Building a high-quality email list is one of the smartest investments for your business.
Email marketing has a higher return on investment (ROI) than many other channels, and it allows you to connect directly with your target audience, drive website visitors, and increase sales.
Whether you want to know how to build an email list from scratch or a sales team looking to grow your existing email subscribers, this guide walks you through every step of the process with simple, actionable advice and real-life examples.
What is an Email List?
An email list is a collection of email addresses that you gather from people who are interested in your business, content, or offerings.
These email subscribers give you permission to contact them directly via email for updates, promotions, and more. Opt-in forms are a great way to start collecting email addresses for your list.
Think of it this way: if you own a small online shop selling organic skincare products, your email list would include potential customers and potential customers who want to receive information about new products, special deals, and more.
These are people who’ve shown interest in what you offer and are more likely to become loyal customers. You can use a landing page or opt-in forms on your website to collect email addresses.
If you want to create an email strategy, we have a great article from setting goals and segmenting your audience to crafting compelling content and tracking performance with examples.
Why is a Quality Email List Important?
Not all email lists are created equal.
A small, engaged list of email subscribers who truly care about your content can be more valuable than a large list filled with people who rarely interact with your email campaigns.
Here’s why a good email list is so crucial:
Direct Access to Your Audience: Social media algorithms change, and organic reach can be unpredictable. With an email list, you own your contact list and can communicate directly with your target audience whenever you want.
Personalization and Targeting: Emails allow you to deliver personalized content to different segments of your audience. For instance, a local coffee shop might send different offers to existing subscribers and new customers.
Higher ROI: According to studies, email marketing has an average ROI of $42 for every $1 spent. No other marketing channel consistently delivers such results, making it a cost-effective marketing strategy for businesses of all sizes.
13 Strategies on How to Build an Email List
Here are 13 strategies on how to build an email list fast and easily. We will provide you also with real-life examples. Let's get started:
1. Set Clear Goals
Before diving into list building, it's important to clarify your objectives. Knowing your goals will help you attract the right email subscribers and offer them the content they’re looking for.
Ask yourself these key questions:
- Who is my target audience?
- What kind of content will I send?
Example: Let’s say you’re a freelance graphic designer. Your goal could be to build a list of potential customers by offering a free ebook or design resources, promoting it via your landing pages or pop-up forms.
By positioning yourself as an expert in your field and providing valuable content, you can attract the right subscribers who are likely to become loyal clients or refer you to others in their network.
2. Choose the Right Tools
Selecting the appropriate tools for email outreach can significantly impact your email marketing strategy.
Email marketing software like MailTracker helps track performance metrics. Other tools, such as Hunter.io, can assist in capturing leads and growing your list.
Use Hunter.io to Find and Verify Email Addresses
Hunter.io is a powerful tool that helps you discover and verify email addresses associated with specific companies or domains.
Whether you’re doing cold outreach or targeting key decision-makers, Hunter allows you to search for email addresses by domain or name and even provides confidence scores for accuracy.
This can significantly improve your list-building efforts by ensuring that your emails reach the right people.
Key Features:
- Email Discovery: Search for email addresses by domain or name.
- Verification: Provides confidence scores for the accuracy of email addresses.
- Targeted Outreach: Ideal for reaching specific roles within companies.
Here is an Example Use Case for Hunter:
Imagine you're launching a B2B SaaS product and want to connect with marketing managers in mid-sized companies.
With Hunter.io, you can search for email addresses from specific companies or industries by entering their domain (e.g., “company.com”).
Once you have a list of verified contacts, you can use those emails to start targeted outreach campaigns or add them to your email list for nurturing.
For instance, you might discover the email address of a key decision-maker at a company you’re interested in and send them personalized content that aligns with their pain points.
This kind of precision targeting can drastically improve your outreach success and drive more qualified leads into your sales funnel.
Use MailTracker to Track Your Email Performance
After building your email list with tools like Hunter, it is important to track the performance of your email campaigns.
MailTracker is an effective tool that allows you to monitor open rates, click-through rates, and other key metrics.
Key Features of MailTracker
- Email Open Tracking: Know if your emails have been opened and receive real-time notifications.
- Email Activity Feed: This feature provides a centralized view of all your recently opened emails, making it easy to review recent interactions. It includes a "Not Opened" tab to track which of your sent emails haven't been opened yet.
- No signature in the free plan. It allows you to track your emails discreetly without alerting the recipients that their email interactions are being monitored.
- Privacy-Focused Tracking: It doesn't read your emails, identify your recipients, store IP addresses, share your data with third parties, or manage or delete your emails.
Example Use Case for MailTracker
Suppose you have sent a series of emails promoting your SaaS product to a list of contacts obtained through Hunter.io.
With MailTracker, you can see which emails in Gmail were read and opened, and how many recipients engaged with your content.
