Top 10 Ways for Hosting Companies to Reach (And Keep) New Customers

The WordPress hosting market is more competitive than ever. Providers are competing on pricing, performance, support, and trust.

Prospective customers have countless hosting options to choose from, and many spend weeks researching before making a decision. Along the way, they rely on recommendations from industry experts, WordPress communities, newsletters, podcasts, YouTube creators, and customer reviews far more than traditional advertising.

For this reason, sustainable growth requires more than a single marketing tactic.

Successful hosting companies build credibility at every stage of the customer journey, from creating educational content that answers real questions to earning visibility through trusted sponsorships and delivering an onboarding experience that encourages long-term loyalty.

Sponsorships, in particular, can accelerate brand awareness by placing your company in front of engaged audiences that already trust the publishers and creators they follow.

In this article, we’ll explore 10 practical customer acquisition and retention strategies that can help hosting companies attract better-fit customers, strengthen relationships, and grow more sustainably.

Customer Acquisition for WordPress Hosts

You know as well as we do that not all hosts are created equal. But customers don’t necessarily do. All you have to do is visit the r/hosting subreddit and you’ll find people looking for the lowest monthly price possible.

“I’d like to pay no more than $5/month with no price gimmicks [for 5 static sites].” Reddit User

Not only do customers need to find you, but they also need to understand why their website is a valuable asset that deserves more than a cat blog. (Not that cat blogs are bad. But you get what we’re saying.)

The cost for gaining that new customer can be calculated by total marketing costs divided by the number of new customers, according to UserPilot. In that same article they say the average CAC for a SaaS company (WordPress hosting is a SaaS) is $702.

Customer Retention for WordPress Hosts

Once you have a customer, you kind of want to keep them. This seems obvious until you have a staff meeting and realize all of your efforts are to support gaining customers instead of appreciating the ones you have (think of the ads and offers for cell phone carriers). 

If you’ve read one article about the costs of customer retention, you’ve read them all. Generically there is a 5x – 7x cost thrown around.

Sales (acquisition) often shows growth while retention (marketing, customer service) is seen as boring or (wrongly) more expensive. Not only should you care about keeping customers, it’s more profitable. In an article, StoreConnect reports “increasing customer retention by 5% can increase profits from 25-95%.” Now the CFO is paying attention.

No matter which you personally favor, a thriving WordPress host needs strategies for both customer acquisition and customer retention. To make your upcoming staff meeting shorter, we’re compiled a list of the top ten ways you can reach (and keep) new customers.

10 Ways Hosting Companies Can Reach (And Keep) New Customers

Here are 10 ways WordPress hosts can attract new customers, build lasting relationships, and turn first-time users into loyal customers.

1. Sponsor Trusted Newsletters

Email newsletters remain one of the most effective ways to reach WordPress professionals because they connect brands with audiences that have actively chosen to receive industry insights.

Unlike social media algorithms or increasingly unpredictable search traffic, newsletters provide direct access to engaged readers who regularly open, read, and act on the content they trust.

For hosting companies, sponsoring respected newsletters offers more than brand exposure. It places your company alongside credible editorial content, creating positive brand association before a prospect is actively shopping for hosting.

Repeated visibility also helps keep your brand top of mind during longer buying cycles, when developers, agencies, and business owners are evaluating hosting options or recommending providers to clients.

Publications like The WP Minute’s Weekly WordPress Newsletter reach WordPress professionals who influence hosting decisions every day, making sponsorships especially valuable for launching new products, increasing brand awareness, or promoting premium services.

The best results come from treating newsletter sponsorships as an ongoing investment rather than a one-time campaign, reinforcing your message through consistent exposure and clear, audience-focused messaging.

2. Invest in Podcast and YouTube Sponsorships

Podcasts and YouTube have become essential learning platforms for WordPress professionals. In 2024, the average daily minutes watched on YouTube was 48 minutes (sounds like a podcast episode!). Even better, 74% watchers are adults!

Whether they’re researching hosting providers, exploring new tools, or staying current with industry trends, developers, freelancers, and agency owners increasingly consume educational content in audio and video formats. That makes these channels ideal for reaching potential customers long before they’re ready to make a purchase.

“Kinsta supports strong, independent WordPress media like The WP Minute because the WordPress ecosystem is massive, diverse, and constantly evolving. With over 40% of the web running on WordPress, it’s critical to have trustworthy coverage that represents all corners of the community: core contributors, plugin and theme developers, agencies, freelancers, and more. As an independent hosting company committed to open-source values and doing what’s right for users, we rely on this kind of journalism to stay connected, informed, and in service to the broader WordPress project.” – Roger Williams, Kinsta

Unlike display ads that are easy to ignore, host-read sponsorships feel like trusted recommendations. When a trusted creator explains why they work with a hosting company or highlights a product’s benefits in their own words, the message carries far more credibility than a traditional advertisement.

“Sponsorships allow brands to use YouTube channels to reach specific consumers who are likely to be more receptive to their message, often because they already like the influencer’s content or agree with their opinions on various topics.” ThoughtLeaders.io

Consistent sponsorships also build familiarity, ensuring your brand stays top of mind throughout longer buying cycles. The WordPress ecosystem offers numerous opportunities to partner with influential podcasts and YouTube creators whose audiences align with your ideal customers.

This strategy is particularly effective for hosting companies looking to increase brand recognition, introduce new offerings, or establish credibility with professionals who regularly recommend hosting solutions to clients.

3. Build Thought Leadership Through Guest Content

Sponsoring content helps people recognize your brand, but thought leadership helps them trust the people behind it.

By appearing on podcasts, contributing guest articles, participating in interviews, or speaking at industry events, hosting companies can demonstrate expertise in a way that feels informative rather than promotional.

The WP Minute founder, Matt Medeiros, has been a guest on many podcasts himself. This gives your company a down-to-earth and friendly feel that is compatible with the vibes of the WordPress Community.

If you’re considering this method, we have tips on being the best podcast guest to help you get over the hurdle and make that guest spot really count.

The most effective thought leadership focuses on solving real problems instead of selling products. Share insights from supporting thousands of WordPress sites, discuss emerging trends in performance or security, explain lessons learned from major infrastructure changes, or offer practical advice for agencies and developers. This kind of content positions your team as experienced practitioners with valuable perspectives.

When the CEO of your hosting company appears on a podcast, like Ben Gabler of Rocket.net did on Entrepreneur’s Enigma or WPProductTalk, it helps WordPress freelancers and agencies trust you. Why? Because we do business with people we know, like, and trust.

Thought leadership also complements sponsorships. While sponsorships create awareness, guest appearances and contributed content add credibility by putting knowledgeable voices behind the brand.

Founders, marketers, engineers, and customer success leaders can all contribute to this effort, helping build stronger relationships with the WordPress community while creating evergreen content that continues to attract attention long after it’s published.

4. Sponsor the Communities That Influence Buying Decisions

Some of the most influential conversations about hosting happen within the communities where WordPress professionals learn, collaborate, and share recommendations.

WordCamps, local meetups, niche conferences, and other industry events bring together developers, freelancers, agency owners, and site managers who regularly influence hosting decisions for both their own projects and their clients.

Sponsoring these communities is about far more than placing a logo on event signage or staffing a booth. It signals a genuine commitment to supporting the WordPress ecosystem while creating opportunities to build relationships face-to-face. Those conversations often lead to lasting brand recognition, valuable partnerships, and referrals that are difficult to generate through paid advertising alone.

Along with the Global Sponsorship of WordCamps that are affordable for WordPress Hosts, you can opt to sponsor individual and local WordCamps as well. This is especially effective for regional WordCamps that are in your host’s country or city. Check out WordCamp Central’s schedule to get in touch with local or regional organizers. 

“Oftentimes, affordable micro sponsorships are available that allow you to get involved with a WordCamp event as a sponsor — without breaking the bank.” GoDaddy

For WordPress-focused hosting companies, especially those serving agencies and freelancers, consistent community involvement builds credibility and keeps your brand visible among the people who shape purchasing recommendations every day.

5. Publish Original Research and Customer Insights

Original research is one of the few marketing assets your competitors can’t easily replicate.

By publishing proprietary data, industry surveys, benchmark reports, or customer insights, hosting companies can create content that attracts backlinks, earns media coverage, and becomes a trusted reference across the WordPress ecosystem.

WP Engine is famous for their Website Traffic Trends report. This kind of data is a valuable backlink as well as an establishment of authority. They’ve also released a new study about the cost of your company website.

The key is to share information your audience genuinely finds valuable. Analyze hosting performance trends, survey agencies about the challenges they face, examine WordPress security patterns, or publish annual reports on website speed, uptime, or developer workflows.

These insights help customers make better decisions while positioning your company as a knowledgeable authority rather than simply another hosting service provider.

Research also has a longer lifespan than many other content formats. Journalists, creators, bloggers, and even AI-powered search experiences frequently cite original data when discussing industry trends, extending your reach well beyond your own audience.

This strategy is particularly effective for established hosting providers looking to differentiate on expertise, strengthen brand credibility, and generate high-quality organic visibility that compounds over time.

You have the customer data so it’s just a matter of creating the survey, analyzing it, writing the white paper (to attract new customers), and then jumping on a podcast to talk about it.

6. Turn Customer Success Into Marketing

Your happiest customers can become one of your most effective marketing assets. While product features and performance benchmarks matter, real success stories help prospective customers see the tangible business value your hosting platform delivers. They provide the social proof that many buyers look for before making a purchasing decision.

Instead of focusing solely on technical specifications, showcase outcomes that resonate with your audience. Highlight how a customer improved site performance, simplified a complex migration, reduced downtime, handled a major traffic spike, or scaled an online business with your support.

Pro tip: Include measurable results whenever possible, along with quotes that explain the experience from the customer’s perspective.

Customer stories also reinforce the credibility you’ve built through sponsorships, thought leadership, and community involvement. After someone discovers your brand through a trusted newsletter or podcast, a compelling case study can provide the confidence they need to take the next step. This approach is especially valuable for hosting companies with an established customer base and a track record of helping clients achieve meaningful results.

