7,000 email subscribers: Real strategies to exponentially grow your email list

One of the first things I did after starting LeanneWong.Co was to build an email list.

We all know that the money is in the list.

And it’s true.

Because transactions only happen when there is trust. People who opted into your email list have given you permission to contact them and so, a level of trust has been established. Your first 100 subscribers builds your confidence to sell.

Getting to 1,000 email subscribers gets you ready for a side hustle. Scaling up paves the way to a business that can provide a full-time income.

In this article, I’m breaking down the road to 7,000+ subscribers and the key steps to get there.

Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links, which means I will make a commission at no extra cost to you should you click through and make a purchase.

On average, I have been able to acquire around 550-600 subscribers per month.

Integral to list building is traffic acquisition and mechanisms for lead generation. That means attracting traffic to your website and having the systems in place to capture leads from visitors. 

Traffic acquisition

How much traffic you can acquire at the top of your conversion funnel sets the baseline for the number of conversions. The more new visitors you can drive at the beginning, the more leads you can convert down the funnel.

So, traffic acquisition sources are key. Where you are getting new visitors to your content and lead magnets, and the reach of those traffic sources. Here are the top 5 sources of traffic to be familiar with:

• 1.1 Google organic traffic
• 1.2 Pinterest traffic
• 1.3 Social media traffic
• 1.4 Paid traffic
• 1.5 Referral traffic from other websites

Lead generation

The mechanisms for lead generation are how you are going to capture email subscribers and nurture them.

You will need:

• (i) An email marketing platform such as Convertkit to create an opt-in form, deliver the freebie and capture a new subscriber.
• (ii) Opt-in landing pages which are the points of conversion. Building a high converting opt-in page is key. I recommend using Elementor for this.
• (iii) Other tools such as Canva, Photoshop, Word.doc to build your creatives and lead magnets.

An important part of lead generation is the quality of your opt-in offer.

We will talk about Part 1: Traffic Acquisition first in this section. You’ll learn how to drive traffic to lead magnets and grow your email list.

Click here to jump straight to Part 2: Mechanisms for lead generation.

Google organic traffic

Organic search traffic from Google is massive as it is the largest search engine in the world. Optimizing for SEO and ensuring you have an SEO strategy in place will be crucial to not just list building but also marketing your business online.

So I definitely recommend building your website with SEO in mind and creating thoughtful content with topical depth. Such as writing for search intent and providing value to your readers.

Ranking on the first page of Google is the best way to drive new visitors to your website continuously.

So you want to get a number of articles ranking on Google that is on the same topic as your signature lead magnet.

Read more: 13 Powerful SEO and Content Marketing Strategies to Grow Your Blog

How to use SEO to grow your email list?

SEO can be a powerful way to build your email list. Below I illustrate two key strategies to rank opt-in pages and long-form content for list growth.

Long-tail keyword strategy to rank opt-in pages on Google

An opt-in page tends to be lean and short. Since its primary goal is to get the conversion, it should be a quick 15-seconds read on what is the incentive and a call to action to download.

Short opt-in pages usually have between 300 – 500 words of content. Compared to long-form content, opt-in pages have the lesser ranking ability for competitive keywords. Though it stands a good chance for specific, highly focused long-tail search terms.

So the keyword strategy for opt-in pages is to target branded keywords and niche specific long-tail search terms. 

Rank long-form content on Google to drive high traffic and convert into leads.

Long-form content possesses a strong ranking ability on Google. Because of the sheer volume of content, it has a good ability to target keywords and rank on the first page for those keywords.

• A few seed keywords with high search volume
• Many long-tail keywords with low search volume but significant traffic combined

Of course, the content needs to be well crafted and meaningful. When done properly, SEO-rich content can be the single most powerful vehicle to drive traffic to a website.

The strategy for long-form content is to convert high volumes of traffic from the article to the opt-in.

There should be a number of conversion points on your article to convert the reader to a subscriber:

• Content Upgrades
• Sidebar opt-in
• Call to action anchor text within the article

This is incredibly powerful because you are generating leads with a single piece of content. New visitors that land on your blog post through Google search are already primed to look for a solution.

So traffic from Google is not random, it is motivated by search intent.

With the right content that aligns with search intent, your article becomes a point of conversion. Make sure you have a few opt-in placements to capture new leads.

Pinterest traffic

If you are not on Pinterest, you are missing out on a massive pool of traffic and customers. The best part about Pinterest is that it is not difficult to get a good reach on Pinterest with a small following.

Pinterest is a visual search engine, and users can use the search function to look for ideas and solutions. That means keywords are at play. Optimize your pins and write keyword-rich pin descriptions for SEO.

In 2018, when I first started the LeanneWong.Co blog and drove 10,000 monthly views within a week on a brand new Pinterest account.

