You have installed your WordPress blog, you have launched your blog, and have published awesome content on it, then the only thing left to do now is reaching out to your audience and get them to subscribe to your blog.
And to help you out with that, today I will share one currently trending technique to get you the very first subscribers.
I am talking about Push Notifications.
Nowadays, most websites and eCommerce sites are using this technique and even Facebook is also using this technique to get their users to come back again and again.
So…
What are (Browser) Push Notifications?
Ever noticed you’re doing something on your computer and suddenly a few pop-ups appeared from nowhere?
Then you read the title it made you curious, so you clicked on the popup and a new tab in your browser opened up and you were taken straight to the article or offers.
You probably liked the article so you kept on reading, or found the offers exciting so brought something.
Once you are done with it, you closed the browser and got back to whatever you were doing earlier.
Now, I want you to stop for a moment and think;
Don’t you wonder how did you end up reading or buying something you were not even looking for at that moment?
If you’re a blogger would you mind your readers do the exact same thing on your blog?
Won’t you love to get some free traffics like these?
Well, that’s what push notification does for you.
But How?
Still, wondering how they did this?
To figure that out you will have to go back in time and again visit the site you just visited.
OR
If you are using Google Chrome then just go to chrome://settings/content/notifications and remove the website from Allow.
Now go to that website again. For this example, I will go to >> www.finalcialexpress.com
Do you see a box popped out in the left top corner?
Well, that is where you have allowed the website to send you browser push notifications.
As the name suggests it is a notification that you push to your readers whenever you want to notify them about something. It could be a new post update, new offers if you sell something on your site or anything.
The best thing about Push notifications is that your readers don’t have to come to your blog to see the notifications if they have already given you permission.
You can outreach your web visitors through web push notifications even if their browser isn’t open.
That makes the push notification a powerful tool for keeping your web audience engaged and to re-engage with your old ones.
So, How do you set up the web push notifications?
Well, the good news is, today I am here to show you exactly that.
I will be using a tool called PushCrew.
So, let’s dive in then…
How to Setup Push Notifications With PushCrew?
You can setup PushCrew in two ways:
No.1: You can use the PushCrew plugin if you are using WordPress.
No.2: You can add the javascript code provided by PushCrew to your blog.
Okay, let’s start with the easy one.
First thing first…
Go ahead and sign up for a free PushCrew account.
Pushcrew comes with a 14 Day Free Trial. You can later opt-in for the premium plans they have or you can still use the free version to collect subscribers for up to 500 numbers.
The only disadvantage is that, after the 14 days, you won’t be able to send any custom notifications. Only notifications you will be able to send are the new post updates.
Set up Push Notifications With PushCrew using the WordPress Plugin:
Step 1: Download the PushCrew WordPress plugin, install and activate it.
Step 2: Log in to your PushCrew account:
Step 3: Find the PushCrew Account ID:
Once you’re inside the PushCrew dashboard. Go to “Account Settings” under Settings.
Now on the right side, you should see your PushCrew account ID.
Company Name would be fetched automatically as you’ve already submitted it while registering for an account.
So, just set the Timezone and Click on “Save”.
Now, copy the Account ID and head back to your WP dashboard.
You might already be seeing a notification inside the dashboard to enter the PushCrew account ID.
In case you don’t see any such notification then locate the PushCrew tab itself.
You will find it under Settings:
Step 4: It’s time to enter the PushCrew Account ID:
Enter your account ID and save the changes.
Step 5: Log in to your PushCrew account again and navigate to “Customize for Desktop” under Settings.
Here you can upload your logo and also customize the opt-in messages you want to show your readers when they first land on your blog.
In the same way you can set up the mobile opt-in settings as well.
Select the checkbox “Enable Opt-in for mobile“.
Either keep the same message as the desktop’s one or you can go with a different message altogether for mobile; it’s completely up to you.
You can decide where do you want to show the *chicklet.
You can also set a background color for the chicklet matching your theme.
Scrolling down you will see the Child Window Settings.
Child Window appears when a reader clicks on the Allow button.
Click Save and you’re done.
Step 6: The final step to test if all the above steps are set correctly.
