But I still wonder how many subscribers you would get, as opposed to just linking to your index. There’s no real way to test it though. There are too many variables. There’s the design, as you pointed out. Then you have the varying audiences of sites you could advertise on, etc. I can’t think of a reliable way to run an experiment.

It worries me though, because what they are saying is that the default FeedBurner page sells their blog better than their actual blog’s home page does.

If that’s true, then there is something seriously wrong with your design.

Using your idea to advertise your feed on your own blog is a different matter though.