6 Easy Steps for Email List Building Like a Pro (2025)

When you’re first getting started as a content creator, it’s normal to put all your energy into growing your social audience. But you should also be thinking about how to build an email list.

We know, we know — email might seem like an ancient form of communication or something you only have to use for work purposes. But here’s the deal: People actually prefer to receive promotional content through email (as opposed to social media) — that’s 72% of people to be exact.

All this to say, spending some time building your email list can be a tremendous way to grow your audience and boost your digital product sales.

So if you’re wondering how to start an email list from scratch, read on to learn more about the best email list-building techniques.

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Why you should build an email list

As mentioned above, 72% of people prefer to receive promotional content in their inbox over their social media feed. Plus, 66% of consumers say they have purchased a product directly from an email.

Those are high numbers. And if those high numbers say anything, it’s that if you’re in the business of selling digital products or services, email list building will help boost your sales tremendously.

Think of your email list as your version of a VIP club, with exclusive benefits, offers, and updates. It’s your direct line to stay connected and engage with your audience, which is also why it’s an essential tool for promoting and selling digital products.

When it comes to list-building techniques, the end goal is for your email list to be a collection of your target audience’s email addresses. We say target audience because, ideally, your email list should only include people who want to hear from you.

As a content creator, these email addresses are essential to you and your business.
The best part about your email list is that it represents your “owned” audience as opposed to your “rented” audience (aka your followers on social media platforms).

What does it mean to “own your audience”?

Understanding the importance of owning your audience and moving from a “rented” to an “owned” audience is key to making the business of selling digital products easier. Why? Because the truth is social media platforms favor users over creators — meaning they don’t always have your back.

Additionally, there’s always a certain level of risk with social platforms. For example, accounts get hacked, the algorithm changes (against your favor), there’s limited analytics, or the platform fizzles out completely.

Of course, social platforms are always essential to your brand and promoting your products, but if you think about it, it really does suck to have your hard-earned audience be at the mercy of a third-party platform.

On the flip side, if you grow a following through email, you have unlimited access to communicating with your followers, forever.

That’s why email list building should be one of your first steps if you’re interested in making money through digital products.

Read on to learn the best email list-building techniques!

6 Steps to email list building like a pro

Step 1: Define your target audience

The most important step in your email list journey is to define your target audience, aka your ideal subscribers. After all, you can’t write an email if you don’t know who you’re talking to.

So, to truly understand your audience, you need to first define their demographics.

If you’re not sure what your audience demographics are, it’s time to get granular and ask yourself questions like:

What demographic characteristics define my ideal audience (i.e. age, gender, location)?
What are my ideal audience’s goals and inspirations?
What are their values, beliefs, and interests?
What content format and social platforms do they prefer?

Beyond demographics, you should also be thinking about what your audience needs, what problem you are trying to solve for them, and what value you can bring to their inbox.

Once you’ve defined your target audience, you can move on to building your email list!

Step 2: Choose an email marketing software

There are plenty of email marketing platforms out there with various pricing tiers and features to choose from.

Some platforms offer a ton of extra features, like the ability to create pop-up forms or landing pages, integrations, analytics, you name it. You don’t necessarily need all of these features in an email marketing platform, but they can be helpful if you’re looking for more of an all-in-one experience.

Ultimately, the most important feature you’ll want to keep in mind when shopping for an email marketing platform is the number of subscribers and the number of emails you’re allowed to send per month. Usually, the monthly fee will fluctuate based on the number of subscribers and emails, or you can seek out plans that offer an unlimited amount.

Whichever plan you choose, you just want to make sure it’s scalable. After all, your email list should be growing at a rapid speed after you’ve followed all the steps in this article.

Step 3: Set up an opt-in form

The number one key to capturing the interest of potential new subscribers for your email list is to get their attention. An email opt-in form (or “subscription form”) is a web form or sign-up box that allows website visitors or users to voluntarily subscribe to receive emails from a content creator.

It’s a pretty critical tool in email marketing and email list-building.

