How to Build An Email List from Scratch

Are you thinking about growing an email list? To be honest, it can be overwhelming. Everyone talks about how important email marketing is, but nobody really tells you where to start.

·         Do you create a pop-up on your site?

·         Should you give out freebies?

·         How do you even get people to sign up in the first place?

There’s a few simple things you can do along the way that make a huge difference.

1. People Want to Feel Special (Give Them VIP Treatment!)

It’s not enough just to say “Hey, sign up for updates!” People want something valuable in exchange for their email. If you can promise and deliver exclusive content like early access to new products, sneak peeks at upcoming projects, and even personal updates that made them feel like VIPs, people won’t just sign up for your emails—they’ll be excited to get them.

2. Make It Easy to Sign Up

A rookie is mistake is asking for WAY too much information. People are busy, and they don’t want to spend 5 minutes filling out a form. So, simplify.  Ask only for what’s necessary. Tip:  Add clear CTAs (calls to action) on blog posts and product pages. This makes it easy for people to sign up without hunting for a form.

3. Incentives Actually Work

People love getting something for free – but we’re always being told if we offer discounts, we’ll undervalue ourselves.  It’s okay to offer discounts or freebies to grow your list. You just need to be strategic! If you offer deals too often, your audience will start expecting them.  And that means they’ll hold out for the next one before they buy.  Make your offers feel exclusive and time-limited, so they keep their impact and don’t lose their value.

4. Tell Everyone Everywhere!

Even if you have the best sign-up form and the best incentives, no one will sign up if they don’t know about it. You need to talk about it everywhere. Share the sign-up link on your social media posts, in your email signatures, and even in the comments of your blog posts. If you want people to know about your list, you’ve got to tell them!  You can also run ads promoting the sign-up page, which will help bring in even more subscribers.

5. Be Transparent

When you start asking people for their email addresses, the privacy side of things might not be the first thing that crosses your mind.  But people care deeply about how their data is used.  Be transparent. Include a link to your privacy policy on your sign-up form and made it clear how you’ll be using their email addresses. You could even add a double opt-in process (where subscribers confirm their email address) to ensure I you’ve got quality contacts.

6. Nurture Your List

Building your list is the easy part. The hard part is keeping people engaged over time. When you START, don’t make the mistake of sending too many emails.  You’ll risk quickly losing people’s attention. Just start by sending a welcome series—a few introductory emails that let new subscribers know what they could expect from you. Then, be sure to send quality content regularly. No fluff, just useful, engaging stuff that adds value to their inbox.

Last tip:  Always try to keep your emails personal and conversational, because no one wants to read a robot’s email.

Try our FREE Buyer Personas Guide with fillable worksheets to help you target your messaging to 5X conversions!