19 Brilliant Ways to Build a Great Email List (and Generate Sales with it)

Two years ago, I was starting my agency. I had a brand new website and, of course, zero subscribers to my email list. A couple of months later, I was sending emails to 20 people.

Quite a feat, right?

The truth is I did nothing to build an email list. I just set up a small, non-intrusive collection form and hoped for the best, although I was well-aware that it won’t work. New website, very little traffic, new brand, who would sign up?

I know there are some people who advocate waiting until you have a solid subscriber base to send out yours first email, but I didn’t want to wait. I sent the first newsletter when we got to 10 subscribers.

After a few month, when the madness of establishing a new business didn’t feel quite so overwhelming, I started to take email list building more seriously. Writing copy for newsletters and campaigns is second nature to us (it’s actually one of the copywriting services we offer our clients). So all we needed to do was focus on getting people who’d want to read that amazing copy.

Why?

A 2014 study showed that, for 1,000 web-based companies (just like us!) email was the digital channel with the biggest ROI. A staggering 23% of the surveyed companies’ sales came from email alone.

So I quickly moved from “Should I invest time in building an email list right now?” to “How can I build an email list quickly and effectively?”

Luckily, we had done this for several clients in the past, so we didn’t need to start with zero knowledge. Just close to zero subscribers. Whether you’re looking into how to build an email list from scratch or you just want to improve yours (since, statistically speaking, it’s decaying by 22.5% each year), you’re in luck.

Here are some of the email list building strategies we used for ourselves and/or for our clients.

19 Strategies to Build an Email List from Scratch or Improve an Existing One

First off, let’s see what you shouldn’t do: you should never buy an email list. I know it looks like a very easy way out: why spend hours wrecking your brains and implementing the tactics below when you could solve it with a few bucks and a few clicks?

A few of the reasons are:

• You’ll never make sales off a bought email list
• You’ll be labeled as a spammer
• You’ll be blacklisted
• Your open rate will be terrible (think less than a quarter of those in the photo below)

Image via Statista

I’ve had a lot of clients ask me how to build an email list for free. Most of the list building strategies below are technically free. But they will require time and experts (both of which cost money).

1. Ask People to Sign Up

A no-brainer, right? Well, you’d be amazed at how little time people have to browse your website and find the subscription form.

Approximately a year ago, we onboarded a new client who wanted a complete make-over of their website and content. And a much needed one. When we asked about the existence of an email list, they told us no one wanted to subscribe to it.

Their method to build an email list?

Glad you asked!

They had a separate page on their website. “Newsletter” was the name of the page that opened to a simple bar where visitors could add their email address.

Yes, visitors had the option to subscribe to newsletter. If they really wanted to. But no one asked them.

That’s a big no-no. You have countless options for this:

• Add a form next to your blog posts.
• Add a form on each of your web pages.
• Ask social media fans and followers to subscribe.
• Add a subscription link to the email signatures of all your employees.

Whatever option you choose, make sure it’s not too intrusive. Pop-ups that clutter your whole screen are an incentive to close the website altogether rather than to subscribe to an email list.

2. Offer an Incentive

Privacy is important nowadays. More importantly, people get hundreds of emails and newsletter every day. Why should they share their email address with you? Just because you are trying to build an email list and you ask nicely? Ha! Dream on!

If you offer them something in return, things change.

Sure, they may want to sign up just to get more of your awesome content. But what if you gave them a bit more? How fast would your email list grow?

Here are some ideas that worked great either for us or for our clients:

• Exclusive discounts for email subscribers (ideal for ecommerce companies).
• A gift card or immediate discount (ideal for a pop-up on your website: “subscribe to our newsletter and get $15 off your next order”).
• A small course (ideal for B2B or SaaS companies).
• A free resource (an ebook, a white paper or an in-depth research report).

An important note: before you create your CTA and your incentive, make sure it’s something people really want. Discounts for products no one really wants or bad content advertised as something worth trading an email address for will get more unsubscribers than subscribers.

3. Offer Content Upgrades

This is such a simple formula that I almost kicked myself for not thinking of it. But I did find out about it from Backlinko’s Brian Dean. Check it out:

Step 1: Write a blog post.

Step 2: Create a more in-depth piece of content on the same subject.

Step 3: Offer your visitors access to the in-depth content in exchange for their email address.

