When Should You Build an Email List for Your New Blog

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When should you build an email list for your new blog? Read this post and find out!

When should you build an email list for your new blog? From the day you start? Six months after? A year on? This post will help you find hte answer that works for you.

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You woke up one morning, and you decided to be a blogger. Everyone says you’re a marvelous writer, so why not, right? And you could do with more money – especially now that you just lost your job (thanks CV-19!). Now is the time to really own it. 

After all, how hard can it be?

Six months later, you’re ready to throw in the towel. You’ve joined a billion blogging Facebook groups, taken so many online courses you deserve a postgraduate degree in blogging (if it existed), and you still have nothing to show for it.

Your posts are not ranking on Google. Nobody is pinning your pins on Pinterest. And you spend days sharing your content on Facebook groups and still have hardly any traffic. 

More Resources:
Free SEO Course – For anyone needing a free but actionable intro to SEO.

Easy On-Page SEO – Make sure your posts are the best they can be, so they have a greater chance of ranking.

Pinteresting Pins Subscriptions + Mastermind – A monthly subscription of to-die-for pins delivered to your inbox each month from the woman who’s mastered the tricky beast that is Pinterest. You also get access to a mastermind group, which pays for itself.

Pinteresting Strategies – Jumpstart your blogging journey by harnessing the power of Pinterest. Perfect way to gain traffic if you’re in a Pinterest-friendly niche!  

Now you’ve been told you need to start an email list?! Come on, right? Seriously, you really just want to win something at this blogging thing without feeling like you’re pulling teeth.

So, when should you build an email list for your new blog? Do you really need an email list right now – even though you’re only five months in? 

And what’s an email list anyway? What do you need to build one?

You’re in luck because this post will answer all your questions. Let’s start with the most basic one of all: what’s an email list?

What is an email list?

An email list is essentially a collection of email addresses from people who have:

1. Subscribed for updates from your blog; 
2. Decided to opt in to get a freebie product or service; and 
3. Bought something from you and confirmed that they want to get updates.
4. Or all of the above. 

Regardless of the reason, these people are giving you permission to keep their email addresses for you to message in the future.

That sounds good, right? So, to build or not to build? To help you decide whether you actually need an email list for your new blog right now, we need to first discuss why you might want to build an email list in the first place.

In the following sections, I’ll cover the main benefits of an email list for new bloggers.

Benefits of an email list: Why you need to build one as a blogger

It’s true what they say, the email list isn’t dead. In fact, it’s going stronger than ever. Find out why!

The all-important ROI

The main reason you’ll want to build an email list is that email marketing has a higher return on investment (ROI) than other means of marketing.

OK, so maybe you like using Twitter. You’re having success with Facebook. Instagram is your jam. Or, you’re just having fun dancing away at TikTok. And that’s fine because all these are perfectly legitimate marketing channels any blogger can use.

But remember that while they help you access your target market relatively quickly, none of them compare to email marketing. Email marketing outperforms them all. In fact, it still offers the highest return on investment. In other words, if money is your goal (and it should be if you’re monetizing a blog), then you really want to create or build an email list. It’s got to be one of the best-proven tools in your digital marketing arsenal.

They’re everywhere.

There are billions of email accounts worldwide, about three times more than Twitter and Facebook combined. 

But that doesn’t really say anything, does it? Because the more important part of the equation is the click-through rate. 

How many people actually get to a blog after clicking a link that they find elsewhere? For example, if you advertise a link to one of your blog posts on Twitter or Facebook, how many people will actually click that link to go to your blog? And how many people will just share your post without going to the website at all?

For email, the click-through rate is currently estimated to be about 3%. For Twitter, this drops to around 0.5%. That’s a massive difference.

So, yeah, building an email list definitely has its benefits.

It’s all about the shares. 

Compared to their social media counterparts, email subscribers are also more likely to share your content.

And that’s important because, no matter how well you write, the truth of the matter is this: without your readers, you don’t have a blog. At best, you have a journal, which is fine if your goal is to just write. But if you want to make money while writing, then you need readers with purchasing power. That’s why it’s imperative that you find your readers and then cultivate great relationships with them.

A great way to do that is through your email list because it’s a direct line to your subscribers’ inbox. It’s like you’re talking to each of them one on one. 

Because it’s more personalized, your subscribers will feel important and valued, which will go a long way towards engagement and continued support.

And because they feel like you value them for themselves rather than for the money you can get from them, your subscribers are more likely to trust you, be loyal to you, and share your content with other people. 

