3 steps to build your email list
Start of something big
Welcome to issue #022 of Insideletter!
Each week, I share 2–3 editions in which I outline the exact steps to build a newsletter business to £1K a month.
Hey,
Now we’re going to the deeper parts of newsletter building.
Today, we’ll talk about how we can start building the subscriber base of your newsletter.
1. Define your ICP
I know you’ve heard this a lot of times, that you know your ICP first, and you may have ignored that advice.
But, listen, if you’re gonna ignore this point, you will suffer a lot.
Okay, Anirban, deal, I won’t ignore you, now tell me how I build my ICP.
Newsletter business only works when you have interested people who can buy or pay you, rather there will be no difference between social media and your email list.
So, you need to define who you want in your email list.
Define who you want on your list (coaches, newsletter creators, founders, etc.).
Understand their pain points, challenges, and goals.
Focus on attracting quality subscribers, not just any subscribers.
Here is something that will help you more:
Who are you targeting?
Gender
Age
Income
Lifestyle
Location
Platforms
Targeted Niche
Mistakes your ICP is making
Your ICP’s dreams and goals
Your ICP’s negative behaviors
Your ICP’s positive behaviours
The problems your ICP is facing
What are your ICP’s limiting beliefs, mindset blocks or fears?
2. Build a high-value lead magnet
You need to understand that people don’t give anything so easily, and when it comes to email, people give it only when they trust the other person or it is too valuable to ignore.
I made a lead magnet on “how to get your first 500 subscribers,” and it was actually solving the initial entry barrier for coaches who want to start their email marketing.
But is it a high-level problem? No.
So, the more complex it is, the more people will ask for it.
If you ask me to suggest a good lead magnet idea in the Email Marketing field, I would recommend: Plug & play email sequences.
Because when they use your work, they commit, and if it works for them, they will come back for more.
3. High-converting landing page
According to WordStream, the average landing page conversion rate is 2.35%, but the top 25% convert at 5.31% or higher.
Can you see how crucial it is to have a high-converting landing page?
But how do you build a high-converting landing page?
A clear headline that tells people why they should sign up
Bullet points explaining the benefits of your lead magnet
A strong CTV (e.g., “Save 50+ hours” instead of “Sign Up”)
Special mention:
Social proof -> When people see what others are saying good things about you, people are more likely to buy.
These 3 steps cover everything about building an email list.
Hope I helped you get some value.
Thanks for reading till the end.
I’ll see you on Saturday.
ICYMI
I’m launching the first-ever newsletter retreat in India.
It will be in December, in Delhi, the capital of India.
Dates might be: 20,21.
After this time, it’ll be Christmas, so people will be in the travel mood too.
And for the itinerary and all, I’ll share it soon.
But are you exciteddddd? 🤩
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Thanks for reading. See you soon.
Quick links:
Read my daily emails to learn how to monetise your email list.
Check the email marketing podcast.
Check my website
You can always say hi to me on LinkedIn and X. I would love to see you there.
If you enjoyed this read, the best compliment I could receive would be if you shared it with one person or restacked it.
Oh, and you can, of course, join my chat and ask your questions directly.
Talk soon,
Anirban “building your email list” Das.