I share a few ways (with specifics!) on how to grow your email list and then I give you my least favorite way to grow. Spoiler alert: it’s bundles.
Pat Flynn’s newsletter, Unstuck
Liz’s Email Marketing Membership
Liz’s Free Welcome Sequence
The Email Sound Booth Facebook Group
Liz’s Kit [Convertkit] Affiliate Link
Transcript
Hey friend, this is the fresh princess of email marketing. And you are listening to episode 18 of the email sound booth podcast, lucky me and lucky you for tuning in today because we are going to tackle one of the hardest things about email marketing list building. I want to give you three ways to grow your email list and one way to think twice about before using.
So how the heck. Do we grow our email list? Of course, you can Google a million and one ways, but here are my three favorite ways I’ve grown my list over the years. And one way, again, I had to stop completely. And I suggest you analyze whether it’s worth it to you too. So the first way, and when you probably, um, you might have even found me from is guest speaking.
I’m talking guesting on virtual and in real life stages. We’re talking podcasts, summits, private group trainings, Facebook, Instagram lives. What’s that, what’s that other social media I’ve done a couple times where it’s just people talking in rooms? What is it? Oh, Clubhouse. I had, uh, Clubhouse, yeah. Okay, so there are, these are all great ways to grow your list.
So let me share you, share with you how I did it. Uh, first of all, my talk, like whenever I’m on a podcast or doing a group training, it’s always loosely around, uh, The same topic and it’s always directly related to my freebie. So yes, I grow my list with a freebie. I’ve only ever had one freebie one. If you don’t know what a freebie is, it’s a lead magnet and opt in.
That’s all the same thing. I’m using these interchangeably. So I’ve only ever had one freebie. And this makes it easy to know what I can come on a podcast, etc. to talk about, right? Uh, so my freebie is a welcome sequence template. So it’s four emails for one welcome sequence. It’s three newsletter templates, and those are actually samples from my membership and 52 subject lines, all for free.
Yep, that’s all one lead magnet, one freebie. And again, almost every training and talk I give, I can segue into that freebie seamlessly because the interviews and trainings I do are about those three things. So we can role play that say, I do a podcast interview and we spend nearly the whole time talking about how to write a newsletter when it comes to the end and the host asks, Hey, Liz, where can people find you, I always say, and you can tell this was rehearsed and I’ve done it a thousand times, but I always say, Oh my gosh, I’m so glad you asked, I would love for you to join my email list.
I know for the last 30 minutes, we’ve talked a lot about. email newsletters. Well, you can go directly to Liz Wilcox. com. In the top right hand corner, there’s a hot pink button in that hot pink button. You’re actually going to get three newsletter templates that are samples from my membership. Totally for free.
One to show you how to get a clicks, one to show you how to get replies and one to show you how to get buys directly from your newsletter. On top of that, you’re going to get some other stuff like a Entire welcome sequence written for you and 52 subject lines. So you never have to write from scratch.
That’s all for free. Liz Wilcox. com. Hot pink button. See how that works. See how I said, Oh, for the last 30 minutes, we’ve been talking about newsletters. I’m going to give you newsletters. So it’s a next logical step. You can’t just get on stage in person or online and talk about whatever and then just fumble at the end.
And expect to grow your list. When is your turn to take people to the next step of working with you? A. K. A. get on the email list. It’s gotta be pretty seamless. It’s gotta be easy. Kind of roll off the tongue. Practice. Practice, practice, practice this. Okay? All right. So that was the first thing. Guest speaking.
Now number two is kind of, uh, Flipped it host your own sort of online event So whether it be a digital summit a bundle a challenge hosting your own online event We can can be a great way to get things moving for your email list because you’re getting a lot of All the addresses, right? So back in the day, I hosted a digital summit in the RV space.
Remember I used to be an RV travel blogger and I remember one year it growing my list by over 6, 000 people in a matter of weeks. I’ve also co hosted a summit in the entrepreneur space that grew the main host list from zero to to a few thousand in just a year’s time. I find that hosting events, really, it can grow not just your bank account, not just your credibility, but your email list.
And all three things, those three things, credibility, bank account, and email list, those are the three most important things that you want to do. In your business actually that needs to be a separate episode. Maybe that’ll be episode Uh 23, I don’t know. Don’t quote me on that. I gotta write it down, but I don’t I want to keep going Okay, so again hosting your own thing.
It’s gonna grow Your email is now i’ve never hosted a bundle so I can’t speak on that But I would imagine you can see similar results Especially if you can make it feel exciting fresh and new to your industry I’ve done list building challenges before albeit never in a way that was meant to grow my list, but simply by Running the challenge my list grew Anyway word of mouth about the challenge got around and people joined the list You For the challenge the last one again without me thinking about it, but just people sharing.
Oh my gosh Liz Wilcox is hosting a challenge. It grew my list by 374 new subscribers just in, in the week of the challenge. So why don’t I run challenges publicly that I’m literally asking myself that right now, I should do that. I’m going to have to, I’m going to have to look into that. So by the way, in 2025, this second thing I’m giving you a hosting your own event.
This will be. My number one big list building activity for the last year or last four years. I’ve focused on podcasts, guest speaking for list growth. I’m still going to be doing that, but that kind of runs itself, uh, getting invited and things like that. So moving forward, I plan on hosting a few audio only summits as a way to grow my list.
