39 Proven Ways To Grow Your Email List In 2023

Ammar Mazhar
Ammar Mazhar

Last updated on

February 20, 2024

It is estimated that, by the year 2025, email users are to grow from 4.3 billion to 4.6 billion. That is more than half the world's population. With such an enormous marketing potential, businesses need email marketing more than ever when expanding their brand. 

The first step in email marketing is to have an email list. Having an email list allows you to communicate with your customers, subscribers, and prospects about new business updates. Moreover, having an email list is not enough; you have to keep growing it. 

A growing email list means your revenue will increase and is highly effective in disseminating your brand’s message to many potential customers.

So, how can you increase grow your email list? What are the methods that top marketers employ to reap huge benefits? How can social media be effective in increasing your email list? These are some of the questions that I will answer today. 

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What is an email list? 

An email list is a collection of email addresses that you can use to send out information, promotions, or other content. Email lists are valuable because they allow you to reach out to multiple people at once without contacting each person individually. 

Email marketing is more effective than social media marketing. Email marketing is 40 times more effective at acquiring new customers and prospects than social media marketing. Also, you can get 6x times more click-through rates with email marketing. Therefore, with an extensive email list, you can generate more revenue.

The below image shows the email list of Mailmunch for one of their active campaigns. It showcases details such as sign-up time, last contact information, and the signup device information. 

Mailmunch's email list

Why grow an email list?

There are several reasons why you would want to grow your email list. The most obvious reason is that the more people subscribe to your list, the more potential customers or clients you have.

As a personal and professional form of correspondence, customers love to engage with brands that remember them when they email them regarding new products, information, or sale announcements. Big brands love email marketing for it provides them high returns on sales on a low investment.

Email lists are also valuable because they give you a way to stay in touch with your audience and build a relationship. Brands also engage with their customers on social media platforms like Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

Visitors that have just heard about your brand might check your social media presence to learn more about your brand. But as there are many brands present on social media, and if you only interact with people through social media, there is no guarantee that they will see your content or even remember who you are because many brands interact with their customers and visitors through email marketing.

Email is an effective way for businesses to communicate with their customers in this digital age. Moreover, companies can substantially increase their revenues with email marketing. To put things into perspective, for every $1 that you spend on email marketing, you can expect an average return of $42

How do you create an email list for marketing purposes?

There are a few different ways to create an email list for marketing purposes. The most common way is to use a sign-up form on your website.

If you don't have a website, you can also grow your list through social media or buy lists of leads from reputable companies.

For sending emails, you need an email client. Let’s say that you want to use Gmail for your email marketing needs. In Gmail, you go to “Contacts,” and from there, you go to the “Labels” drop-down section and label your email list. Once you do that, under the “Labels” section, you will start seeing the name of your email list.

Afterward, add the contact information by clicking on “Manage labels.” Once all contacts are added, start sending them promotional emails.

Once you have a list of email addresses, start sending content to them regularly. This could be blog posts, coupons, special offers, or anything else that would interest your audience.

The important thing is to make sure that you provide value and not just promote your products or services all the time. People will quickly unsubscribe from your list if you only focus on selling.

39 Ways to grow your email list

39 Ways to grow your email list

1. Create unique email copies 

The essential part of any email list is the email copy itself. If you want people to sign up for your list,  create compelling and exciting emails. One way to do this is to create a different email copy for each type of lead you're targeting.

For example, to grow your list of potential customers, create an email copy specifically designed to appeal to them. This could include information about your products or services, case studies, or anything else relevant to someone who's considering becoming a customer.

Email copies are different for every type of prospect and customer you deal with. For an existing customer who is aware of what your brand is all about, you can be more casual with your announcements and updates. But for a new lead that needs nurturing, your email copies have to be more detailed with information regarding your brand.

The email copy can include information about new products or services, updates on existing products or services, or anything else that would be relevant to someone who's already doing business with you.

According to research, unique email copies were responsible for 21.5% open rates across many industries in 2021. This is an increase of 3.5% from 2020. Therefore, creating unique and engaging email copies with clear CTAs can help grow your email subscriber lists.

2. Encourage engagement with your emails

When people sign up for your email list, they're not just giving you their contact information. They're also expressing an interest in hearing from you regularly.

To keep people engaged with your emails, encourage them to interact with your content. This could include asking questions, providing polls or surveys, or getting people thinking about and responding to your emails.

The global average click-through rates are on the decline. From 3.24%, the engagement with emails has come down to 2.13%. Therefore, email marketers must include the above measures in their email copies to increase email engagement rates.

3. Segmentation of email lists

One of the most effective ways to grow your email list is to create segments. This means dividing your list into different groups based on demographics.

