On Sunday, I asked members of my Telegram group how many email subscribers they have. I wanted to figure out what type of content to create.

• Over 50% of respondents said they don’t have an email list.
• 33% of respondents are running a list with over 100 subscribers.
• The rest are running lists with over 1000 subscribers.

I was surprised by the results.

My thesis? Some respondents find setting up and growing an engaged list overwhelming, while others get distracted by the lure of social media. I struggled with these problems a few years ago.

If you’re creating or publishing content and don’t have an email list, job number one is starting your list.

No Email List

Spending time or money creating content without an email list is a big mistake.

Without one, you’ll have to rely on social media algorithms or paid ads to showcase your content and offers. The former is unreliable, and the latter is expensive. Selling on social media is also harder than selling over email. And I presume you’re not creating because it’s a hobby.

You can start an email list quickly and easily on Substack. It won’t cost you anything either. Direct all your social media traffic to your Substack home page.

If you don’t have any traffic to direct, start writing daily notes on Substack and DM-ing people who engage with your content. Find a few creators in your niche and recommend them, too. If you recommend them, they’ll get a notification and a few will like and share your content.

If you have a website, Substack isn’t the right choice. Instead, go for Kit. You can create forms and pop-ups for your website and turn visitors into subscribers. I still use this strategy today.

100+ Subscribers

Once you reach 100+ subscribers, congrats. You’re on the way to a thriving online business. Now you’ve two jobs.

Job number one: send regular emails to your list.

I’m always surprised when people tell me they don’t want to “annoy my list”. Remember, subscribers opted in to hear from= from you. They can always hit the unsub button if they’re unhappy.

Job number two: grow your list to at least 1,000 subscribers.

Don’t worry about A/B subject line testing, segmentations, or other fancy email marketing strategies until you exceed 1,000 subs. Your time is much better spent growing your list and tracking optin rates.

To reach 1,000+ subscribers, I created a simple Google Sheet and tracked the performance of my lead magnets each week.

I also tracked strategies like guest posting and podcasts. I discovered my audience likes lead magnets such as checklists, templates, tools, and short books.

1000+ Subscribers

Once you exceed 1,000 subscribers, present regular offers to your list. If you don’t have any offers, find a relevant product or service to promote as an affiliate. Now, you can also examine your open and clickthrough rates.

Keep growing your list, but experiment with other strategies like Facebook ads, newsletter swaps, and joint promos. Last year, I ran a Facebook ad campaign that attracted 3000 subscribers at 50 cents per sub. I also tried guest podcasting, which was mostly a waste of time. You won’t know what works for your niche until you try it.

Several 1000 Subscribers

You already know how to grow a list. Now, focus on the quality of your list, newsletter content, and monetization.

For example, I’ve found that subscribers who arrive via SEO are less likely to buy one of my offers than subscribers who arrive via social media.

Landing sponsors is relatively easy if you’re running a larger list, too. I don’t spend much time looking for sponsors. Kit simply lets me know when someone wants to buy a slot in one of my daily emails. I review and accept or reject.

If you need help, reply and let me know what stage you’re at. I might have something for you.