Welcome! In this article, you’ll learn how to build a successful email list for under $50. Why? Because it’s time to say goodbye to paid advertising and hello to organic growth. Building your email list is an effective way to grow your business with long-lasting results.
You will also be able to take advantage of advanced features such as tagging, segmentation, and automation that will save you time and make your marketing much more efficient.
| Takeaways |
|---|
| 1. Utilize free lead magnets like ebooks or templates to attract subscribers. |
| 2. Leverage social media platforms for organic promotion of your email sign-up. |
| 3. Opt for cost-effective email marketing platforms that offer free plans or trials. |
| 4. Craft compelling and personalized email content to engage and retain subscribers. |
| 5. Collaborate with influencers or partners for low-cost joint promotions. |
| 6. Consider using affordable online advertising, such as Facebook ads, to reach a wider audience. |
| 7. Implement effective email segmentation to tailor content to specific subscriber interests. |
| 8. Regularly analyze and optimize your email campaigns to improve conversion rates. |
| 9. Use user-generated content and testimonials to build credibility and trust. |
| 10. Focus on building authentic relationships with subscribers through valuable interactions. |
1. Use A Lead Magnet
One way to get people to sign up for your email list is through a lead magnet, which is something you give away in return for their email address. Lead magnets take many forms, including free ebooks or PDFs, discount codes for your products, and access to exclusive content like videos. The idea behind a lead magnet is that it’s something of value that will entice people to leave their email addresses with you. This can be tricky because everyone’s idea of what constitutes “value” is different you want to make sure your lead magnet will attract the right people.
So how do you decide what offers are worthwhile? First off, focus on the audience you already have: who are they as individuals? What kind of products or services do they want from you? Think about how many emails an average person sends and receives every day; why should this one matter enough for them to open it? What makes yours not only special but essential?
It also helps to consider other ways someone could get this information. If it’s easily available somewhere else (for example, through a simple Google search), maybe think about putting some more effort into your lead magnet. Also ask yourself if you need an additional incentive at all a quiz or survey, for example, might be enough on its own if it gives the user something useful in return (like telling them which dog breed would best suit their personality).
Building a strong email network quickly is crucial for freelancers. Our article on 15 Ways to Build a Strong Email Network Quickly for Freelancers provides valuable strategies to expand your email contacts efficiently.
2. Hold Great Content and Give It Away
Great content is the holy grail of any business and your email campaign is no different. You might even want to go above and beyond and offer more than you normally would because it’s a great way to win over people who may never have heard of you. Here are some tips for keeping your content fresh:
- Don’t be afraid to give away your best content.
- Don’t worry about giving away too much valuable information.
Make sure people feel they have gotten their money’s worth (or time’s worth) from what you’ve given them. The best way to do this is to give away a bit, then sell them something else.
3. Remember The Oldest Rule Of Marketing
You need to give people a reason to take action. Everyone is busy, and they aren’t going to be interested in signing up for your list, or buying your products or services if it’s not clear what their benefit is.
While telling them “here’s what you can get for signing up for my email list” might seem obvious and unnecessary, it’s still important. That line of copy isn’t always as easy to write (and test) as it may seem at first glance but if you want people to opt-in, you need to tell them what’s in it for them.
4. Include A Splash Page To Your Website
This is a great way to capture leads and build your list. A splash page is a page that appears before your home page and can be used to announce a new product or service, provide an enticing offer, or simply get people to sign up for your email list.
You should include some type of incentive for signing up such as an e-book, download, or coupon code. Most email marketing services allow you to create multiple autoresponders so consider using this feature when you are giving away a freebie. For example, when someone signs up on the splash page they receive an immediate email with the item they requested and then have all future emails automatically sent to them via an autoresponder sequence.
Crafting compelling email subject lines is an art that can boost your open rates. Learn how to create enticing subject lines in our guide: How to Write Epic Email Subject Lines That Make People Open Your Emails.
5. Go For A Freebie, Rather Than A Discount Offer
Instead of offering a discount, your freebie offer should be something that people will value. It’s not just the cost that matters here. Sometimes an expensive item isn’t going to convert as well as a cheaper one. For example, if you run a small web design company, maybe offer users a free e-book on how they can create the perfect lead generation page for their website. Alternatively, you could offer them a checklist or guide on how to hire someone like you to help them with their website.
