How To Grow Your E-mail List Quickly (For Free!)
I'm still in Chiang Mai getting (a little 😉) work done, and I wanted to pop in today with a few actionable tips on the (relatively dry...) topic of:
Growing your e-mail list.
First, I know what you might be thinking:
"Aren't e-mail lists kind of...old school?"
Simply...yes. However, e-mail lists are still the MOST powerful component of growing/monetizing your business in my opinion, whether your business is completely online (like mine), you see in-person clients, you're a Beautycounter consultant, OR you don't even have a business yet, but you plan to in the future.
Your e-mail list is the backbone of your business - no matter how huge your social media following or how much you love Instagram (and trust me, I loooove me some Instagram).
Why?
Because you OWN it.
The algorithm can never hide your e-mails from your list/ restrict who sees your e-mails.
Your e-mail list is the most direct line of communication you have with your audience.
E-mail lists, unlike social media posts, allow for personalization and segmentation for your audience. For example, you can talk to them by name and send them content curated specifically for their interests, based on their activity on your website (learn more about this in my Digital Nomad Nutritionist course)
So now that i've hopefully convinced you that growing your e-mail list is paramount to the success of your business (no matter what your niche)...
Here are my top tips for growing your e-mail list:
1. Create an irresistible lead magnet: A lead magnet (also called a freebie or opt-in) that your ideal client/customer cannot resist is the #1 key to growing your e-mail list. Lead magnet examples include PDF downloads, video trainings, cheat sheets, worksheets, etc. (Check out my list of freebies here). Now, the key to getting your lead-magnet to actually grow your list is to require that your audience provide you with their name + email address before receiving the freebie. Once they enter in their name + e-mail address, they should automatically receive their free download and then boom! You've provided your ideal audience with something super valuable for FREE, and you are on your way to turning them into a lifelong fan/customer/client.
*Pro tip: to encourage people to download your freebie, say something more enticing than just "download X to get on my email list!". Instead, try something like, "ready to reduce painful bloating in 7 days? Download my free meal plan!"
2. Leverage social media: Now, what is an amazing lead-magnet going to do if no one can find it? This is where social media plays a HUGE role in helping to grow your e-mail list. Personally, I love Instagram because it is so visual, more people are using the platform than ever, and there is a video component (having your audience see you on video makes them much more likely to know, like, trust-and eventually buy from you). So, using Instagram as my example, I recommend CONSISTENTLY sending your audience to your amazing lead-magnet, either via the clickable link in your bio OR the swipe up feature on Instagram stories. No swipe up feature yet? One way to make it SUPER easy for your audience to get your free download is to do an IG story related to the freebie, and simply tell them to DM you if they want it! This obviously take a little more time on your end to manually add them to your email list, but the return is amazing.
3. Repurpose: How often should you be sending people to your amazing lead-magnet from social media? At LEAST 1x a week. But don't worry, this doesn't mean you need to be creating a new lead magnet every single week. Even if you only have one PDF, video training, cheatsheet etc. on your website right now, you can continue to drive traffic to it by simply switching up the ways in which you talk about it. For example, let's say I have a free video training on my website about how to optimize your Instagram bio (I do 😉). One week, I might mention how I had 3 new clients book to work with me after making a few key changes to my Instagram bio, and then send viewers to the link in my profile to learn what they were. The next, I might talk about how your Instagram bio has the ability to attract or repel your clients within a number of seconds, and how to make sure you are conveying the right message.
*Pro tip: Just because you are promoting the same lead magnet (or rotating a few different ones) doesn't mean your "pitch" has to be boring and sales-y. Get creative, think of stories related to your freebie, and as always, pitch your lead magnet as providing value to your audience (because it is!) not just a way to get on yet another email list.
Want to learn how to create your own online course?
XO,
Amie
Tell me: do you have an email list? What is your biggest struggle getting people to join?
