If you want your email list to power a business, you can’t rely on worn out tactics like list buying or social media contests. You need tried-and-true methods for reaching the people who actually want to hear from you. Here’s how to collect the right addresses.
Add a signup link to your email signature.
This one takes almost no work. It probably won’t get you hundreds of email subscribers overnight, but it’s so easy there’s no reason not to do it. Include a call to action in your personal email signature and a link to some of your star content. This way, there’s a built-in, quality promotion in every email you send!
Tap your existing following on another platform like YouTube or Pinterest.
When video or audio are key parts of your offering, it can make sense to host your content on other platforms (like YouTube or one of the many podcast sites). If you have a distribution channel that wins attention, find a way to get your viewers’ email addresses and keep the convo going by linking back to your site.
Partner with other people in your industry.
Partnerships are great because they give you access to a relevant audience. With this access to a new group of people who are already interested in content like yours and a trusted recommendation, you get a fresh source of email subscribers. Think co-hosted webinars, podcast appearances, guest posts, and other co-created or co-promoted content
Offer the carrot.
The “carrot” is a captivating lead magnet, also called an opt-in offer. It’s anything you give your audience in exchange for their email address. This could be an e-book, course, report —crucially, something that your ideal subscriber would learn about and say, “I need that, now. Yes, please; give it to me, wow.”
Create incredible email content.
There’s no shortcut for quality. Everyone and their third cousin twice removed has an email list nowadays. How do you make your content the kind that draws people back again and again? You show that you have a deep understanding of your audience’s problems and a unique angle — one that connects two seemingly unrelated things to make your point. Those unexpected associations stick in the mind.
