Note: Some links in this post contain affiliate links, which means I may receive a commission if you make a purchase. That’s actually one of the ways you make money blogging! Thanks for supporting my blogging dreams! 🙂
Other than getting engagement on a blog, the number one issue all new bloggers have is growing their subscribers list. I believe every blogger should start an email list right away even if they don’t have any freebies to offer. Why? Because you want to capture as many readers as possible. These are your future fans and potentially customers.
I won’t go into too much detail on the why and how of subscriber lists, but you can read more here:
5 Reasons Every Blogger Needs A Subscriber List
Set Up An Optin Form On Your Blog In 10 Minutes or Less
How to Create a Freebie for Your Blog
Once you’re all set up with multiple opt-in forms on your blog and an enticing freebie, you’re ready to start list building!
5 Super-Easy Ways To Grow Your List
Like with anything, it’s hard to do what you don’t know how to do. Once you learn what makes people opt-in, you’ll be able to grow your blog at a fairly quick pace.
- Set up automatic Direct Messages or Direct Tweets on Twitter – I use unfollowers.com to manage my Twitter account because they have the option to message or tweet anyone who follows you. I just simply set up my automated DMs (direct message) with a URL to my freebie. This has been a great passive way to grow my subscribers list by 2-3 people per day.
- Create a Facebook Group and require each participant to sign up for your freebie – I don’t personally do this but I’ve seen others do this with success. Create a Facebook group and require that each member join your email list prior to being accepted in the group. It’s much easier to grow a Facebook group than it is an email list. Use your Facebook group as a way to funnel people into your email list.
- See what other bloggers in your niche are offering and offer something similar or better – You definitely want to create something that people are going to want. Not only should you be validating your offers, you should check out other bloggers in your niche and offer similar (or better) products. If you know that blogger is a popular and well-known blogger, you know that their freebies are what people want!
- Offer your freebie in at least 5 different places – Sometimes people aren’t opting into your list because they just don’t see it. Definitely don’t crowd your blog with several different pop-ups because that will annoy them. But do make it as easy as possible for readers to subscribe. It is possible for you to grow your list in non-intrusive ways:
- Ask people to sign up for a PDF version or a checklist of your blog posts in your blog posts
- Offer a link to your freebies in your sidebar
- Use SumoMe’s doormat
- Use a HelloBar
- Make sure to put your freebies in the description of your social media channels (Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, Pinterest)
- Throw a challenge online where one of the requirements is to opt-in – This is how I’ve been able to grow my email list at a fairly quick pace. Challenges are usually 2-14 days and you usually have a set of rules for the participants to follow. If they follow through with your rules, they usually achieve some sort of goal. Through the camaraderie of the group and your guidance, participants are able to accomplish goals that they may not have been able to do on their own.
Bonus: Throw intriguing webinars
I have heard AMAZING things about webinars! Some successful bloggers attribute their entire success to throwing webinars. A webinar is just a live or pre-recorded presentation where you are teaching your audience about a particular topic or you’re interviewing someone (usually successful) that is pretty popular.
Not only are webinars great for growing your list, I hear that they are a super high-converting way to sell your products.
What do you think about these email building tactics? Do you have any of your own that are not on this list? Tell me in the comments below!
Thank you for reading day 15 of my blogging challenge! Make sure to post your article in the Facebook group and if you haven’t joined my blogging challenge yet and would like to be a part of it, check this out!
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My name is Amanda and I'm a biz coach for creative entrepreneurs who want to build an authentic business that they love. I'll help you get clear on your purpose, values, mindset, and business strategies that'll help you create a business that offers you true freedom not a "I work 12 hours a day" freedom! Schedule your 30 minute strategy session with me today.
Christine
February 11, 2016 at 5:19 pm (9 years ago)These are some great tips that I will plan on implementing. I have also pinned them so I can go back and reference them. Thanks so much!
proassistblog
February 11, 2016 at 7:40 pm (9 years ago)Aw thanks for the kind comment!
Miranda Nahmias
February 12, 2016 at 5:44 am (9 years ago)Great tips! The one about offering your freebie(s) multiple places throughout your blog is such a good one!
proassistblog
February 12, 2016 at 3:51 pm (9 years ago)Thanks for reading Miranda!
Liv
February 13, 2016 at 2:30 am (9 years ago)These are fantastic tips! Thank you! Tweeted!
proassistblog
February 15, 2016 at 7:27 pm (9 years ago)Thank you for sharing Liv!!
Robin Masshole Mommy
April 27, 2016 at 6:27 pm (9 years ago)These are awesome tips. I don’t have an email list set up yet, but I am planning on doing this over the summer.
