What is the best way to build a email list. Need help!

[ladd75065]

What is the best way to build a email list? Need help!

[vangogh]

The best way to build an email list is to offer something valuable that people want and are willing to give you their email address to receive. You won't build your list overnight. It'll take time, possibly years, but the people on the list will likely be interested in future offers, assuming the offers are related to whatever they gave you their email address to get.

[Harold Mansfield]

That's probably the hardest thing to do in online marketing and a big question with many possible answers. Seriously, SEO is easier because there are clear rules to implement.
People are asked to give up their email addresses 30 times a day and have been since the 90's. It's not easy.

First things first..building a list is all about you. It's all about the credibility, professionalism, and value of what you have to offer.
Tricks don't work.

Contests (good contests) work if you're credible in the first place or already have a following, but if that's the only reason they are following you it will be a dead list.
You won't build a list giving away a free hat, but you may by giving away a nice laptop.

Another strategy is to run ads and have a great offer that you took the time to develop. Rich Dad has been doing this for years. I have no confidence in what he's offering, but he resonates with a specific demographic and he plasters his ads EVERYWHERE.

Some common ways that marketers build great lists and gain followers is publicity and showing yourself as an expert in whatever it is.
Interviews, Podcasts, Get on TV, Writing for popular blogs and magazines, Radio, Do webinars, public speaking and so on.

But most of us have to grind it out. Hitting up the followers we already have, and attracting new ones via blog posts, and social media.

I just started getting serious about my list the first of the year. It's my business NY resolution so I can't share one great thing that works.
I'm building many different ways, offers, and putting together all of the bells and whistles so that I can hopefully apply everything I've learned over the years, yet have been ignoring.

The first place I'd start is figuring out what makes you sign up for a newsletter and work on applying that to your strategy. At least it's a step in the right direction. Just know that it takes time and is a continuing effort for the life of your business.

[David Hunter]

Yeah... it's hard building a list. I'm building mine slowly but surely.

As Vangogh and Harold said... it takes time and you need to offer something of value in exchange for their contact info.

Oh, one thing I learned and started testing are the subscription pop-ups. You know, the ones that pop up after about 5 seconds when you go to someone's site. I always thought they were annoying, but find some tests that said pop-ups help get subscribers.

I started doing it and my subscription rate went up!!!

So, while building your list just remember, if it's something you don't like, that may not be true for your subscribers.

[Harold Mansfield]

Oh, one thing I learned and started testing are the subscription pop-ups. You know, the ones that pop up after about 5 seconds when you go to someone's site. I always thought they were annoying, but find some tests that said pop-ups help get subscribers.

I started doing it and my subscription rate went up!!!

So, while building your list just remember, if it's something you don't like, that may not be true for your subscribers.

UGH! Same here. I HATED THEM. And now I'm using one and you're right. It works goshdarnit.
I have mine set as an exit pop up. Still not ready to do the full fledged "Hey, stop reading and give me your email" pop up yet. But they are popular.
PC Computing. Mashable. Washington Post. Everyone is doing it.

[vangogh]

I still can't use one of those pop-ups. I can't stand them and routinely don't visit sites that I know use them. At the same time I'm 100% sure the increase in subscribers you're seeing is exactly what happens to everyone who uses them. This may just be me trying to rationalize my not using them, but I wonder if how much the people who sign up because of the popups are really interested in what you're offering. Are they people signing up only because the popup pushed them into it and who aren't really interested in anything you have to say? I don't know and again it could be me justifying my choice more than anything that's real.

[Harold Mansfield]

The exit pop up is about as intrusive as I can be right now and since it doesn't pop in their face while they're reading, I'm good with it. It seems every site has the in your face pop up that comes up as soon as you get to the page and I just can't do that yet. Not sure I ever will.

[CCAdamson]

Harold I visited your site just to see your pop up in action. I personally am driven nuts by stuff like that, especially if I am half way through an article and it is pops up. However yours didn't interfere with anything or bother me one bit. I like the idea of the exit pop up.

[Harold Mansfield]

Harold I visited your site just to see your pop up in action. I personally am driven nuts by stuff like that, especially if I am half way through an article and it is pops up. However yours didn't interfere with anything or bother me one bit. I like the idea of the exit pop up.

It's great to hear that feedback. Thanks.

[David Hunter]

Hahaha, yeah! Shows what we know.

You're both right, are they signing up because it's there in their face or because they like what they're seeing. Mine pops up after 5 seconds.

Harold, I just went to your site (HaroldMansfield.com). I saw the pop-up after about 5 seconds. Are you testing it out?!! One thing I noticed, which I had the same problem, is the video on your homepage goes over the pop up, so you can't see some of the pop up. Easy fix... Put this: ?wmode=opaque at the end of the youtube link right before the quotation. so, it'll be something like "youtube.com/ds;ljad;ljfjioejireiafhjhg?wmode=opaque"

[Harold Mansfield]

Harold, I just went to your site (HaroldMansfield.com). I saw the pop-up after about 5 seconds. Are you testing it out?!! One thing I noticed, which I had the same problem, is the video on your homepage goes over the pop up, so you can't see some of the pop up. Easy fix... Put this: ?wmode=opaque at the end of the youtube link right before the quotation. so, it'll be something like "youtube.com/ds;ljad;ljfjioejireiafhjhg?wmode=opaque"

I think you're looking at the wrong site. I don't have an opt in pop up on nhab.it. On the home page that's just a light box for the video and it only pops out when you click the play icon.

My opt in pop up is on haroldmansfield.com on certain pages and blog posts. It's set on exit and once a day unless you clear your cookies.