You’re the lord or lady of the castle.

You own your email list. That means that algorithm changes won’t take them away from you. You won’t be penalized for saying the wrong thing, and your account won’t get cancelled. We’ve all heard horror stories of entire pages or groups on Facebook being banned forever after going against company policy. Imagine the hours you’ve spent building a community, only to have it taken away from you in a single click. That doesn’t happen with email. Your email list is yours for as long as you look after it.

Now that you know the many benefits of an email list, you probably want to know how to actually build one. The steps themselves are easy, but great results take more work. 

When should you build an email list for your new blog?

First, you need to find out what you need to do to make it a success. Then, you can make a choice.

So, what do you need to build an email list?

Before you can make the correct decision for you, you really need to know the little things that you need to do to build your email list. So, take a look at the sections below. 

Blogging is for bloggers, yo!

Let’s get the assumptions out of the way first. This post is written for blogger, so I’m assuming that you have a blog or a website. If you do not have a blog or website, this section might not be relevant for you. 

If you would like to start a blog but have no idea what to do, check out Setting Up A Blog That Makes Money. 

 So, assuming you do have a blog or a website, what next? 

Who’s the delivery guy?

You need to choose an email marketing service. 

 There are so many options that you can choose when you first start building your email list. 

Many bloggers recommend ConvertKit because they were made by bloggers for bloggers, so they can offer services that other email marketing services cannot.

But if you’re only six months in, you probably don’t have enough money just yet to pay for an email marketing service. You’re probably just either breaking it even if you’re lucky or earning a few cents here and there. 

PS: This doesn’t include you unicorns who have somehow managed to hit the jackpot and are now earning full-time income on your blogs even though you only started a few months ago. Of course, you worked hard. Of course, your results are possible, but it’s really not that common. 

So let’s go with the assumption that you’re not earning money from your blog right now. 

In that case, you can start with something free, like MailerLite and Mailchimp. I’ve tried both, although not extensively. 

And I have to say that I prefer MailerLite – one of the fastest-growing email marketing services and my personal favorite! No matter what level of experience you have with email, you’ll be able to create professional campaigns, landing pages, pop-ups, automated workflows, etc.

You also don’t need a lot of email marketing experience to use their features. And, when you need help, you can browse through their help resources or get a quick response from their 24/7 live support. Their Facebook community is also a huge bonus when you need support.

That said, it’s possibly subjective. So, I recommend trying both and see which one you prefer.

Draw them in.

You also need opt-in forms that draw your readers in and actually convert.

What are opt-in forms? 

You know when you go to another site, and they offer you the chance to download a mysterious printable you can get nowhere else, and you have to put your first name in along with your email address? That’s an opt-in form. 

 And you want one for your own website. Why?

An opt-in form is essential to a successful email list. People are currently very guarded with their email addresses – and for good reason. Who wants to be bombarded with email after email of utterly irrelevant stuff? No one, right?

So if you want somebody to give you their email address and allow you to use it, you need to give them an incentive. 

These incentives are also referred to as lead magnets, drawing readers into taking action (the action you want them to take). If they’re done well, they are particularly effective.

So, how do you know that your lead magnet is perfectly executed?

First, it needs to be driven by a particular goal. What do you want it to accomplish? Is it part of a bigger sales funnel? Or is it just a half-hearted attempt to see what it’s like?

Second, it should be geared towards solving a problem that’s relevant to your readers. If you want to attract moms of newborn babies, for example, a common problem is lack of sleep. So, if your printable is about how to go out looking nice on only two hours of sleep, you probably would have a lot of interest. 

Third, but just as important, your readers need to find your lead magnet useful. If you’re wanting to attract DIYers, a printable about buying a designer dress on the cheap is certainly not useful for them.

Now that you know the important bits to consider when creating a lead magnet, your next question is probably what kind of content you actually need.

You don’t have a product. You only started 6 months ago. And this is the first time that you’ve heard of a lead magnet. Is that one more thing you now have to worry about? 

Well, it sounds crazy and overwhelming (and I do know how it feels like to be completely overwhelmed, read How To Be At Peace With Yourself: Addressing Paralyzing Overwhelm to avoid that), but you actually have quite a few options to choose from. 

If you want to build a lead magnet and just need help brainstorming, here are a few things you can include that most people find really valuable: 

1. E-Books
2. Videos 
3. Templates
4. Cheat sheets
5. Planners
6. Workbooks
7. Tutorials
8. Calendars

Create a landing page to promote your lead magnet

Basically, for a lead magnet to work really well, you need to remove possible competition. 

