How to Build an Email List from Scratch: A 10-Step Guide

Ask any online business owner about their biggest marketing regret and many will tell you it’s that they didn’t start collecting email addresses from Day 1. Learn from this frequent mistake and start growing your list of subscribers as soon as you can, even before you launch your business.by

While email is one of the oldest digital marketing channels out there, it’s also one of the most effective, with strong conversion rates across multiple industries. In fact, the average conversion rate for landing page traffic sent through email is over 7%—a big jump from the standard ecommerce conversion rate of 2%. Email marketing is also cost effective: businesses may earn up to $42 for every dollar spent on email marketing.

Convincing someone to give you their email address during their first visit to your ecommerce site is easier than convincing them to make a purchase: it doesn’t cost them anything, and you can layer on incentives, like discounts or freebies.

Of course, to unlock the potential of email marketing, you first need to build an email list. While your email subscriber list will grow as you begin generating sales, there are steps you can take today to start building your email list before you even sell your first product or subscription.

Building a subscriber email list can transform your business. Email marketing drives higher conversion rates and revenue than any other digital channel. But you need a list of engaged subscribers to realize these benefits.

In this comprehensive guide I’ll share 10 proven tactics to help you build your email list fast. Follow these steps to grow a loyal community eager to buy your products and services.

Why You Need an Email List

Here are some key reasons every business needs to be actively building an email list:

Higher conversions – Email generates up to 40X more revenue per dollar spent than other marketing channels.
Improved retention – Email subscribers have higher lifetime value and retention rates than social media followers.
Owned media – You own your list and avoid algorithm changes on rented platforms like Facebook.
Targeted reach – Send precisely tailored messages to subscribers who want to hear from you.
Cost efficiency – Email is one of the most affordable ways to reach customers.

Clearly, focusing on list building needs to be a pillar of your digital marketing strategy. Now let’s explore proven techniques to grow your own list.

10 Ways to Build Your Email List

Follow these 10 steps to start accumulating engaged subscribers:

1. Choose an Email Marketing Platform

You need a professional email marketing platform to send and track results. Some top solutions include:

Mailchimp – The most popular email provider, with a free plan up to 2,000 subscribers.
ConvertKit – Designed for creators, with excellent automation tools.
ActiveCampaign – For small businesses, packed with marketing automation features.
AWeber – A long-standing email platform with superior deliverability.

Each has different strengths and pricing. Compare to pick the best fit for your needs and budget.

2. Give People Incentives

Entice visitors to join your list with lead magnets. Freebies like ebooks, coupons, or webinars encourage signups. Make sure you collect just their email, not unnecessary info.

3. Create Popups and Slide-ins

Website popups and slide-in forms convert visitors into subscribers as they browse. Time these to appear after a few pages, not immediately.

4. Craft CTAs for Pages and Posts

Compelling calls-to-action (CTAs) on web pages, blog posts, and ads amplify conversions. Tell people exactly what to do next.

5. Build a Dedicated Landing Page

A focused landing page exclusively for list building beats a distracted homepage. Make joining the hero objective here.

6. Promote Your Form on Social Media

Share your signup incentives and page on all social networks. Retarget people who’ve clicked but not yet subscribed.

7. Run a Viral Contest or Giveaway

Sweepstakes that encourage sharing and referrals can exponentially grow your list. Require email to enter.

8. Leverage Your Contacts and Loyal Customers

Tell people who already know you about the value of your email list. Ask them to subscribe.

9. Advertise Your Giveaways

Take out cheap ads promoting your lead magnets on platforms like Facebook. Retarget responders with more relevant ads.

10. Import Your Existing Leads

Upload contact lists from your CRM or other sources. Onboard these warm leads with automated welcome emails.

Keep testing combinations of these tactics until you find a recipe that consistently grows your list.

Choose an Email Service Provider

The first step in building your list is selecting an email service provider (ESP) to handle sending and analytics.

Here are essential features to evaluate when comparing your options:

List management – Easy subscriber signup, tagging, and segmentation.
Template design – Professionally designed, mobile responsive email templates.
Delivery optimization – Tools to ensure your emails reach the inbox.
Analytics – In-depth tracking of opens, clicks, unsubscribes, and conversions.
Automation – Workflows to send drip campaigns automatically.
Integration – API and Zapier integration to connect other marketing systems.
Support – Knowledgeable customer support via live chat, email, and phone.

Some top picks based on these criteria include ConvertKit, Mailchimp, ActiveCampaign, Omnisend, and AWeber.

Most offer a free plan up to 2,000 subscribers, then paid tiers with more features. Select the solution that best aligns with your current needs and growth goals.

Develop Effective Lead Magnets

Lead magnets incentivize visitors to join your email list. These freebies provide immediate value upfront while collecting their contact info.

