I knew the key to having a successful blog was to create an email list. This was my number one focus when I started Women Winning Online. Email subscribers are loyal and will visit your blog. They will buy your products. They will join your Facebook groups.

Yet when I started blogging I was getting about 5 subscribers a month. I was sad. I used to get 54 subscribers in one week with my old blog! I knew I had to make a change to grow my email list. Here is what I did to add 500 people to my email list in only two months.

1. Made it a Priority

The first thing I did to grow my email list is I made it a priority. What you focus on will grow. I was too busy focusing on social media and even blogging. I had to get serious about my email list. I had to actively participate in making it grow.

In April I decided to make my email list a priority even over blogging. I stopped writing my blog, put up a landing page, and went out there to collect email addresses.

2. Created the Best Opt-in Offer

When I first launched my blog my lead magnet freebie was a list of 29 things you need to do before your blog goes viral. Good, but not setting off any bells and whistles either.

I went back to the drawing board. I went into Facebook groups and looked at the questions bloggers were asking. I kept seeing people ask about what to send after someone subscribed to their list. They had no idea.

Well even though I wasn’t blogging I was still sending out emails. I had about 150 people on my list at the time. My unsubscribe rate was less than 1%. Unheard of with email newsletters. I knew I was doing something right and even better I knew I could teach it.

I stayed up late one night and crafted 10 Step Worksheet to Create the Perfect Email People Want to Read.

3. Created a Pretty Landing Page

Once I had what I believed to be the perfect opt-in offer I created a pretty landing page to show it off. I didn’t overdo it or over think it. I use Thrive Landing Pages and I used one of their awesome templates to create my landing page.

I wanted to set up a landing page because I wasn’t actively writing on my blog. I made this page my home page. I then set off to promote my new freebie.

4. Facebook Group Promo Days

You know how in Facebook groups you can share your latest blog posts or freebies on promo days? I went crazy with this! I shared my email worksheet in about 15 Facebook groups over the course of two months. I never, ever shared a blog post. Only my email worksheet.

The result? 422 people signed up for my list using this promo tactic. In only two months!

This is a strategy that paid off for me big time. Yes I could have sent them to a few blog posts I had published and they could have signed up for my list using the sidebar widget. But this was a crap shoot. I had a better shot of sending them to my landing page and having them sign up.

5. Pinned on Pinterest and Twitter

In addition to Facebook groups I also shared my post on Twitter and on Pinterest. This didn’t drive as much traffic for me as it wasn’t my main focus. I was finding more luck in Facebook groups than I was Pinterest and Twitter. Using Pinterest and Twitter I had 78 more people sign up for my email list. For not focusing too hard on that strategy I was happy with the 78 new subscribers!

Key Takeaways

Know Your Niche: I think the one unspoken thing that I did during this process was I got to know my niche. I researched them. I studied their questions. Then I created a plan to help them. I got to know them and provided value. This paid off big time plus I had the bonus of helping people which I love to do.

Make it a Priority: The next thing is I made my email list a priority. I didn’t worry about social media, heck I didn’t even worry about blogging. I just focused on growing my list, knowing that if I did, my blog would grow too.

Make it Look Good: I then put everything together in a pretty package with my opt-in offer and my landing page. I wanted people to feel like they were getting something valuable for free. I didn’t just throw together a Word doc and put it on a boring page on my website. I made it look good and I put it on a page who’s only goal was to convert my visitors into email subscribers.

Promote, Promote, Promote: Then I promoted the heck out of it! I did promos in 15 Facebook groups week after week. I would read Facebook posts about email marketing and offer my advice, plus my newsletter where appropriate. I never let up on promoting my email list!

If you are serious about blogging and building your tribe, you must build your email list first. This list will be your loyal following. They will read your posts and share them. They will buy your products. Get to know your niche. Offer them something for free they can’t pass up. Put it behind a landing page and then promote the heck out of it! Before you know it you will be like me and have a thriving email list of over 500 people!

What are your thoughts about building an email list? Do you have one or is this something you are still working on? Is this a hard task for you? Please share your thoughts in the comments below. Thank you for taking the time to comment!

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