From Zero to Subscribers: 5 Simple Steps to Grow Your Email List from Scratch
It’s a beautiful day. The sun is shining. The cool wind blows through your hair as you’re sipping a piña colada on the beach. The sun toasts your skin and you feel relaxed. You haven’t a single worry in the world.
Until…
Your phone alarm goes off.
You wake up tired and disappointed.
That wonderful beach experience you were just having was only a dream.
A dream that flushed away the minute your phone alarm went off.
And you're back to reality.
You wake up, wash your face, brush your teeth, and get dressed to go to your 9-5 job.
Maybe you’re an accountant, lawyer, dentist, banker, paralegal, construction worker.
Whatever it is, you make just enough money to pay your bills, put food on the table, and take a vacation two to three times a year.
But you lack something.
You lack time, freedom, and fulfillment.
So you’re unhappy.
Or you’re not as happy as you’d like to be.
Your chosen career, or the career you happened to fall into, is not as great as you thought it would be.
You don’t feel fulfilled, you dread having to go to work in the morning, you’re tired of 30 minute lunch breaks, and 5PM can’t come soon enough.
And when it does, you feel free for only a few hours.
Then you go home, workout, cook dinner, help your kids with their homework, get them ready for school tomorrow, spend time with your spouse, and watch TV until 11.
Then you go to bed and repeat the same routine all over again.
I know what you’re thinking.
Something's got to give.
There has to be a way out of this rut.
There must be something you can do to have more time, make more money, have something to look forward to.
Something you can build and offer to people and make an impact on the world.
Not to say what you’re doing right now isn’t making an impact on the world.
It most likely is.
But it’s not making an impact on you.
And you feel like you need to do something about it.
Right. Now.
Why You Need To Do Something About It
I’m not saying 9-to-5 jobs are the enemy.
Some people like their day job and wish to stick with it until they retire.
Others want to stick with it and make money on the side.
But others are miserable and would quit their day job tomorrow, if they could.
You need to look at yourself and see what you want.
But for many, their day job is the enemy.
It takes time away from their hobbies and passions.
They haven’t travelled as often as they’d like to.
They’re not spending as much time with their family.
They’re settling because it “pays the bills.”
The reality is, they’re not happy.
And if you’re not happy, that’s a problem.
There’s no reason to settle for a job you dislike.
Or to settle for a job that stops you from living the life you want.
You have the power to make a change.
But it requires you to act.
And I know this can be scary.
But settling is scarier.
Settling leads to:
Lack of motivation in other areas of your life.
Spending less time achieving your goals.
Settling for less than ideal situations.
Thinking your day job is all you’re good for.
Settling for work that doesn’t align with your interests.
Missing out on opportunities to discover new skills.
No work-life balance.
Burn out.
No job satisfaction.
Not living up to your true potential.
So if you’re unhappy.
If you find yourself in a less than ideal situation.
Don’t fret.
There is a way out.
It’s Time To Make A Change
I’m not going to say go back to school, or quit your job to become an actor.
I mean, if that’s what you really want then by all means, go ahead.
But you shouldn’t do that right now.
I believe in pursuing dreams, but not at the expense of putting yourself or your loved ones in a financial nightmare.
You have bills to pay and mouths to feed, so quitting your job, becoming an actor, or going to school is not ideal right now.
You need to make money.
And there’s something you could do right now to start doing that.
And that’s building an email list.
What Is An Email List?
An email list is a marketing tool you can use to sell products and services to email subscribers you own.
It’s the best platform to build an audience and make passive income (assuming you're managing it correctly).
An email list is your bridge to freedom.
But here’s the thing…
Starting an email list is simple, NOT easy.
So if you’re looking to get-rich-quick, go somewhere else.
An email list is not a get rich quick scheme.
It takes time and patience, and a good understanding of your audience.
You will make money.
Maybe not today, tomorrow, next week, or next month.
But it will happen eventually.
And the sooner you start, the sooner you’ll have the option to live life on your terms.
So in today’s post, I’m going to talk about how to start your email list from scratch.
If you’re in a similar rut I talked about earlier in this post then starting an email list is something to think about.
So take your time reading this post.
I promise this will be worth your while.
Starting Your Email List From Scratch
There are 5 steps you must take to get started:
Identify your ideal client
Build an online audience
Create a free offer
Ask for a name and email address
Grow your list
Sounds simple, right?
That’s because it is.
It doesn’t take extraordinary talent to get it done.
All it takes is time, patience, and consistency.
It’s like working out.
If you consistently exercise and eat nutritious foods 80% of the time, you’re going to achieve your ideal physique.
The same process works with building an email list.
The more content you create, the more visible you become.
The more visible you become, the more your audience grows.
But you must know who you are writing for.
Which is why step #1 is most important.
Step #1: Identify your ideal client
Identifying your ideal client is easier than you think.
This will evolve overtime.
As you create content, you’ll see what people respond to.
You’ll discover the content that works and the content that doesn’t.
Posting consistent content will help you get crystal clear on who your ideal client is.
If you don’t know who your ideal client is, start by breaking down markets.
What do I mean by this?
There are 4 markets to choose from:
Health
Wealth
Relationships
Hobbies
Choose one of these markets and break it down into three parts:
Niche
Sub-niche
Micro-niche
For example:
If you’re in the Health market, your breakdown can be:
Niche: Nutrition
Sub-Niche: Plant-Based Diets
Micro-Niche: Creating plant-based meal plans for athletes.
If you’re in the Wealth market, your breakdown can be:
Niche: Investing
Sub-Niche: Stock Market Investing
Micro-Niche: Swing trading strategies for beginners.
If you’re in the Relationships market, your breakdown can be:
Niche: Dating
Sub-Niche: Online Dating
Micro-Niche: Profile optimization for professionals using LinkedIn to find partners.