2020: Reaching nearly 400K organic impressions on Pinterest monthly

Knowing how Pinterest works, optimizing for Pinterest SEO and keywords, and creating visually compelling pins have been key to continuous growth on Pinterest.

2021: Post-Pinterest Algorithm update and recovered traffic to 200K monthly views

I wrote about my experience with Pinterest’s 2021 algorithm update when my traffic tanked and how to recover from it.

How to use Pinterest to grow your email list

You can add a page URL to every pin you create. Every time a person taps and clicks through to your pin, they land on that page URL.

Your pin image should be aligned with your lead magnet.

• Use the same lead magnet image or mockup in your pin
• Use the same lead magnet title or heading in your pin
• Use the same color scheme and font styles

This easily sends traffic from your pins on Pinterest directly to your opt-in landing page. By creating pins and getting your pins re-pinned, you can increase the reach of your opt-in offer.

A viral pin can supercharge your list growth

The reach of your lead magnet depends on how viral its pin distribution is. I had one pin that did incredibly well and got ~1k link clicks and 47.5K impressions in 30 days.

So this one single pin drove ~1,000 clicks in a month to my SEO Audit Checklist.

The SEO Audit Checklist is one of my top performing lead magnets to date because it continues to get significant traction on Pinterest years after it was published.

More resources are below to help crush your Pinterest strategy:

• Keyword Strategy for Pinterest SEO: The Definitive Guide (2021)
• 10 Ways to Drive Massive Pinterest Traffic to Your Business
• Pinterest Case Study: How I got 459% Increase in Organic Views in 1 Week
• Why your Pinterest monthly views are decreasing and how to fix it

Social media traffic

Being on social media is a full-time job. Keeping your accounts active on Instagram, Facebook Page, Facebook Groups, Twitter, TikToK…did I miss out on someone?

It does beg the question – is it really necessary to be active on all social media platforms.

I think the answer to that is the extent of presence you wish to be in your audience’s top of mind.

For me, I am mostly active on Instagram. There are a few strategies I use to grow my email list on Instagram.

Instagram for traffic and list building

Here are 4 main ways I use to drive traffic from Instagram organically:

• Link in bio
• IGTV
• IG posts and call to action
• Swipe up (min. 10,000 followers)

Link in bio

The link in bio is the most prominent place you can insert a website URL. I recommend creating a page URL that hosts a list of links to maximize this placement.

• Your signature opt-in offer
• Freebies and lead magnets that are related to your primary products/services
• Your blog’s pillar page content
• Products and services

Use IGTV to add links

The link in the IGTV video description is clickable. So you can actually add a link to your website or opt-in with a call to action in the description.

IG posts and call to action

Posting consistently on Instagram really helps with being at the top of your target audience’s mind. Because your audience is on Instagram, they are consuming content on IG which becomes part of their path to conversion.

One strategy I have used is optimizing the post captions with a clear call to action. This can be driven to your signature lead magnet, the waitlist for an upcoming product launch, or any opt-in you want your audience to act on.

Organic Instagram posts are not intrusive and flow naturally on your audience’s feeds. Even if they don’t take action and join your list today, the more your content shows up with a call to action, the more likely they will opt-in in the future.

Swipe-up link and link stickers (min. 10,000 followers)

You can add links to a website URL with a link sticker (previously swipe up feature) in IG stories. You would need at least 10K followers to be eligible though.

Otherwise, using the link in bio, posting on IG and IGTV would be your best bet to drive Instagram traffic to your website and opt-in offers.

Paid traffic

There are 3 main paid media channels online- Paid Search, Paid Social, and Paid Display.

• Paid Search: Google Ads
• Paid Social: Facebook and Instagram Ads
• Paid Display: Banner Ads

You can use all channels for lead generation, though that might require a significant media budget. Most small businesses advertise on Facebook and Instagram to drive traffic and generate leads at a low cost.

I do find it unbelievable how affordable FB & IG ads can be.

This makes it very accessible to reach your wider network of target audiences and grow your business.

Personally, I got into the FB and IG ads game quite late and only did so after I had a tried and tested opt-in offer and sales strategy. 

How to use Facebook and Instagram Ads to grow your email list

I wrote an in-depth case study about how to rapidly grow your email list with profitable Facebook ads here.

Results:

• No. of conversions (leads): 617
• Cost per lead: $1.26
• Total ad spend: $776.90
• Website purchases: 47
• Purchase value: $3,548.02
• ROAS: 457%

Referral traffic

Referral traffic from reputable and authoritative sources is a great way to send traffic to your website and grow your email list. We’ll talk about two strategies:

• Guest posting
• Natural or goodwill referrals

Guest posting to generate leads

Guest posting has been around for a long time. Marketers use guest posting to build domain authority and relationships.

