Summary

The author doubled their email list in 10 weeks using five strategic tactics centered around cross-promotion, leveraging email provider tools, creating a unique lead magnet, launching a product, and engaging with niche communities.

Abstract

The author of the article, who has 7,000 followers, emphasizes the importance of an email list over social media for monetization, detailing how they earned $2,000 within two weeks through targeted email marketing. They share five key strategies: firstly, cross-promotion with other writers, such as Matt Giaro, which led to a significant increase in subscribers. Secondly, utilizing the promotional tools offered by their email service provider, Convertkit, to mutually recommend newsletters with other writers like Sinem Gunel. Thirdly, crafting a high-quality lead magnet, specifically an email course, to build authority and retention. Fourthly, creating a product, in this case, a headline-writing course, which not only generated revenue but also opened opportunities for collaborations with established creators. Lastly, joining niche communities for more meaningful connections, which resulted in subscriber growth and coaching clients. The author advises to always provide value before selling and to use these strategies to grow one's newsletter effectively.

Opinions

Cross-promotion should be approached with caution; it's important to promote content that genuinely benefits one's readers to maintain trust.
Utilizing an email service provider's tools, like Convertkit's Creator Network, can significantly increase newsletter sign-ups.
The quality of a lead magnet is crucial; a well-crafted email course is more effective than generic free PDFs.
Offering a paid product can enhance one's reputation and lead to collaborative opportunities with other creators.
Engaging with niche communities rather than broader social media platforms can yield higher-quality interactions and conversions.
The author believes in the importance of building trust with one's audience through consistent, high-quality content and by being selective with cross-promotions.

How I Doubled My Email List In 10 Weeks (5 Strategies Anyone Can Use)

I made $2000 in 2 weeks because of these 5 tactics

Photo by Demian Tejeda-Benitez on Unsplash

I have 7000 followers and it’s meaningless.

If you want to make money social media’s not enough. Having an email list is essential. I made $2000 this month from mine. It provides a powerful personal connection with your readers. It’s incredible that 700 people read my emails within 24 hours.

But you have a problem. People want less in their inbox. So they won’t give away their email address easily. And when they do — many quickly unsubscribe.

I started my newsletter in August 2023. And made steady growth. But then 5 new tactics caused my growth to explode.

Feel free to steal these and get overwhelmed with subscribers.

1. Cross-promotion

Matt Giaro makes $5/month as a writer.

I’d been devouring his content. And learning loads. Then he commented on mine and followed up with an email offer. He’d been enjoying my content. And wanted to do a cross-promotion. I was stunned. The problem was he was 4 times my size. But this didn’t bother Matt. He suggested I promote him twice. I jumped at the chance.

So I told my subscribers about what Matt could do for them. And he did the same for me. I gained 150 subscribers in 24 hours.

How to promote someone else

People are suspicious when you promote someone.

So be careful.

Promote what helps your readers. Don’t trade your reputation for short-term gain. I’d learned loads from Matt so I could share this with readers. And give details to add credibility. It’s best to promote a lead magnet rather than ask people to sign up for a newsletter. This gives your readers something and feels less salesy.

It’s easy to copy Matt’s strategy. Find writers you like. And offer to cross-promote. Sign up for their newsletter so you can email them.

But don’t overpromote to your list. Keep building trust with quality content.

2. Use your provider’s tools

The main email providers have promotion tools.

It’s a waste not to take advantage of these. I’m with Convertkit and their creator network is a game-changer. When someone signs up for your newsletter. You can recommend 4 other newsletters. Plus a sponsored recommendation if you want to make some cash.

Here’s where this gets powerful.

Sinem Gunel is a big name in the writing world. And agreed to recommend me in return I recommend her. This has increased my sign-ups by 100%. But your reputation is on the line. So only recommend writers you respect.

How’s how to do it:

search by topic
sign up for their newsletter
invite to swap recommendations

Look for newsletters that closely match yours. And have decent content. This will give you quality subscribers. You don’t want subscribers who don’t open your emails.

To grow faster optimise your profile. When you appear on other’s recommendations you get 2 seconds to impress them. So make these 3 things appealing:

A professional profile photo
A clear newsletter title
An enticing description

Here’s mine. Notice I provide specific details. And focus on what I offer.

3. A lead magnet like no other

Don’t do what most people do.

The internet is flooded with cheap lead magnets. Free pdfs that you wouldn’t pay $1 for. This is a great way to ruin your reputation. Offering low-quality content impresses no one. But it’ll give you a ton of unsubscribes.

Your lead magnet is your chance to build authority. And show what you can do. The best lead magnet you can offer is an email course. Courses are valued higher than downloads. So you’ll get more sign-ups.

Retention is higher too because:

people stay to get the full course
people get into the habit of reading your emails

(I’ve given a full breakdown of mine here).

I tried promoting my products on social media. But found a high-quality lead magnet works better. You can then sell in your newsletter once you’ve deepened the relationship.

Offer a high-quality lead magnet.

4. Create a product

You build a list so you can sell your stuff.

But having something to sell also builds your list. Let me explain

I created a course to help people write compelling headlines. It made $2000 in 2 weeks. But even better was the doors it opened. Big creators see you differently when you have a paid product. They realise you’re serious. You get invited up a level:

Kristina God invited me onto her YouTube channel ( 40 minutes of free headline tips here). I also spoke to her writing school.

Then Sinem Gunel invited me to become an affiliate for her Medium Academy:

Zoom call with Sinem Gunel to discuss working together

Others like Hudson Rennie, Jamie Northrup and Veronica Llorca-Smith all signed up to be affiliates. They promote my course to their readers.

Create a product to boost your reputation.

5. Join a niche community

People are fed up with spammy social media.

I see more paid communities springing up. They filter out bots and salespeople. Leaving those who are serious about your niche. The small cost is easily worth it. Recently I joined:

Kristina God’s writing school
Scott Stockdale 30-day writing challenge
Full stack writer (Dickie Bush & Nicolas Cole)

Don’t be put off by the low numbers. A few hundred in a community beats 10,000 on social media. I gained subscribers and coaching clients. But don’t join to sell your stuff. Be helpful. Add value. And build trust. Then people will be drawn to what you offer.

Use these 5 powerful tactics to grow your newsletter. And you’ll reap the rewards.

I’ve gained 5000 followers in 6 months and earn $800/month. If you want my writing secrets. Sign up for my free course: