Starting an email list from the ground up can feel like a big task, like trying to fill a bucket with a single drop of water at a time. You’re eager to connect with an audience, but where do you even begin when you have zero subscribers? It’s a common challenge for many, but with a sound plan, it’s not as daunting as it seems. This article will give you a clear path on how to build an email list, even when starting from absolute scratch.
Why Build an Email List?
In the world of digital marketing, an email list can be a vital asset. It’s a direct line of communication to people who have shown a real interest in what you do. Think of social media. While it’s great for visibility, you don’t own that space. The algorithms change, and your posts might not reach your whole audience. But an email list? That’s something you have total control over. When you build an email list, you build a direct channel to your audience, and that offers a number of perks.
First, it builds customer loyalty. When people choose to join your email list, they’re showing they want to hear more from you. This means you have a group of people who are already warm to your brand, and it can be a place to turn one-time buyers into regular fans.
Second, it is a cost-effective way to connect. Compared to some marketing methods, email marketing is often less costly, and it can bring a huge return on the time spent. You do not have to pay each time you send an email.
Third, email lists are great to keep your audience in the know. You can share news, give updates, send deals, and talk to your audience, all in a space where they’re ready to listen.
Lastly, with an email list, you get data. You can see what your audience likes by tracking how they open and click on links in your emails. That data will help shape what content to make and what deals to offer.
Starting With a Solid Plan
Before diving into the how, it’s best to lay the groundwork for a plan. You would not build a house without a blueprint, and an email list needs the same care. There are three key steps to think about first:
First is to know who you want to reach. Before starting to build an email list, think about who your ideal subscriber is. What do they care about? What problems can you help them with? How old are they? What are their interests? The clearer you are on who you want to connect with, the better your plan to reach them will be.
Next is to set clear goals. What do you want to get from your email list? Is it to sell more goods, grow your brand awareness, or send out new information? Having a clear goal will keep you on track. It will also give you a way to tell if your efforts to build an email list are working.
Lastly is to pick an email marketing service. You’ll need an email service provider (ESP) to handle your email list, design emails, and track your work. There are many options, like Mailchimp, ConvertKit, and Constant Contact. Take time to check out each one to see which meets your needs. Look at the price, how easy it is to use, and what features they have.
How to Build Your Email List
Now, let’s dive into the specifics of how you can grow your list from zero. These methods have been used with much success, and now you can use them to build your audience.
1. Create a Lead Magnet
A lead magnet is like a small gift you give to someone in return for their email address. It’s a very good way to get people on your list, but it needs to be worth their time and attention. Think about what value you can give away for free. Here are some ideas:
- Ebooks or Guides: A short book on a topic your audience cares about can be a very good lead magnet. Make sure it gives useful information or a solution.
- Checklists or Cheat Sheets: A simple list or chart can help people get stuff done quicker.
- Webinars or Online Courses: Offer a free video lesson or workshop. This is great if you want to show your knowledge and engage with people.
- Templates or Workbooks: If you have a skill that people want to learn, give them a free tool to use. This is great to make your audience take action.
- Discount or Free Trial: Everyone loves a good deal. Give a discount or free trial on your goods or services.
A good lead magnet needs to be tied to what you do and what your audience wants. If you sell cooking tools, offer a free ebook of top recipes. If you run a tech blog, offer a guide on the top tips on a specific tech topic. The more linked your lead magnet is to your brand, the more your email list will have people who want to hear from you.
2. Add Opt-In Forms to Your Site
Your site is the place where a lot of people will get to know you. That’s why it’s key to put a form to sign up for your email list on your website. Do not hide the sign-up button, make it easy for people to see and use. Here are a few areas to add opt-in forms:
- Header or Footer: These are places most people look on a site. Put a simple sign-up in your header or footer so people can quickly see how to sign up.
- Sidebar: If you have a sidebar, put your email sign up there. It can be a constant sign up option.
- Pop-Up Forms: A well-timed pop-up form can get lots of sign-ups, but make sure it’s not too annoying. Wait for a few seconds after someone lands on the page or when they are about to leave. Make it simple to close.
- Welcome Gate: This is a full-page sign up form that shows up when someone first visits your site. Use it with care, as it can be a bit much for some people.
- Blog Posts: Place a sign up form at the end or in the middle of your blog posts. This is a good way to catch readers when they are most engaged.
Make sure your opt-in forms are easy to use. Ask for only the details you need. A name and an email address are a very good start. Make it very clear what people get when they sign up. A call to action like “Join our list” or “Get your free guide” can help more people sign up.