How it works – you submit a blog post as a ‘guest’ on another person’s website which provides value for them and increases visibility for you. In your guest post, you can add a link back to your website within the body content and in your author bio.

Here’s an example of a guest post I wrote for Miranda Nahmias on SEO 101 and had two link placements.

Backlink to my pillar page on SEO within the guest post’s body content

Backlink to my signature lead magnet, SEO for Beginners Bootcamp in the author bio.

Guest posting is usually a time and resource intensive endeavor. You have to manually reach out to the website owner you wish to contribute a guest post and spend time creating a unique piece of content.

However, guest posting on authoritative websites is highly rewarding. Not only do you increase your domain authority, but you also increase your brand presence by getting featured on their website.

Natural referrals

Natural referrals are when other websites write about you and link back to you out of goodwill. This is the most scalable and passive way to not only build up domain authority but also generate leads.

Throughout my blogging journey, I have written extensively about SEO and digital marketing. Some of my case studies and articles have gotten featured in authoritative publications and this drives traffic back to my website.

As long as you are getting new visitors to your content, that becomes a vehicle to grow your brand and generate leads.

Mechanisms for lead generation

Now, let’s talk about how you are going to capture email subscribers and nurture them.

• Opt-in form
• Lead Magnet
• Freebie Delivery
• Email Sequence – Welcome Series

Opt-in form

First, you need an opt-in form. This is a sign-up form for someone to join your email list and is the first point to capture conversion.

I use a simple modal form on Convertkit which triggers the form with a link click. I place the form behind a button on my opt-in page.

The default form on Converkit is clean and simple, and I just customize it with a product mockup and a title and description.

Best practices for modal opt-in forms

• Easy for people to sign up. Include the must-have Name and Email form fields. Omit form fields you don’t need.
• Keep the form short and easy to scan. The description should contain the primary benefit of the incentive and that should ‘sell’ the opt-in.
• Add an image that helps people visualize the incentive.

The opt-in form should be very easy to set up and create, and you shouldn’t worry too much about it. It is more important to perfect your lead magnet which is why people sign up.

Lead Magnet / Freebie / Incentive

The lead magnet is the freebie or incentive that you are offering to the person who signs up. So in this example, my lead magnet is the SEO Audit Checklist. This is what people are signing up for.

Best practices for lead magnets

• Aligns with what your brand is about and serves your business. Since I write a lot about SEO and offer products and services about SEO, it makes sense to create a freebie about an SEO Audit Checklist.
• Provides tangible benefit and really helps your audience get to a better position.
• Relieves a pain point immediately.
• Should not provide more work for your audience.
• Examples of lead magnets: Workbook, Worksheets, Blueprints, Checklists, Swipe Files, Free Course, Free Consultation.

Deliver the freebie

After someone submits the opt-in form, you need to deliver the freebie. If your freebie is in a PDF format, then you can simply send the file through your email marketing provider.

If it is a free course such as a video lesson series, then you want to send the video links or course login details to the subscriber.

If it is a free consultation session, you’ll need tools like Acuity/Calendly to schedule the session and meeting details.

A welcome email series that creates lifelong customers

A welcome series is an automated list of emails that every new subscriber gets after they sign up for your list.

Typically, a welcome series is sent within 72 hours of the sign-up. It is critical that you send a welcome email series to new subscribers because this forms the beginning of your relationship.

After capturing a new lead, and delivering your freebie, a new relationship at its infancy is formed. The welcome series is how you maintain the relationship.

This is about strengthening trust, building loyalty, and creating lifelong customers. The welcome series is how you keep new subscribers and enable them to further ascend your value ladder.

Here’s my current template:

1. Subscription Confirmation Email/ Freebie Delivery [Send Immediately]
2. Welcome + personal story [Send 3 hours after freebie]
3. List of best resources + small call to actions such as reply this email [Send 1 day after welcome]
4. Signature free course [Send 1-2 days after List of best resources]
5. Check in and how are you doing so far [Send 3 days after signature free course]

Tips to create a good welcome email series

• Relevant to the freebie/lead magnet they signed up for.
• Prepare a list of your best resources that your subscriber can further benefit from.
• In the early stages, you want to be as helpful as you can be and not do any selling yet.
• Write with a person in mind. Talk to your subscribers as if you are having a conversation with a person you’ve just gotten acquainted with.
• Add a picture or video of yourself to build a personal connection.
• Work on your email subject lines to increase open rates.
• Encourage replies and feedback from your subscribers.

There you have it! How I grew and maintained an email list of 7,000 subscribers over the years. I hope this guide will help you grow your list as well. Let me know in the comments below if you enjoyed this guide!