An opt-in form usually lives in an area of your website where your audience might be looking for additional information like the margins, navigation bar, or footer of the page. It’s important to keep in mind that an opt-in form is different from a pop-up form, which is a separate engagement tool.

An opt-in form is usually a more subtle attractor, so you should expect your conversion rate to be a bit lower. But it’s still extremely valuable for building up your email list over time. Make sure to add a strong call to action (CTA) that indicates the value of signing up for your email list.

Step 4: Create valuable content

This seems like a given, but it’s a step that can often be overlooked when you’re caught up in the strategy of email list-building. But just like any digital product that you’re creating, you want to zero in on what value your content is offering. That content could be anything from a newsletter, to a lead magnet like an ebook or template.

If you’re feeling stumped, you’ll want to consider these crucial questions:

What problem does my content solve?
What sets my content apart from others?

Here’s where research will come in handy. Investigate the market! See what other content creators are offering. Have you noticed any gaps in your content niche that need to be filled?

Essentially, once you locate the value proposition of your lead magnet content, the easier it should be to create it and the larger your email list will become.

Step 5: Promote!

If you’re looking to fast-track your email growth, promotion is key! After all, no one will know about your email list if you don’t promote it. Promotion is a simple and essential step.

One strategy for promotion is to leverage your social media presence. Use platforms like Instagram, TikTok, and Twitter (now X) to create engaging posts and stories about the value of your email content. Share snippets, teasers, or behind-the-scenes looks to pique curiosity. Don’t forget to add clear calls to action (CTAs) and a link to your sign-up form in your social media bios.

Another smart strategy is to consider collaborating with influencers or content creators in your niche. Partnering with someone who shares your target audience can give your email list a significant boost. Have them mention your email list in their content, or do a joint giveaway to encourage sign-ups.

Remember that, at the end of the day, consistency is key. Regularly remind your audience of the benefits of joining your email list and offer incentives like exclusive content, discounts, or early access to keep them engaged. By combining these strategies, you’ll fast-track your email growth and build a dedicated community of email subscribers.

Step 6: Engage and nurture subscribers

It may seem counterintuitive but nurturing your existing subscribers has the potential to encourage new email subscribers. How? By focusing on content that speaks to your audience’s interests and needs, you’re also fostering a loyal community of subscribers who are more willing to share your content with others.

Consider sending valuable insights, exclusive tips, or early access to exciting content or digital products that align with your audience’s interests. Exclusivity is key here. You want your email list subscribers to feel VIP.

An engaged email list is a powerful tool since, without sounding too corporate robot —it’s a list of owned media assets. Meaning, that your email list is immune to sudden algorithm changes or a social media platform fallout. That’s a big deal for your creator business.

5 List-building techniques to fast-track your email list growth

Now that you know the basics of building an email list from scratch, here are some ideas for making your subscribers count grow fast.

1. Optimize your landing page

Optimizing your landing page can significantly boost email sign-ups. Just keep in mind that it’s all about making the process easy, engaging, and compelling for your audience.

That means, simplifying your landing page. Make it clean and straightforward.

At the end of the day, your landing page should only have one goal: to get website visitors to subscribe. Remove all other distractions, unnecessary links, and clutter. A cool thing about landing pages is that you can apply A/B testing, so you get to experiment with what grabs your audience’s attention the most.

Focus on including compelling headlines and copy that helps concisely explain why subscribing is a must. This is where a clear call to action comes into play. A CTA button should stand out and use action-oriented words like “Subscribe Now” or “Get Started.”

The goal here is to make your CTA impossible to miss. You can also consider including a privacy assurance claim to reassure your subscribers that you won’t spam them incessantly.

2. Create valuable content as lead magnets

As discussed above, creating valuable content is critical to your success as a digital product creator and email list aficionado. Valuable content should be a given no matter what, but it can also be a strategy.

For example, rather than producing valuable content in exchange for money, you can think about creating content as a lead magnet.

What is a lead magnet?

