14 Surefire Ways To Grow Your Email List From Scratch

Email marketing is a great way to build a relationship with customers, but it can be difficult to get started if you don’t have an email list, to begin with. How do you grow your email list from scratch? Here are my top 14 ways:

Give away something for free (like an ebook) and ask people to sign up for updates about that subject

Section 2: What I’m doing now with my blog – I’m giving away free ebooks on different topics and letting people know when new ones come out.

Takeaway: Giveaways are a great way to grow your list, but only if the content is good! If people sign up just because they want something for free, they probably won’t open or read anything else from you.

So make sure your giveaway is high quality. If it’s not helpful or interesting enough, they’ll delete it without even looking at it again.

In a tone that conveys authority on the topic

Easy beginner strategies to grow an email list – YouTube

Takeaways
1. Offer valuable lead magnets to entice sign-ups.
2. Utilize landing pages to capture visitor emails.
3. Leverage social media to promote your sign-up forms.
4. Host webinars to engage and attract new subscribers.
5. Optimize your website for conversions and user experience.
6. Create compelling and shareable content to attract visitors.
7. Utilize pop-up and slide-in forms for attention-grabbing.
8. Collaborate with influencers to expand your reach.
9. Implement A/B testing for optimizing sign-up forms.
10. Segment your email list for targeted messaging.
11. Encourage referrals through referral programs.
12. Use content upgrades to provide exclusive value.
13. Leverage partnerships for co-marketing opportunities.
14. Stay consistent with email content and frequency.

Table of Contents

1. Add A Lead Magnet To Your Site

A lead magnet is a free product or service that you offer to your website visitors in exchange for their email addresses. The purpose of it is to get more people to sign up for your email list and engage with you, which will eventually turn them into paying customers.

A lead magnet could be anything from an ebook, checklist, or video course…to a tool that helps people save time or make money (like software).

Here are some examples:

If you were an online marketing consultant who wanted to grow his email list, he could create a free guide on how businesses can use Facebook ads better. H

e would then ask people for their email addresses in exchange for receiving this valuable resource which would hopefully help him win over new clients in the future.

If you owned a women’s fashion store on Shopify, then you could put together an ebook titled “5 Ways To Stay Stylish As You Age” and give it away for free to connect with older shoppers who might consider buying fashionable clothing from your store down the road.

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2. Use Tell-A-Friend Scripts On Your Website

Using a tell-a-friend script is one of the easiest ways to grow your email list from scratch. With a tell-a-friend script, visitors to your website can send a message to their friends via email, text message, or social media with an easy link that executes on their end.

The benefits of using these scripts are numerous. Not only can they be used to help you grow your email list but they also increase social media engagement and improve brand awareness because the user’s profile picture appears in the “from” field when sending out messages.

There are many different types of tell-a-friend scripts available depending on what features you need and how much customization you require for each type of message sent out:

Email Tell A Friend. These scripts allow users who visit your site or page through sharing buttons on other websites or links in emails etcetera (such as Facebook pages) to send personalized messages about whatever content was shared with them (including embedded links).

They also include a call for action buttons such as “Sign up now!” which encourage immediate conversion by providing convenience for readers who want more information about products/services being promoted on webpages where those buttons appear;

Text Message Tell A Friend. This type of script allows users who visit specific landing pages after being redirected there from another source such as Google AdWords campaigns to use keywords related to product offerings;

Social Media Share Buttons. These buttons make it easy for readers visiting blog posts online about topics related specifically to businesses offering services like SEO consulting services where there’s interest among people seeking out solutions.

So they can learn more about how these companies might fit into their lives’ goals at present when looking at articles regarding potentially helpful areas professionals need advice

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3. Use QR Codes To Prompt Signups

One of the most popular ways to get people on your email list is by using QR codes. QR codes are two-dimensional barcodes, which can be scanned by a smartphone camera and linked directly to your website or landing page.

QR codes can be placed anywhere you want them: flyers, posters, social media ads, shirts you name it.

The great thing about using QR codes is that they’re easy to create and cheap to print out in large quantities (just make sure they don’t look tacky!). That said, it’s important not to overdo it when adding them everywhere you don’t want people getting sick of seeing them!

4. Put QR Codes In All Of Your Marketing Collateral

QR codes are a great way to get people on your email list. If you don’t know what QR codes are, they’re simply barcodes that you can use to track the number of times people have interacted with your marketing collateral.

