Why You Need An Email List + How to Start One

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In all kinds of relationships in life, it should be a two-way street in order for that relationship to grow and be the best it can be. I scratch your back and you scratch mine. It’s built on mutual understanding and trust with one another. It’s these two qualities that build healthy personal relationships, friendships and of course business relations. 

The most successful bloggers or online businesses take the time and effort to get to know their audience and build a repertoire. You have your loyal followers. They read all your blogs and they like all your posts. They are essential to the popularity of your blog, but if you turn them into loyal subscribers then they are essential to the prosperity of your blog. Doing this will not only increase your credibility, but it will definitely increase your sales.

That is why you need an email list and the right time to do this is now. An email list is a collection of emails of your subscribers that you have acquired from your blog. They are the ones that are really invested and want to learn more or get more from you. They simply love who you are and what you do.

How do you get the emails?

You can either use opt-ins or lead magnets. This is an exchange for something free for a person’s email. You could offer,

• Free stock photos
• Resource guides
• Email courses and much more

Whatever you would like to offer them, make sure it is something you think your audience needs. If it isn’t then you will see little to none people signing up. You have to know your target audience and offer them something very valuable. Use catchy titles and get creative with your opt-ins.

Once you get their emails, this is the time to have a mini celebration and to get those ideas going! Getting their emails means you can start building that relationship we have been talking about. That is why it is so important to treat these emails with care.

Don’t just send them anything you want. It needs to be a steady exchange between you and your subscriber. You can’t just bombard them with emails telling them what they should buy. In fact, the less your emails seem like a sales pitch the better.

What to do once they opt-in

1. Send them a welcome email. – Thank them for subscribing, include their opt-in and let them know what they can expect from you.

2. Let them get to know you –  Next, you can email them about who you are. Tell them little details about you that would make them trust you more. You can also share your story as a blogger and what your goals are for your blog. Doing so makes you seem more human and sincere. Your audience will feel closer to you.

You can also ask them to share a little about themselves, that way you will also get to know them more, what they need and what they want from the relationship. Ask them what they think about your blog and treat it as constructive criticism.

3. Send valuable content –  Continue to send them content that is relevant to the topic they opted in for. This can be your weekly newsletter, supplemental content or freebies just for your email subscribers.

4. Introduce your paid products/services – Once you know each other a little better, you can now slowly offer them what you are selling. Remember, don’t make it sound like a sales pitch! You need to always offer them something free and valuable in your email. It could be as simple as advice, tips, what the latest is on your blog and other kinds of newsletters you can come up with.

Remember! It is also good to send emails in between that offer them exclusive items. This will help your retention rate! You can give discounts to your product or affiliate links, exclusive content or freebies. Or give a sneak peek at a new blog series, ebooks or online courses that you will be launching. If you keep them posted on all the new and exciting things on your blog, the more you encourage them to participate.

Always answer your emails and offer them help. Like I said, you need to nurture your relationship and part of that is to keep in touch and be someone they can turn to when they have an inquiry, problems or even questions. This will make them feel closer to you and when that time comes when you need help from them, they will most probably return the favor.

Email service providers

Now it sounds like having an email list is a lot of work. Well, it is! Luckily we have email marketing services that we can use to do most of the legwork for us!

1. MailChimp – MailChimp is one of the most popular email service providers. They offer a free account when you have 2,000 or less subscribers and with limited features (does not include automation). If you sign up for a paid account, you pay more but the amount depends on how much subscribers you have.

2. ConvertKit – I personally switched from MailChimp to ConvertKit. If you plan on incorporating email marketing into your blog or business that you go with ConvertKit. Its features are much more robust. You are able to tag and segment subscribers so they are only seeing content relevant to what they opted in for. I have found ConvertKit to be well worth it! (P.S. Checkout my comparison of MailChimp vs. ConvertKit and which might be the best for you).

Having an email list is like an investment. It takes time and smart decisions to be able to earn from it. Not just earning more money but earning a faithful following that will only show more and more of its value as time passes.