In marketing, a lead magnet is a technique for acquiring a prospect’s contact information. As a creator, part of the success of your job is based on identifying your audience and acquiring a larger following. So, by amassing a robust list of contacts, the hope is that you’ll be able to convert more people into loyal followers.

There are tons of platforms and products out there that can help you produce content as lead magnets. For example, The Leap makes it super easy to create and offer digital products for free as lead magnets to attract and grow your email list audience.

If you’re stumped on what type of content to create as a lead magnet, here are a few ideas to get your juices flowing:

Create a mini-course: Offer new subscribers a taste of your content for free and they’ll be more inclined to pay for more content.
Run a challenge: Promote a time-dependent challenge. For example, a 30-day home workout challenge.
Create an ebook or guide: Produce an ebook or guide that’s relevant to your content and brings value to your subscribers.
Templates: Creating and offering a template is a quick, easy win for you and your subscribers.
Quizzes: Sending out a quiz can be a creative way of engaging with your audience.
Discounts: Nothing attracts people’s attention more than a good deal. Offering a one-time special discount for new subscribers is a great strategy for email list growth.

Want to build an amazing lead magnet, quickly and easily? The Leap’s AI-powered tool can help you do just that. Get started now for free.

Click here to create your lead magnets with The Leap. It’s free!

3. Email marketing automation

Email marketing automation is a powerful list-building technique that accelerates growth by engaging subscribers with relevant, timely content at scale.

With automation, you can set up customized workflows that deliver personalized messages based on user actions, such as signing up, abandoning a cart, or clicking specific links. This immediate and tailored engagement builds trust and keeps your audience engaged from the start.

Automated emails, like a “warm welcome” series, provide new subscribers with a consistent introduction to your brand, increasing the likelihood they stay on your list. Additionally, automated campaigns — such as product recommendations, exclusive offers, or event reminders — help retain and re-engage subscribers, which in turn encourages higher open rates and conversions.

Automation also saves time, allowing you to focus on actual digital product creation or other growth strategies while maintaining continuous engagement with your audience.

Additionally, by segmenting your email list and targeting specific behaviors or preferences, you’ll be able to deliver content that resonates and drives more sign-ups organically.

Overall, email marketing automation maximizes your list-building efforts by creating consistent, personalized touchpoints that foster list growth without constant manual effort.

Want to sell digital products and automate your email marketing efforts all from one place? Try The Leap free today!

Since we’re already talking about CTAs for your website pop-ups, let’s talk about the value of embedding a CTA on your social profiles. Embedding a sign-up button for your email list on social platforms is an easy and completely free way to advertise your newsletter.

Most social media platforms support buttons or forms. For example, Facebook allows you to feature a “Sign Up” button on your profile. On platforms like Instagram, consider using a link-in-bio tool to include multiple links, including a sign-up form for your email list.

We love an email list for its ability to grow an “owned” audience as opposed to a “rented” social audience. That being said, never underestimate the power of leveraging social media as a strategy for funneling potential subscribers to your sign-up form.

5. Run contests or giveaways

People love free stuff, so it’s no surprise that running a contest or giveaway campaign can be a lucrative method for increasing engagement and growing your email list.

What’s nice about contests and giveaways is that you determine the terms (unless you’re collaborating with a brand sponsor, but even then you should have a say).

Before you launch your giveaway, some important points you’ll want to consider include eligibility terms, entry requirements, giveaway time period, winner selection, and prize details.

Some examples of general eligibility include age restrictions (e.g. 18+), residency limitations, or any other requirements you find necessary.

Some entry requirement examples include:

Signing up for your newsletter
Following your social media accounts
Tagging friends on social platforms
Using specific and relevant hashtags

If you decide to encourage email list subscribers through a contest or giveaway, you’ll want to make sure that you make it easy for participants by outlining exactly what they need to do to enter. By hosting contests or giveaways, not only is there potential to grow your email list, but your social following as well.

