17 Fun Ways to Make Growing Your Email List Easier

What can you do with a highly engaged email list?

Anything you want.

But I’ve found, more and more, that digital entrepreneurs aren’t focusing enough on email.

Social media is sexier, maybe.

But there’s truly nothing like email.

So read this guide. Implement some of the strategies. And start growing your email list!

What makes a high-quality email list?

A good email list is extremely valuable for email marketing. But what turns a basic list into a high-performing powerhouse? Let’s break it down.

Growing your email list starts with really knowing your audience. Focusing on your ideal avatar. None of this “kinda sorta interested” nonsense. You need people who are all-in for what you offer.

This level of niche relevance means you can serve up content that really speaks to their desires, goals, and pain points. Now you’ve got engaged recipients primed for conversion.

But here’s the thing— your audience has to actually choose to be on your list. Do not purchase email databases randomly or scrape contacts. That’s skeezy, not to mention ineffective.

You need permission-based sign-ups from folks genuinely eager to hear from you. Build trust and respect subscribers. Way better engagement and less “spam” complaints. Total win-win.

Having an up-to-date and precise contact list ensures that your emails will successfully land in the inboxes of your recipients, rather than being relegated to spam folders. Huge for results!

How to start growing your email list

Building an email list is super important for businesses, no matter how big or small. It’s a great way to connect with potential customers, attract new leads, and build relationships with your audience. But growing your email list takes some careful planning. This comprehensive guide will provide you with effective tactics and strategies to not only grow your email list, but also captivate and engage your desired audience. We’ll talk about things like using social media, creating valuable content, and optimizing your email marketing campaigns. At the end, you’ll know all the steps for creating a good email list that increases sales and maximizes your marketing results. Let’s get started!

Using web content to grow your email list

Growing your email list is essential for any business or organization looking to engage with their audience on a regular basis. One effective strategy to achieve this is by using web content to attract and capture email addresses. Offering valuable and relevant content can attract visitors. Those visitors will subscribe (if you make it easy). This helps you build a strong and engaged email list. Here are some tips on how to use web content to grow your email list:

Create compelling lead magnets.

A lead magnet is a valuable piece of content that you offer to your website visitors in exchange for their email address. It could be a quiz, an ebook, a whitepaper, a checklist, a video tutorial, or any other resource that your target audience would find valuable. Make sure your lead magnet is well-designed and offers a solution to a problem your audience is facing.

Optimize your website for conversions

To effectively grow your email list, you need to make it easy for visitors to subscribe. Place prominent and visually appealing opt-in forms on your website, such as pop-ups, slide-ins, or sticky bars. Experiment with different placements and designs to find what works best for your audience. Additionally, optimize your website’s load time and user experience to reduce friction and increase conversions.

Offer content upgrades

Content upgrades are additional resources or bonus content that you offer within your blog posts or articles. They are highly relevant to the topic being discussed and provide extra value to readers. To access the content upgrade, visitors need to provide their email address. This strategy not only helps you grow your email list but also enhances the user experience by offering more in-depth information.

Use gated content

Gated content refers to valuable content that is accessible only after visitors provide their email addresses. This can be in the form of exclusive articles, reports, case studies, or research findings. Gated content creates a sense of exclusivity and encourages visitors to subscribe to gain access to the valuable information you are offering.

Leverage social media

Use your social media platforms to promote your web content and encourage followers to subscribe to your email list. Share teasers, snippets, or highlights of your content and direct users to your website to access the full piece. Incorporate compelling call-to-actions in your social media posts to drive traffic and conversions.

Implement A/B testing

To optimize your email list growth, conduct A/B testing on your web content and opt-in forms. Test different headlines, copy, designs, and placements to see which variations yield the highest conversion rates. Continuously monitor and analyze the results to refine your strategies and improve your conversion rates over time.

Growing your email list is an ongoing process. Continuously create valuable and relevant web content, monitor your analytics, and refine your strategies based on the data you collect. To grow your business and improve marketing, focus on delivering value and collecting email addresses to build a strong and engaged email list.

Using quizzes to grow your list

Want an engaging way to rapidly expand your email list?

Look no further than interactive quizzes!

Quizzes are a fan favorite lead generation tool, perfect for attracting visitors and convincing them to hand over their emails.

