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! 
Okay so I have to give a lil’ backstory before I actually share how I got 700+ email subscribers in 1 week!
So in February I worked super hard on creating my very first course, From Blogger to Freelance Writer in 30 Days or Less, and a membership site for bloggers.
I had built up a Facebook group of over 1000 people in less than 3 months, my other social media sites looked about the same, and I had about 375 email subscribers.
I felt super confident in my ability to sell this amazing course and site because I felt like I had build rapport with my online followers.
So I launched and…I heard crickets.
I didn’t sell many spots in my membership site and I even gave away my course to a few people who barely looked at it.
It was DEVASTATING to say the least..
In that moment I really wanted to give up because I was like, how could I do all of this work for nothing.
But I didn’t. Instead, I got up the next day and offered a worksheet from my paid course for free in a few Facebook groups.
And what happened was nothing short of amazing…
This is the actual post and in not even an hour I had over 100 people opting in. I continued to promote this post in other Facebook groups, on my blog and in other social media sites and received over 700 email subscribers.
Now many of them did not double opt-in, a whole slew of them unsubscribed, but I still was able to get an incredible amount of people to sign up for FREE.
Here’s how I did it..
Took 2 Months to Create Online Visibility
The very first thing that I did was I was consistent online. I created a Facebook group and grew it to over 1000 members in just a couple of months by throwing challenges, asking members to help me grow it, and the help of Facebook naturally referring new members to my group for free.
I posted EVERY DAY. If you want to be visible online you have to post every single day, especially in the beginning. I set up a theme of the day for my Facebook group, asked additional questions in my group and other groups, and made sure to comment, like, and share other people’s posts.
I collaborated with bloggers and even found my best blogging buddy, Haley Snyder in a Facebook group.
I actually made friends.
In short, I hustled my butt off in order to be visible on Pinterest, Twitter, and Facebook. In this time I didn’t do a lot of selling or asking for emails. I had only asked for emails for a Facebook challenge and I had half-attempted to sell my membership site and course.
So when I offered the freebie above, people kinda knew who I was and that I was a real person.
Asked People What They Wanted
So the reason I created my course was because I knew it was what people wanted. Why? Because I asked them. That’s why I was sooo confused as to why no one was interested.
Part of my reason was I didn’t do a pre-launch promotion, I didn’t have a big enough email list, and I didn’t educate people on why they need my offer (didn’t proposition my value correctly).
Offered it the Correct Way
A big issue that I see online is how people offer their free resource. They make it about them or they’re not clear on the value that it will provide.
You have to post it in a way that shows them how your offer is going to get them X result. What is going to happen as a result of them downloading your offer? Anything else does not matter.
If you’re stuck, find a post that has a ton of engagement and save it. I take screen shots of Facebook posts ALL the time! I study them, how they word their offers, and how they offer their offer (LOL).
And as a result, I’m now able to replicate it! Here is another post that landed me 245 email subscribers in 2 days.
Posted my Offer in Several Different Places
I post my offer in about 5-7 Facebook groups and on 3 different Twitter accounts on multiple days. I also make sure my opt-in offers on my blog is set up in 3 different ways (that are not invasive of course). I create pins and pin my offer to group boards.
I also make sure to offer my free offer in my blog posts like this 7 Day List Building Challenge where you’ll learn how to get 250 subscribers in 1 week! 🙂
If this sounds overwhelming then create a checklist and put it somewhere visible so that whenever you have a new offer or a blog post you can make sure to schedule it to go out on all of your social media sites.
All of these things are what contributed to me being able to post something that people really want and as a result rapidly grow my email list.
So here’s the formula again:
Built online visibility for 2 months + Asked people what they wanted + Offered in the correct way + Posted my offer EVERYWHERE
Tell me, does this help you or no? Are you a struggling entrepreneur that wants to get clear on how to build your email list and make money? If so schedule a free 30 minute strategy session with me today. 🙂
And don’t forget to join in on my list building strategy. We are really going to get 250 email subscribers and I’m super pumped for ittt!!! Yes I’m really yelling 🙂
Want to learn how to increase your blog traffic right now?
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.
Allie
March 21, 2016 at 8:09 pm (9 years ago)I love these tips. I am starting to create a mini-course and have some close critical friends who have offered to take it first, though I am unsure how that will go. Thank you again, I’ve seen your posts in groups 😉 it’s getting out there!
proassistblog
March 22, 2016 at 2:38 pm (9 years ago)Hey Allie! Thanks for reading and responding! Yes, that’s awesome that you’re getting feedback on your mini-course. Let me know when you launch it–I would love to check it out.
Katina
March 22, 2016 at 12:49 am (9 years ago)Wonderful ideas for getting out there and getting subscribers. Definitely doing some of these .
proassistblog
March 22, 2016 at 2:38 pm (9 years ago)Thank you Katina!
Evelyn
March 22, 2016 at 3:22 am (9 years ago)Great tips! I’m saving this article for later reference. Thanks for sharing this post. I hope to follow in your footsteps. You have a new fan.
proassistblog
March 22, 2016 at 2:37 pm (9 years ago)Aw! <3 I'm happy that this was able to help you in any way Evelyn!
Travel Pockets (Crystal)
March 22, 2016 at 7:55 pm (9 years ago)Thanks for the tips! We really need to get crackin on our email subscribers. Hope we can get as many as you did. Awesome job!!
proassistblog
March 23, 2016 at 3:44 pm (9 years ago)You can Crystal!
Jodi M Clock
March 23, 2016 at 10:58 pm (9 years ago)Some great advice – I’m a newbie to blogging but not to writing – I want to take things to a new level, much like you. Congrats
proassistblog
March 24, 2016 at 1:47 pm (9 years ago)Hey Jodi! Thanks so much for stopping by. You can totally do it! What do you blog about?
Younes
April 10, 2016 at 9:56 pm (9 years ago)really very good post. Thanks for sharing.
I completly agree with you, it is all about 3 thing : knowing what your audience wants, offering it the right way and promoting as widely as you can.
successful post
proassistblog
April 14, 2016 at 12:39 pm (9 years ago)Thank you!
Marette @ Floradise
April 19, 2016 at 1:48 pm (9 years ago)That is incredible and inspiring! The themes I am seeing are offering something for free and lots of hard work. I will keep that in mind when trying to grow my list.
Rach
April 19, 2016 at 1:51 pm (9 years ago)Really interesting!!
Katie
April 19, 2016 at 3:16 pm (9 years ago)GREAT, great advice! I created an ebook that I thought would help grow my email list and it didn’t as much as I thought and hoped it would. I know that I also need to be more ACTIVE on my email list which I haven’t been 🙁
proassistblog
April 19, 2016 at 3:28 pm (9 years ago)That’s okay! Everything single thing I have planned for this blog ended up going completely the opposite way I expected it to go. I got these subscribers “on accident”. I was really trying to sell a course that no one bought and then I decided to take a piece of it and offer it for free and the response was overwhelming! We just have to keep plucking along to figure out what works and what doesn’t. As for your list, just email them once per week with an update of your blog or some of your fav tips. It doesn’t have to be much. 🙂 Thanks for stopping by.
Julie
April 19, 2016 at 3:46 pm (9 years ago)Totally amazing! I definitely need to be more active with my list. Thank you so much for the tips and for the inspiration.
Brandie peters
April 19, 2016 at 4:00 pm (9 years ago)Great advice, thanks for sharing this blog with all of us. 🙂
Julie
April 19, 2016 at 4:15 pm (9 years ago)Growing my email list is one of my goals for this year. I love how you broke down your advice and gave me actionable items to do!
proassistblog
April 19, 2016 at 4:49 pm (9 years ago)Yay! Happy I could help! 🙂
Kathy Kenny Ngo
April 19, 2016 at 4:55 pm (9 years ago)It really is hard. I don’t think I can even have the guts to try what you did so kudos to you!
Tara Pittman
April 19, 2016 at 4:58 pm (9 years ago)I need to work on my email readers. Thanks for the inspiration.