If you’re in the Hobbies market, your breakdown can be:
Niche: Writing
Sub-Niche: Creative Writing
Micro-Niche: Writing sci-fi short stories for Kindle.
Take something you’re passionate about or have experience in, and see which market it falls under.
Then break it down to a niche, sub-niche, and micro-niche.
This is very important so don’t skip this step.
You will never create quality content if you don’t have a specific group of people to talk to.
Find a group of people you want to help and create content for them.
This will help you achieve step #2.
Step #2: Build an online audience
You can create content on any platform of your choosing.
If you like text-based platforms, you can choose:
LinkedIn
Facebook
Medium
X (Twitter)
Blogging
If you prefer video-content, you can choose:
Facebook
Instagram
TikTok
YouTube
Whichever platform you choose, make sure your ideal client spends time there.
If you choose a platform your audience doesn’t hang out at, you’ll create content for the wrong crowd.
So know where they are and go there.
Building an online audience takes time.
But it’s the organic way to create traffic.
And organic traffic is the best form of traffic.
Post consistently for at least 6 months.
Whatever you do, don’t stop.
Even if you have something going on in your life and it takes you away from the platform for a few days, stick with it.
Feed the algorithm as often as you can.
More importantly, engage.
Comment on other people’s posts every day so your page gets visibility.
Visibility gets you likes, comments, and followers.
And followers lead to becoming subscribers.
The more traffic you get to your page, the more likely they are to see your free offer.
And when you hook someone on to your free offer, all you have to do is ask for a name and email address.
So how do you create a free offer?
Excellent question.
Let’s dive in.
Step #3: Create a FREE offer
I personally love using ChatGPT for this.
AI can help you create free offer ideas, and choose the right option for your audience.
Here’s how:
Go to Chat GPT and type in:
“I’m a [type in your profession]. My target audience is [target audience and their desired outcome]. Give me a list of pain points they’re dealing with when it comes to [desired outcome].”
This gives you a list of pain points your audience deals with.
When you know their pain points, you’re in a stronger position to create a lead magnet that becomes a bridge to their desired outcome.
Next, type in:
“I’m building an email list for [target audience]. I want to create a lead magnet that gives them a complete solution to [desired outcome]. This lead magnet should provide value. Give me 10 potential lead magnet ideas.”
This prompt will give you 10 lead magnet ideas to choose from.
If you don’t like the ideas it gives you, you can ask it to give you 10 more.
But you have to choose one.
Once you choose a lead magnet, type in:
“Pretend you are my market [target audience] and rank these lead magnet ideas from 1-10, 10 being the best.”
Choose a lead magnet ranked 8 or higher.
If you have to go lower than 8 for any reason, make sure it still offers value.
Your audience matters most.
You can come out with an offer you think is great, but if your audience doesn’t like it, you’re not going to grow your list.
The purpose of a lead magnet is to give people a reason to join your email list.
Humans are skeptical and selfish creatures.
If you want people to join your email list, the first question they're going to ask is, “What’s in it for me?”
So give them a reason.
Offer a valuable lead magnet that solves their problem.
Once you have them hooked, you’re going to ask them for something in return.
And no, it’s not money.
It’s their name and email address.
Step #4: Ask for a name and email address
Asking for the email is easy.
Create an “opt-in page” and keep it simple!
Don’t spend hours on web design.
You can go to Canva to create a cover for your lead magnet.
Post it to your opt-in page.
Make sure the copy is benefit driven.
Write out specific reasons why people should download your lead magnet.
You can use Beehiiv, Kajabi, Convert Kit, or Squarespace to do this.
They have options to create an email opt-in page.
Simply design it where recipients can type in their name and email address, in exchange for your free offer.
Step #5: Grow Your List
Once you’ve identified your ideal client, built an online audience, created a free offer, and designed your opt-in page, it’s time to grow your list.
Consistency is the name of the game.
You have to consistently drive traffic to your opt-in page.
So how exactly would you do this?
Leverage social media.
This goes back to building an online audience.
Keep posting content on social media so you continue to grow online.
This will draw more eyes to your lead magnet and ultimately your email list.
As your follower count grows on social media, your email list will grow as well.
Share your free offer on every post.
Use it as your call to action.
Remind followers of your lead magnet and how it can help them.
This benefits them because they get something valuable.
And it benefits you because your list will continue to grow.
Paid ads
Paid ads are a great way to grow your list.
Especially if you’ve built an online audience and have a compelling lead magnet.
Paid ads allow you to reach your target audience beyond your current followers on social media.
You can use Facebook, Instagram, or LinkedIn to run targeted ads.
Your choice depends on where your target audience hangs out.
But I can’t tell you how many times I’ve been lured into enticing offers through paid ads on social media.
There is one creator on LinkedIn who got my business because he ran a paid ad on Instagram.
I wasn’t on LinkedIn at the time, but I was his target audience and he hooked me on Instagram with his ad.
That’s how effective ads can be.
They go beyond your platform and reach people on other platforms you’re not active on.
Another benefit to paid ads is they allow you to specify who you want to target.
When you identify your ideal client using my target audience breakdown in step 2, you have the information you need to run an effective ad campaign.
The only set back with ads is they can be expensive.
So check your budget.
If you can’t afford it right now, that’s okay.
Keep building your list the organic way.
The organic way is the best way.
But paid ads are a great addition to growing your email list.
I will go into more detail about paid ads in another post.
This post is about growing your email list from scratch and I want to keep it that way.
So start posting on social media.
Building your list the organic way is the best way.
The only setback is that it takes time.
But stick with it for at least 6 months and you’ll see how effective this strategy works.
I hope this helps.