Here’s why you should add quizzes to your list-building arsenal:

Quizzes are wildly entertaining

People absolutely love taking quizzes. Especially about topics relevant to their interests and hobbies. The interactive format pulls visitors in and keeps them engaged far longer than static content.

So if you create a lively, enjoyable quiz experience, visitors will associate those feel-good vibes with your brand. Making them more likely to opt-in and stick around.

Quizzes Reveal Visitor Insights

Each question and answer choice provides data about your visitors’ needs, pain points, and preferences.

These consumer insights are marketing gold.

Use them to create content and offers tailored specifically to what your audience cares about.

You’ll see higher engagement and conversion rates.

Quizzes allow segmentation

Many marketers struggle to segment their general email list.

But with a quiz, you automatically divide subscribers into interest groups from the start.

Then you can send hyper-targeted emails to each segment.

Speaking directly to their wants and needs boosts open and click-through rates.

Put Quizzes to Work for Your Business

Now that you know the power of quizzes for list growth and segmentation, it’s time to put them into action!

Brainstorm fun quiz ideas and add an opt-in gate for email addresses.

How to use quizzes to rapidly grow your email list

Want to quickly expand your email list?

One of the most effective tactics is to create a compelling, relevant quiz.

Quizzes attract attention in an interactive way while allowing you to collect contact info. Follow these tips to maximize your quiz’s list-building power:

Choose a topic that resonates with your target audience

The secret to quiz success is laser-focusing on a topic your ideal audience cares about.

For example, a makeup blog’s quiz might cover “Which Lipstick Shade is Best for You?”

Whereas a golf magazine could use “What Type of Golf Club Do You Need?”

When the topic speaks directly to their interests, visitors will be primed to participate.

Craft engaging, informative quiz questions

Your questions should be fun, and they should help the quiz taker on their journey.

Not every question needs to be tied to logic. But every question must serve some sort of purpose.

Offer something irresistable at the end

Once someone finishes your quiz, they should be rewarded with something enticing.

A free ebook, webinar, toolkit, or exclusive discount are all solid options.

The lead magnet should provide additional value related to your quiz topic, so they feel it was worth it.

Make the Opt-In Process Quick and Seamless

You don’t want technical hassle or complicated steps to block the opt-in process.

Keep your signup form short with just a name/email required. Autopopulate the name field if possible.

Place it immediately after the quiz results, so visitors sign up while engaged.

Following this quiz formula will maximize email sign-ups from attracted visitors. Try it out and watch your list grow!

Make it easy for people to sign up for your email list

There are several ways to make it easy for people to sign up for your email list. Here are a few tips:

1. Use a prominent sign-up form. Place a sign-up form prominently on your website, preferably above the fold. This ensures that visitors can easily find and access it without having to scroll down.
2. Keep it simple. Make sure your sign-up form is simple and straightforward. Request only essential information, such as name and email address, to minimize friction and encourage more people to join your list.
3. Optimize for mobile. With the increasing use of mobile devices, it’s crucial to have a mobile-friendly sign-up form. Ensure that your form is responsive and easy to fill out on smartphones and tablets.
4. Use clear and compelling copy. Craft compelling copy that clearly communicates the benefits of joining your email list. Explain what subscribers can expect to receive, such as exclusive offers, updates, or valuable content, to entice them to sign up.
5. Leverage social media. Use your social media platforms to promote your email list and encourage followers to sign up. Include a link to your sign-up form in your social media bios or create posts highlighting the benefits of joining your list.
6. Utilize pop-ups and slide-ins. Consider implementing pop-ups or slide-in forms on your website to capture the attention of visitors. However, ensure that these are not intrusive or disruptive to the user experience.
7. Provide multiple sign-up opportunities. Place sign-up forms on various pages of your website, such as the homepage, blog posts, and landing pages. This increases the chances of capturing visitors’ email addresses, regardless of which page they land on.
8. Ensure privacy and security. Assure potential subscribers that their information will be kept secure and that you respect their privacy. Include a link to your privacy policy near the sign-up form to build trust and alleviate any concerns.
9. Test and optimize. Continuously test and optimize your sign-up process to improve conversion rates. Experiment with different form placements, copy variations, and incentives to see what works best for your audience.

