How To Build & Use an Email List
Benefits, tips, and more!
When I self-published my first book in August 2017, I did not have an email list and wasn’t really sure how to start one or why I needed it.
But everyone else seemed pretty sure I needed one.
It turns out they were right and over the last couple of years, I’ve slowly gained subscribers on my email list.
I don’t think I use it particularly effectively but I am working on getting better! The lists are certainly a great way to keep people organized and send out very specifically targeted emails, too.
How to create an email list
I put this first because starting a new email list is incredibly easy.
Almost all email sites have a free account/version where you can start your lists and add subscribers and start to learn their system. There are limitations and restrictions, such as MailChimp limiting you to 2000 subscribers and only one audience for the free account, but that’s still more than enough to get started!
Here are a few of the most popular email marketing services:
Start an account with one of them, create a new list and name it, and then you can easily either create a new signup form or use the premade one they provide and embed it on your website (if it’s a WordPress site, you can grab the HTML code and paste it into the page or widget), add the code to the end of blog posts, on social media, etc.
People who sign up will automatically receive any welcome email you created and you’ll have them on the list for when you want to send out an email to the list.
The harder part, of course, is getting people to sign up for your list and then learning how to use it effectively.
Benefits of having an email list
There are actually a lot of benefits to having an email list, not the least of which is the most obvious: a group of people who like your work who are more likely to become paying clients.
Main benefits:
- Email marketing has a better return on investment (ROI) than other digital marketing channels. It also creates part of a fantastic sales funnel.
- Building trust with your followers/subscribers.
- Educate and inform them, which leads to you gaining more trust and being seen as an expert/authority.
- Gain credibility.
- A great channel to promote your products and services.
- Make sure subscribers haven’t forgotten about you.
- You own your list in a way you cannot own social media followers.
- Getting to know your subscribers and their needs, which means you can tailor your content and provide more value.
What can you send to email subscribers?
Anything you want! Don’t be like me and forget to send out emails for months at a time and then only send them when a new book is coming out.
Use your list to send out valuable or useful information and not just to constantly sell. On average, it takes about 7 “touches,” or times of contact, for a person to becoming a client or reaching out to you directly.
Things to do with your email list:
- Share a useful blog post or article either you wrote or from another writer that you feel is useful and valuable information.
- Share a video with interesting information.
- Offer tips or helpful information to help your subscribers.
- Send out sales/discounts/promotions when you have them.
- Make announcements — maybe you have a new book coming out or a new course you’re offering, or perhaps you have a speaking gig coming up. Share your news!
- Ask for referrals.
- Make sure to segment your list into targeted smaller lists so you can send updates to specific people or groups when you want to — such as have a list of people who signed up from your last book to talk about that topic or announce your next book; or people who signed up because they are interested in a course you sell and emailing them to let them know about progress and updates in the course.
I really should take my own advice. I’m working on it, sheesh! I’m getting better!
Tips for building your list
Last, but certainly not least, here are a few tips for building your list and gaining new subscribers.
- Have a popup signup form on your website
- Or have the signup form on the side of your website/homepage
- Have a freebie offer in exchange for them subscribing (I have this in each of my books, I offer free additional content in exchange for them signing up, which puts them on a specific segment of my list).
- Add your mailing list form to the end of blog posts.
- Share your signup form link on social media and straight up ask for subscribers.
- Have a giveaway that requires signing up to your list.
- Encourage subscribers to forward your content to others, who will hopefully join your list.
- Include a link to your list in your email signature.
- Advertise email-only or subscriber-only deals and offers.
Go forth and grow your list and your business!
Become a Medium member for only $5 per month and get access to ALL of my posts!
Check out my book Concept to Conclusion: How to Write a Book and learn how to conceptualize, outline, write, publish, and market a nonfiction book. Or check out my newest release, an anxiety journal: But…what if? A Journal For Anxious People.
You can also sign up for my mailing list for (rare) writing and freelancing news and information if you want.
[If you sign up for Medium using my link, I receive a portion of the membership fee as commission.]
Other stories you may like:
