What are the best ways to grow my email list?

Before we get into the best ways to grow your email list, let's talk about why it's important.

There are lots of different ways to gain new contacts for an email list: paid advertising, social media, and content marketing, just to name a few. The problem with these methods is that they aren' permanent. If you invest time and money in growing your email list using one of those means and then stop investing in it - as happens frequently - you'll lose all of those contacts! And you won't be able to get them back unless you use another acquisition tactic. Email provides a way around this by not only allowing marketers to build (and rebuild) relationships over time but also offering more than other channels like direct mail and print marketing.

Email marketing is a very powerful tool but it won't work for you unless you have an email list of people who want to hear from you. To build your list, there are two things you need: traffic and an incentive. You can get both by putting together a killer opt-in offer - aka lead magnet - to convince potential subscribers to sign up at your website instead of letting them slip further down the funnel. It's important to remember that giving away something for free isn't enough on its own. Your value proposition needs to be clear and present a solid reason for visitors to join your email list or no one will sign up at all!

You don't always need a lead magnet in order for someone to subscribe to your email list. As long as you have a clear call to action, you should be able to pick up some new subscribers. However, using an opt-in offer helps you make the most out of every opportunity since it's more likely that people will subscribe if they know what they're getting in return for their contact information.

If you want to build your list fast, it can help to look at other websites that are popular around your niche and use their lead magnets. You'll need to create something similar but don't worry about copying exactly because no one has seen yours before and if it looks and smells like theirs there's a very good chance that web visitors will sign up too! If this sounds, try sharing content on social media or your website that's similar to the other company's offer and see if anyone takes interest.

If you don't want to look at other blogs' lead magnets, don't worry! It isn't always necessary and success won't depend on what someone else did anyway. Just come up with an idea for a solid opt-in offer a free ebook is a popular choice - and run with it! Make sure your landing page has a clear headline, an image, short copy that explains what visitors will get when they join your email list, and a form that captures their information accurately in case you want to follow up with them later.

Ideally, you should have two versions of your opt-in bribe: one aimed at influencers in your niche -e.g. bloggers, email marketers, etc and one aimed at beginners who are just getting started. The offers should look similar but have subtle differences to attract the right people.

What are the best ways to grow my email list?

There are lots of different tactics for acquiring new contacts for an email list but they all boil down to two things: traffic and incentives. First, you need to draw visitors in with helpful content that has a clear call-to-action directing them towards your opt-in offer which provides something valuable in return for their contact information. Paying for traffic is another surefire strategy because "if it's easy, it's expensive" so use Google Adwords or Facebook Ads to get visitors directly to your landing page. Another popular method is asking people you've already worked with - like past clients or partners to refer new contacts. Lastly, explore existing communities online and find sub-sections where your target market hangs out. You'll be able to start conversations with everyone there and give away free advice which can lead to more customers!