12 Proven Ways to Grow an Email List from Zero

“One of the hardest parts of email marketing is building an email list from scratch. However, it also happens to be the most crucial investment you can make for your business’s advantage. The lack of subscribers will prevent you from sending them an email. Don’t you worry? At TrueSend, we will share 12 tested strategies that work irrespective of your industry or budget.”

Knowing the basics of email list building is paramount for setting your email marketing campaign up for success. More often than not, just including an email sign-up form on your website does not seem enough. Aside from expanding your email lists, what you simply cannot ignore is ensuring that your email campaigns reach the right individuals at the right time.

That’s why tactics for building an email list are indispensable for reaching prospective customers, apart from growing your audience. You may feel you have to tackle a task as daunting as building your email list from square one. 

Fortunately, we’ve compiled a list of 12 effective ways that will prove beneficial for you when it comes to building an email list for your business.

What Makes a High-Quality Email List?

Before we dive into some highly effective tactics for list building, you need to understand what makes an outcome-focused email list in the first place. 

An email list typically should be:

1. Consent-based: Before sending campaigns to your subscribers, always seek their permission. And a double opt-in form signup is one such way to do so. It will not only help you adhere to data privacy regulations (for example, GDPR, CAN-SPAM Act), but also help you maintain your sender reputation.

2. Simple to segment: When it comes to sending targeted email campaigns, nothing may seem more effective than email segmentation. When you collect new subscriber information, try to capture data such as demographics (age, location, gender identity) and preferences. 

3. Responsive to your content: The contacts in your email list must have a keen interest in your business and the email newsletters you share. This is the reason why it’s not advisable to purchase an email list. Purchased contacts are inclined to mark your emails as spam or unsubscribe, even though they might help you grow email subscribers rapidly.

4. Increasing: Your goal must be to grow your email list as much as possible. Aside from reaching new customers, it will help you significantly drive conversions. To expand your email list, knowing which high-converting tactics will work to your advantage is your best bet. 

How to Build an Email List

Here’s an overview of the steps to build your email list. Sticking to these best practices will only benefit your email performance and create a more valuable email list for your business.

Listed below are 12 proven ways to help you build your email list. 

1. Choose The Right Email Marketing Software

Having the right email service is the best way to grow and manage email lists over time. It’s best to look for a tool that integrates with customer relationship management (CRM) software to store contacts.

This will help you keep track of customer information such as preferences and behaviour. It also makes it easier to integrate email with other digital marketing channels (e.g., SMS, WhatsApp, chat).

For example, Brevo offers essential tools for email marketing, including signup forms and a drag-and-drop email builder. 

2. Create a Captivating Incentive 

You need to offer something valuable to your customers, and every successful email list building starts with that. You won’t be able to generate leads without an unparalleled lead magnet.

What is that something your customers really want? And how does it align with what you are selling? Perhaps it is a template that helps your customers learn how to use the product you’re offering, or a time-saving checklist that spares your readers frustration.

You can offer an ebook or case study (free of cost) or a physical freebie. Exclusive content or coupons are other ideas you can consider for offering incentives to your readers.

3. Use Social Media Consistently, But More as a Bridge

Are you wondering if social media platforms are only about building a huge audience or about building long-term relationships? This statement does not hold true. These platforms also help introduce your brand to customers. 

You need to get the most out of the opportunity – every profile link, video description, and caption – as they help direct your audience to a valuable free resource. This encourages them to subscribe to your email list. We would say that it may not be practical to ask your audience, “Follow for more.”

Do you know what sparks a sense of curiosity in your audience? Social media posts…hands down! And creators use them extensively as a preview of something exciting, bigger.

It’s absolutely essential to share a single piece of content from a bigger resource in a short post or video. In addition, you must focus on guiding people to a high-value resource instead of asking them to follow your account.

4. Create Landing Pages That Convert

When it comes to email list building, you cannot overlook the importance of dedicated landing pages. The objective of a landing page is to direct individuals to it. For instance, if you’re a podcast host or webinar guest, you can mention what incentive you’re offering and send readers to your landing page to sign up.

It will work to your advantage, as it will be simpler than sending them to your home page. You don’t want them to keep looking for the sign-up form by themselves, wasting their valuable time. Moreover, landing pages prove beneficial for SEO because somebody might directly search for “Sign up with a brand’s mailing list” on search engines.

5. Collaborate With Other Creators and Brands in Your Niche

Expand your email list by collaborating with complementary brands or creators, as it can be one of the most effective ways to do so. This is specifically true if you’ve created a small but not huge audience. Look for businesses or creators that share an interest similar to yours and have a similar audience size. However, you must ensure that they’re not in head-to-head competition with you.