Top platforms for managing your email list

Platform	Description
The Leap	Best for: All-in-one platform with an AI-powered digital product builder and automated email marketing management Key features: -Email list builder -Expert-recommended pre-made email templates -Email marketing automation like email flows and email broadcasts -AI-powered digital product builder to build lead magnets and nurture leads -Link-in-bio storefront -Mini-course builder/generator Pricing: Unlimited email contacts for free!
Mailchimp	Best for: Drip email campaigns Key features: -Drag-and-drop email builder -Automated email sequences -Integration with e-commerce tools like Shopify Pricing: -Free plan for up to 500 contacts -Paid plans start at $13/month
Shopify Email	Best for: Shopify sellers looking for one platform to manage sales and email marketing Key features: -Seamless Shopify integration -Customizable email templates -Automated workflows -Real-time analytics Pricing: -Must have a Shopify plan, which start at $39/month + transaction fees -10,000 free emails, then $1 for every 1,000 emails

The Leap

The Leap is a free, all-in-one creator platform with an AI-powered digital product builder and link-in-bio storefront that can help you build your email list by offering lead magnets, subscription forms, and landing pages. The Leap’s link-in-bio storefront is mobile-optimized and comes with built-in email marketing automation —like expert-recommended email templates for email flows and broadcasts — to make email management easier

The Leap is aimed at content creators and influencers who have knowledge they want to share (and make money from) online. Essentially, The Leap serves as a content creator’s sidekick (particularly creator educators), helping them to create and sell digital products (or lead magnets) quickly and easily.

The Leap’s digital product builder is designed to make the process of earning your first dollars as a content creator easier. Use it to create lead magnets to build your email list or for quick and intuitive digital product creation.

Content creators can also use The Leap to sell their existing products to drive lead generation, earn money — or both! Thanks to The Leap’s Book My Time feature, you can even sell coaching and consulting services.

If you’re a creator looking to build your email list, plus create and sell digital products like guides, tutorials, or mini-courses for your audience, then The Leap is for you.

Want to learn more about how The Leap can help you build an email list and generate passive income? Sign up for The Leap Way mini-course series!

Key features

Mobile-optimized link-in-bio creator store
Digital product-hosting services
AI-powered digital product builder for mini-courses, tutorials, guides, and challenges
Email list builder
Pre-made email templates for setting up email flows and sending email broadcasts easily
Book My Time native calendar booking feature for coaching and consulting services
Audience analytics
No listing fee or platform transaction fees
Flexible payment options like buy now / pay later, discount/coupon codes, and one-click payments
200 combinations of themes, layouts, and colorways for customized storefronts
AI assistant to generate mobile-optimized products, sales page descriptions, and more

Pricing

Capture as many email contacts as you’d like; The Leap’s is 100% free!

Try The Leap free today to build your email list and sell your digital products.

Click here to start building your email list with The Leap today, for free.

Mailchimp

If you’ve been wondering how to start an email list from scratch, then you’ve probably already stumbled upon Mailchimp in your research. Popular for a reason, Mailchimp is a top choice for content creators looking for email list building and email management thanks to its user-friendly interface, powerful automation features, generative AI, and integrations with e-commerce platforms.

This platform allows creators to easily build email campaigns that target their audience and drive sales, whether it’s for ebooks, online courses, or digital downloads. Mailchimp’s all-in-one marketing platform helps creators manage everything from email lists to analytics, making it easier to nurture leads and convert them into paying customers.

Key Features

Drag-and-drop email builder
Automated email sequences
Generative AI
Integration with e-commerce tools like Shopify
Audience segmentation for targeted campaigns
Detailed analytics and reporting

Pricing

Mailchimp offers a free plan for up to 500 contacts with limited analytics and customer support features. Paid plans start at $13 per month. For more advanced features — like generative AI and automated customer journeys — you’ll need to upgrade to its Standard plan for $20 per month. Mailchimp’s Premium plan jumps to $350 per month and can host up to 10,000 contacts.

Shopify Email

If you already work with Shopify, then the Shopify Email toolkit could be a good option for you. With Shopify Email you can send newsletters to customers who sign up for your mailing list, and create email marketing campaigns and marketing automation that can be sent from Shopify.