6. Always Put Your Opt-In Everywhere On Your Website
But don’t stop there! Add a sign-up button in your navigation. Put an opt-in box in the sidebar of every page. Include a call to action on every single blog post you write. Why? Because people have short attention spans, and when it comes to signing up for your email list, they need to be constantly reminded that you are offering something valuable.
It’s super easy to add email opt-ins (often called “subscribe boxes”) anywhere on your website using plugins like SumoMe or Thrive Leads or with the tools offered by your email provider.
7. Use Social Media To Get Your Message Out There
Using your social media accounts to announce and promote your email campaign is not only effective but also incredibly easy.
Repost your content. Many platforms are designed to repurpose and share content easily. For example, you can set up a Buffer account to schedule out tweets over the day from your blog or website. You can also use an app like Hootsuite to schedule posts on multiple social media platforms at once. There are many options for scheduling posts and sharing content that’s already been created for free, so take advantage of them!
Use hashtags and mentions effectively on Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest, Facebook (if you’re feeling brave), Tumblr (if you’re in a niche market), Google+, and any other social platform that applies to your business model. If you’re sharing someone else’s content or retweeting their message, be sure to tag them so they know about it!
Use images wherever possible and don’t forget that you can use tools like Canva or PicMonkey to create custom images for just about any purpose. For example, you want people who follow you on Instagram to sign up for your email list? Create a picture with some text overlay using these tools! Share the image directly from Canva or PicMonkey with a link back to whatever page houses your signup form or CTA button.
Give people something of value when they become part of your mailing list; give away a free ebook (using MailChimp), coupon code, discount voucher or something else that incentivizes people in exchange for their email address will help grow your list quickly and efficiently!
8. Be Clear About What You Offer And How You Solve Problems
People want to know what you can do for them. If your message is vague and difficult to understand, they won’t bother with it. Be clear about signing up for an email list or buying a subscription, and make sure they know how it will benefit them. Use clear language that’s easy to understand. Make sure your audience knows what you offer and how you solve their problems, so they know why they should sign up for your list and spend money on your product.
To succeed in email marketing, you need both effective tips and the right tools. Discover the essential insights in our comprehensive resource: The Best Tips and Tools for Email Marketing.
9. Make Sure You Provide Value For Subscribers To Engage With Them
Make sure you provide value to your subscribers. This is a crucial step and the most important thing that sets successful email list builders apart from those who fail. Don’t just send out emails with sales pitches if you do that, people won’t want to engage with you and they’ll unsubscribe. Instead, provide free content that your subscribers will find valuable, like helpful advice or resources.
Give them a reason to engage with you. Let’s say you’ve just written an instructional blog post about how to paint a room in less than an hour (I told you it was helpful). You write an email about this post and then include source photos for each step of the process so readers can see what their walls could look like when they’re done painting them. You ask if anyone has questions about the project, which motivates people to reply and reach out if they have questions!
10. Use Popups On Your Website To Get People’s Attention
Popups are a great way to get people’s attention. If you already have a website, you can use them to offer freebies, make an offer or get people to sign up to your email list. The nice thing about popups is that they don’t always need to be in your face. You can set them up so they only appear after a person has spent some time reading your site or if the person tries to leave it. There are lots of different popup tools out there such as:
- Sumo – Free for the first 500 visitors then $29 per month for 2500 visitors and unlimited popups
- OptinMonster – From $19 per month for 100 visitors, with an annual discount if you pay yearly
11. Get Creative With Your Free Offering And Deliver More Than Expected
Here’s how to make your offer irresistible by delivering more than what was promised:
Choose your subject line wisely. If you have a catchy, engaging subject line, people are more likely to open your email right away. You can even go so far as to include the title of your lead magnet in the subject line (i.e., 3 Habits Of Successful People). Many marketers swear by this strategy.
Share an interesting story or helpful anecdote in the copy before you reveal where they can download the reward. This engages your audience and makes them want to keep reading until they find out how they can get their hands on it.
Provide some context for why you’re offering these resources for free, and why you think it will be of interest to them. If you write great content and always deliver killer value, then surely people will trust that whatever free material you’re offering is going to be just as valuable.
Overcoming the fear of cold emails can be a game-changer for your outreach efforts. Find out how one impactful email changed perspectives in our story: The Email That Made Me Get Over My Fear of Cold Emails.
