Having an large email list is vital for any brand but how do you get one? The answer easier than you might think. There are hundreds of simple ways to build your email list. You just have to be creative and willing to try many different things. So, without further ado, here are 15 simple ways to build your email list.
1. Create A Freebie
One of the best and simplest ways to build an email list is to create a freebie. People love to receive free stuff. However, the key here is it has to be quality content.
Therefore, the quality of your content has to be outstanding so that it attracts your ideal clients. Creating a freebie that does not add value to people will turn people off and ultimately damage your brand’s reputation.
The purpose of creating a high quality freebie is to attract more people to your brand and leave them wanting more. Therefore, put as much effort and time into your freebies as you do your paid content.
Some great ideas for freebies are resource guides, e-books, webinars, video trainings, e-courses, email challenges, worksheets or workbooks, checklists, audio recordings, quizzes, templates, action steps planners, book giveaways, reports, and so much more. Be creative!
2. Start A Blog
Another effective and simple way to build your email list is to start a blog. Blogs are not only a great way to consistently share quality content but it’s also a great place for adding a call to action to join your email newsletter or to be alerted to new blog posts.
Make sure you have a simple, attractive, unobtrusive sign up form after every blog post. If your content is of consistent high quality and adds value to your readers, they will not want to miss upcoming content and they will sign up.
3. Host A Webinar
Webinars are another one of the 15 simple ways to build your email list. Although, hosting a webinar might not be the first thing a beginner would want to do, it is certainly a strategy that should be on your list as you get more experience.
Webinars are widely used my many coaches, consultants, teachers, online marketers, and all kinds of professionals. They are a great way to deliver quality content to current and potential new clients while collecting emails and building your list.
In addition, webinars are one of the best ways to show your ideal clients an experience of who you are, what you are about, and how it would be to work with you. It is also a great delivery platform for selling your products and services to them.
4. Have A Contest
Who doesn’t love a contest especially when the prize is something you really want and need? Again, if you create something of tremendous quality and value for your ideal clients, they will want it. If you give them the opportunity to enter a contest to win that item, they will happily give you their email address for the opportunity.
Therefore, your top priority is to come up with something that will help your ideal client achieve something or that will improve their lives in some way.
Some examples of outstanding contest prizes are a a scholarship to your online course, a copy of your book, a copy of another expert’s book that compliments your products or services, gift cards, free access to training you’re giving, and more.
5. Create A Quiz
People LOVE to take quizzes and assessments and because of that, it’s a great relationship builder as well as list builder.
Therefore, building an assessment quiz that guides your ideal clients towards an understanding or clarity on what they need to do or what their next steps are, they will happily give their email address for that advice.
6. Offer Discounts
Let’s face it, everyone loves a deal and your ideal clients are no different. Creating an discount or coupon that they can use in exchange for their email address is a great win-win solution.
Additionally, discounts have the ability to entice potential clients who might be sitting on the fence about your products or services.
7. Join Forums, Facebook and LinkedIn Groups
Another of the 15 simple ways to build your email list is to join forums as well as Facebook and LinkedIn groups related to your expertise. Then while you’re in these groups and forums you search for and answer questions related to the topic of your lead magnet.
This will not only build you up as an expert in your field but it will also guide people gently to your brand. There they will get quality content for free and gladly offer their email addresses in exchange.
8. Add A Sign Up Button On Your Facebook Page
Facebook pages allow you to add a button to the top of the page. One of those options is a “Sign Up” button. This allows you to link that button to any offer or lead magnet you wish.
For instructions on how to add a call-to-action button to your Facebook page, click here!
9. Install An Exit Popup
Another great way to collect email addresses from potential ideal clients is to install an exit popup. These exit popups should be located on every post and page on your website.
Exit popups are great at converting visitors to your website that are abandoning the page. There are many different widgets and add-ons that give you the ability to do this. Some are free and others have a minimal fee. For example, if you have a WordPress site you might try this free plugin here.
10. Add A Call To Action
Adding a call to action on your Facebook cover photo is an excellent way to encourage visitors to sign up with their email address. There are many ways to create these call to actions and you can rotate them from time to time as well.
You should also add these call to action headers to all of your social media bios as well as your podcast site, email signature and more. There should always be a link to your opt-in landing page to collect potential new client emails.
11. Promote A Book Giveaway
One of the most powerful ways to build your email list is to promote a physical book giveaway. Now, of course, you have to have written a book to giveaway.
Book giveaways usually involve giving away a print book to your ideal clients for free. However, they do pay the shipping fee, which usually comes close to covering the cost to print the book.
You ask potential clients to pay the shipping fee in order to make sure they are a qualified potential client. People will only pull out their credit card for things they are genuinely interested in. This opens the door for you to offer them an entry level offer to another product or service.
12. Offer Rewards To Subscribers Who Refer Friends To Sign Up
If you already have an email list and you just want to grow your list, offering rewards to your current subscribers is a great way to do that. Creating a special offer exclusively for subscribers who refer friends to sign up will have your list growing in no time.
However, the offer you create must be one that gives your current subscribers more value than non-subscribers. It should be something that they cannot get anywhere else and it should be something you know they want and/or need. This is where knowing your ideal clients is of enormous value to your brand.
13. Host A Free Challenge
Number thirteen on the list of 15 simple ways to build your email list is to host a free challenge. Challenges are extremely hot right now and are an amazing way to give your ideal clients valuable content while growing your list.
The idea of a challenge is to get a group of potential ideal clients together and get them into a private group that you run. Usually these challenges last 5 to 10 days, sometimes 30 days. In order to join, they must sign up with their email address.
During the challenge you will take these people through a series of actions. These actions lead them to achieve a specific task. In addition, the purpose of the challenge is to address your ideal clients’ biggest challenges or pain points and show them how to conquer them.
14. Use Your Contact Form
Number fourteen is amazingly simple but very often overlooked – use your contact form. Make sure that on your contact page of your website, there is a little check mark that people can check to be added to your email list.
When people are contacting you through your website, they are already showing interest in what you do. Making it easy for them to be added to your email list is just a no-brainer.
15. Put A Sign-Up Form On Your Website
And last, but certainly not least, in our 15 simple ways to build your email list is to add a sign up form on your website. This sign up form could be for a special offer, challenge, or simply to be added to your newsletter.
In Conclusion…
There are literally hundreds of ways to build your email list of ideal clients. These are just 15 of the simplest one from my perspective. Most of these can be put into action in a matter of minutes but the payoff has the potential to be outstanding.
Remember, make an offer to your ideal clients that adds value to their lives and/or addresses a common problem. Then show them how to conquer it. You are the expert in your field and they need what you have to offer.