That means no ads, affiliate marketing links – nothing that can distract a potential subscriber from clicking your lead magnet and giving you their email address. Want to take a look at the sample landing page? Have a look at the one that we created for a radical self-love course. 

So, when should you build an email list for your new blog?

Clearly, there are so many things you need to do to effectively build an email list. Which means it needs time and attention.

But you’re only 5-6 months in. Do you really need to build an email list for your new blog right now? If you don’t, are you really hampering your progress?

This section will cover the five questions you need to ask yourself to figure out if you should build an email list for your new blog.

Do you have enough time?

Building an email list for your new blog takes time, time that you may not have. So, the first question you need to ask yourself is, “Do you really have the time to devote yourself to building an email list?”

Because an email list is like a child. You nurture it if you want it to grow. You don’t just gather the emails and then leave them alone. In fact, you create and send emails – consistently. 

So, if you’re working full-time 40 hours a week and only have the weekends to work on your blog, you probably would be better off focusing on something else. 

When your time is limited to only a few hours a week, and you’ve never blogged before, you’d get greater ROI from other things. I recommend focusing on SEO. Because you want your blog to rank on Google, right? And for that to happen, you need SEO optimized quality content posted consistently.

Check Debbie’s Easy On-Page SEO for an inexpensive but truly valuable SEO course, if you haven’t already. Need an SEO course for free? Get her Free SEO Course.

Do you have enough experience with your blog?

If you’ve been blogging for years, and you’re not taking six hours now to write and proofread a 1000-word post, and you can SEO-optimize this post without losing too much time, then you might want to build your email list. 

Because then, you can afford to divide or split your attention between two different things. But if you’re brand new to the game, if you’ve never blogged before, there are so many things you need to learn and so many things you need to know first. The most important of that is SEO, closely followed by the social media or search engine of your choice (the one where your audience is). 

More Resources:
Free SEO Course – For anyone needing a free but actionable intro to SEO.

Easy On-Page SEO – Make sure your posts are the best they can be, so they have a greater chance of ranking.

Pinteresting Pins Subscriptions + Mastermind – A monthly subscription of to-die-for pins delivered to your inbox each month from the woman who’s mastered the tricky beast that is Pinterest. You also get access to a mastermind group, which pays for itself.

Pinteresting Strategies – Jumpstart your blogging journey by harnessing the power of Pinterest. Perfect way to gain traffic if you’re in a Pinterest-friendly niche!  

Do you know why you want to start an email list?

What’s your reason for starting an email list? Is it because everyone says you should? Or, is it because you want to connect with your readers? You have something to say, and you feel that the best way to say it is through email?

There’s no right or wrong answer here. But whatever the answer is, it’s essential that you know. Of course, while there is no right or wrong answer, there is the answer that could spell the difference between success and failure in your part. 

If the only reason you’re starting an email list is that everyone says you have to right now, you might want to hold off just a bit. Because you don’t need the added stress that building an email list prematurely can bring. 

As you can see, there are so many things that you need to consider if you want to make your email list building stress-free and successful. You need an opt-in form that people will want to fill out, a reliable email marketing service that won’t cost the earth, and a message that strikes just the right chord. That all seems very overwhelming, doesn’t it? 

But if you want to create an email list because you really want to, the hard work will probably be inconsequential for you, and you’ll just smash through any barriers you may encounter. And if that’s the case, go for it. Don’t let anything stop you.

Do you know what your messages?

This is directly related to the above section – do you know what you want to say and whom to say it?

In other words, do you have an audience? Do you know what they would like to read and how you have to write?

If you can say yes to these questions, then you might be ready to build an email list even though you’re very new. 

Do you want to build an email list for your new blog?

This is probably the most important question you need to have as answered to, and it’s connected to point #1. Like everything else about blogging, you learn on the job, so if you really want to build an email list right now, if you feel like this is the best step forward for you, then you need to start building an email list for your new blog right now. 

Because the truth of the matter is, your desire to achieve something will be greater than all the obstacles that are stopping you. So, even if you’re new, even if you don’t have much time, even if you only started your blog five to six months ago, go for it if you really wanted to. You’ll do what you need to do to achieve your goal.

So, you’ve decided to start an email list as a new blogger after all? What next?

Take a look at these 9 steps that will help you build your email list quickly and efficiently.

Choose an ESP

This is the time to select which provider you’d go with. Again I recommend one of the free providers for now. MailerLite or Mailchimp – either one is starting good when you’re just starting out.

