15 tested and proven ways to help you build your subscriber list

Offer quality content. Nobody gives up their email address for free. If you want to build a valuable relationship and engage your audience, you need to provide content that is worthwhile and interesting.
Put sign-up forms on every web page. Your sign-up form should be everywhere your potential subscribers are. Make sure it’s visible and easy to fill out.
Use social media to collect email addresses. Integrate your sign-up forms with social media platforms. Driving traffic from multiple sources allows you to build a strong email marketing list much faster.
Design your sign-up form carefully. Ask only for information you plan to use. A good rule of thumb is that less is more — the shorter the sign-up form, the higher the conversion rate.
Show your privacy policy. Inform your readers that you will not share their personal information with third parties. A clear privacy policy helps you build trust and convince visitors that it’s safe to subscribe.
Show samples of your content. Let your subscribers know what they are signing up for. Use your older content samples to “sell” the email sign-up.
Include a call to action. Put a call to action in your submit button, e.g. Sign me up! This makes the sign-up process more engaging and improves the conversion ratio.
Give away freebies. Think of a relevant incentive for your audience (e-book, infographic, white paper) and provide it for free.
Ask subscribers to share. Take the time to prepare valuable, shareable content. Remember that putting the social share buttons is not enough; you still need to ask your subscribers to use them.
Build a content distribution strategy. Producing great content is only half the battle. Make sure it’s visible to the right audience. Define who your ideal audience is and find out where they like to congregate online. Then choose communication channels accordingly.
Publish landing pages. Create a squeeze page where visitors can download premium content in exchange for their email address. A dedicated web page helps users focus on the call to action and increases conversions.
Include testimonials on your landing page. Social proof helps build trust toward a brand and its products. Use testimonials from satisfied customers to help visitors make a decision.
Blog regularly. Great content brings more traffic. Develop a realistic content publishing schedule and stick to it.
Guest post on popular blogs. Publishing your content on other blogs is a great way to build relationships with other bloggers in your industry and introduce yourself to new people. Include a backlink to your blog, and your blog’s search rankings will go up.
Collect email addresses at offline events. Be ready to collect email addresses at trade shows and conferences. Ask for business cards or use the Forms on the Go app to instantly add people to your list.

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John Mulindi

John writes on a variety of topics. He blogs on topics ranging from social media marketing (SMM), search engine optimization (SEO), search engine marketing (SEM), email marketing, business, personal finance tech, entrepreneurship to personal development. In free time he likes watching football, reading, listening to music and taking nature walks.

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View Comments

Katherine McLee ✨ (@Katherinemclee) says:

October 31, 2022 at 5:08 pm

Amazing list of tips! Freebies especially are huge at helping people grow their email list!
- John Mulindi says:
  
  October 31, 2022 at 5:09 pm
  
  Hi Katherine, thanks for dropping by.
Tiffany McCullough - Metaphysicalmama says:

November 24, 2020 at 7:07 pm

Great info! I'm in the process of growing my email list and this really helps. Thank you!
- John Mulindi says:
  
  November 24, 2020 at 7:30 pm
  
  Welcome Tiffany!
usacallerid says:

August 26, 2019 at 4:35 am

Great list! Thank you..
- John Mulindi says:
  
  August 26, 2019 at 2:07 pm
  
  You are welcomed!
Cindy says:

August 22, 2019 at 7:32 am

Great list! This is an area I’m working on.
- John Mulindi says:
  
  August 22, 2019 at 1:49 pm
  
  You are welcomed Cindy!
MoneyfortheMamas says:

August 22, 2019 at 2:18 am

I usually only sign up for email lists when they offer freebies! Please don't just say "sign up for my newsletter!"
- John Mulindi says:
  
  August 22, 2019 at 2:21 am
  
  He he! glad to hear that. Thanks for the visit.
nadzzm says:

August 21, 2019 at 9:43 pm

Putting sign up forms on more than one pages is a very good idea. I have seen good results with the mat too.
- John Mulindi says:
  
  August 22, 2019 at 12:59 am
  
  True, thanks for the feedback.
Katy LV says:

August 21, 2019 at 6:51 pm

Oooh I so need this right now! Thank you.
- John Mulindi says:
  
  August 21, 2019 at 7:44 pm
  
  You are welcomed!
Sam Lodaria says:

August 21, 2019 at 6:02 pm

Great list John! I'm just getting started with building my list so this is really helpful. So far, I've realized that PATIENCE is key when it comes to building traffic (in any form) and CONSISTENCY is the bridge to get you to the next level. Thanks for the list!
- John Mulindi says:
  
  August 21, 2019 at 6:04 pm
  
  Hi Sam, I appreciate your feedback!
Britt K says:

August 21, 2019 at 5:35 pm

You've got some great suggestions here! I am currently in the process of overhauling my email marketing efforts and this definitely inspired me to take the next steps!
- John Mulindi says:
  
  August 21, 2019 at 6:00 pm
  
  Hi Britt, glad to learn this article was helpful to you. Thanks for reading.
Kate Murray says:

August 21, 2019 at 4:57 pm

Very well thought out list of tips. I agree with Petra, we are constantly inundated with too much mediocre content and not enough quality because too many businesses (and bloggers) are just writing about the same thing as everyone else because they think it's profitable. I wish people would stick to their nîche and educate on the topics they are knowledgable about instead of "blogging about how to blog"
- John Mulindi says:
  
  August 21, 2019 at 5:33 pm
  
  Hi kate, thanks for your thoughtful comments! You are most welcomed.