For example, you could segment your list by age, location, or gender. Or you could segment your list by interests, such as people interested in sports, travel, or fashion.

Segmented email campaigns enjoy 50% higher click-through rates than unsegmented campaigns. Therefore, instead of aimlessly broadcasting your emails and, as a result, not getting any response from prospects, it is better to send emails to a targeted audience.

4. Create a new lead generation offer

If you want to grow your email list, give people a reason to sign up. One way to do this is to create a new lead generation offer.

A lead generation offer is something that you give away in exchange for someone's contact information. This could be a free ebook, a discount on your products or services, or anything else that would be of value to your target audience. To email the ebook, you can use email marketing services like MailMunch or Mailchimp.

5. Use a sign-up sheet

When you're collecting email addresses, it's essential to have a sign-up sheet. This is a simple paper or online form that people can fill out to subscribe to your emails.

Ensure that your sign-up sheet is easy to find and easy to use. Otherwise, interested customers can leave without signing up if they cannot find the sign-up sheet.

6. Don’t forget your existing contacts

If you need to promote your email list and have an existing list of contacts, don't forget to add them to your new email list. Just because someone isn't subscribing to your emails doesn't mean they wouldn't be interested in receiving them.

Studies have shown that people already familiar with your brand are more likely to sign up for your email list than those who aren't.

So if you have a list of existing customers or clients, make sure to add them to your email list. You may be surprised at how many people will sign up for your emails.

7. Add a signup button in your emails

Include a signup link in any emails you send out. This will make it easy for people to subscribe to your email list without visiting your website.

Another way to promote your email list is to include a link to the signup page in your email signature. This is a great way to get more exposure for your signup page, and it's also an excellent way to remind people to sign up for emails.

8. Add incentives for signing up

People need a reason to join your email list in order to expand it. One way to do this is to offer incentives for signing up.

This could be anything from a discount on your products or services to a free ebook or video. Whatever you offer, make sure it's something that would be valuable to your target audience.

For example, if you own an apparel store and want new customers to sign up, as an incentive, you can offer them a discount coupon to entice them.

Amazon offers gift cards to people who choose to sign up for their email lists.

 Amazon incentives for signing up

9. Use social media to promote your signup page

If you're using social media, make sure to promote your signup page. You can do this by sharing the link to your signup page on your social media profiles or by running ads that lead to your signup page.

Social media is the major source of information for customers regarding a product. 97% of social media users access their social media like Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram, to check on a product once a month. Hence, the presence of a signup page on your social media outlets can guide interested customers towards more engagement with your product and brand in the future.

10. Make short introductory videos

2.7 minutes is the average length of a video that people watch with full concentration. This indicates that attention spans are becoming low. Also, 59% of senior executives of companies prefer watching a video instead of reading the text if both are available.

Therefore, due to being short and concise, people love watching videos. So consider making short introductory videos if you want to grow your email list. These videos should be about the benefits of subscribing to your email list.

You can post these videos on your website or social media profiles or use them as ads. Either way, they're a great way to get more people to sign up for your emails.

11. Use exit-intent pop-ups

If you want to grow your email list, consider using exit-intent pop-ups. These are pop-ups that appear when someone is about to leave your website.

They offer an excellent opportunity to get someone's attention and encourage them to sign up for your email list. Just make sure not to use too many pop-ups, or you'll risk driving people away from your site.

12. Offer a downloadable whitepaper

A whitepaper, to put it simply, offers solutions to people who are facing a problem. They can be thought of as extensive guides that are text-based and also contain graphs, links, and stats that substantiate your claims.

For B2B companies, whitepapers are extremely effective, with conversion rates as high as 20%.

If you want to grow your email list, offer a downloadable whitepaper. This is a great way to get people to sign up for your emails because they get something of value in return.

Just make sure that your whitepaper is relevant to your target audience and that it's something that would be of value to them.

13. Use multiple signup forms

Consider using multiple signup forms. This means having a signup form on your website and in your email signature and social media profiles.

Signup pages are great when it comes to showcasing the benefits of signing up for content, information, and updates regarding your business, to your customers.

In terms of SEO ranking, you can increase traffic to your website by using keywords in the content that you want to rank.

The more options people have for signing up for your emails, the more likely they will do so. So don't be afraid to use multiple signup forms to grow your email list.

14. Offer content upgrades

Content upgrades are a great way to grow your email list. A content upgrade is simply additional content related to the article someone is reading. These upgrades can include ebooks, whitepapers, a cheat sheet, and access to additional podcasts for free.

For example, if you are reading about gardening, you could offer a content upgrade with tips for starting a garden to attract more new readers.

People are more likely to sign up for your email list if they get something of value in return. So offering content upgrades is an excellent way to grow your email list.

Persuasion Nation offers its new signees a free content upgrade in the form of 3 scriptwriting templates.

Persuasion Nation content upgrades

15. Provide discounts & deals

Consider giving discounts and special offers to increase your email list. This is a fantastic approach to getting people to sign up for your emails since they know they'll receive excellent sales.

Just make sure that the discounts and deals you're offering are relevant to your target audience. Otherwise, you risk driving people away from your site.

16. Use social proof

Social proof is a powerful way to increase your email list. This is when you show people that others are subscribing to your emails.

For example, you can add a "subscriber" count to your signup form or display testimonials from satisfied customers. This helps to show people that your emails are worth subscribing to.

So if you want to grow your email list, consider using social proof. It's an excellent way to increase conversions and get more people subscribed to your emails.

Mailmunch uses social proof to highlight its accomplishments.

Mailmunch uses social proof
Mailmunch uses social proof

17. Use spin wheels campaigns

Spin wheels campaigns are an excellent technique to grow your email list. They function by allowing individuals to win prizes if they agree to receive emails from you. Just make sure that your prizes are relevant to your target audience.

18. A/B test your opt-in form

If you're unsure what will work to grow your email list, consider A/B testing your opt-in form. This means creating two different versions of your form and seeing which one performs better.

You can test the subject line, copy CTA, and even the images. Just make sure that you only change one thing.

Statistics show that 93% of companies in the USA do A/B testing of their email marketing campaigns to ascertain which campaigns perform better and which do not, and to devise future campaign strategies. 

19. Share new content previews on your profile.

Fresh content previews on your profile to boost your email list are a great way to pique people's interest in your content. This is an excellent method to entice readers interested in your stuff, and it works for every business.

It's essential to experiment and find what works best for you. But if you use the techniques we've outlined in this article, you'll entice them to sign up for your emails.

You may distribute previews of new blog entries, videos, and even courses. Just make sure the material you're distributing is high-quality and relevant to your target audience.

20. Host events

Hosting events is a great way to grow your email list. This allows you to meet new people and collect their contact information.

Just make sure the event you're hosting is relevant to your target audience. Otherwise, you risk people not attending or unsubscribing from your emails after the event.

21. Ask at events

If you're attending events related to your industry, ask people if they want to sign up for your email list. This is a great way to get contact information from individuals who are already interested in what you do.

Just be sure to have a signup form handy so that you can collect people's information quickly and easily. You can use Google forms as a means to collect email addresses by giving the link to interested people.

22. Allow people to signup with their phones

More and more people are using their phones to signup these days. So if you want to make it easy for people to sign up for your email list, allow them to do it with their phones.

You can either create a mobile-friendly signup form or use a service like SMS marketing to collect people's information. As more than 70% of email, users read emails on their mobile phones, therefore, an optimized signup form can allow them to quickly signup for receiving your content.

Similarly, 98% of SMS messages are opened by their recipient. So with such a huge open rate, you can take advantage and grow your email list.

23. Optimize your landing pages

Your landing pages are one of the most critical aspects of your website regarding email list building. This is because landing pages are designed to convert visitors into subscribers.

So if you want to optimize your landing pages for email list building, make sure you're using a compelling CTA, providing relevant and valuable content, and making it easy for people to sign up.

24. Offer exclusive content

People are always looking for exclusive content. So if you want to grow your email list, consider offering exclusive content to subscribers. This could be anything from a discount code to access entire blog posts.

Use the scarcity principle to your advantage. Make people believe that they are missing out on a  great deal. But exclusive content has to provide value to your customers. If it doesn’t provide any value to your customers, then your unsubscribe rate will increase.

Whatever you decide to offer, make sure it's valuable and relevant to your target audience. Otherwise, you risk people unsubscribing from your emails.

25. Make how-to videos

How-to videos are an excellent way to provide value to your audience and grow your email list. This is because they offer a ton of information in a short amount of time.

Not only that, but they're also entertaining and easy to consume. There's a difference between creating how-to videos to expand your email list and producing informational content that applies to the interests of your target audience.

26. Collect emails at trade shows

Trade shows are events that allow members of a particular industry to showcase their products and services. Trades shows provide excellent opportunities for email marketers to interact with customers and grow their email lists by explaining how their products can add value to their lives.

Make sure to get contact information from anybody you meet at trade shows. This is a fantastic method to engage with new consumers and grow your email list. Make sure you have a signup form on hand to gather people's information quickly.

27. Run Facebook Ads

Facebook Ads are an excellent way to grow your email list. You can target specific demographics, interests, and even behaviors.

Not only that, but Facebook Ads are also relatively cheap and easy to set up. Facebook is responsible for 9% of all digital advertising around the globe. Just make sure you're clear about what you want people to do (sign up for your email list) and include a CTA.

You can make use of Facebook stories by posting eye-catching stories. Moreover, you can post on your Facebook pages regarding upcoming events, updates, and information about your company.

Mailmunch generates thousands of leads by running Facebook ads.

Mailmunch's Facebook Ad

28. Create engaging Instagram posts

Instagram is a great platform to grow your email list. This is because you can include links to your signup forms in your bio.

Not only that, but you can also create engaging posts that include CTAs. Just make sure the content you're sharing is valuable and relevant to your target audience.

Levi's uses Instagram to showcase their new arrivals and allow customers to sign up for their email lists.

Levi's Instagram posts

29. Use Twitter lead generation cards.

Twitter lead generation cards are a great way to grow your email list. These tweets include a CTA and signup form.

When people see such tweets, all they have to do is click on the CTA and enter their information. Then they're automatically added to your email list.

30. Utilize Youtube

YouTube is an excellent platform for email list building. This is because you can include links to your signup forms in the video’s description.

Youtube has seen an increase of 25% year-over-year increase in ad revenue. Therefore, running ads on youtube videos can help you in getting new subscribers to your email lists.

Not only that, but you may also produce entertaining videos with call-to-action buttons. Make sure the material you're providing is valuable and relevant to your target audience.

Mailmunch uses Youtube to introduce its new customers to how to use their product and service. 

Mailmunch's Youtube channel

31. Pinterest

Pinterest is an excellent platform for email list building. You can include links to your signup forms in your profile and create pins with call-to-action buttons.

Not only that, but you can also join relevant group boards. This will help you get more exposure and grow your email list.

32. Guest blogging

Guest blogging is a fantastic strategy to expand your email list. This is because you may include a CTA in your author bio. Not only that, but guest blogging can help you develop connections with other bloggers in your field. By establishing ties with other bloggers, you can use their platform to highlight your products and services by linking your articles and blog posts to theirs.

33. Affiliate Marketing

Affiliate marketing is a great way to grow your email list. This is because you can include links to your signup forms on your affiliate's website. When you work with an established business, you have more chances of highlighting your product or service.

Moreover, affiliate marketing is responsible for 16% of global eCommerce sales. Moreover, affiliate marketers generate 15% to 30% of sales this way. Also, affiliate marketers generate 65% of their website traffic through blogging.

Plus, if you have a relevant and valuable product, people will be more likely to sign up for your emails. Just make sure you're clear about what you want people to do (sign up for your email list) and include a CTA.

34. Make your content shareable

Make sure your content is shareable if you want to grow your email list. This means creating content that's valuable and relevant to your target audience.

If you can get people to share your content on their social media outlets like Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram, you'll be able to reach a larger audience and grow your email list.

35. Collaborate with other businesses

Collaborating with other businesses is a great way to grow your email list. This is because you can cross-promote each other's products or services.

For example, you could offer a discount to people who sign up for your email list. In return, the other business could do the same for you.

Spotify and Starbucks are promoting each other's brands by collaborating and providing offers to both of their customers.

Spotify & Starbucks collaboration

36. Keep your email deliverability rates high

Don't let your emails go into the spam folders of your potential subscribers. By maintaining your email deliverability rates (high), you can ensure that your email is seen by all of your prospects, thereby increasing the chance of subscribing to your email list.

37. Ask your subscribers to share your emails

If you want to grow your email list, make sure you ask your subscribers to share your emails. This can be a simple CTA at the end of your email.

Not only will this help you reach a larger audience, but it'll also help you get more subscribers.

38. Host Giveaways

Giveaways and contests are a great way to grow your email list. This is because people are more likely to sign up for your emails if they have a chance to win something.

Plus, you can promote your giveaways and contests on social media to reach a larger audience.

39. Use contest marketing to your advantage

Asking people to sign up for your email list in exchange for a chance to win a prize is a great way to grow your email list.

This is because people are more likely to sign up for your emails if they have a chance to win something. Companies get an average of 34% of new customers through contests.

Plus, you can promote your contest on social media to reach a larger audience. 

Tim Horton's roll up challenge is a great example of contest marketing.

Conclusion

Email lists for marketing purposes are essential for any business to have. They are a great way to communicate with your customers and subscribers. For revenue growth, they are an indispensable tool.

You can see exponential growth in your email lists by using social media, CTA, organizing giveaway contests, working with other businesses, blog writing, and guest blog posting.

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Author Bio

Ammar Mazhar

A voracious reader and a music lover, Ammar has been writing engaging and informative content for over 3 years for B2B and B2C markets. With a knack for writing SEO-optimized content, Ammar ensures the results speak for themselves.

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