Shopify allows you to design emails to match your brand and link directly to products for easier sharing with customers. All sellers who use Basic, Shopify, Advanced Shopify, and Shopify Plus plans can use Shopify Email, which comes with 10,000 free emails per plan. After your 10,000 limit, the pricing is based on how many emails you send.

Key features

Seamless Shopify integration
Customizable email templates for promotions, newsletters, and product launches
Automated workflows for abandoned cart reminders, order confirmations, and welcome series
Real-time analytics for open rates, click-throughs, and conversions within Shopify dashboard

Pricing

All Shopify plans come with 10,000 free emails. After the initial 10,000, emails are counted based on each email contact and activity. For example, sending 1 promo email to 800 subscribers counts as 800 emails. After 10,000 free emails, the cost is $1 per 1,000 emails. After you reach 300,000 emails, the pricing per 1,000 emails goes down.

Mini-course: Building Your Email List

Now that you have all the steps and tips to build a badass email list, you’re ready to start creating and selling digital products.

For a total pro crash course on email list building, check our free mini-course with creator Millie Adrian here.

Mini-Course: Building Your Email List

Join creator Millie Adrian as she teaches you what it means to own your audience by building an email list.

Start email list building with The Leap!

Launched by the leading creator educator platform Thinkific, The Leap is an all-in-one creator economy platform that functions as a link-in-bio tool, an online storefront, an email marketing engine, and an easy, versatile digital product builder.

If you want to create, market, and sell digital products all from one central place, then The Leap is for you.

Designed with lead generation and sales in mind, The Leap implements AI to do all the brainstorming and boring email admin for you so that you can focus on transforming your knowledge into marketable digital products (and your followers into paying customers).

Essentially, The Leap streamlines the creator journey, making it faster and easier to start earning money.

The best part about The Leap? It’s free! Try The Leap today!

Sell ebooks on The Leap with 0% transaction fees.

FAQ

How can I build an email list from scratch?

Wondering how to build an email list from scratch? It might feel daunting when you first start building your email list. But with a few intentional and strategic efforts, your email list can go from zero to the hundreds (or thousands!) in no time.

Firstly, create a compelling lead magnet like an exclusive ebook, a discount code, or access to premium content. Next, set up a sign-up form on your website or landing page. Keep it simple and eye-catching, with a clear call to action. Make sure it’s mobile-friendly too because, let’s face it, most of our browsing is done on our smartphones.

Once you have your sign-up form set up, don’t forget to share it across your social media platforms and in your content.

Building an email list from scratch takes time and effort, but as long as you’re engaging with your audience and staying consistent with your email content, your subscriber list will grow in no time.

Can I build an email list for free?

Absolutely! Building an email list doesn’t have to break the bank, and you can definitely get the ball rolling for free.

First, start by finding affordable email marketing platforms. For example, The Leap is 100% free and Mailchimp or Shopify Email offer plans to get you started with a certain number of subscribers. It’s a great way to dip your toes into email marketing without spending a dime.

Secondly, you can build your email list organically through your website or social media. Create compelling content as lead magnets that encourage website visitors to subscribe. Social media can also be a free and powerful tool for driving traffic to your sign-up forms.

What makes a great email list?

Quality over quantity. It’s not about having thousands of emails; it’s about having the right ones. A great email list includes people genuinely interested in what you have to offer. You also want to make sure that everyone on your list has willingly subscribed. No shady stuff here. You want to respect your audience’s privacy and build their trust.

Other hot tips for email list building include consistency, value, mobile-friendly design, and clear CTAs that tell your subscribers what you want them to do (whether it’s to buy your digital product, read valuable lead magnet content, etc.).

How to measure the success of a great email list? If your email subscribers are full of active, engaged folks who open your emails, click your links, and interact with your content — then you’re well on your way to greatness.

Follow The Leap on TikTok, Instagram, and YouTube for more audience growth tips. We also make a newsletter.

6 Easy Steps for Email List Building Like a Pro (2025)

by Jenni Stablein · Published Sep 20, 2023

Why you should build an email list

What does it mean to “own your audience”?