Who are your people? 

This is fairly easy if you have a niched down blog. For example, if you’re only interested in helping martial artists fight better until they can compete internationally, then that’s your target audience.

But if you have a blog like this one, which is quite broad, you need to sit down and choose which segment you want to talk to. 

Because Live a Blissful Life talks about life, I have readers who are here because they want to improve:

1. Their health,
2. Their relationships, 
3. Their productivity,
4. Their home,
5. Their financial situation

That means that if I wanted to have an active email list, I need to really be selective with my subscribers. And the same goes for you. Remember – a stay-at-home mother who wants to learn self-care will not be interested in getting a work promotion (at the same time). So, you’ll need to take this into account before you even decide on your target segment.

Timing is essential.

How often are you going to email people? Once a week, once a month, once a day? This is something that you need to research before you can decide. We’ve all been in the receiving end of emails, and nobody wants a barrage of them coming in on a Monday morning when you’re trying to work, right?

At the same time, you don’t want to email once every six months because then people forget who you are. 

So, like anything else, this is something you need to research. Look for the timing that works best for you – and for your readers, of course. 

What are you going to say?

Really, what would you like to tell your subscribers? Remember, if you decide to send an email twice a week, you actually need to write these emails twice a week. 

And then, of course, once you’ve written them, you need to format them before you send them. 

Personally, between keyword research, writing my posts, learning about SEO and wrangling Pinterest, I was ready to outsource emailing. But because I knew next to nothing about it, I couldn’t really outsource it. So, I did the next best thing, I invested in Kate Doster’s The Email Marketing Fairy, which once helped me write enough emails for six months in a matter of hours.

It’s not a free resource, but if building an email list is a priority for you, you’ve never done it before, and you don’t want to spend hundreds on an email list building course (which she has, by the way), then this is the best investment for you right now.

Choose a freebie.

Again nobody gives their email address away for nothing. If you want people’s email addresses, you need to give them something truly valuable. This could be the time tracker of their dreams that lets them have some time for themselves or a routine chart that gets their children doing chores without you having to nag them.

Whatever it is, it needs to meet the criteria we talked about earlier: valuable, relevant and useful.

 Where could you get information regarding the best freebie to create for your reader? 

Sometimes I get emails from my readers who need help or advice. Other times, I think of freebies when I’m in Facebook groups, and people ask questions about something that I know I can answer well. And sometimes I look at other forums. I found great success in Quora, for example because that’s where my audience is.

To help you come up with freebies (because again, ain’t nobody got time for that!), check out Freebies That Sell & Serve Mini Course.

Where are you going to put this?

To get email addresses, you need an opt-in form. Where should you put an opt-in form? 

I usually put an opt-in form in three places:

• My most popular post – preferably one that ranks high in Google and not just social media. Because the more people who see your post, the greater the chance that somebody would be an excellent match for your audience and find your freebie valuable, relevant, and useful.

• A post that has a lot of comments – in other words, a lot of engagement. If people are talking about your post, they’re clearly interested in this topic. 

• A post that has the most number of shares on social media – because the more people are sharing, the more interested they are.

Time to land, baby!

Once you have a freebie and an opt-in form, it’s time to create a landing page.

I recommend looking through the MailerLite landing page builder or the Mailchimp landing page help guide.

Both are easy to use. Simply follow the instructions, and you end up with a beautiful landing page that you (and your subscribers) will like. And that’s it.

Write that message.

Once you have a landing page all set up, all that you need to do is write the messages that you’re going to send.

It could be a newsletter, an email campaign or just a one-off message – whatever it is, you need to write it down and schedule it for sending.

To make this process really easy for you, I highly recommend Kate Doster’s Free Weekly Newsletter Planner, which contains two years’ worth of strategically planned weekly newsletter topics that your subscribers will absolutely love.

Combine this resource with The Email Marketing Fairy, which contains 60 + email marketing templates (with examples!), and you’ve all but automated your email marketing process. You’re welcome. 🙂

Rinse and repeat.

Now that you know the basics of building an email list, all that’s left is for you to implement what you’ve learned and keep repeating it so that not only are you building your list, you’re actually growing it.

Whew! That was a long post, and we covered so much stuff. 

So, when should you build an email list for your new blog? It’s all up to you – just answer the questions above, and you’re good to go. Enjoy! 

And if you have any questions, just send me a quick email, and I’ll do my best to help you out period

Sharing is caring so please share this post!