Sourav
April 19, 2016 at 5:42 pm (9 years ago)Awesome story. I myself am not doing well with list building, mainly because I don’t have anything to offer as an incentive at the moment. I am working on it.
Heather
April 19, 2016 at 9:10 pm (9 years ago)This is great! I am trying to find time to put together a couple of courses that have been in my head for a very long time. I never thought to post about it afterwards in groups – that is awesome!
Michelle Gwynn Jones
April 19, 2016 at 9:21 pm (9 years ago)These are great tips. I know I need to put more time into my blog to make it grow. I also know I can’t take time away from what I have to do. What I need to do is find a way to get 2 more hours in my day.
Brittany Putman
April 20, 2016 at 1:00 am (9 years ago)This is great! I would love to grow my email list like that and I am going to pin this so I can look at it some more later.
Jenn
April 20, 2016 at 1:32 am (9 years ago)These are really great ideas! I love that you study what works and what doesn’t. This is exactly how to grow anything. Thanks for sharing. There was a great deal of awesome tips!
Lara
April 20, 2016 at 1:42 am (9 years ago)Wow! This is such a great idea! Maybe I can do this and spin it towards a food/nutrition aspect. Thank you for sharing!
Amy Jones
April 20, 2016 at 2:17 am (9 years ago)Well i havent thinked about it, but we indeed need those subscribers in this business, thank you for sharing these tips.
Debra
April 20, 2016 at 2:20 am (9 years ago)These are such great tips! My blog is definitely my full time job which I love! I will have to use some of your tips!
proassistblog
April 20, 2016 at 1:16 pm (9 years ago)That’s awesome! Thanks for reading!
Casey
April 20, 2016 at 2:23 am (9 years ago)Great advice for growing your email list. 700 subscribers is a huge number! I’ll have to put some of these tips to use myself.
proassistblog
April 20, 2016 at 1:15 pm (9 years ago)You can definitely do it Casey! Thanks for stopping by.
Rachel Mouton
April 20, 2016 at 2:38 am (9 years ago)This is great! I have been needing to put more effort into growing my email list, but just didn’t know where to start.
Rachel
April 20, 2016 at 2:39 am (9 years ago)So awesome! Thanks for sharing these tips. I haven’t started an email list yet, but it’s definitely something I want to look into this year!
proassistblog
April 20, 2016 at 1:14 pm (9 years ago)Yes you should start right away! Thanks for stopping by!
Robin (Masshole Mommy)
April 20, 2016 at 3:39 am (9 years ago)That is an impressive growth. I will have to follow some of these tips. I am always looking to grow my email list!
Heather
April 20, 2016 at 3:50 am (9 years ago)That’s impressive! I’ve only ever been able to do that offering a giveaway of some sort. I don’t think I’m very authoritative on offering a class though. But congrats to your success!
proassistblog
April 20, 2016 at 1:00 pm (9 years ago)You can do it Heather! I had another woman take my 7 Day List Building Challenge and get over 100 subscribers with one FB post. Before she only had a handful of subscribers on her list.
Alice Teacake
April 20, 2016 at 4:57 am (9 years ago)Awesome advice! I’m currently trying to build my email list and know I need to get on to these kind of techniques to get ahead. Thank you for your invaluable advice.
proassistblog
April 20, 2016 at 12:59 pm (9 years ago)No problem!
Elizabeth O.
April 20, 2016 at 7:02 am (9 years ago)Visibility is definitely important when it comes to building your brand or selling a product. I love that you made it all possible in just two months, that’s amazing! Thanks for all the tips, it’s going to come in handy!
proassistblog
April 20, 2016 at 12:59 pm (9 years ago)Yes it is so important! You have to have people know about you before you can make any money! Thanks for stopping by.
victoria
April 20, 2016 at 7:26 am (9 years ago)Such a great tips, Thank you for sharing this with us
Inspiring Kitchen
April 20, 2016 at 9:07 am (9 years ago)I will follow your tips. I only have a few email subscribers and I really want it to grow.
proassistblog
April 20, 2016 at 12:58 pm (9 years ago)And you can do it!
