Co-registration: turn one lead into three lists

Here is the simple idea. A person joins your main newsletter. Right after they hit submit, you invite them to also join two or three related lists. No extra ad spend. No long form. Just a small widget that opens and says, “Want these too?”

 

Chad walked this on Local Newsletter Hour with live math from the room. Costs were often under a dollar per lead. With co-reg, that one paid lead grew three lists, which cut the effective cost for each list down to pocket change.

 

“This is going to be a little widget that opens up and it says, why don’t you join my other newsletters?”

“He cuts the subscriber cost down to three… He’s got three times more reach.”

 

Why this is worth doing now. You are already paying to get that click. Attention is warm for a few seconds after the form. That is the moment to offer more value.

 

If your CPL (Cost Per Lead)  is $0.28 and three lists get the join, you are at roughly 9 cents per list. Even at $0.60 CPL, you are about 20 cents each. That makes testing new verticals less scary and lets you act like a small media company from day one.

 

On the call, the examples were practical. A city community list as the main capture. Then the widget invites the same person to Food, Family Deals, or Cause/Volunteer lists. These are close enough to feel natural.

 

The person only needs to click once. No extra typing. The wins stack up all week because every ad dollar is feeding more than one audience.

Now let’s set yours up. Keep it light. Keep it honest. If you would personally join it, your readers will too.

 

 

The quick setup (10 minutes)

 

1. Pick your three adds. Think “sister lists,” not random. For most cities: Food, Family, and a Cause list work well.

2. Write one-line promises. “Date nights under $30.” “Free kid stuff this week.” “Local causes that need hands.”
   
   

3. Place the widget. It should trigger right after the main form. Small window. Big checkboxes. Pre-filled email, no new fields.
   
   

4. Limit to three choices. More options can freeze people. You are aiming for two extra joins per person on average.
   
   

5. Track each checkbox. Every checkbox adds a tag in Global Control so each list gets the right welcome.
   
   

6. Say thank you, then close. One button: “Add my picks.” Then the person lands on your thank-you offer page.
   
   

That’s the entire flow. It respects the moment. It does not nag. It gives clear value for one click.

 

On Local Newsletter Hour, Chad even walked the math with a $10 day: 16 new subs at $0.60, two extra joins each, and you just fed three lists with one budget.

 

Micro-copy you can paste

 

• Header: “Want the good stuff in these too?”

• Checks: “Food — weekly deals + new spots” / “Family — free kid events” / “Give Back — one local cause to help”
  
  

• Button: “Add my picks”
  
  

• Footer line: “No spam. Easy unsubscribe.”
  
  

Three real-world use cases

 

1. Advertiser readiness. A small Food list at 1,000 readers can be slow to sell. A co-reg boost can take it to 3,000 while your main list grows. That makes your first sponsor pitch easier.
   
   

2. Segmented sends without re-writing. You can write one story, then send a short angle to Food and a different angle to Family. GC tags do the sorting.
   
   

3. Launch new verticals safely. Start a “Home & Yard” list with no new ads. If it gets traction from co-reg, then consider creative and budget later.
   
   

Common mistakes we saw (and how to fix them)

• Too many lists. More than three slows decisions. Pick the best two or three.
  
  

• Wrong promises. “News you can use” is vague. Say one specific win the list gives this week.
  
  

• Extra fields. Do not ask for more info. This is a one-click add.
  
  

• No routing. Make sure each checkbox maps to a tag so welcomes and segments work in Global Control.
  
  

A quick note on placement. The co-reg widget belongs between the lead form and your thank-you offer page. It should not block the offer page for long. Two clicks. Done. Then send them to the $17–$27 thank-you offer you learned about in the flywheel article.

 

That is how one person can both join multiple lists and help pay for today’s traffic in the same minute.

 

When the Letterman team ships the built-in widget (mentioned on the calls), this gets even easier.

 

Until then, you can use a light custom modal or a simple interstitial page that carries over the email and tags correctly. The principle stays the same: short invite, tight promises, one click, instant routing.

 

Two short quotes to pin this down:

 

“This is going to be a little widget that opens up… why don’t you join my other newsletters?”

“He cuts the subscriber cost down to three… three times more reach.”

 

Summary
Co-reg is leverage you can feel in a week. One paid lead becomes three readers across your brand. Your effective cost drops. Your sends get smarter. Sponsors take you more seriously. And you did it without buying a second click.