Here is a common mix-up among new bloggers. A user with the Subscriber role in WordPress is not someone who receives your newsletter. Subscriber is simply the role with the lowest level of access on your site.
A Subscriber can log in, read your content and edit their own profile. That is all.
What is the Subscriber role used for?
Think of a Subscriber as a library member. They have a card that lets them in, but they cannot rearrange the shelves or add new books.
This role is useful whenever visitors need an account but no editing power. For example:
- A membership site where only logged-in users can read premium lessons, usually with the help of a membership plugin.
- A blog that accepts comments only from registered users.
- A small online course where every student needs a personal profile.
Subscriber vs email subscriber
WordPress does not email your Subscribers when you publish a new post. If you want to build a mailing list, you need a newsletter service or an email plugin for that.
So, a Subscriber is nothing but a registered user account. When they log in, their dashboard shows little more than the main screen and their own Profile page.
If you don't want Subscribers to see the dashboard at all, our guide on how to prevent users from accessing WordPress admin will help.
How to let visitors register as Subscribers
- First, go to Settings → General in your dashboard.
- Next, tick the Anyone can register box next to Membership.
- Now, make sure New User Default Role is set to Subscriber, which is the default.
- Finally, click Save Changes at the bottom of the page.
Visitors can now sign up through the standard WordPress registration form.
Open registration attracts spam bots. Never set the default role to Editor or Administrator, and protect your sign-up form with an anti-spam plugin.
In short, the Subscriber role gives people an account with read-only access and nothing more. That's all about it. Got a question? Leave it in the comment section below.