your drawing date every month.

When combined with a strong new subscriber onboarding experience and a great product, this can be one of the most powerful tools in your toolbox to grow a subscription program.

Let's break down exactly how to do it:

How it Works: The Nuts and Bolts

Step 1) Crafting the Perfect Giveaway

First up, you need to decide what you're giving away.

(And no, a branded keychain probably won't cut it)

Think big and relevant - what would get you excited enough to actually consider subscribing to a product you liked (or were curious about) for a chance to win?

If you're a fitness supplement brand, how about a home gym setup?

Or if you're in the food & beverage space, maybe a year's supply of product or a high-end espresso machine?

The point is, the giveaway should be something that not only aligns with your brand but also gets people genuinely excited. Try hard not to cheap out - make it awesome. A truly great giveaway item won't just produce 2x better response than an average one, it will produce 10x better response.

A truly great giveaway item won't just produce 2x better response than an average one, it will produce 10x better response.

Step 2) Spreading The Word

Once you've got your killer giveaway, shout it from the rooftops.

Let your audience know what's up and when you'll be drawing the winner. It's like hosting a party; you've got to send out those invites.

First, you need to let one-off buyers and prospects know it's happening (and when), but that they need to become a subscriber to be entered to win.

You also need to let active subscribers know that it's happening, hyping up the giveaway and letting them know they're already entered.

Generally, your owned channels like email, SMS, and social media (think Facebook group/page, Instagram, Circle, membership program, etc) will be the most effective ways to promote this giveaway every month.

Your subscriber giveaway is a great touchpoint for existing paid subscribers, one-off buyers, and prospects

Step 3) The Big Reveal

On the day and time you said you were going to pick a winner... pick a winner!

Best practice here is to make it random.

You can export a CSV of all of your active subscribers (or anyone who meets the eligibility criteria) and run them through a random selection generator (here's a solid one)

Obviously, once you have a winner, you (ideally the founder, but if not, the customer service lead) will need to reach out and let them know they won. You'll need to coordinate the delivery of the gift.

And (important) you'll want to ask them for UGC - especially videos of them "unboxing" their giveaway. You could also call them live to let them know, and record their reaction (with their consent of course).

At the same time, you want to let your audience know who won, and remind that you'll do another giveaway next month/quarter, so make sure you subscriber (or stay subscribed) for another chance!

Step 4) Featuring The Giveaway Campaign On Your Website & Landing Pages

The best part of this recurring promotion is that it's not only amazing for converting subscribers via email, SMS, direct mail, and social media...

But it becomes a core benefit and attraction of your subscription program.

Once you get this rolling every month, you should ABSOLUTELY feature it on subscriber acquisition landing pages, PDPs (in a "why subscribe" widget), and a dedicated "Subscription" page on your site.

This way, every visitor knows that not only are you offering a great product and a discount when they subscribe - but also an great chance to win awesome stuff as a built-in perk.

End Notes

As you can see, developing a recurring subscriber acquisition campaign is one of the most effective (and fun) ways to drive regular subscriber growth. The truth is, if you want to maximize subscriber growth, you need a better offer than "10% off".

If you're trying to grow your paid ecommerce subscription program, try this campaign and see how well it works!

And if you need help developing a campaign like this for your brand, as well as a powerful MRR growth strategy, our team at 100 Celsius can help!

‍