To see if your push notification is working or not, just visit your site from a different browser window.
If everything is done properly, you should definitely be seeing a pop-up on your blog like this:
If you’re able to see the pop up on your blog then just pat yourself on the back. Coz, you have just successfully configured Push Notifications on your blog.
Moving on to the other option…
Set up Push Notifications With PushCrew without using the WordPress Plugin:
Here, the first 4 steps will change and the rest will remain the same.
Step 1: Log in to your PushCrew account.
Once you’re inside the PushCrew dashboard you should be directly taken to the Code and Implementation tab.
In case you end up somewhere else just look for the option “Code and Implementation” under settings.
Step 2: Find the javascript codes:
Inside Code and Implementation there you have the codes; just copy them and move to step 3.
Step 3: While connecting your Google Analytics on your blog you probably have installed a plug in to insert the analytics code.
Here again, you can use the same plugin without installing another one.
And if you haven’t already installed any plugin to insert scripts, then, install a plugin like SOGO Add Script Header Footer.
Now, insert the codes you copied earlier into the header section of the plugin. Hit Save Changes and you are done.
If you’re a complete beginner, I recommend you to go with the 1st option, using the PushCrew Plugin.
When everything is set (either way you like), you can go ahead and check on your mobile and make sure it is working fine there as well.
Now a day most of the traffic on the internet comes from mobile phones only. So you don’t want to miss out on them.
How to send push notifications with PushCrew?
Once you have got few subscribers through Push Notification, now you can set up the push notifications you want to send.
Like I mentioned earlier after the 14 days trial from PushCrew, you won’t be able to send custom notifications to your readers anymore.
But still for your knowledge and also if you decide to upgrade to the premium version, here is how to send push notifications:
Step 1: Login your PushCrew account and find the big green button that says, “Send Push Notifications” and click it.
Step 2: Set up the title, message, and your landing page (where you want the users to land if they click on the notification) and upload a logo:
On the right-hand side, you have the previews, where you can see how the notification will look in different devices.
Below this section you have the advanced settings:
Send to: Inside the dashboard you have an option to create Segment Creator based on the user’s interest, device, OS, etc. So, when you have an update you want to reach some specific readers only, you can use this option.
Advanced Options: Set a timer or your notification will stay there on your reader’s computer or mobile screen forever until the user closes it or followed the link to see what’s inside.
Once everything is set here, just click the Send Notification button below and your notification will be broadcasted to your readers immediately.
Now, that was a custom notification and you won’t be able to use this unless you pay PushCrew.
So, what about sending automatic push notifications to your subscribers as soon as you publish a new post on your blog?
Here’s how to do this:
Step 1: Inside your PushCrew dashboard you will see a tab “RSS-to-push” along with the other menu items.
Click it.
Step 2: Add the RSS feed URL of your blog here.
Then, click Add RSS and you’re all set.
Now, every time you publish a new post on your blog, PushCrew will send a notification directly to your push notification subscribers on their devices.
Final Words:
The main two reasons I can think of why you should implement Push Notifications are:
- Fast Delivery.
- A sense of security to the users.
Fast Delivery: With the help of push notifications you can reach your audience comparatively faster than any form of marketing as the user doesn’t need to be on your blog or go anywhere to access your new content.
They can be doing anything on their device and you can still reach them within seconds (given, they have access to the internet.)
A sense of security: I personally have experienced this. I have given up on contents just because I had to share my Email ID or Phone number.
Not everyone likes to give away their email ID unless they are convinced they are not making any mistake.
So, with push notifications, you can minimize that risk and people would not mind that much as they can always unsubscribe from the list and they can be sure their information is safe now.
Now that you know how Push Notifications can help you outreach your audience and engage them wherever they are and whatever they are doing.
So, why are you still waiting? set it up already!
Next week I will show you how to do an email opt-in automation using MailChimp like I did on my blog here > Earn to Learn
So, stay tuned and if you haven’t already subscribed to my newsletters, you can do it below.
And I’ll see you next week.
Cheers!
Have any queries? leave it in the comment section and I’ll get back to you asap with an answer.
P.S. If you have found the guide helpful, please share it with your friends and family who you believe might benefit from this.