Here’s one thing I hear often- “You need to spend a lot of money to build a list”. This line of thinking just prevents people from taking action, and delays getting started. It’s just not true.
Here are some easy, budget-friendly ways to grow your email list without spending a fortune. Regardless of your business, there is something on this list you need to be doing:
Use Social Media Links: Link your email sign-up link on your social media profiles. Post interesting content and direct your followers to join your email list.
Offer Freebies: Incentivize sign-up - eBooks, exclusive perks, or coupons - anything that people can get just for signing up. 
Host Webinars: Plan and host webinars or talks on the things that your audience cares about (or the things you want them to care about.) Require people to sign up with their email addresses to attend. 
Network and Connect: Attend industry events, meet-ups, or join online groups. Exchange contact details and follow up with a friendly email inviting them to join your list. 
Pop-Up Forms on Your Website: Add pop-up forms on your site offering something valuable, like a discount code, in exchange for an email address.
Collaborate with others: Collaborate with folks who already have established audiences. Find ways to cross-promote content or post together. Their followers may become your new subscribers. 
People don’t need a big budget to build an engaged email list. It just takes a bit of creativity and effort, you can grow your contacts in no time without breaking your budget.
What myths do you have to share that need busting?
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I know what you mean, Chris. I hear this all the time and not just in email marketing. The same is true for someone trying to start a business, save for college or retirement, or start a new hobby.
There are so many excuses we make. Other times it’s paralysis by analysis where we spend more time reading about the problem than actually working it.
The fact of the matter is you just have to get started by doing something today. The sooner you start, the sooner you’ll gain traction and begin seeing results.
At the end of the day, this is a practice. And if you work it a little every day, your efforts will be compounded and you’ll eventually have the momentum you’re looking for. If you don’t want to pay for something, you just have to do it yourself. And many times, making personal connections go way further than paying for advertising.
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I wish marketers would stop promoting the idea that everything needs to be completely polished before launching a new product or service. In reality, this mindset can lead you to launch something no one wants or even keep you from launching anything at all!
When you focus too much on getting every little detail perfect before launching, you frequently make a lot of assumptions about what your customers or audience actually want. In trying to anticipate everything, you risk delivering something bloated with features no one asked for, and at the same time, missing out on what people truly care about.
It’s better to launch to a small audience, learn from their feedback, and iterate. By getting your product out there quickly, you gain real-world feedback from actual users rather than relying on guesses.
I have a pickleball paddle company where I most recently used this strategy and it was awesome! I started with a couple simple prototypes that I got into as many people’s hands as I could. I got their feedback, and ended up with a design that was much more stripped down than my initial vision (full of assumptions). When I took that to market, I sold out of my first order in weeks - thanks in no small part to the recommendations I got from my initial group of prototype users.
So don’t wait. Get your thing out there so you can make decisions based on actual feedback from your real prospects.
What’s more important—launching something real or chasing perfection that may never arrive?
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There’s no such thing as “spam filter words”.
No single word will get you filtered at major mailbox providers. Your emails are filtered based on your sender reputation and how your subscribers interact with your emails.
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“People don’t want to get emails from me” or “people don’t want more email.”
In reality, subscribers who have chosen to sign up for your email list (opted in) are actively choosing to hear from you. They want updates, offers, and information on your products and services that are relevant to them. It all comes down to providing value.
If you offer relevant value, they’ll be happy you emailed and look forward to more. If you shamelessly sell, especially with products or services that aren’t relevant to them—you guessed it, they’ll disengage, unsubscribe, or even mark you as spam.
With segmentation and personalized content, you can make sure you’re sending relevant emails that genuinely resonate with your audience—they want to hear from you.
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“Email Marketing Is Dead.” I’ve been hearing this for years.
Email marketing is far from dead. Social media platforms come and go but email has been alive and well for decades.
Build your email list; you own that. You don’t own your social media followers or content.
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