3 Simple Things You Need to Grow Your Email List from Scratch

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Let’s cut to the chase. You know you need an email list. If you’re just starting out with email marketing, it can feel overwhelming. You know you need to grow that email list.

But it’s another thing to do on a list of never-ending things you must get done.

Let’s step back and take a breath. I’m not here to share any hacks or shortcuts. You need to put in the effort, but when you do, the magic happens!

Email marketing should be in every small business owner’s toolkit. Having your own, permission-based list is crucial.

Why?

It’s simple. Email addresses you collect belong to you, well, your business. That means you put your business in a powerful position.

You get to communicate with your audience on your terms. Be it weekly, bi-weekly, or twice a month. You get to show up in their inboxes.

That’s huge when you need to compete with your bigger counterparts. It puts you on a level playing field.

Create your value statement

Before I share the email list building tips, let’s talk about creating your value statement.

My what now?

Value statement. This is where you tell potential subscribers two things to encourage them to sign up. It’s a brilliant tool for solo business marketing.

1. Decide how often you’ll send your emails. (If you feel overwhelmed, start with once a month. Honestly, that’s better than nothing. You can work your way up to more frequently once your confidence grows – and it will!)
2. Decide what you will share in your emails. Make sure this is a mix of things that interest your subscribers and things that help promote you.

Now that you have these two pieces of information, create your value statement. Fill in the blanks:

I send an email [add frequency] and talk about things like [add a couple of examples]

Now, you’re ready to ask people to join your email list.

I send a weekly email called best online casino in canada for slots. You’ll receive tips to get you started with email marketing, help you grow your list as well as exclusive content. (That’s my value statement, BTW.)

Offer a freebie that solves a real problem

OK, let’s start with what your freebie (or lead magnet, because anyone who signs up is a lead for your business) could be.

Lead magnet ideas are endless, but include things like:

• Checklists
• Mini guides
• Templates
• Webinars

The idea is to keep it practical (I would say that!) And you want it to be simple to create. You could start by looking at what you already have that you can repurpose. It doesn’t always have to be brand-new content.

I generally use Canva to create my lead magnets. But you could do something as simple as using Microsoft Word or Google Docs and then converting it to a PDF.

It’s got to have clear value, and it’s got to be relevant to your audience.

A couple of lead magnet ideas to get your ideas flowing:

• If you’re a video content producer (B2B service), you could offer a checklist titled “7 Shots You Need for Scroll-Stopping Instagram Reels”. It’s practical, easy to create, and shows off your knowledge — perfect for helping small businesses DIY their own short-form content.
• For a B2C service like an osteopath, how about a simple guide called “Stretches to Relieve Desk-Job Back Pain”? It solves a common problem, builds trust, and positions you as the go-to expert before they even book an appointment.
• If you’re a chocolatier (product-based), try something like “The Ultimate Chocolate Pairing Guide” — a beautifully designed PDF showing which of your treats go best with wine, coffee or cheese. It’s a fun way to inspire purchases (and boost your average order value).

Create a sign-up form that converts

Let’s talk email sign-up form tips. Don’t you just hate going to sign up for something, and they ask you for every little bit of information? That’s a sure-fire way to put people off.

Realistically, you only need one piece of information to be able to send emails: an email address!

But to be nice and actually address people by their names, you might want to collect their first name too.

And that’s it. You can collect other information later.

The less you ask for upfront, the more likely people will be to sign up.

But you’re not done. Your form needs a good, eye-catching headline. “Sign up for our newsletter” ain’t gonna cut it!

There needs to be a clear benefit. Remember that value statement? What portion of it can you use as an attention-grabbing headline?

And let’s get one final thing straight – sign-ups need to be opt-in to be GDPR compliant. That’s essential if you’re doing GDPR email marketing. That means if you’re building a page that involves a tick box, that box can’t be pre-ticked. Subscribers have to tick the box themselves!

Promote your list like you mean it

Come on, you’ve come this far. You can’t falter at the last hurdle. You have to ask in all the places you can. All the places your audience hangs out, plus a few that you own. Let’s cover a few.

Let’s talk about how to get email subscribers.

• Social media: yes, you should post regularly that you have a newsletter and tell people how they sign up. Pin a post – you can do this on Facebook and Instagram. On LinkedIn, you can add it to your featured section.
• Your email signature: think about how many times you email people might buy from you. How many times could your email sign-up be in front of them? Again, lead with value – the value for them signing up.
• Your website – obvs! And please. I beg you, please don’t stick it in the footer. Think about how many times you’ve scrolled all the way to the bottom of a website.
• Don’t forget offline. Use a QR code. You don’t even have to print it. Add it to a screen on your mobile – simples! This gives you an easy option at networking events.

Look, whilst we’d want everything to be perfect, consistency trumps perfection. This is something you need to do a little bit of every week. Even if you put aside 15 minutes a week, that’s better than nothing.

And when you see subscribers joining your list, it will spur you on to do more.

Some Final Quick Tips

Stay compliant with GDPR email marketing rules. That means:

• You must get explicit consent.
• Always have an unsubscribe link in your emails. Email Service Providers manage this for you, that’s why it’s good to use one, like Constant Contact.
• Have a link to your privacy policy on your sign-up page.

You Can Do This!

Remember, taking the first steps to grow your email list – even if you’re starting from zero – is what gets you closer to a thriving audience.

Listen, we all have to start somewhere and taking small steps is the easiest way to get going.

And don’t stress about your email list being small. A small but perfectly engaged email list is much better than a huge list that does nothing.

Even the big email marketing experts had to start at zero.

The main thing is you dedicate some time regularly to growing your list. And that means finding people who are relevant for your business.

And when you have an engaged email list, great things start to happen.

People begin to trust you.

Once they trust you, they like you.

And when they trust and like you… they start to buy!

Ready To Get Started?

Doing anything new can be scary. What if I told you that you didn’t have to go it alone?

If you need a guiding hand, you’ll find that in my online course, Small Business Email Marketing. It’s designed for solo business owners who want to master email marketing for beginners without tech overwhelm.

I break down step-by-step how you can create and send your first email. From the bits you’re scared of to the bits you don’t understand. Plus, I show you how to do stuff, like creating a sign-up form or an email template using 3 different email tools.

Convinced? Head over to sign up!