12. Never Stop Testing And Changing Things Around
Keep testing and tweaking! You should never feel like you’ve “arrived” with your email list. Everything is subject to change, and the only way to know what your subscribers want is if you’re constantly testing things out. Test headlines and subject lines of the emails you send. Test different landing pages for signups. Test everything!
13. Share Testimonials, Reviews, Awards, And Other Proofs Online
Social proof can be a big boost to your email list growth efforts. Social proof is so powerful that many businesses have built their entire success on it. Take TripAdvisor for example, the travel review site has become one of the largest online travel agencies in the world, mostly because people trust their reviews to help them make hotel and restaurant decisions.
You can use this power of social proof to build up your email list by providing prospects with positive testimonials from existing customers and reputable publications. This will give prospects increased confidence that they’re making the right decision when they sign up for your email list.
There are two main ways you can use social proof to help grow your email list:
Growing an email list doesn’t have to be expensive
- One of the best ways to get people on your email list is by running a contest or giveaway. You can use websites like KingSumo or Gleam to run these contests and giveaways for free.
These websites allow you to upload prizes and encourage people to enter the contest by sharing their contact information (and getting their friends involved). The more people they get involved with, the better their chances of winning, which means that your email list grows even faster as time goes on.
- Another option is through content upgrades. This method is great because it doesn’t require any additional content from you at all; simply create an offer that relates specifically to the topic in one of your blog posts and then link it wherever relevant throughout the article.
For example, if you have an article about how to write amazing blog post headlines for SEO purposes and you also have an eBook about SEO copywriting, link your eBook at the end of the article and provide a brief description here too so that readers know exactly what they are getting when they download it.
Email marketing differs significantly from traditional marketing strategies. Dive into the distinctions and advantages with our guide: Email Marketing: How It’s Different from Traditional Marketing.
Final Thoughts
Now that you know how to grow a stellar email list, it’s time to take what you’ve learned and implement the concepts. Schedule some time on your calendar to devote to your list and make sure there is no one else in the room when you do so.
When someone like Beyoncé or Madonna has a project deadline, no one but her closest confidantes is allowed in the studio. You should apply this same mindset when it comes to working on your email list.
If you decide not to build an email list, that’s fine as well! Just know that in today’s world of content marketing success (and even survival), engaging with readers directly through email is going to be a huge part of the equation for many years to come.
Further Reading
Here are some additional resources to further explore the topic of building successful email lists:
List Building: How to Grow Your Email List Short Description: HubSpot’s guide on effective strategies for growing your email list.
Build Your Email List: 5 Ways to Get Subscribers Short Description: Shopify’s blog post outlining five actionable methods to increase your subscriber base.
How to Build an Email List from Scratch: 10 Incredibly Effective Strategies Short Description: Omnisend’s article providing ten powerful strategies to start building an email list from scratch.
People Also Ask
Can I Build An Email List Without A Website?
Yes! You can build an email list if you don’t have a website. The first thing you’ll need to do is choose the right email marketing provider for your needs. If it’s just you and your mom on your mailing list, then a basic account with MailChimp or ConvertKit might be enough.
If you’re hoping to gain thousands of subscribers and send out detailed campaigns, then something like InfusionSoft or HubSpot (which start at $200 per month) might be better…
Is Building An Email List Worth It?
Okay, so I’m biased because I make my living almost entirely from my subscribers… but yes. Building an email list is worth it. Email marketing has consistently been one of the top-performing channels in digital marketing for over 10 years now (I know, crazy right?). And there are no signs of slowing down.
What Are The Best Email List Providers?
There are many options when it comes to email service providers. Some of the most popular include MailChimp, ConvertKit, Drip, AWeber, and GetResponse. The best option will ultimately depend on what kind of business you have.
How Can I Grow My Email List Fast?
It generally takes a while to grow an email list. As you build your brand, friends and followers will hear about it and join your list. If you put out good content, they’ll stick around and share it with their friends. You can also try offering incentives like discounts or free products as a way to attract new subscribers. There’s no exact formula for growth beyond that: just keep working at it!
How Do I Get More Email Subscribers?
The best way to get more email subscribers is to offer free information or other benefits in exchange for signing up for your newsletter (this is called a lead magnet). When people sign up, make sure the information you send them is useful and relevant so they’ll be inspired to continue reading once the lead magnet has run its course. That’s what grows an audience of loyal fans who will tell their friends about how great your newsletter is!
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.