Step-by-step process of building your first e-mail marketing list.

Everything you need to know to get from 0 to 1000 authentic email subscribers and more.

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1. Pick your provider

No matter the provider you decide to choose, the fundamentals of building your e-mail list will remain the same. What you really need to focus on when choosing a provider is their price tiers, how easy it is to integrate into any of your current systems, and if it provides the following features;

• You can grow your own database of subscribers
• You can send emails to multiple addresses simultaneously
• You can create and share signup forms through your website or on landing pages

Other key features you will want to look for are;

• the ability to create automatic email-flows sent when certain triggers are met
• the ability to tag and/or segment your users based on custom criteria

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Most providers will cost anywhere from $0-$15/month to start and knowing which platform you will be using for your website or online presence will help with deciding which provider to use.

For example, if you want to build a list for your Shopify store, you may want to use Klaviyo or Privy, which both have a lot of features seamlessly integrated with Shopify + you can try both for free.

If you wanted to build an email list from your Instagram following and don't have a website, you'll want a provider that allows you to create standalone landing pages for your signup forms.

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2. Create Your Sign Up Process

Design the form that people will use to sign up for you mailing list.

Here you can choose what kind of data & information you would like to collect from potential subscribers.

This could be things like their names, birthdays, phone numbers and more.

Depending on the purpose of your email list, you may want to start with collecting just the necessary information at first; a subscribers first name, and of course, their e-mail address.

A lengthy sign up process asking for too much personal information could hinder the number of signups your list gets.

You can always incentive's your subscribers later on through broadcast e-mails or additional forms.

Information about your customers is great, it allows to easily personalize e-mails, deliver even more relevant content & work towards building a real personal connection with each of your subscribers.

Building that personal connection will be key to growing to & maintaining a high open-rate for your e-mails.

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3. Build a Welcome E-Mail Flow

Greet your new subscribers right away, and start delivering them content with an  automated e-mail sequence.

You probably won't have time to send out a newsletter every time you get a new subscriber, so it's best to just set it all up in advance.

An e-mail flow is a pre-constructed sequence of e-mails that can be automatically sent once certain conditions/triggers have been set.

For example, an email flow delivering regular recipes to members could start automatically sending a recipe every week to each new subscriber.

Your welcome e-mail flow doesn't have to be anything too fancy, it's typically where you can confirm & thank your members for signing up, as well as share other places they can connect with you.

You can even include your featured incentives and offers in this flow,

but in most cases,

it's best to not sell something directly in the very first email your new subscribers get from you.

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Make it Public

Once you've decided on the data you want to collect from your subscribers, you'll have to choose where & how you want to present your form to the public.

Have a website? Create a pop-up or embedded a simple form with your content, like at the bottom of this page.

Operating solely through Social Media? Create a landing page for your form. Basically a 1-page website specifically to sign up new subscribers.

Operating through traditional retail? Print out forms and leave them by the register, you can also ask cashiers or self-serve machines to collect the information during a purchase.

Once you have a few sign-up, simply add them in to your database. It can be tedious, but it's simple.

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4. Test Lead Generation Strategies

You have to give people an incentive to join your list. What are subscribers getting? Why would they agree for you, a total stranger, to send them e-mails? You'll have to be able to answer these questions.

The incentives we use to convert new leads are commonly referred to as "Lead Magnets."

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Content Incentives

Offer exclusive content or a free digital download for subscribing.

This will draw in members who are really excited & interested in what you have to say/share, as opposed to individuals who only want to stick around for the incentives you're offering.

Incentive examples; Free weekly recipes, Learn investing fundamentals in 10-Days,

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Monetary Incentives

Offering a discount or free gift for subscribing can be a highly effective strategy for rapidly growing your audience.

However, this method does have it's own drawbacks like the potential to draw in subscribers that are there only for the freebie.

Incentive examples; Book a Free 10-Minute Consultation, ask a question...

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Service Incentives

Offer to do a task or any other service for new subscribers.

While this has the potential to be extremely time-consuming, it can also significantly help with building that personal connection,

which ultimately will lead to higher open & conversion rates.

Incentive examples; Book a Free 10-Minute Consultation, ask a question...

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5. Test, Rebuild & Test Again

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