Terri
April 27, 2016 at 6:36 pm (9 years ago)These are interesting tips. I have an email list and it’s slowly growing. I hope my list will drive readers to my blog!
Sara
April 27, 2016 at 6:37 pm (9 years ago)Awesome tips for any blogger! I never knew about #1, but they’re all great tactics to grow emails lists. Thank you!
Carrie
April 27, 2016 at 6:55 pm (9 years ago)Great tips! Im working on my freebie but keep running into a brick wall! Hopefully I will figure it out soon!
Tempestt
April 27, 2016 at 6:58 pm (9 years ago)These are such great tips. Thank you so much for sharing.
Steven Lucas
April 27, 2016 at 7:08 pm (9 years ago)Use Crowdfire rather Unfollow and set up 5 Follow messages that will rotate. Makes it look a little less like ‘automatic’. Keep on top of following others who are following you – you’ll keep more of them if you can respond within 72 hrs.
Kari
April 27, 2016 at 7:14 pm (9 years ago)These are some great tips! I’ll have to give them a try!!
Kari
http://www.sweetteasweetie.com
Anne @ The Fitly Spoken Word
April 27, 2016 at 8:26 pm (9 years ago)Good tips. As of yet I haven’t put much effort into building my list, but these are some good suggestions.
Angie Nelson
April 27, 2016 at 8:45 pm (9 years ago)These are some great ways to grow your list. I also add a link to my landing page on my social media bios. Set it and forget it.
maria @closetohome
April 27, 2016 at 9:24 pm (9 years ago)I really need to focus on building my list. I have a hello bar but that is about it.
Joan M Harrington
April 27, 2016 at 9:47 pm (9 years ago)These are fantastic tips!! Thanks for sharing 🙂 So simple and yet so many do not take the time to set up 🙂 Great post!
Joanna
April 28, 2016 at 12:16 am (9 years ago)These are great ideas! I need to think of a freebie…
CoCo
April 28, 2016 at 12:35 am (9 years ago)Great tips! I need to really focus the next view months on building subscribers!
Allie
April 28, 2016 at 1:00 am (9 years ago)I don’t know what it is about my email list, but I have been avoiding it like the plague. I know it’s something I need to do, but I struggle with making it a priority. But your tips are great. Definitely going to try implementing to see if it helps get me past my mental block against my list.
Candace
April 28, 2016 at 1:27 am (9 years ago)I love the freebie idea. With a new baby it’s so hard to make a printable on top of the blog, but it’s definitely on my list.
Jenny
April 28, 2016 at 1:43 am (9 years ago)I want to try DoorMat 🙂
It seems promising.
xoxo, Jenny
Roxanne
April 28, 2016 at 2:31 am (9 years ago)Perfect timing for me to find this blog! This week is all about creating an email list. I also signed up for your 5 day challenge. 😉
Debra
April 28, 2016 at 2:49 am (9 years ago)This is so awesome! This is what I have been focusing on the last little while and I could always use another tip or two!
Blythe A.
April 28, 2016 at 3:47 am (9 years ago)These are some great tips. Growing your email list takes time, but it is nice to know there are tools out there to help you out.
Allison Jones
April 28, 2016 at 3:50 am (9 years ago)These are awesome ideas. My email list has really been growing a lot lately and I honestly owe it all to freebies. I need to utilize some of these other ideas as well.
LiveLifeWell,
Allison
Reuben
April 28, 2016 at 4:07 am (9 years ago)This is a great reminder to start building my email list and come up with some kind of freebie!
Reuben
April 28, 2016 at 4:08 am (9 years ago)This is a great reminder to start building my email list. I’ve got to come up with some kind of freebie and start getting the word out. So much to do!
tiaras and tantrums
April 28, 2016 at 4:57 am (9 years ago)I don’t use an email list – but probably missed the boat on this already. My friend just asked me the other day if I could help her set one up since I have been blogging so long and she was surprised when I told her I never set one up.
Chelley @ A is for Adelaide
April 28, 2016 at 5:28 am (9 years ago)These are great tips! I need to get better about getting followers from more than following Frankie around!
Nicole Escat
April 28, 2016 at 5:43 am (9 years ago)This is what I need, my subscriber getting low numbers. So glad you shared it and I’m so thankful.
jill conyers
April 28, 2016 at 7:19 am (9 years ago)Growing my email list is a goal for 2016. It’s growing. I just haven’t found the one thing that will take it to the next level. Yet.
Aileen @ Aileen Cooks Blog
April 28, 2016 at 10:29 am (9 years ago)Thanks for the tips. I love the idea of hosting a challenge.
ashley lee
April 28, 2016 at 11:53 am (9 years ago)Great tips. I signed up for mail chimp a while back and have not done anything with it. I need to get on the ball!