Lexie Lane
April 20, 2016 at 12:51 pm (9 years ago)Wow! That is really great and amazing! Such a great tips and ideas. Thanks!
proassistblog
April 20, 2016 at 12:58 pm (9 years ago)Thanks!
becca
April 20, 2016 at 1:57 pm (9 years ago)I don’t have a use for an email list at the moment, but this is very good information! I’ll be saving it in case I need it in the future!
tp keane
April 20, 2016 at 3:10 pm (9 years ago)wow, what an amazing response. I’m so happy for you. I’m only starting out in blogging and learning about creating mailing lists, this sounds awesome.
Ron Leyba
April 20, 2016 at 3:23 pm (9 years ago)What a great job indeed. This is truly cool and amazing!
Shaylee Field
April 20, 2016 at 6:15 pm (9 years ago)Great tips! I’ve pinned this for later since I want to go through it in further detail and apply some of it to my own blogging 🙂
Tam Gamble
April 20, 2016 at 6:53 pm (9 years ago)An interesting read! knowing your audience is clearly the number 1 thing you need in order to succeed and then knowing what language to use on social media in order to get buy in. I am interested in one thing you mention though – you grew your email list by 700 but you also mention many unsubscribed – how many and have you thought of a way to deal with this?
proassistblog
April 20, 2016 at 7:01 pm (9 years ago)Hey Tam! Unfortunately, the more that people sign up for your list, the more unsubscribes you’re going to get. I do try to retain them now by giving them a welcome email and only emailing them things that are related to what the freebie that they signed up for but I still get people who sign up just to get the freebie and then unsubscribe immediately after they get it. In the end it doesn’t bother me because I don’t want those types of people on my list anyways!
proassistblog
April 20, 2016 at 7:02 pm (9 years ago)Also, to answer your question I’ve had over 300 people unsubscribe from my lists and I now have a little over 2000 subscribers.
Ana De- Jesus
April 20, 2016 at 7:22 pm (9 years ago)Well done hun! It just goes to show that through a little perseverance and motivation you can truly follow your dreams. I am proud of you xx
proassistblog
April 20, 2016 at 7:49 pm (9 years ago)Aw thanks!
LIz Mays
April 20, 2016 at 8:13 pm (9 years ago)You know how to hustle and you deserve all those subscribers. Congrats!
Jesenia
April 20, 2016 at 8:49 pm (9 years ago)You’re rocking email list building! Love your approach, and that you listened to your audience!
proassistblog
April 20, 2016 at 11:36 pm (9 years ago)Thanks!
Ana Fernandez
April 20, 2016 at 9:56 pm (9 years ago)Awesome! What a great way to increase your list! I might take one of your advises!
Rosey
April 21, 2016 at 2:17 am (9 years ago)I love that you got past the cricket stage and started to see the success. Takes guts to persevere. 🙂
Paula
April 21, 2016 at 5:18 am (9 years ago)Congrats on your amazing success! I’ve totally launched something before to crickets. It’s great to get back on the horse and make a bit of magic happen! Thank you for documenting what you did – you’ve got lots of great suggestions 🙂
Rebecca Kelsey Sampson
April 21, 2016 at 11:39 am (9 years ago)This is so helpful!! Exactly what I needed. I’m having trouble adding to my list since I haven’t had as much time to write for my blog and SM since starting a new job. I’d love to try implementing these tips over the weekend.
Denea
April 21, 2016 at 7:49 pm (9 years ago)My goal is to grow my list. Your tips are super helpful! Thank you for sharing this!
Sarah Bailey
April 22, 2016 at 4:03 pm (9 years ago)Wow this is amazing advice – I really need to come up with something I can offer people! x
doran
April 23, 2016 at 3:53 am (9 years ago)I need to start an email list! It totally confuses me. Thanks for the tips. I’ll let you know if I have the same success as you with them.
richard
August 31, 2017 at 7:34 pm (7 years ago)Great advice Amanda. Thanks for sharing it. I found it really helpful.
proassistblog
September 6, 2017 at 7:20 pm (7 years ago)Thanks Richard!