This data helps you identify which messages resonate most with your audience and adjust your future campaigns accordingly and schedule email in Gmail at best times.
3. Create High-Converting Lead Magnets
A lead magnet is something valuable you offer for free in exchange for someone’s email address.
It’s a tried-and-true strategy for building your list, and it works because people are more likely to share their email if they feel they’re getting something worthwhile in return.
Here are some common types of lead magnets:
- eBooks and guides: For instance, a digital marketing consultant could offer a free “Beginner’s Guide to Social Media Marketing” that teaches small businesses how to increase their online presence.
- Discounts and coupons: A clothing brand might offer a 20% discount on a first purchase when someone signs up for their email list. This is particularly effective for eCommerce businesses, as people love saving money.
- Exclusive content and tools: Bloggers and online educators often offer bonus content like free templates, checklists, or mini-courses that are only available to subscribers. For example, a personal finance blog could provide a free budgeting spreadsheet.
4. Design an Effective Lead Magnet
To create a lead magnet that converts, make sure it’s directly relevant to your audience and solves a specific problem they have. Here are a few tips:
- Keep it simple: A lead magnet doesn’t have to be long or complex. In fact, a one-page checklist or a 5-minute video tutorial can be incredibly effective if it addresses a pressing need.
- Highlight the benefits: When promoting your lead magnet, focus on how it will help your audience. Instead of just saying, “Sign up for a free guide,” try “Get your free guide and learn 5 proven strategies to save more money every month.”
Example: If you’re a freelance writer targeting small business owners, you might offer a free content calendar template along with tips on planning blog posts. Your lead magnet would be promoted as “Take the stress out of content creation – get your free content calendar template and never run out of ideas again.”
5. Place Sign-Up Forms for Maximum Visibility
Even the best lead magnets won’t work if people don’t see your sign-up forms. Where and how you place your forms can make a big difference in how many people subscribe.
Here are some of the best places to put your sign-up forms:
- Pop-Ups on Your Website: While some people find pop-ups annoying, they can be highly effective when done right. For instance, you can set a pop-up to appear after a visitor has been on your page for 10 seconds or when they scroll halfway down. An effective pop-up might say, “Don’t miss out! Get 15% off your first order when you subscribe.”
- Landing Pages: A landing page is a dedicated page focused solely on getting visitors to sign up. For example, if you run a webinar, you can create a landing page that promotes the event and offers a downloadable resource in exchange for signing up.
- Sidebar Widgets and Footers: These are more passive forms of sign-up forms that appear on every page. While they might not have the same high conversion rates as pop-ups, they’re still valuable because they’re consistently visible.
Optimize Your Sign-Up Forms
The design and wording of your forms are critical. Here’s how to optimize them for better conversions:
- Use Clear, Compelling Language: Your sign-up form should clearly state the benefit of subscribing. For example, instead of a generic “Subscribe to our newsletter,” try something more engaging like “Get weekly tips on how to boost your productivity – straight to your inbox.”
- Keep the Form Simple: Only ask for essential information, usually just the name and email address. The more fields you include, the fewer people will sign up.
- Use Eye-Catching Buttons: Your call to action (CTA) button should stand out. Bright colors like red, orange, or green often work well. Also, make your CTA action-oriented. Instead of a boring “Submit” button, try something like “Get My Free Guide” or “Join the Community.”
6. Promote Your Sign-Ups Across Social Media
Use your social media platforms to promote your lead magnet and email signups. You can share posts and run ad campaigns on social media accounts like Instagram, Facebook, and LinkedIn to reach more people.
Here’s how you can use different platforms effectively:
- Instagram: Post about your lead magnet on your feed and use stories to share a behind-the-scenes look at what subscribers will get.
- Facebook: Share your lead magnet in relevant groups or run targeted ads to reach your ideal audience.
- LinkedIn: If you’re in a B2B space, LinkedIn is perfect for promoting resources like whitepapers, industry reports, or free training sessions.
7. Create Valuable Blog Content
Use blog posts to drive traffic and encourage sign-ups. Embed email signup forms within high-traffic blog posts and offer content upgrades like checklists or templates for signing up.
Example: If you’re a web developer, writing a blog post titled “5 Common Mistakes to Avoid When Building a Website” and offering a free website audit checklist in exchange for an email is a smart strategy.
Here’s how to make your blog work for you:
- Embed Opt-In Forms in High-Traffic Posts: Identify your most popular blog posts and place opt-in forms directly within the content. You can also include a sign-up form at the end of each post with a call to action like, “Enjoyed this article? Subscribe to get more tips delivered to your inbox.”
- Offer Content Upgrades: A content upgrade is a bonus resource related to a specific blog post. For instance, if you write a post on “How to Write a Great Resume,” you could offer a free resume template as a content upgrade.
