How to Build an Email List From Scratch (and for FREE)

Does the thought of building an email list from scratch make you want to run and hide because you think it will take too much time and effort? Instead of hiding, get excited! Starting an email list is crucial to building your business because your list is going to be the most profitable and powerful tool you can have in your marketing tool belt. I believe this so much that I’ll even say that having an email list is absolutely non-negotiable.

So when’s the best time to start your list?

The answer to that question is yesterday. While it’s too late for yesterday, there’s still good news…the second best time to start an email list is today, right now.

You can watch the video or read the main points below to learn:

• 3 reasons you should start an email list
• how to build an email list from scratch quickly (and for free!)
• how to attract your ideal customer to your list
• how to use your mailing list effectively 

(This post contains affiliate links, which means—at zero cost to you—I will earn a small commission if you click through and make a purchase. Thank you for your support!)

3 Reasons You Should ABSOLUTELY Start an Email List Now!

1. Build a Customer Base

So, why start an email list in the first place? An email list is a HUGE opportunity to help you build a customer base. You can have the greatest offer in the world but if no one knows about it, you’ll get crickets rather than sales.

Sure, you can make sales through ads, but people are more likely to buy from someone they know, like, and trust rather than from some random, unfamiliar person or brand they see in an ad while they’re surfing the web.

People on your list are there for a reason—they WANT to hear from you. Conversely, most people are NOT interested in the ads that are shoved down their throats all day long. 

If you build your email list correctly, almost everyone on that list will be a qualified lead—an ideal customer who is acutely interested in what you have to offer.

2. Build A Relationship with Your Ideal Customer

Email list building isn’t just about accumulating a list of names and email addresses. It’s about building a relationship with your ideal customers. 

As I mentioned a moment ago, your ideal customers are more likely to buy from someone they know, like, and trust. Having their email address allows you to bolster all three of those factors by regularly providing value to them and having direct conversations with them.

3. YOU Own Your List

Having followers on social media channels is great, but the truth is that you don’t own those contacts; they belong to whichever social media platform you’re using. You could have an audience of three million followers on a social media platform (great!), BUT…if that platform shuts down or undergoes a major change you would have no way to connect with that audience.

Your email list is 100% yours, which makes it EXTREMELY valuable.

How to Build an Email List 

To build an email list you’ll need 3 things:

1. A Freebie (AKA “lead magnet” or “opt-in”)

A freebie is a piece of valuable content that you offer for free to your ideal customers in exchange for their email address. This piece of content should help your ideal customer solve a problem or satisfy a desire. We all receive A LOT of email each day and I can’t imagine that anyone actually wants more junk crammed in their inbox, so yours has to be good. If your offer isn’t juicy enough you won’t get many bites.

Some types of freebies you could create include a:

• guide
• cheat sheet
• video/ audio file
• mini-course
• ebook 

Think about what your ideal customer needs right now and then create something that has them thinking, “I can’t believe I just got this for free!”

You don’t need any fancy design software to create your freebie. You can simply type the text in Word or Google Docs, use the available formatting options, add relevant imagery, and download the file as a PDF. Then create a nice cover in Word or Google Docs or using a template in a design app like Canva. 

Not only will this freebie help build your list, but it will build trust with your ideal customers and help position you as an authority in your space. These will be crucial when the time comes to present your offer.

2. A Landing Page

Once your freebie is finished you’ll need somewhere to host it so that you can collect email addresses. A landing page will do just that! 

A landing page is a web page where people can download your lead magnet in exchange for their email address. You can create a landing page on your own website or on a landing page builder such as LeadPages or ConvertKit. For a free option you can use Mailchimp.

3. An Email Service Provider

Next you’ll need an email marketing service so you’ll have a place to collect and store your newly acquired email addresses. You’ll also use this service to send emails to the contacts on your email list. Some popular email marketing services include:

• Constant Contact
• AWeber
• ActiveCampaign
• GetResponse
• Flodesk
• ConvertKit
• Mailchimp (a good free-to-start option that gives you up to 2,000 sends per day for free)

Once your freebie is ready to go and you’ve connected your landing page to your email marketing provider, you’re ready to start driving traffic to your landing page. You’ll need to take action to do this, because people will not find your landing page on their own.

