A few weeks ago we talked about the importance of having an email list. This week I wanted to talk about how to grow your email list authentically so that it actually benefits you. What’s the point of going through all the trouble of having an email list if no one’s on it, right? Well, that’s just what we’re going to talk about right now!
Today bloggers, celebrities, coaches, realtors, and businesses alike all want you to sign up for their email. Why? Because it’s still the best way to communicate with the masses. There is no email algorithm that has weeded us out unlike Instagram, Facebook, and Snapchat.
If we send an email to our subscribers, it is guaranteed to be there. Even if you have 20,000 people on your email list, only 10% of them are likely to open it. So you obviously want a big ass list so the odds are in your favor. The more people on your list = the more people who are likely to open your emails. The trick is getting people to want to sign up in the first place. Here are a few tricks that will help all bloggers grow their email lists…
offer exclusive content
This is my favorite way to grow your email list because it makes your email list different from all the rest. A lot of bloggers’ email lists consist of notifying us every time they have a blog post. That’s great but it’s also pretty spammy. I don’t care when you have a blog post up, I’ll check your blog at my own leisure, I don’t need an email to remind me.
Offering something unique to people on your email list like exclusive content, allows them to feel special. And the more special your readers feel the more loyal they become. Not to mention the people on your email list ARE special. They took the time to sign up and they’re allowing you in their email so make sure your newsletter doesn’t disappoint. You owe them for giving you their time and attention.
For example, when you join my email list I give you content you can’t get anywhere else – I’ll get more personal, share my secrets, and let you know first when I’m about to drop something new, (and a lot of stuff is about to drop soon so get on that list asap). Tomorrow I’m sharing my March Madness surprise that you definitely don’t want to miss (sign up here)…
host a giveaway
Hosting a giveaway via email is another great way to grow your list. Who doesn’t love free stuff? You can incentivize your followers to join your email list by holding a giveaway for a week or so and then selecting an email subscriber as the winner.
If you’re worried about what to give away, think about your niche and brainstorm what you can do from that. For a lot of bigger bloggers, they’ll give away gifts they’ve gotten from brands because they have a crap load of stuff anyway and they don’t need anymore, (that’s just my guess). For smaller and beginner bloggers you can giveaway your time, your skills, a digital product, etc.
A giveaway doesn’t always have to include material things. For example, if you’re a style blogger you can give away a style checklist, a 10-minute style consultation, or a closet clean-out. Food bloggers can giveaway a digital cookbook, their favorite recipes, or homemade food! The options are endless so don’t think because you don’t have a ton of money or a ton of gifts laying around you can’t host a giveaway. You totally can if you get creative.
make your opt-in visible
A lot of bloggers make the mistake of having their email list sign up at the very bottom of the page. Why? Don’t do that.
The odds of your readers scrolling all the way down to the bottom of your page and signing up are slim. You want your sign up “above the fold” meaning before readers have to scroll down the page. So someone goes to your site and boom, email list is right there. I don’t necessarily agree with pop-ups and/or big banners across the top of your website saying “Sign up! Stay updated on the latest news!”. If I want to sign up, I will, I don’t need all these invasive obnoxious banners in my face. I think it really takes away from the blog experience, it’s too sales-y and desperate in my opinion.
You do want your sign up visible without being over the top and you also want to let people know what they’re signing up for. So if you’re hosting a giveaway your sign up header could say “Sign up for a chance to win my new book!”. It’s more likely people will sign up when they know what they’re signing up for versus signing up for a general email newsletter.
Despite these great tricks of the trade, what successful email growth really comes down to is value. You must, must, must be adding value in some way, shape, or form or else no one will want to join your list.
What part of email lists do you struggle with? Tell me in the comments!
xx
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