8. Partner with Others
Collaborate with complementary businesses or influencers to increase your reach and grow your email list through joint promotions, referral programs, or ad campaigns.
9. Use Email Gated Content
Email-gated content is content that’s only accessible after someone subscribes. This strategy is particularly effective if you’re offering high-value resources that your target audience is eager to access.
Examples of email-gated content include:
- Whitepapers and Research Reports: A software company might offer a detailed report on “The Future of Artificial Intelligence in Marketing” that’s only available to subscribers.
- Exclusive Video Training: A real estate coach might offer a free video series on “How to Close More Sales” as gated content.
- Access to Private Communities or Webinars: For example, a wellness coach could offer a live, members-only Q&A session as a sign-up incentive.
10. Incorporate an Email Tracker as a Growth Strategy
Using email tracking tools can significantly improve your email marketing strategy by providing valuable insights into how recipients interact with your emails.
Tools like MailTracker allow you to see when someone opens your email, or even forwards it to someone else.
There are also other email tracker alternatives, which you can have a look at their features, pros, cons, pricing and more:
Benefits of Email Tracking for List-Building Efforts
- Improve Engagement with Timely Follow-Ups: If you see that a subscriber opened your email multiple times but didn’t click through, you might send a follow-up email with a better offer or a different approach.
- Segment Your Audience Based on Engagement: By tracking opens and clicks, you can identify your most engaged subscribers and target them with special promotions or upsell opportunities.
- Test and Optimize Campaigns: By monitoring how different segments respond to your emails, you can experiment with subject lines, content, and CTAs to improve future campaigns.
Example: If you send out a lead magnet like a free eBook and notice that recipients are opening the email but not downloading the eBook, it could signal that your CTA needs to be more compelling or that the download process is too complicated.
11. Stay Compliant with Email Regulations
Compliance is critical when building an email list. Depending on where your subscribers are located, you’ll need to adhere to laws like:
GDPR (General Data Protection Regulation): Applicable to subscribers in the European Union, GDPR requires that you get explicit consent before sending marketing emails. You also need to provide a clear privacy policy and allow subscribers to easily opt-out.
12. Nurture and Maintain Your Email List
Once you have a list, it’s important to keep it healthy by regularly engaging with your subscribers and delete inactive contacts.
Segment Your Subscribers
Segmentation is the process of dividing your list into smaller groups based on specific criteria like interests, behavior, or demographics. This allows you to send more personalized and relevant content.
Regular List Cleaning
Not everyone who subscribes will stay interested forever. To maintain a healthy list, periodically remove subscribers who haven’t opened or clicked on your emails in a while.
Most ESPs allow you to automate this process by setting criteria for when to remove inactive contacts (e.g., no engagement for six months).
Before removing them, consider sending a re-engagement campaign asking if they still want to hear from you.
Example: You might send an email with the subject line, “Do You Still Want to Receive Our Updates?” and offer them a chance to stay on your list or unsubscribe.
13. Monitor and Optimize Your List-Building Efforts
To grow and improve your list-building efforts, you need to keep track of key metrics and experiment with different strategies.
Track Performance Metrics
Here are some important metrics to monitor:
- Growth Rate: How quickly is your email list growing? Track new sign-ups versus unsubscribes to ensure your list is expanding.
- Open Rates: This shows how many people are opening your emails. A low open rate could mean your subject lines aren’t engaging enough or that you’re sending emails at the wrong time.
- Click-Through Rates (CTR): CTR measures how many people clicked on links in your emails. A higher CTR indicates that your content is resonating with your audience.
- Unsubscribe Rates: While some unsubscribes are normal, a spike in this rate could indicate that you’re sending too many emails or that your content isn’t relevant.
A/B Testing
To continuously improve, experiment with different elements of your sign-up forms and emails. A/B testing allows you to test one variable at a time, such as:
- Subject Lines: Try testing a question-based subject line (“Are You Ready to Save 20%?”) against a straightforward one (“Save 20% Today”).
- CTA Buttons: Experiment with different colors, wording, and placement. For example, test “Get My Free Guide” versus “Start Learning Now.”
- Form Layouts: Test different form designs, such as one-step forms versus multi-step forms, to see which converts better.
Start Tracking Your Emails in Gmail for Free with MailTracker
With the right approach, your email list can become a powerful tool for driving growth and building lasting relationships with your customers.
MailTracker, a trusted email tracking software with over 100K users and a 4.7/5 in Chrome reviews, offers a free plan that allows you to track up to 20 emails per month.
In addition to tracking opens and clicks, MailTracker enables you to analyze the best times to send emails, ensuring your messages reach your audience when they're most likely to engage.
Start using MailTracker today to gain valuable insights and improve your email marketing strategy.