Get it? It’s so effin’ brilliant! You already know that the people who read your blog post are interested in the topic. They are extremely likely to want to read more about it.

You don’t have to take my word for it. Brian Dean has the stats. And the stats show a whopping 785.01% increase in conversion rate.

Image via Backlinko

This was not a fluke. He tested this email list building strategy on three other blog posts. And it worked every time like a charm.

At Idunn, we tested it several times with similar results. It’s so simple that it’s still our go-to strategy whenever things slow down in the email marketing department.

4. Encourage People to Forward Your Newsletters

We already know that there’s nothing people trust more than recommendations from friends and family. If they really love your newsletters, they might share them with some of their connections.

Of course, if you invite them to. A simple line at the end saying “know everyone who’s interested in X topic? Why not forward them this email?”

This won’t just help you build an email list. It goes beyond vanity metrics. It will help you build an email list made of relevant contacts aka the type you can turn into customers.

5. Add Social Sharing Buttons

Again, if you don’t ask people to take action, very few will. Some may think to search for the option to subscribe to newsletter on your website, but very few will think to share a newsletter on social media.

In fact, it’s quite hard to do share the whole thing without social buttons. Even sharing a single article or link requires at least two steps: opening the article and clicking on a social share button on the website.

If you add buttons to your email it will be very easy. And making it easy for people to share your content should be a priority for you.

GetResponse, for instance, noticed a 158% increase in social shares when they added buttons. It worth the small effort, isn’t it?

Image via GetResponse

However, very few people will forward your email content or share it on social media if the next item on the list isn’t checked.

6. Create Amazingly Good Content

This goes for your blog as well as for your email copy. Authority content is an amazing business driver. And it can be the answer to building an email list that generates sales, not just clicks and huge bounce rates.

Here’s the catch (there’s always one): if your newsletter copy is amazing, but the content it sends subscribers to is poor, you’ll see a lot of people unsubscribing. Similarly, if the content your email links to is awesome, but the email copy is poor, no one will be enticed to click on the links and discover your amazing blog posts.

See where I’m going with this?

It’s what I’ve been saying for (what feels like) ages: you can’t afford to drop the ball on content quality. Not when you want to build an email list and not when you want to generate sales or leads. Simply put: your content should always be top notch.

Easy, right?

7. Set Up an Email-Gated Landing Page

Got an awesome prize to give?

Or perhaps the piece of content to rule all pieces of content?

Put it behind an email gate. In other words, ask people for their email address for a chance to win a prize or unlock your amazing content.

The first is ideal for ecommerce businesses (especially those that are just beginning and need to build an email list as fast as possible), while the latter is perfect for B2B companies.

Again, you need to make sure the prize or the content is worth it. Items that no one wants to buy and boring content won’t get you too far.

8. Boast about Your Numbers

Managed to build a sizeable email list already, but need to freshen it up? Don’t be shy, tell people about it. There are few things that people love more than knowing something has already been validated.

It can be as easy as: “Sign up for our newsletter and join 200,000 other awesome marketers just like you.” Most people dread being among the first to try something. But they will sign up if they know there are tons of others who love your content.

9. Leverage the Power of Name Dropping

There may be strength in numbers, but there is something even more powerful than that. If you worked with a well-known brand (think something along the lines of Amazon, Coca-Cola or New York Times), then you have to let people know about it.

Nothing will bring more brand trust than this type of proof. Don’t worry; you don’t need to have tens of huge brands in your portfolio. Just one is enough. All you have to do is make sure that the logo is placed near the subscription form. Then sit back and watch your email list grow by the minute.

10. Partner up with another Brand

Obviously, you shouldn’t partner up with a competitor. But a brand that offers products or services complementary to yours is an ideal pick.

Got a clothing shop? Partner with a makeup seller! Got a social media management SaaS? Partner with a landing page building SaaS!

You get the point.

All you have to do is include a link to each other in your respective newsletters. You already know you are speaking to similar audiences, why not leverage this? It’s a win-win for everyone and an amazing way to build an email list fast and keep it relevant.

11. Don’t Forget about Offline Strategies

I noticed a lot of marketers have trouble with mixing digital and traditional marketing tactics. And this equates to a lot of missed opportunities.

Going to a fair or trade show? Collect the email addresses of those who visit your booth!

Got business cards? Add an email subscription CTA to them!