7. Stay Active Where Your Customers Already Are

Not every buying decision starts with a search engine. Many begin with a question posted on LinkedIn, a discussion in a Slack or Discord community, or a recommendation shared on Reddit. These conversations shape opinions long before someone visits a hosting company’s website, making consistent community engagement an important part of modern marketing.

The goal isn’t to promote your services in every conversation; it’s to become a helpful, recognizable presence. Answer technical questions, share useful resources, celebrate customer successes, and contribute thoughtful insights without immediately steering discussions toward your products. Over time, these interactions build familiarity and demonstrate that your team understands the real challenges WordPress users face.

Being involved in subreddits like r/hosting or r/webhosting is a no-brainer. Being that these platforms (as well as Instagram) are indexed by Google means you’re also helping your off-page SEO.

This approach also gives hosting companies valuable feedback. By monitoring discussions, you can identify common pain points, emerging trends, and frequently asked questions that inform future content, product improvements, and customer support initiatives.

For companies looking to grow organically, showing up consistently where customers already gather can build trust that no advertising campaign can easily replicate.

8. Educate Customers After They Sign Up

Customer retention begins the moment someone creates an account.

Even the best hosting platform can’t deliver long-term value if customers don’t understand how to use its features or optimize their websites. A thoughtful onboarding and education program helps new users succeed faster while reducing frustration that can lead to early churn.

Go beyond a welcome email by offering webinars, live office hours, step-by-step tutorials, knowledge base articles, and educational email series tailored to different customer needs. Help users configure backups, improve website performance, strengthen security, and make the most of the tools included with their hosting plan. The more value customers receive early on, the more likely they are to stay.

Green Geeks always invites great guests for their free webinars, for example. We all know the iThemes Training webinars put on by Nathan Ingram (he’s now at hosting.com and those live stream training sessions are archived at the SolidWP Academy).

Education should continue long after onboarding. Regular product updates, optimization tips, and advanced training encourage customers to explore new features and deepen their investment in your platform.

This strategy is especially effective for hosting companies focused on improving customer satisfaction, increasing lifetime value, and turning successful users into long-term advocates for the brand.

9. Build Strategic Partnerships

Strategic partnerships allow hosting companies to reach new audiences through organizations that have already earned their customers’ trust.

Agencies, WordPress plugin developers, SaaS providers, consultants, and other service businesses often influence hosting decisions, making them valuable long-term partners rather than just referral sources.

The most effective partnerships go beyond affiliate programs. Co-host webinars, publish joint guides, create bundled offers, collaborate on customer education, or launch co-marketing campaigns that provide value to both audiences. These initiatives expand your reach while reinforcing your brand through trusted recommendations instead of traditional advertising.

Strong partnerships also create a network effect. Agencies are more likely to recommend a hosting provider they know and trust, while technology partners can introduce your services to customers already using complementary tools.

For growing hosting companies, investing in strategic partnerships is an efficient way to scale brand awareness, generate qualified leads, and strengthen credibility across the broader WordPress ecosystem.

10. Track the Metrics Behind Sustainable Growth

Generating new signups is important, but sustainable growth depends on what happens after a customer joins your platform. That’s why hosting companies should evaluate marketing efforts using metrics that reflect long-term business health rather than focusing solely on clicks, impressions, or short-term conversions.

Track key performance indicators such as customer acquisition cost (CAC), customer lifetime value (LTV), churn rate, referral rate, expansion revenue, and onboarding completion.

If you’re investing in sponsorships, measure branded search growth, direct traffic, demo requests, and assisted conversions, not just last-click attribution. These metrics provide a clearer picture of how different channels contribute to long-term revenue.

Regularly reviewing this data helps you identify which marketing initiatives attract high-quality customers who stay longer, upgrade more often, and recommend your brand to others.

By aligning marketing decisions with business outcomes instead of vanity metrics, hosting companies can allocate resources more effectively and build a growth strategy that scales over time.

Conclusion

Growing a hosting company today requires more than competitive pricing or impressive infrastructure. The providers that stand out are those that consistently build trust before the sale and continue delivering value long after customers sign up.

Sponsorships can accelerate that process by introducing your brand to engaged WordPress audiences, but they deliver the greatest impact when combined with educational content, thought leadership, community involvement, customer advocacy, strategic partnerships, and a strong focus on retention.

Rather than chasing short-term wins, invest in marketing initiatives that strengthen relationships and create lasting credibility. Over time, these efforts lead to higher-quality customers, lower churn, and more referrals, the foundations of sustainable growth.

If you’re looking to connect with WordPress professionals who influence hosting decisions, sponsoring The WP Minute is an effective way to build awareness, trust, and long-term brand recognition within the community.

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Just Like You, We’re In the Business of the WordPress Business

We’d love to have your WordPress Hosting Company as a sponsor. Every week we publish WordPress content to inform, educate, and even entertain the busy WordPress Professional. Your hosting for WordPress platform needs to be elevated and we have the perfectly curated audience for you. 

Sponsor today! Get more visible with the right people in WordPress Business. 

You may enjoy this interview with BigScoots founder, Scott Stapley – a The WP Minute Sponsor.