List Building Playbook

Practical guidance for growing a newsletter list, choosing ESP features, and promoting subscriptions.

Growth channels

• Website

• Popup form or subscription form (use carefully)

• Social media and Facebook ads

• Provide value to current users

• Make it easy to share your newsletter — ask readers to share

• How to Build an Email List From Scratch: 9 List Building Steps to Follow in 2022 + Infographic

Nine list-building steps

1. Make your newsletter a valuable product

• Focus on your target audience
• Make it useful
• Engage with your contacts and ask for feedback

2. Promote your newsletter like a product

• Social media pages
• Blog
• Podcast
• Online conferences and events
• Partnerships / ads / PPC campaigns
• Use tools and software

3. Create lead magnets

Examples:

• Ebook
• Guide
• Report
• Checklist
• Resource kit
• Framework
• Educational materials

4. Present the benefits of joining your email list

5. Create a landing page for your newsletter

6. Add subscription forms to your website and blog

7. Create a survey for website and blog visitors

8. Run a webinar for your target audience

Partner with people in your industry who share the same audience.

9. Create a list-building funnel

• Lead magnet funnel
• Standard opt-in funnel

Features to consider

• Email builder
• Email templates
• Landing pages
• Segmentation and personalization
• Retargeting audience
• Email analytics
• Dynamic content
• Marketing calendar
• Behavioral-based automation
• Custom-coded templates
• Lifetime value
• Surveys
• Single-step automation rules
• Multi-step workflows
• A/B testing
• Multivariate testing
• Send time optimization
• Phone support