If you already have a website, one way to get people to your landing page is by linking to it:

• in your sidebar
• in a pop-up opt-in form
• in the main section of your homepage

Just be sure to keep the user experience in mind. If you bombard your users with pop-ups or ads while they’re visiting your site they will leave. Keep your opt-in form visible but not too distracting. 

How to Attract Your Target Audience (aka Your Ideal Customers) to Your Email List

Now that you’ve got your freebie, landing page, and email service provider in place, you’ll need to start attracting your target audience so that they’ll download your freebie and subscribe to your email list. Here are three list-building strategies to help you do just that.

1. Create Amazing Content That Links to Your Landing Page

The absolute best way I’ve found to attract my target audience to my email list is by creating consistent, free, and valuable content that links to my landing page. In other words, content that your ideal customer will find SO AMAZING that they can’t wait to get your freebie! This strategy is at the top of my list because it’s worked the best for me. 

Some examples of content you can create are:

• videos (YouTube)
• a podcast
• blog posts

Your valuable content can even be a book. If you’re a self-publisher—whether you create fiction, nonfiction, or low-content books—you can share the link to your freebie on the inside page of your books.

Be sure that your freebie is relevant to the content you’re creating. You can create multiple freebies if you need to.

For example, I have one lead magnet for low-content publishers and a separate lead magnet for people starting their own business. I link to one or the other depending on the topic of my content. 

2. Promote Your Content on Social Media

Once you’ve created some amazing content, you can then share it on the social media platform of your choice. My preferred platform is YouTube. I post new videos each week and my video descriptions always include the URL for viewers to download my free guide.

This content marketing strategy has helped me accumulate 30,000 email addresses over the life of my business (so far). My current email list size is 17,000 active email subscribers.

Just because YouTube works for me and my audience doesn’t necessarily mean it’s right for you. There are other social media platforms to consider, such as:

• Instagram
• Facebook (including Facebook Ads)
• TikTok
• Pinterest

Just be sure you understand where your target audience hangs out so that you’re putting yourself in a position for them to find you. For example, if your ideal customer isn’t really into Twitter, posting content on there won’t help them find you. 

3. Leverage Other People’s Audiences

Another great way to get a boost in subscribers is by leveraging other people’s audiences. Find content creators in niches similar to yours and make a pitch to be a podcast guest, collaborate on a YouTube video, or write a guest blog post. 

When you make your pitch, make sure you’re thinking about how you can add value to their audience as well. Strive to make it a win-win partnership.

I did this in the very beginning and saw a really nice boost in my list. I wrote a guest post on someone’s blog and I appeared on the Side Hustle Nation podcast. This is a great strategy, particularly for those still building a following. You just need valuable, relevant content to share. 

For other ideas about how to drive traffic to your freebie, download Amy Porterfield’s free guide, 7 Places To Share Your Lead Magnet Opt-in.

How to Use Your Email List Effectively

Now that you’re all set up, it’s important to manage your email list effectively; otherwise, you’ll lose those valuable leads. Here are two ways to ensure your subscribers stay engaged. 

Focus on Adding Value

Building an effective email list will take some time. Don’t expect to have a massive list in the beginning. 

Once you’ve got subscribers flowing in, your top priority should be offering them valuable content. Keep the reader’s experience in mind. Your email communications should focus on building trust rather than trying to close a sale every 5 minutes. 

You also want to position yourself as an authority in your niche. Offering valuable content shows people you know what you’re talking about and helps you build that trust and authority.

Create A Nurture Sequence

A “nurture sequence” is a set of 3-5 emails that are queued up to automatically drip to new email subscribers over a short period of time. You shouldn’t be selling in your nurture sequence. You’re simply offering value and introducing your ideal customers to your brand so that they can get to know you.

In your nurture sequence you should link to your free weekly content while also providing exclusive content to your email subscribers. Build relationships with your subscribers by inviting conversation. Ask them questions and encourage them to respond. Don’t forget to respond back to them so their interactions with you are positive. 

It’s Time to Introduce Your Paid Offer

Once you’ve offered a lot of value to your subscribers (for free!) and built a relationship with them, it’s time to introduce your paid offer. At this point you should have an engaged email list that knows, likes, and trusts you and is primed to buy.

As a business owner, your email list will be the most valuable tool in your marketing tool belt. Don’t wait another minute to start yours today!