Got a brick-and-mortar shop? Create fidelity cards and collect email addresses when people sign up for them!

Shipping goods? Add a card that tells people about the unique offers available to those who subscribe to your newsletter.

The list can go on and on. The main point here is that you should seize every opportunity, whether online or offline.

12. Get More out of Your Invoices

No, not more money. Just another opportunity to build an email list with relevant contacts.

When you send an invoice to someone, you already know they are interested in what you’re selling. Heck, they already bought it. But maybe they did so without an account (fast check out). Remind them of the special offers email subscribers get by adding a link to your invoice.

This is also a great way to turn customers into repeat business.

13. Offer Referral Bonuses

Ask people who already use your services or get your email to refer their friends. Since everyone loves a bonus, make them an offer they can’t refuse.

A coupon, free shipping on next order or a discount on their next invoice are all awesome incentives for people to share your offer with friends. Plus, since the recommendation comes from someone they trust, the referred friend is very likely to sign up to your newsletter or become a client (especially if there’s a little bonus for them, as well).

Booking.com, for instance, offers a $15 discount for the next reservation for you and one of your friends. Each time a friend uses your code to book a hotel, you also get a $15 discount for your next trip. Simple and efficient!

14. Give them Options

People don’t like to be inundated with tons of emails. We all know that. So make it clear from the beginning that you won’t be doing that.

For instance, if you offer tax info for both individuals and companies, let subscribers choose what they want to receive. There’s no point in them receiving advice meant for corporations if they don’t work in the financial department of one.

15. Advertise on Social Media

If you’re trying to build an email list from scratch, there’s nothing more powerful than Facebook ads. It’s simple, it’s affordable and it’s very easy to do. Here’s a short roadmap:

Step 1: Create an awesome piece of content (report, white paper, webinar, ebook).

Step 2: Create a gated landing page for it.

Step 3: Advertise said page on Facebook (or other social networks).

That’s it!

16. Remember that A/B Testing Is Your Friend (and So Are Multiple Campaigns)

You wouldn’t run a Facebook campaign with a single ad set, would you? The same goes for building an email list. Do A/B testing for various CTAs and designs.

Better yet, set up different campaigns for your different buyer personas. Different people have different needs and, obviously, respond to different incentives or USPs.

How many have you tried so far?

Testing and segmentation aren’t ideal just to build an email list. They are also great for reinvigorating a stale one.

17. Improve the Speed of Your Website

Whether you’re using a pop-up, a simple form or an opt-in bar to collect addresses and build your email list, if the website loads slowly, people will ignore it. A poor website experience is considered a tell-tale sign of what’s to come.

Site speed is important for so many things! Just take a look at these stats compiled by ViperChill:

• Amazon increased its sales by 1% for every 100 milliseconds they shaved off their loading time.
• 40% of people abandon a page if it takes more than 2 seconds to load.
• Google changed the average load time of search engine result pages from 0.4% to 0.9% when they tested displaying 30 results instead of 10. Revenue and traffic decreased by approximately 20%.
• Shopzilla improved their average page load by 4 seconds. As a result, they boosted their conversion rate by 7-12% and their page views by 25%.

Test your load speed. If it’s more than two seconds, speak to your web developer and ask them to tackle the issue.

18. Host a Webinar

Webinars are amazing promotional and lead generating opportunities. The fact that they also help you build an email list is just the icing on the cake.

This tactic is amazing because it helps you collect email addresses from people who are already interested in what you have to say or sell. Plus, after viewing your webinar, they will be half hooked. All you have to do is set up a killer follow-up email campaign.

19. Create a Free Tool or Service

Most SaaS companies offer free trials of their solutions. Others, like HubSpot, offer tools that you can use for free for an unlimited time. All you have to do is give them your email address.

Do they do this out of the goodness of their own heart?

Not really! They want to build an email list and, more importantly, build an email list that’s filled with relevant people.

Again, those who sign up for these tools or free trials are qualified leads. They’re already interested in the solutions you have to offer. Now all you have to do is convince them to pay for them.

Did we miss something? Do you know of any other creative way to build an email list? Let us know in the comment section below please! [White hat, ethical methods only, please!]

If you’re looking for help with email copywriting or with email list building, you have come to the right place. We can help you choose which of the tactics above suits your company best and so much more. Use the contact form below and let’s get to work!