How to Build an Email List From Scratch

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How to Build an Email List From Scratch

How to build an email list from scratch? In this blog post, I will explain what list building is, why you need to build an email list and what tools you need for that.

What is an Email List?

An email list, sometimes called a subscribers list or a mailing list, is a list of people who have shown interest in your content and who sign up to your newsletter or your list and agree to receive email communications from you.

This is the process that is called list building or a mailing list.

I have also made a video for you if you prefer to watch the tutorial instead of reading it.

What Makes Building an Email List Valuable?

An email list, sometimes called a subscribers list or a mailing list, is a list of people who have shown interest in your content and who sign up to your newsletter or your list and agree to receive email communications from you.

You have probably heard so many people say: “the money is in the list” but it may or may not make much sense to you. 

Why is the money in the list? Having a quality email list of loyal subscribers is priceless. Here are a few of the reasons why:

  • An email list is your personal traffic tap. This means that, whenever you need to send traffic to your content or to an offer, you can email your list and you will generate traffic. Because they are your loyal subscribers and followers, they will always want to listen to what you have to say.
  • Money on demand: if you build a quality subscribers list with people who have shown interest in you and your content, they will definitely listen to your suggestions and recommendations when it comes to products and services. This is what is called email marketing. Through email marketing, you will be able to build a relationship with your subscribers and they will always thank you for your recommendations because they will know that you have their interest at heart.
  • Build your tribe. When you have an email list, you have a tribe of followers and raving fans who are always waiting for your next pieces of content. 
The above is obviously easier said than done. There are many so called “marketers” out there who have huge lists, but who keep burning their subscribers out because all they do is send them spam every day. Do not be one of those people. Building a list takes time, effort and dedication.


It is also worth noting that making money online with your email list does not mean that you need to have a huge list. If you play your game right and build your list through proper email marketing skills, you can generate a lot of money even with a tiny list.

So How to Build an Email List From Scratch?

To build an email list from scratch, you will need a few tools. These tools are not free unfortunately, but you must think of them as an investment in your business. After all, we are trying to build an online business, right?

Here are the tools you need to build an email list:

A Lead Magnet

A lead magnet is something that you offer for free to your potential subscribers in return for their email address. There are different types of lead magnets you could offer:

  •  A checklist.
  • An e-book.
  • A video course.
  • A webinar ticket.
And so much more. Keep in mind that, because it’s a free gift, it should not be a piece of crap. Offer great content for free to your subscribers and they will love you for it. Then when the time comes to see them something, they will definitely buy from you; because you have always had their interest at heart.

Your lead magnet should be something helpful and related to either the content they are currently reading or the main topic of your blog. In other words, your lead magnet should be something your readers are looking for. It should be a quick solution to a problem, a quick tip or part of a course that you could offer for free as a sample etc.

If you want more ideas about lead magnet, read this post:

How to Build an Email List From Scratch Using an Auto Responder

This is a software you will use to collect email addresses and be able to send emails to your subscribers whenever you want. An autoresponder automates the whole process. Here are the autoresponders I recommend:

Aweber:

This service costs $19 per month for the first 500 subscribers, then it goes up to $29 etc. You can however try it for 30 days for free and see if you like it. Click the image below to claim your free 30-day trial:

Get Response:

GetResponse is slightly cheaper than Aweber. Also, the advantage is that you pay only $15.00 per month up to 1,000 subscribers. It does save you some money. You can get a free 30-day trial with GetResponse too. Click the image below to claim your 30-day Free trial. 

I have used both of them and I like both. There a few differences in pricing, but they are both great services. 

You can try both and see which one you like better. You can always switch autoresponders at a later stage.

A Squeeze Page

A squeeze page or a landing page is a page where you will want to send your potential subscribers to enter their email address in order to receive the free gift you are offering. 

You can build a squeeze page either by using a template from Aweber or GetResponse, or by using a page builder. My favorite page builder is Elementor.