The critical factor is to link with someone whose audience has similar interests without aligning closely with yours. For instance, a freelance business coach and a personal finance newsletter can enhance each other’s reach. Two newsletters, on the other hand, covering almost the same topics could end up chasing the same audience rather than focusing on how to create value.

6. Optimise Your Call-To-Action (CTA) Copy

Creating a compelling CTA (short for call-to-action) copy is a smart way for email list building. It enables visitors to see the actual value of your incentive across all lead capture forms.

Test CTA copy, such as “subscribe” or “download”. You can also experiment with “get my eBook” to see which of them all performs better. Including these options in your list-building strategy will be the most effective approach. Conduct A/B testing with a wide range of graphics and language. 

7. Promote Signups on Social Media Platforms and Your Email Signature

When you promote your newsletter across your email and social media channels, it helps you grow your email list extensively. Post a link to your sign-up form in social media posts. Or, you can gather subscribers by running giveaways or contests on various social media accounts.

An email signup CTA, when added to your bio, can help you grow email subscribers. Now, every time a person checks out your bio, you can look forward to gaining a new subscriber. It’s an opportunity you don’t want to miss.

Don’t forget to add a subscriber link to your email signature. This is the best way to promote your newsletter to individuals who have been in touch with you.

8. Guest Post, Do Interviews, and Show Up on Others’ Platforms

Expanding your audience reach through trusted brands or creators is one of the finest shortcuts most beginners overlook. What introduces you to people is writing a guest post for a leading website with an active audience or appearing on a podcast. These people already trust the host.

Are you just starting out to build your audience? Then a single guest appearance on a leading platform will work in your favour. Apart from reinforcing your brand visibility, it will capture your audience’s attention more than weeks of content posting on your platform.

9. Use Chat to Make Signups More Interactive

Engage and turn website visitors into email subscribers by installing a chatbot. This is because chat is not only limited to customer support. It can be used for generating leads.  

Just configure conversation flows to capture your subscribers’ email addresses. Don’t forget to capture other contact details as well. It will make the signup process engaging and interactive. With TrueSend, adding chat to your website is simple. You can also customise your chat widget for email signups. 

10. Place Your Signup Form Methodically

Created a signup form for collecting subscribers’ email addresses? Now, you must position it so it reaches a significant number of website visitors.

Try to place the signup form on your website pages attracting high traffic. Some of the most recommended pages include headers, blog homepage, and footers. In fact, the sidebar on your website is another place to put your email signup form. 

11. Encourage Offline Signups With QR Codes

Collect email addresses offline for email list building. It could be a brick-and-mortar store or at in-person events. QR codes for marketing are a great and convenient way to bridge the gap between online and offline channels. Turn any signup form into a readable QR code.

12. Create a Referral Program

One of the most effective tactics to grow your email list is a referral program. Allow your existing subscribers to share your email newsletter with their networks. Moreover, you can offer them an incentive, such as reward points or an exclusive discount, to encourage them.

Mistakes to Avoid When Growing Your Email List From Scratch

Even with an impactful plan, a handful of habits can silently hold business back.

1. Buying email lists: Several businesses think they have easily found a shortcut to expanding their email lists by purchasing them. But this is where they make a mistake. It may be detrimental to their reputation with email service providers. That’s because none of them expect to hear from them.
2. Asking for too much information during signup: During the signup phase, ensure you only ask them for the information you require. Keep your signup form small and simple, so visitors can subscribe easily. Don’t make them feel like they’re applying for or filling out a job application.
3. Ignoring mobile users: A signup form can be easily found on mobile devices. If the screen is not large enough to view the form and you ignore mobile users, you may disconnect from a large potential subscriber base.

Pick a schedule you find easy to maintain. It could be weekly, biweekly, or even twice a month. Achieve substantial results by sticking to it.

Wrapping Up

When it comes to email list building, what you need is a combination of consistency, patience, and an actual commitment to offering value. You do not need costly tools, viral content, or a huge existing audience. Tactical execution of proven ways and a focus on solving problems for your audience must be your focus.

Create a killer lead magnet. Build a highly effective, robust email system and collect email addresses from multiple sources. And always test what works for your particular situation. As you build your email list, segment your audience for relevance.

FAQs

1. How can I build an email list from scratch?

Offer a lead magnet with a high value. Share it across your social networks and communities.

2. Which lead magnets generate the highest conversions?

Simple, outcome-driven freebies, such as checklists, exclusive discounts, etc., convert best.

3. How do I use pop-ups without degrading user experience?

Use exit-intent pop-ups offering authentic value just before a visitor leaves.

4. What role does social media play in list building?

Social media, promotes your newsletter link in bios and post teaser content. As a result, it encourages readers to signup.

5. How frequently should you communicate with new email subscribers?

Send a welcome email to your subscribers right away. Then maintain a consistent schedule (weekly or biweekly).