5 Ways to Grow Your Email List: Practical Tips for Startups

Email marketing is a powerful tool for startups, especially those looking to engage potential customers. One of the biggest benefits of email marketing is the return on investment – after all, $40 for every dollar spent is a very fruitful profit margin.

That being said, building a solid email list early is crucial, especially for long-term growth. Email marketing can enable you build your brand and bring it directly to your customer’s attention through their inbox. Unlike social media posts, which rely on an algorithm, email marketing fosters one-on-one relationships through content that demands immediate attention and engagement.

Let’s see how you’ll be able to take the first step towards connecting with your audience and earning more revenue for less with your email list.

1. Use forms on your blog or website

Your website receives a certain number of tourists each day, also often called “website traffic.” The same goes for your blog – this is called “blog traffic.”

Website and blog traffic accommodates helpful leads. Not tapping into these potential customers is like leaving money on the table because they are already interested in your brand and want to explore it.

Here’s how to profit from inbound traffic:

• Use the registration forms: Add registration forms at key touchpoints on your website or blog. A header or footer, a dedicated product page, or even a “wall” that stops users from getting helpful content like a free guide or e-book. Create as little hassle as possible by allowing users to register without leaving the page they are on.
• Add pop-ups: Pop-ups may be a nuisance if not used properly. Make sure they’re triggered by a user motion – for example, use a pop-up when they’re about to click the “Back” button or close the page completely. Don’t forget to offer something helpful, comparable to a discount or lead magnet, in exchange for the user’s email address.
• Create lead magnets: Don’t expect recent email list sign-ups without offering something first. A white paper, a discount code, free templates – anything your audience finds helpful may be a lead magnet. Just make sure the content is relevant to your audience to motivate them.

Registration forms, pop-ups, and lead magnets are the commonest methods for generating leads on your blog or website. This is a great first step towards growing your list. However, to keep the conversation going with your prospects, you would like to take a more holistic approach.

Comprehensive email marketing strategy for your blog will enable you build a strong relationship with your audience, engage potential customers with your content, distribute that content, and establish yourself as an authority in your area of interest.

2. Collaborate with like-minded startups

Partnering with startups or entrepreneurs close to your area of interest can speed up the growth of your email list because you’ll give you the option to reach a wider audience that is relevant to you.

One of the first things it’s best to do could be to gain exposure and establish yourself as an authority by cross-fertilizing content on other startup and entrepreneur blogs. Build your email list by using an creator bio or a clever call to motion to offer a helpful resource in exchange for emails.

This way, you may collect blog traffic that is helpful to your online business and gain more visibility than before.

Another way for like-minded startups to attract more potential customers is through cross-promotion. For example, if you run a SaaS company and your product is ideal for e-commerce, partner with an eCommerce store to promote the use of your product.

This is a win-win tactic because it’s great lead gene hack for the eCommerce store you can be working with. The eCommerce store will create a co-branded campaign to expose its products to a wider audience, while you goal your selected audience of decision makers, power users and individuals who are looking for an eCommerce solution for their business.

Don’t forget to create a landing page to promote and share this marketing collaboration. Offer a small incentive to users who encourage others to join and you may see your leads grow.

3. Create beautiful landing pages

Landing pages are designed to convert visitors into subscribers. This implies that they need to be optimized for this from the very starting.

Create a dedicated landing page for each marketing campaign that goals to attract more helpful leads from your email list. Your landing page must be distraction-free and have a clear call to motion that promotes your motion.

Try to include content comparable to customer testimonials, statistics or specific use cases – if the site requires this sort of content. Testimonials and real-life success stories will enable you attract users’ attention. Use them as motivation to encourage recent registrations.

After all, people are more likely to trust you when they see that others have had good experiences with your brand.

And finally, always remember to A/B test your content – ​​yes, even on your landing page. Create header variations by data transformation into your content, think about CTA button variations and develop some different visual elements. Small tweaks can impact conversions and enable you create a landing page that is handiest at collecting targeted email sign-ups.

4. Create a referral program

Your current subscribers are an untapped gold mine. They already know your content and may be used as “social proof” to attract more leads. This is why creating a referral program makes sense when you are trying to grow your email list.

Remember how we talked about offering current users an incentive in exchange for promoting your online business to other users? That’s what makes a huge difference. People love being brand ambassadors and promoting useful things to others, but incentives require a more methodical approach.

The first step must be to group users into two segments: energetic and inactive. The second step could be to create a referral program with different goals for each segment.

Encourage energetic subscribers to share your newsletter or offers in exchange for a discount or free product if they refer a friend who also subscribes. Offering a small “welcome” discount to recent referrals is also a nice touch, as they can be encouraged to complete their purchase and attract their friends, giving your online business widespread recognition.

For inactive subscribers, offer incentives that may get them to engage with your brand again. For example, a “We missed you” campaign with a discount or free shipping should do the trick. You also can add something extra for those that complete the purchase, comparable to a small gift, to further brighten up your relationship. And do not forget to tell them about your referral bonus.

5. Use social media

While the consistently changing algorithm may make it difficult for people to see your posts, that does not imply you mustn’t use your social media channels to get more leads from your email list.

They offer a direct way to attract recent subscribers to your email list. Platforms like Facebook and Instagram allow you to run lead-gen campaigns and collect email addresses from your followers.

Just announce the contest, create a dedicated landing page as we mentioned earlier, and announce that the winners can be notified via their email inboxes. Offer something of value in return – a free product trial if you run a SaaS company, or a mystery box of products if you run an eCommerce store. An enormous offer that will not break your marketing budget can work wonders.

The key here is to offer an exciting prize that is area of interest enough to not attract an audience only interested in freebies. Your offer must be something really helpful to those that will turn out to be a part of your audience in the future.

Another idea could be to create an email that may be shared. Create your email content and add social sharing buttons to your email. Then encourage your subscribers to share it on their social media profiles. This is very useful if you create content related to facts and figures.

This may not result in immediate sign-ups to your email lists, but it is a way to increase the visibility of your brand and content.

Simplify your email list growth

Building a helpful email list is crucial for startups striving for sustainable development. By leveraging your blog and website, improving your landing pages, and fostering meaningful collaborations with like-minded businesses and your personal audience, you’ll be able to attract helpful leads from your email list.

Since there is no easy solution, one of the best things you’ll be able to do is experiment with different strategies, track the results, and refine your approach as your list grows.