For podcasters, getting listeners to subscribe to our shows is crucial. And while this process has grown easier over the years, there’s still a segment of the population that doesn’t understand how to subscribe to a podcast. That’s why Blubrry launched its new Subscribe by Email service. Subscribe by Email gives podcasters the ability to easily let listeners get e-mail updates anytime a new episode is posted.

Subscribe by Email offers two ways podcasters can add the service to a website. Podcasters who are already using Blubrry’s PowerPress plugin for WordPress will automatically get a Subscribe by Email button in their website’s sidebar if they’ve implemented the PowerPress subscribe widget. Everyone else can visit the “For Podcasters” page on the Subscribe by Email website and follow the instructions to create a Subscribe by Email button of their own.

It’s worth noting that this new service is intended to do one thing only: Send new show alerts via e-mail to those who’ve signed up. Subscribe by Email isn’t a traditional e-mail list building tool. For now, the e-mail addresses of subscribers aren’t shared with podcasters. If Subscribe by Email sees a heavy adoption rate, Blubrry may add in some kind of list-building functionality in the future.

If you’d like to learn more about Subscribe by Email or add the service to your website, click the link at the top of this entry.

Disclosure: I work part-time with the Blubrry support team and Podcaster News Executive Editor Todd Cochrane is the CEO of Rawvoice, parent company of Blubrry.