Some of the most effective lead magnet formats include:

Ebooks – In-depth guides on topics your audience cares about. Offer as a PDF download.
Templates – Free templates, planners, or toolkits related to your niche. Useful resources subscribers will keep.
Checklists – Curated actionable checklists help simplify complex tasks for your customers.
Resource lists – Curation of the best tools, apps, services, or products for your niche.
Coupons – Discounts or exclusive deals for subscribers only.
Webinars – Free instructional webinars or mini-courses offer engaging value.

Keep your lead magnet focused on solving a specific problem for your target customers. Make sure you deliver tons of value upfront in exchange for their email address.

Promote Your Forms Across Digital Channels

Once you’ve created enticing lead magnets, you need to promote your signup forms across every digital channel at your disposal.

Website Popups and Slide-ins

Popup forms and slide-in forms capture email addresses from visitors right on your website. They grab attention and interrupt browsing to convert signups.

Just be careful not to make them too aggressive or annoying. Trigger them only after someone has been on your site for a minute or two.

Test different triggers and placements to find what works for your audience.

CTAs on Website Pages and Posts

Calls-to-action (CTAs) prompt immediate action from website visitors. Every page and blog post should have CTAs promoting your email list.

CTAs might say “Join our mailing list!”, “Get the free checklist”, or “Subscribe to our newsletter”. Include these in page headers, content body text, sidebars, footers, and buttons.

Craft your phrasing to convey the value readers gain from joining.

Social Media

Promote your lead magnets repeatedly from your brand profiles on social platforms like Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, LinkedIn, Pinterest, etc.

Share the incentives, landing pages, and a strong CTA in your posts. Retarget people who have engaged but not yet converted.

Leverage paid ads to amplify your social media posts as well.

Paid Ads

Take out pay-per-click ads on Google, Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, TikTok, and relevant industry sites. Promote your lead magnet as the click objective.

Retarget visitors who clicked but didn’t opt-in yet. Send them ads reminding them to claim their offer.

Allocate a portion of your ad budget specifically to list building efforts.

Craft Effective Landing Pages

Dedicated landing pages are key for converting email signups. Avoid sending people to your busy homepage. Instead, create standalone pages laser-focused on getting them to subscribe.

Here are tips for maximizing your landing pages:

Single focus – The entire page should focus on getting the email signup. Remove any distractions or links.
High-quality lead magnet – Offer something very compelling in exchange for their email.
Benefit-driven copy – Clearly explain how they’ll benefit from subscribing.
Minimal fields – Only ask for their first name and email address.
Prominent opt-in form – The signup form should be the most visible element on the page.
Social proof – Display testimonials or reviews from happy subscribers.
Clear value proposition – Summarize the core value received in a handy headline, subheadline, or brief paragraph.
Simple layout – Avoid clutter. Use lots of negative space for visual clarity.

These elements optimize conversion rates. Send traffic to this high-performing page via your website, promotions, and ads.

Import Existing Contacts

If your business already has leads from a CRM, email forwarding, or other sources, import these to kickstart your new list.

Just make sure you have opt-in consent to email them. Your ESP should allow batch uploading contacts via CSV file.

Onboard these existing subscribers by sending an engaging welcome sequence introducing them to your new newsletter.

Automate Your Email Workflow

Marketing automation powers the scalability of your list building efforts.

Set up sequences like:

Opt-in incentive – Deliver lead magnet right after

how to build an email list

Survey your target audience

Building an effective digital marketing strategy is all about collecting the right data. With visitor surveys and questionnaires, you can gather valuable information about your audience’s wants, needs, and feedback while capturing their emails for marketing purposes.

To use an online survey, start with a specific goal, like market research or even crowdsourced blog content. You can include a field in your survey to capture email addresses, then invite survey takers to opt into your email list at the end. Once you have a goal in mind, there are plenty of lightweight tools and services out there for creating customer surveys, including Google Forms, Typeform, and SurveyMonkey.

Send your survey to friends and family, post it in Facebook groups, mention it on social media, and include a special offer for people who fill it out. For example, you could say, “Upon filling out our short questionnaire, you’ll get a special code for 10% off your first online purchase.” You might even consider sending out a questionnaire before your product launches. This is a great way to get your email list started and bring friends, family, and potential customers on your startup journey.

Run contests or giveaways on social media

Contests and giveaways can help accelerate list growth by turning the act of subscribing into a shareable and winnable event. The added momentum of a contest can be especially valuable in the early days, when your list of subscribers is small and you don’t have existing traffic to leverage.

One way to amplify this strategy is by partnering with other ecommerce brands who sell to similar customers. With the right partner, your products will complement each other, making the offer more compelling than if you ran the contest alone.

Another option is to look for influencers who are already reaching your ideal customers on social platforms like Instagram. Since influencers often use giveaways for their own purposes—typically, to break through the noise and grow their following—you may be able to justify the cost of offering your product in exchange for their ability to kickstart your giveaway campaign.

If you want to create a dedicated landing page for your giveaway so there’s a single destination and traffic is easier to track, you can try solutions like ShortStack or ConvertFlow.