3. Use Social Media to Your Benefit
Social media can be a place where many of your target audience spends time. You can tap into the traffic to grow your email list. Here are a few ways to use social media to get email subscribers:
- Share Your Lead Magnet: Use posts to talk about your lead magnet. Let people know what they will get if they sign up for your email list. Include a link to your sign up form.
- Run Contests or Giveaways: Social media is great for contests. Run contests where the winner gets something special. Make joining your email list a part of the entry rules.
- Add a Link in Your Bio: Most social media platforms let you add one link in your bio. Use this to link to your sign up page.
- Social Media Stories: Talk about your email list in your social media stories. Use stickers to ask questions and make people click through.
- Pin Posts: On many social media platforms, you can pin posts to the top of your page. Use this to pin a sign-up post so people always see it.
Use clear, direct calls to action in your posts. Let people know why they should sign up for your list. Make it easy for them to get to your sign up form. Social media can be a big help to make your email list grow.
4. Start a Blog
Starting a blog is a solid way to make your email list grow. It’s also a great way to make your brand known. You can write posts that target keywords that your audience will search for. Put the sign up option on these pages to get more emails.
When you use SEO techniques to help people find your blog through search engines, you can get free traffic to your site. Then, when people read your posts, you have a chance to get them on your list.
Here are a few ways a blog can help build your email list:
- Create Value: Make very good blog posts that teach your readers. The more good content you give away, the more people will sign up to get more.
- Target Keywords: Look for words and phrases your audience searches for. Write posts about these topics. This is how you get the right traffic to your site.
- Promote Your Lead Magnet: Make sure to mention your lead magnet in your blog posts. Make it easy to sign up for your list.
- Use Opt-in Forms: Put opt-in forms on your blog. This gives readers a very easy way to sign up after they have read your great content.
A blog takes time and effort, but it is a very good way to build a list. It can make you known in your field, make you be seen as an expert, and it can be a way to grow your brand.
5. Host Webinars or Online Events
Webinars and online events can be a very good way to make your email list grow. When you host a live event, you can get people to sign up by using their email address. It is a very good way to connect with people and to give lots of value.
Here’s a look at how to make the most out of webinars to build your email list:
- Offer Value: Make sure your webinars or events teach people about things they want to learn. Good events are ones that give real tips and advice.
- Promote Your Event: Talk about your webinar or event on social media, on your blog, and on your site. Let people know what they can expect. Make sure the sign up is simple.
- Record the Event: If you record the webinar, you can use it to build your list later. Put it on a landing page where people need to give an email to watch it.
- Ask for Emails: Use a sign up form to gather emails before the webinar. This is a good way to make sure everyone who is going to watch is also on your email list.
Webinars are a very good way to connect with your audience and build a list. It also gives you a chance to show that you know your stuff and that you care about your audience.
6. Run Ads to Get More Subscribers
Running ads on social media or search engines can give you a quick way to get more subscribers on your list. Though it costs money, when you use ads well, you can get a very good return on your work. Here’s a look at how to do it:
- Choose the Right Platform: Look at where your audience spends most of their time. If they’re on social media, use social media ads. If they look for answers on search engines, use search engine ads.
- Target the Right Audience: Use ad targeting to make sure your ads reach people who are likely to want to sign up for your list. Use data like location, age, and interests to aim your ads.
- Show a Strong Offer: Make a very good ad that talks about the offer you have. Make sure your lead magnet is easy to see. Show the value people get if they sign up.
- Use a Landing Page: Send the traffic from your ads to a landing page, where it is easy to sign up for your list. Do not send people to your site’s home page.
When you run ads, keep a close watch on how well they are doing. Look at what ads are working and not working, and use that to make better ads. While ads can cost money, they can be a very good way to get your list to grow quickly.
7. Use Quizzes and Surveys
Quizzes and surveys are not just a fun way to engage with your audience, they also give you a good way to get their email address. When you make a quiz or a survey that is useful for people, they’re often happy to give you their email to get the results. Here’s how to do it:
- Make it Fun and Useful: The best quizzes and surveys are the ones that are fun and give useful results. Make sure your questions are clear and simple.
- Collect Email Addresses: Before people can see their results, make them enter an email address. Make it clear that they will be added to your list.
- Link to Your Lead Magnet: After people finish the quiz or survey, link to your lead magnet. Use the results as a reason for them to want more.
- Share the Quiz/Survey: Talk about your quiz or survey on your site and on social media. This will get more people to take it.
Quizzes and surveys are great ways to connect with your audience, get their email addresses, and learn more about their likes and dislikes. They are a very good way to get people interested in what you do.