Carolyn
April 28, 2016 at 12:34 pm (9 years ago)I have been trying to come up with a freebie for a while now but am stumped. I love your suggestion of going and look at similar blogs and see what they offer. I am going to do that.
jamie
April 28, 2016 at 12:54 pm (9 years ago)These are all great tips- except- for the dms on twitter. That really annoys me.
Carly @ FitLiving Eats
April 28, 2016 at 1:36 pm (9 years ago)Great list! I do the exit-strategy pop up sign up form and while I HATE pop ups, I feel like this one is a little less intrusive and it actually works!
Erin
April 28, 2016 at 2:17 pm (9 years ago)Using a challenge to grow your list is an amazing idea! Personally, I love email challenges. I blame my competitive nature, I need to feel challenged sometimes! LOL!
Lezley
April 28, 2016 at 2:20 pm (9 years ago)I so needed this, I am going to pin this so I can save it to refer back to. Thanks!
adriana
April 28, 2016 at 2:23 pm (9 years ago)Great tips!!! I love the Twitter idea and FB group idea!
Kristen from The Road to Domestication
April 28, 2016 at 2:26 pm (9 years ago)Great ideas! Looks like I have a couple things to work on, thank you!
Tami
April 28, 2016 at 3:14 pm (9 years ago)These are all great tips. I haven’t implemented any of them. On it now.
Donnica
April 28, 2016 at 4:06 pm (9 years ago)These are great ideas. I’ve been back and forth with the automatic DMs. I don’t want to come off as spammy so maybe it’s just making sure the language doesn’t feel that way.
yemisi femi-pius
April 28, 2016 at 4:27 pm (9 years ago)Very useful post manda, thanks for sharing
Amanda
April 28, 2016 at 7:30 pm (9 years ago)I am always trying to figure out how to gain more subscribes, thanks for the tips!
xx,
Amanda || http://www.fortheloveofglitter.com
DANI CC
April 28, 2016 at 9:05 pm (9 years ago)Such great idea. Facebook groups really help grow everything and creates great interactions between other bloggers.
Heather
April 28, 2016 at 9:50 pm (9 years ago)I have been trying to come up with a freebie for ages! I have several ideas – none of which are simple and easy to throw together 🙂
Crystal
April 28, 2016 at 10:52 pm (9 years ago)I’m doing more promotion and focusing on extending my reach. I am feeling very encouraged by your tips!
Mimi
April 28, 2016 at 11:42 pm (9 years ago)I’m not really a webinar kind of person, and I’ve been terrible at a subscriber list. I’ve seen one sign up from a blogger who I totally want to copy. Imitation is the best form of flattery, right? lol I’ve also had one idea of what to offer to subscribers, but I always forget to implement it.
becca
April 28, 2016 at 11:57 pm (9 years ago)I don’t have an email list personally, but this is great information! I am usually not a fan of automatic DMs on twitter, however.
Michele
April 29, 2016 at 1:13 am (9 years ago)I need to add my freebie in a couple of places…. very good points here! Thanks!
alexandria
April 29, 2016 at 1:29 am (9 years ago)My email list is small; it’s very hard to get it to grow. I feel like my weekly outfit inspiration is a cool freebie. Maybe not…
laura londergan
April 29, 2016 at 4:13 am (9 years ago)these are really great tips. I have yet to set up a newsletter and this is motivating me to move it up on my list 😉
Klauss
April 29, 2016 at 10:34 am (9 years ago)Well done! This is certainly useful to all bloggers 🙂
Diane
April 29, 2016 at 12:18 pm (9 years ago)These are really great tips. I agree you need to send a newsletter!
Melissa
April 29, 2016 at 2:45 pm (9 years ago)This is such great info! I never thought of using twitter to grow my email list! I literally started before I even finished your post! SO awesome!
Deb
April 29, 2016 at 3:06 pm (9 years ago)I agree, a list is so important. Especially when all the social media networks change their rules all the time.
Susannah
April 29, 2016 at 10:26 pm (9 years ago)These tips are great! I’m working on growing my email list so I can use all the help I can get!
Stacey
April 30, 2016 at 4:06 am (9 years ago)So many great ideas! I need to work on building my subscriber list. Thanks for all the info.
Mardene Carr
April 30, 2016 at 2:16 pm (9 years ago)This is something I really need to work on…Thanks for the kick in the butt
Haley
May 1, 2016 at 11:38 pm (9 years ago)Awesome tips! I’m always looking for ways to grow and engage with my followers. Especially ones that take no time at all since time is so scarce around here 🙂 Thanks!
Yanique
May 2, 2016 at 1:32 am (9 years ago)I’ve been wanting to work on growing my email list and this is great information. Social media platforms change so frequently but with an email list you can always reach your audience.