Email Marketing

So this is basically how to build a list from scratch. However, this is only the first step into your list building adventure. Once you start getting subscribers into your list, you will need to start communicating with them and building a relationship with them. This is what we call email marketing.

Email marketing is an excellent skill to have and a great way to connect with your audience. It also is the best way to make money with your list. 

Due to the very detailed nature of email marketing, it is outside the scope of this blog post at the moment.

With that said, if you want to learn more about email marketing and learn how to build a relationship with your subscribers, nurture your list and earn audience trust, I highly recommend Adam Payne’s The Conversion Point course. It is an in-depth email marketing course that teaches you how to make big commissions using a tiny list.

I hope you have enjoyed this post. Please share it if you found it useful. If you have any questions or comments about how to build an email list from scratch, I would love to hear from you 🙂 

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41 thoughts on “How to Build an Email List From Scratch”

  1. Fantastic write up, this was a very informative and helpful post. I will pass this onto a friend who I know is interested in working on her email base.

    Reply
  2. Great tips on how to build your email list. We are actually running a give away right now to build our list and it is quite fun. But I have to say that I really need to create better lead magnets to get more sign ups cause you are right, the list is gold! Socials and their stupid algorithms always change and can easily knock you out. But the list is yours if you build it and cultivate it properly
    Eric Gamble recently posted…Win a Pair of Original Travel Tracker Scratch Off MapsMy Profile

    Reply
    • Exactly! Having your own list of subscribers is like having your online real estate. Nobody can take it away from you. Thanks for stopping by 🙂

      Reply
  3. This is such a great post. I need to work on my email list. It’s slowly going up but there is so much I could to get people to sign up. Thank you for this it will be really good in helping me.

    Reply
  4. This is so helpful! I’ve been struggling a bit with building a list myself – especially since I absolutely don’t want to violate any privacy policies and rules. My list is still quite stagnant, so I’m bookmarking your post to read it again later.

    Reply
  5. This is super helpful! I always take it for granted that WordPress create a list for me, but I never actually take advantage of having subscribers. I definitely should take it in to account!

    Reply
  6. To be honest, I have been procrastinating doing this for a while now. However, after reading your post I understand the importance of it long-term. You also make it sound so easy. I am going to get on top of building my list. Thank you for the motivation!

    Reply
  7. I enjoyed your writeup. very good and educative indeed.
    but i want to ask a question, which of the 2 email providers do you recommend i go for: Getresponse or aweber?
    On building an email list, which of the lead magnets is ideal for a blog that deals on internet marketing stuffs?
    I await your response.
    all the same, keep up the writeup.
    well done

    Reply
    • Hi there! Thank you so much for stopping by and leaving a comment. I have worked with both and I really like both. The only different in my opinion is the price and the number of subscribers you can have for each service. Aweber costs $19 per month for 500 subscribers, and GetResponse costs $15 for 1,000 subscribers. If you are getting started you can start with GetResponse if you like. But I recommend both services.
      I hope this helps 🙂

      Reply
  8. great list you have here on how to build email list. On choosing which of the email platform to go for, i think i will go for getresponse because of its number of days of trial to test the platform. I dont run any email campaign or list on my new blog but with these tips, i think this is the perfect time to kick-start it off.
    Thanks once again.
    chetaweb.
    chetaweb recently posted…Best Cheap Web Hosting Providers Of 2021My Profile

    Reply
  9. I’ve never had an Email list before. I’ve had several social media sites that I don’t even use anymore, but had to start somewhere. I didn’t want to load up on all the “Get More Followers” software for Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, etc. because I knew it would be like putting a Band-Aid on a broken bone.
    Nia Hayes – ShunCy recently posted…How to grow mini pumpkinsMy Profile

    Reply
    • It’s important to build your online real estate. Social platforms could close down at any moment, and you would lose everything!

      Reply
    • Hi Stuart! Thanks for pointing that out! I just saw it too 🙂 However, the free plan is pretty limited. I will update my post with that, thanks.

      Reply

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