Many of us start out our Email marketing journey with one idea in mind – to build a strong community of screaming fans that want to buy every product we so discreetly promote.
On top of that, studies that show how email marketing can increase the willingness of a subscriber to make a purchasing decision by as much as 59%!
So wouldn’t it then be a good idea to build an email list of high-quality prospects?
In this article, we will give you 5 tips that will help you reach your first 1000 subscribers in record time.
1. Create a pop-up or slide-in for each page of your site.
The complexity and effectiveness of web-forms in 2019 is incomparable with the boring pop-up boxes of the past. Nowadays, creating a pop-up box is not only extremely easy but also a great way to start growing your list. All you need is the right email marketing tool!
Of course, you would first need to have some content on your page. How else would you lead traffic to your pop-up box? Therefore, make sure that your SEO is in order and you are seeing at least some sort of traffic coming in.
Choose between timed pop-ups, inline forms, side banners; even exit intent pop-ups could work. Now take these and add them to all of your pages with an optimized CTA (explained below).
2. Optimize your CTA
A good CTA is both a science and an art. In order to make this one flawless, you will need to have a good understanding of your target group. Who reads your blog? What problem do they have and what solution are you able to offer?
Follow these tips to optimize your Call to Action
- Create urgency by adding a limited time window (e.g. Free for a limited time).
- Use powerful command verbs (e.g. Download NOW!!)
- Add elements of personalization depending on the reader’s problem and the solution you can provide (e.g. I have been 20lbs overweight. Here is what I did to get in shape)
- Make sure your CTA is responsive for all devices
By implementing these tips to create a strong Call to Action (CTA), you are guaranteed to see growth in your email list.
3. Host a giveaway
A giveaway is always tricky for a mailing list. You are always faced with the dilemma of whether your new subscribers sign up for your brand or simply because they are interested in winning the giveaway price.
Nonetheless, you get a lot of email addresses for this one. In fact, if your brand is somewhat reputable you could end up getting thousands of new subscribers.
However, in order to make sure that your list remains clean and organized, we’d recommend you to place all the addresses you collect in a different segment. This will help you filter them out later (with re-engagement campaigns) and determine which participants actually value your brand.
4. Cross-advertise on other newsletters
A great way to increase the size of your email list is by being featured on other newsletters that serve a similar audience.
The best thing you could do in this case is to network with bloggers and email marketers that write about topics related to your niche but are not directly competing with you.
And of course, you can offer something in return as well. Give the other party an opportunity to promote its services or products by having them write a guest post for your blog, or write a review for them yourself. The opportunities for a partnership are generally limited to your own imagination and coming to an agreement is easier than you might think.
5. Create a strong lead magnet
In order for people to sign up to your newsletter through one of those pop-up boxes we mentioned above, you will need to create a valuable piece of content that you can offer in return.
What does a valuable piece of content look like? Well, that will really depend on your niche, but you can generally assume that it will one of the following:
- A free ebook
- Free access to a webinar
- A discount for your product or service
- A handy checklist or cheatsheet
- Infographics
All of the above will need to answer one or more questions/problems that your target group is currently facing and make it enticing enough for them to opt-in.
Here is an example of a pop-up box with a great lead magnet:
In this case, the “101+ Tips to Grow Your Web Traffic” Ebook serves as the irresistible offer (a.k.a. Lead magnet) that will guarantee growth in your mailing list.
Conclusion
Now you know how to start growing your email list. But things don’t stop here. There are many ways to set yourself up for success when it comes to the growth of your email list.
For now, start by defining your target audience and try to think what would motivate them to sign up to your list. Then adjust the above step accordingly.