8. Guest Blogging for Exposure
Guest blogging is when you write a blog post for another website. It’s a good way to get new eyes on your work and to get people to join your email list. When you write very good blog posts on other people’s sites, you get to show your skills to a whole new group of people. Here’s how to make it work:
- Find the Right Sites: Look for sites that are read by the people you want to reach. Make sure the site’s topic fits what you know best.
- Write Very Good Content: Give a lot of effort into your guest blog posts. Make them useful and talk about things your audience wants to learn.
- Link to Your Sign Up: Add a link to your sign up page in your bio or in the post. Make sure readers can easily sign up for your email list.
- Promote Your Guest Posts: Talk about your guest blog posts on social media. This is a very good way to get more people to read them.
Guest blogging is a way to get your brand in front of more people. If you write very good content and make sure people can easily sign up, you will see your email list grow.
9. Partner With Others
Partnering with other people in your area of work can be a very good way to grow your email list. When you work with other brands, you get to use their audience and they get to use yours. This can be a fast way to get more emails and also get new people to learn about what you do. Here’s how to make partnerships work:
- Find the Right Partners: Partner with brands that have the same audience you want to reach. Make sure your brands are a good match.
- Run Joint Webinars: Host online events with other brands. Use their email list to get sign ups, and use your list to get more viewers.
- Cross-Promote Lead Magnets: Talk about each other’s lead magnets on your own channels. This gives new chances for people to find them.
- Join in on Contests: Make a joint contest with another brand. This is a very good way to get more people to sign up.
Partnering with other people can get you in front of a new audience. When you and your partner agree to promote each other, you make more people aware of your brand and grow your email list.
10. Use Offline Events
Do not forget about the power of real life. If you are hosting an event, like a workshop or a trade show, you can get people to sign up for your email list in person. Here’s how you can do it:
- Set up a Sign-Up Station: Make a place at your event where people can use a form to sign up for your list. Make sure it is easy for them to use.
- Have a Sign-Up Sheet: If you do not want to use a device, make sure there are sign up sheets at your events. Make sure it is easy to fill out.
- Offer an Incentive: Give a small gift or offer a discount to people who sign up at your event. This is a very good way to make people more likely to sign up.
- Talk About Your List: Talk about your email list in your talks at your events. Make sure people know why they should sign up.
Offline events give you a chance to get emails from people you meet. If you talk about your list, and make it easy to sign up, you will get new people on your list.
Keeping Your List Clean
Having a large email list is great, but you want to make sure that your emails are getting to people who want to read them. Here are some tips to keep your list clean and active:
- Use Double Opt-In: This is when people sign up for your list, and then have to agree to join it again through an email. It’s a very good way to make sure people want to join your list. It also helps keep away fake emails.
- Remove People Who Don’t Open Emails: If people do not open your emails for a long time, they might not be active. Remove them from your list to keep it clean.
- Use an Email List Cleaner: If your list is large, use an email list cleaning service. These services make it simple to remove dead emails.
- Give an Option to Unsubscribe: Make it very simple for people to leave your list if they do not want to be a part of it any longer. This can be in your email footer. This is not just polite but also a legal requirement.
A clean and active email list is more valuable than one that’s huge but not active. Make sure you put in the effort to keep it tidy.
What To Do After Getting Your First Subscribers
After all the work you’ve done, you have now made your first subscribers. But, that’s not the end, but the start of a relationship. Here’s what you can do after you start getting subscribers:
- Send a Welcome Email: A good welcome email is the start of a good relationship with your new subscriber. Thank them for signing up, let them know what to expect, and give them a link to your lead magnet.
- Make a Schedule: Decide how often you want to email your list. Then stick to it. Do not send too many emails. If you send too many, people may lose interest.
- Send Useful Content: Make sure the emails you send give value to your subscribers. Give them tips, insights, and offers that they care about.
- Ask What They Want: Ask your subscribers what they want to see from you. Use surveys to find out what your audience wants. This will help you make better content for them.
- Talk to Your Audience: Treat your email list as a place to talk to your audience. Ask questions, and get feedback. You want to make it two-sided and not one-sided.
Your email list can be a direct line of contact with people who care about your work. Make sure you put effort into making it a place where they get value.
Growing Your List is a Marathon, Not a Sprint
Building an email list from scratch is not something you can do overnight. It takes effort, time, and also a good plan. But when you put these steps in place, you will start to get more emails, and you will connect with your audience in a more direct way. You are not going to see big results right away, but when you have a strategy and stick to it, you will grow your email list.
The Long Game of Subscriber Growth
Building an email list, like any form of growth, is a process. It needs patience, thought, and hard work. Do not expect a huge change overnight. Building a real and loyal audience takes time. Just as trees grow bit by bit, your email list will grow too, with every effort and every step you take. Keep at it, stay focused, and your efforts will pay off in the end.