They can be used for everything from tracking if someone has read an article online or if they’ve watched a video on YouTube.

The best part about using QR codes is that there’s no cost to you! The user will need to download an app for their smartphones scan the code and get redirected to where you want them to go;

However, most smartphones come installed with this type of app already installed so there’s no extra work involved on your part.

If you want more information about how this works (and why), check out this guide: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C3VyJgfX1uA

5. Ask People To Text You Their Contact Info

It may seem obvious, but the simplest way to get someone’s phone number is by asking for it. There’s a good chance that if you ask a potential customer for their phone number, they will be more than happy to give it up for some reason.

It could be because they want to learn more about your business and hear from you in the future, or maybe they just like you as a person and want to stay connected with you on another level (who knows!).

In any case, asking for someone’s phone number is an easy way to grow your email list from scratch by simply asking!

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6. Lure Signups With An Online Contest

An online contest is a great way to attract new subscribers and reward them for signing up. For instance, you could offer an exclusive discount code or freebie only available to subscribers.

Giving away a product or service isn’t the only way you can incentivize people to sign up for your email list.

You could also give away “digital swag” like stickers and t-shirts that have your brand logo on them, or even just cool wallpapers with your website’s logo on them (which means they’ll be more likely to remember you when browsing their desktop).

To get started running an effective giveaway for your email list, make sure it has:

A clear call call-to-action. Whatever action you want people to take after entering the contest must be easy to understand and clearly stated on the contest pages themselves don’t rely on social media posts alone! Make sure your CTA includes words like “GRAB,” “WIN,” “GET,” etc.,

So that readers know exactly what they’re signing up for once they’ve filled out their information at least once per day over two weeks (or whatever period length works best).

The easiest way I’ve found this works well is by using bolded text within paragraphs which starts off each paragraph’s title with something along those lines.”

7. Run A Webinar To Grow Your List (And Build Your Authority)

One of the best ways to grow your email list is to host a webinar. This can be a great way for you to share what you know and get feedback from people who are interested in your content. Here’s how:

Ask questions during the webinar – Asking questions during the webinar will help keep everyone engaged, while also giving you insight into what they want or need most from you.

For example, if I was hosting my first ever webinar on how to create low-cost travel experiences using Airbnb and Uber, I might ask something like this:

“Is there anything else we should cover before we end our session?” Or “What would make this experience better?” The answers may surprise you!

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8. Try Facebook Ads To Grow Your List

Facebook ads can be a great way to grow your list, especially if you already have an audience on Facebook. Using the right targeting options, you can find people who are interested in what you offer!

To start with Facebook ads, make sure that you have an active ad account and campaign set up. If not, follow these steps:

Set up a Facebook Ad Account with your business email address (you’ll be able to change this later)
Create a new Ad Campaign in the Ads Manager under “Create Campaign” or “Manage Ads.”

Now we’re ready to set up our ad! To create an ad in the Ads Manager:

Go into “Campaigns.” “All Campaigns” and click on “Create New Ad Campaign” or select “Manage Ads” from the dropdown menu above.

Select “Advanced Options” from the sidebar on the left side of the page that pops up when creating or managing your ads. We recommend keeping this box checked if you want more control over how much money you spend per day (and therefore less risk).

This will show up as “$0-$5” by default so just click where it says “$0-$5” next time it comes up again if you want more flexibility later down line but aren’t sure how much money should go into each campaign yet! 3

9. Monitor And Respond To Social Mentions And Messages

Social media monitoring is a great way to keep track of your brand’s progress and see where people are talking about or engaging with it.

For example, if someone comments on Twitter that they love your podcast, go ahead and reply: “Thanks! We’ll be sure to send you a link when we release our next episode.”

If someone asks a question about one of your products or services on Facebook, answer it! If there’s something the community needs clarification on, this is an opportunity for you to educate them in real-time and get more people engaged with what you’re doing.

While it can be tempting to ignore negative comments entirely or respond with only sarcasm there are times when responding tactfully is beneficial (and even necessary).

Someone who has experienced bad customer service at another company may not hesitate before slamming yours as well; however, if they see that the company takes their concerns seriously, they may think twice before calling out their next complaint so publicly again.

10. Engage In Social Chats In Your Industry And Niche

Twitter chats. There are a ton of Twitter chat groups out there that you can join. One of the most popular is #ContentChat, hosted by Elena Laskutova and Kim Garst, which happens every Wednesday at 9 am EST.