Remember, making it easy for people to sign up for your email list is crucial for growing your subscriber base. By implementing these tips, you can streamline the process and encourage more visitors to join your list, ultimately leading to increased engagement and conversions.

Promote your email list

You need to be comfortable being a little obnoxious about the fact that you have an email list.

• Share your email list signup link on social media. Sharing your email list signup link on social media is a great way to reach a wider audience and attract more subscribers. Here are a few tips to make the most of this opportunity:
• Craft a compelling post. Write a catchy caption that highlights the benefits of subscribing to your email list. Use persuasive language and include a call-to-action to encourage people to sign up.
• Use eye-catching visuals. Include an attention-grabbing image or video in your social media post. Visual content tends to perform better and can help increase engagement and click-through rates.
• Provide a direct signup link. Make it easy for your audience to sign up by including a direct link to your email list signup page. Shorten the URL using a tool like Bit.ly to make it more visually appealing and track clicks.
• Engage with your audience. Respond to comments and messages on your social media post. This shows your followers that you value their engagement and encourages them to take action.
• Schedule regular reminders. Don’t be afraid to share your email list signup link multiple times on social media. Create a content calendar and schedule regular reminders to ensure that your followers have multiple opportunities to sign up.
• Remember to monitor the performance of your social media posts and make adjustments as needed. Experiment with different types of content, posting times, and messaging to find what resonates best with your audience.

Realize that there are now newsletter-based companies.

My friend Chenell Basilio writes about how people have grown their newsletters to wild numbers. Not just subscribers, but the entire newsletter business. Her site, Growth in Reverse, is well worth a read.

So if there are people who are simply writing newsletters as a business model, it makes sense for you to figure out how to grow your email list.

Here are some of my favorite deep dives from Growth in Reverse:

• How David Perell Built an Email List Worth 8-Figures
• How Erika Kullberg Built an Audience of 15 Million in 3.5 Years
• How ADHD Jesse Grew His Newsletter to 57k Subscribers in Just 2 Years

Nurture your email list

Growing your email list is an excellent first step. But retaining engaged subscribers is just as crucial.

Follow these 5 tips to keep your new recipients opening, clicking, and converting long-term:

Send Consistent, Valuable Emails

Once someone joins your list, they’re expecting to hear from you. Don’t let too much time lapse between messages.

Aim to send 1-2 emails per week sharing useful content like articles, guides, Q&As, etc.

Provide the type of info your audience signed up for and keep delivering value consistently.

Offer exclusive perks for email subscribers

Give your list members special treatment with subscriber-only discounts, content, and deals.

For example, a sneak peek at new products, access to a library of resources, or promo codes will delight them.

Make subscribing seem prestigious. Your exclusives encourage loyalty.

Segment your list

Avoid the generic newsletter blast. With segmentation, you can tailor content.

Divide your list by demographics, interests, and behaviors. Send each group emails relevant to them.

They’ll appreciate emails personalized to their needs, keeping them engaged.

Send well-designed, mobile-friendly, dark-mode-friendly emails

Formatting is important too. Emails should be visually appealing and formatted for mobile devices.

Easy-to-scan layout with short paragraphs, bold headers, and images will get opened and read.

Testing different designs, layouts, and subject lines will allow you to optimize as well.

Send a welcome sequence!

Welcome and onboard new subscribers with automated drips.

Send a series of 3-5 emails introducing yourself, sharing popular resources, and asking for feedback.

This shows you care and builds the relationship right away.

Putting these email list retention practices into play will keep your subscribers loyal and responsive for the long run.

My friend Allea Grummert from Duett runs an amazing email marketing company, and one of her signature services is a welcome sequence. If you’re just getting started, and you consider yourself a blogger, start with The Ultimate Kick-Start Guide to Email Marketing for Bloggers.

Use an email service provider you enjoy logging into (I like ConvertKit)

I’ve tried just about every email service provider I can think of, and none of them have had anywhere near the staying power of ConvertKit.

Some email service providers are too complicated, which makes part of my brain turn off.

ConvertKit feels like sending an email in my regular email client.

There are fancy enough automations.

You can do just about anything you want to do.

And most importantly, it’s an easy way to send emails regularly.

That’s honestly the most important piece of growing an email list… making things easier (NOT HARDER) on yourself.