So you want to grow your email list. That's great!
Your email list is one of the most valuable assets you can have as a blogger because it's a direct line of communication between you and your audience.
It is a tried-and-true method that has the potential to reach millions of people at once—if you know how to do it right!
But growing an email list isn't as simple as just putting up a sign-up form and waiting for people to sign up—you need to be strategic about how you do this.
That said, here are actionable tips that will help you grow your own email list quicker than ever
This is a tried-and-true method that has been used by many successful businesses and bloggers.
The first thing to consider when deciding what to give away is whether or not the item is something that your audience will actually use.
If you're giving out a report on how to grow tomatoes in small spaces, chances are good that someone who gardens would find this helpful and they may even share it with others.
A good opt-in incentive should be:
Valuable - It should be something that will help your audience, such as a free ebook or video series that they can use right away.
Relevant - The offer should be relevant to the audience you're targeting. For example, if you're writing about fitness tips, giving away a workout plan would be effective.
Easy To Get - Your potential subscriber shouldn't have to go through any hoops or fill out long forms just so they can get this freebie from you.
If you're building an email list, it's important to give away a lot of great information that will attract people who are interested in what you have to say.
The more value-packed information that you give away, the more likely people will want to hear more from you down the line and perhaps even buy something.
A lead magnet is a piece of content, like an ebook or whitepaper, that you offer to people in exchange for their email addresses.
Lead magnets can also help improve your conversion rate by helping put prospects into their buyer's mindset.
The more specific the lead magnet is and related to what they're looking for, the better chance it has at being useful and keeping them engaged with your brand throughout their journey toward becoming your loyal followers.
You can increase your email list growth by creating a compelling call to action.
A great CTA should be clear, concise, and easy to understand. Should stand out from the rest of the content on your site and not get lost in it.
Call-to-action buttons are usually used with forms, but they can also be used as text links or buttons within blog posts or other types of content like infographics, videos, and ebooks.
You want people who come across your blog or social media pages to take action right away--so make sure that's what happens when they arrive!
Social media is another great way to grow your email list.
It's a place where people are already spending time, so it's easy for them to sign up for updates from you in their feed or on their wall.
You must use the social media platform that your target audience uses most often, so if they're all on Instagram but not Facebook, then get started there!
Giveaways and social media contests are another great way to do to grow your email list. You can run contests and giveaways in a variety of ways.
You can give away a free product or service, an ebook or whitepaper, a free service (like consulting), or even a tool you've created that will help them grow.
When you're creating your contest rules, make sure to include:
A deadline for entries (it's important to get people moving!)
An easy way for participants to enter (you'll want them to do this!)
A prize description so people know what they're competing for.
Add a signup form on your blog.
You can do this by inserting a simple HTML code into the section of your website, which will create an email opt-in form that visitors see when they load the page.
Include a compelling call to action in the signup form itself.
Make sure there's no barrier between them and signing up--no forms with questions like "what's your favorite color?" or "what kinds of foods do you like?"
These kinds of questions don't get at what makes someone tick; instead focus on giving people reasons why signing up matters specifically for them based on their interests and needs.
When you're building an email list, you want to make it as easy as possible for your visitors to subscribe.
One way that you can do this is by adding a greeting page at the top of your site--a welcome mat that asks people if they'd like to join your mailing list and allows them to subscribe if they agree.
This welcome mat can be as simple or elaborate as you like, it could be just a single form asking for their name and email address.
Or something more interactive like an opt-in offer like a free ebook.
Popups are a great way to get people on your email list. They can be effective, but they can also be annoying if you're not careful.
Make sure that your popups don't take up too much of the screen or feel intrusive in any way, this will drive away visitors.
Exit intent popups are yet another way to increase your email signups.
The idea behind an exit intent popup is simple: when someone starts to leave a website without signing up for something (like an email list), you show them an offer on their way out that will entice them into staying on the site and completing that action instead of leaving.
Content upgrades are a great way to grow your email list. In fact, they're one of the most effective ways to use content marketing to increase traffic, leads, and sales.
What is a content upgrade?
A content upgrade is a bonus piece of content that's delivered when someone opts in on your blog.
For example, let's say you've written an article titled "How To Lose Weight Fast." As a content upgrade, you could offer readers a free weight loss ebook or PDF guide that expands on the topic.
They’re an easy way to grow your email list and are essentially free gifts for new subscribers, and they can be added to any blog post.
These can be anything from an e-book, checklist, or cheat sheet. The best content upgrades give readers more value than just the blog post itself.
Why do content upgrades work so well?
Content upgrades work so well because they help you secure emails from people who might not otherwise give you their contact information.
If someone signs up for your email list by filling out a form or downloading a free ebook, they're more likely than average to buy from you later down the road.
Retargeting campaigns are a form of online advertising that can be used to grow your email list.
Retargeting is when you show ads to people who have visited your website but have not converted.
For example, if someone visits a product page on your site but doesn't buy it, then retargeting allows you to show them an ad for that product or similar products later on in their Google search results or on other social media feeds.
Retargeting campaigns can also be used to generate sales from existing customers.
For example: Say you sell dog food and someone buys some from you last week.
This week when they go onto Facebook from work and check their notifications or maybe even just scroll through their feed, there's an ad for some new dog food specials!
Make it easy for people to subscribe, unsubscribe and update their contact details.
The first step is making sure you have an option in place that allows users to subscribe with one click.
If someone wants to sign up for your list but doesn't have time or inclination right now, don't make them fill out a long form just because they want something from you later down the line.
Instead, give them an option where they can enter their email address and then confirm their subscription later on - that way someone won't lose interest before they even get started!
Another thing worth noting here: if someone does decide not to want any more emails from you and we all know how annoying spammy emails can be, then give them an easy way out too!
Make sure there's always a link at the bottom of every message sent out through your mail service which will allow recipients who no longer wish to receive emails.
You need to make it simple for your subscribers to update their information, unsubscribe and manage their subscription preferences.
Email marketing is one of the most effective ways to reach your audience and grow your business.
You can use it to send targeted messages, build relationships with readers and customers, and promote new products or services that they'll be interested in.
If you implement these tips correctly, you should see a significant increase in subscribers over time!