Facebook groups. These are easy to find by searching for “Facebook group” or “Facebook community” in your industry and niche. You’ll probably find some local groups as well as global ones that seem relevant to your interests (like this one).

LinkedIn groups. These are also easy to find by searching for “LinkedIn group” or “LinkedIn community” in your industry and niche.

Though I’d recommend staying away from those with more than 1 million members unless you’re already very active on LinkedIn or have an established relationship with someone who belongs there!

LinkedIn Answers: If you want to sound smart without doing the research yourself (i.e., if someone asks if you know what’s causing their dog allergies), then this could be a good fit for you! It’s pretty straightforward:

Just answer questions on topics related specifically to certain industries like healthcare/pharmaceuticals etcetera.

11. Add A “Like Us On Facebook” Button On Your Website

Adding a “Like Us on Facebook” button on your website is a great way to give people an easy way to like and share your content, which can lead to more followers. It’s also one of the easiest things you can do to build your email list!

To add this button, go to the Facebook Page you want to promote and click “Get Buttons.” You can choose between several templates that are appropriate for different kinds of sites (more on this in section 2).

Once you’ve chosen the template that works best for you, copy its code onto the page where it will be displayed. You should see something like this:

12. Guest Blog On Other Websites That Get You New Readers And Grow Your List

Guest blogging is a pretty well-known technique, but it’s also one of the most effective ways to get new readers and grow your email list.

When you guest blog on other websites, you’re writing content that might not be directly related to your business or niche. The benefit here is that you’ll expose yourself (and your brand) to new audiences who aren’t familiar with what you offer.

As a bonus, by writing for these sites, they’ll often include a link back to whatever site you want them linked from which can give them some great exposure too!

But how do we make sure we’re choosing relevant blogs? And how can we maximize our reach while doing so? Here are some tips:

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13. Write A Guest Post For Popular Blogs In Your Industry

There are a few things you should do before writing your guest post.

First, find a blog that’s popular in your niche and write for them. This will give your business credibility and open up new opportunities for you in the future.

Next, research which blogs get the most traffic on their site. You want to pick a blog that gets plenty of readers so when people see the post, they’ll be more likely to click on it!

Finally, look at how many other authors have contributed to this blog before making yours an offer (or two!).

The more authors who have been published there previously means that there’s interest from readers out there – not just one person who owns this particular website but rather multiple individuals who’ve expressed interest by reading those articles too!

14. Include The Myblogu Headline Suggestions Widget At The End Of Each Of Your Blog Posts (See WordPress Plugin)

Install the MyBlogU Headline Suggestions plugin.

The MyBlogU Headline Suggestions WordPress plugin uses artificial intelligence to help you come up with better headlines for your blog posts. It’s free and easy to install, so there’s no reason not to give it a shot!

Use the suggestions provided by the plugin as the basis for your next post title.

When you install this plugin, it will ask you if you want to get a headline suggestion from its database every time you finish writing a new blog post (you can turn this off if desired).

You can then use those suggestions as inspiration for your next headline or just take one of them wholesale!

Conclusion

Hopefully, you’ve found some useful ideas here. I know, it can be a little overwhelming to think about all the different ways there are to grow your email list.

But just remember that it doesn’t have to be done all at once! If you take one or two tips from each section and implement them on your blog over time, eventually you will see results.

FAQs

How do I start building an email list from scratch?

Starting from scratch involves creating valuable content, optimizing your website for conversions, and offering incentives like lead magnets to attract subscribers.

What are some effective strategies for email list building?

Effective strategies include using landing pages, utilizing social media, hosting webinars, and employing content marketing to capture and engage potential subscribers.

How can I ensure the growth of my email list over time?

Consistently produce high-quality content, segment your list for targeted messaging, and optimize your sign-up forms to encourage ongoing list growth.

What role does lead magnet play in building an email list?

Lead magnets, such as ebooks or free resources, provide value to your audience in exchange for their email addresses, helping you build a list of engaged subscribers.

How can I avoid common pitfalls in email list building?

Avoid purchasing email lists, focus on permission-based marketing, and provide clear value to subscribers to maintain a healthy and engaged email list.

Costantine Edward

Costantine Edward is a digital marketing expert, freelance writer, and entrepreneur who helps people attain financial freedom. I’ve been working in marketing since I was 18 years old and have managed to build a successful career doing what I love.