So remind me in a year, if you’re listening to this in like September, October, 2025, email me and tell me, we need a breakdown on, um, How that went for me in 2025. Thanks in advance. Okay, and the third the third way So we’ve talked about guest speaking and making sure you nail that pitch for your newsletter We’ve talked about throwing your own on a line event whether it be a bundle summit challenge, whatever now Let’s talk about newsletter referral programs.
Okay How many times have you bought something based on someone’s recommendation? Right? Maybe you even joined my email marketing membership or you’re listening to this podcast because someone referred you to this, right? Based on someone else’s recommendation. That’s a referral. So nowadays referral programs are becoming more and more popular.
Kit has its own little creator network and a big one I’ve been seeing around is spark loop. Pat Flynn seems to use it. My email buddy, Tarzan K uses spark loop, James clear, you know, smart people. Do I use smart spark loop? No, but it is something on my radar and I’m going to implement in 2025. After all, I already know.
from the form on my Facebook group and the sales my affiliates make that people are talking about Liz Wilcox and her emails. Meaning, you know, I get a lot of sales from affiliates. I get a lot of people in the email soundbooth Facebook group that say, Oh, I heard about it from so and so. So I should be using spark loop, right?
People are already talking about me. And thank you, by the way, if you’ve been one of those recommenders of me. Oh my God, I love you. Thank you so much. So why not add this type of referral to the repertoire repertoire? Weird word, kind of fun to say. All right. So what are these newsletter referral programs?
Let me just preface. And remind you, I’m not an expert in this. This is something I want to do moving forward, but I do know kit and its creator network, and I’ve gained 50 new 54 new subscribers just in the last 30 days from using the creator network. So with the creator network, basically when someone signs up for so and so’s email list and so and so is recommending me after that person signs up for so and so’s email list.
Kit shows them me as a recommendation like hey you signed up for so and so You will probably like Liz Wilcox, too It’s kind of like when you buy something on Amazon right and you scroll down and Amazon says customers often buy this together Or whatever, right? Except we as creators are in charge. Kit isn’t the one actually, you know, doing these recommendations.
You are. I get to decide who I recommend, you know, who shows up as that, you know, like this, you’ll like this too, right? Um, and you get to decide to recommend me or whatever. So I just took a look and it looks like 66 people are recommending me. Amazing. I’ve only asked one time in my Facebook group for people to recommend me.
So it seems like a pretty simple way to start growing the list. Okay, now I’m excited. Let’s look at some more metrics. And literally this is the first time I’m looking at this. So I’m so impressed. I’ve got to grow this thing. So since using the creator network, I’ve gained 842 subscribers and I can’t remember when I started using it.
So I’m recording this pretty much the last day of September 2024 and I’m pretty sure I started to use it in February or March of 2024. So less than a year. We’ll say nine months to air on the side of safety. So that’s, you know, less than a hundred, but close to a hundred a month. And it, it’s saying that I have an, for these 842 subscribers, their average open rate is 52.
3, uh, 36%. And their click rate is 5. 03%. That’s amazing because my overall click rate right now is 4. 3%. 11. So these Creator Network subscribers are even more engaged than the average subscriber. These are engaged folks. Okay, yes, I’m loving this. So let this be the part of the podcast where I shamelessly ask if you’re using Kit, formerly ConvertKit, you recommend me, just search Liz Wilcox and then let me know so I can send you a shout out.
on this pod. All right. Can I be shameless on my own podcast? I think I can. Let’s also shamelessly plug kit here. I’ve been using it since 2017. It’s only getting better and better. And now it has this built in creator network, baby. So head over to the show notes. I’ll put my affiliate link so you can hop in on this pod.
Referral network goodness. All right, now let’s go to spark loop. The thing that I’m not using, but I’ve done a lot of research for this podcast episode. So spark loop and other referral networks. Again, I’m not an expert, but from what I can tell and what I’ve researched, it looks like a great way to grow organically.
Which you know your girl is all about because I’m on a mission to build a million dollar membership without ads So this is exciting to me. So basically you Reward your current subscribers when they share your newsletter with anyone So it’s kind of like an affiliate program, right? If you promoted my product, I’d give you 50 percent of the sale, right?
You promote my newsletter, I’m going to give you some sort of prize. Okay? So now it integrates with your email service provider really seamlessly. At least. In the case of kit, I can literally see right now a button to just press and get started With spark loop and it looks like spark loop Is just something that lives inside your emails that you send out where someone reading it can easily track Or can easily access their quote quote unquote affiliate link to share out your newsletter, their referral link, I think is what they call it.
And Sparkloop will track those referrals for you. So then you set up referral rewards. Let’s look at Pat Flynn’s. What is this man giving out to peeps that refer him? Okay. Okay. First of all, it looks like he’s got a section of the newsletter locked. Like it shows me half of it. Let me, let me just read it.
So Pat’s pick, this is at the bottom of his newsletter. It says, today I want to share a valuable find about selling. I came across this video randomly on Tik Tok and it helps us understand how to ask the right questions during a sales pitch or presentation without being salesy, blah, blah, blah. Here’s the link to the video.
And then I can’t see the video, but there’s some text that says, Oh no, you don’t have access to this section yet. To unlock it, refer three friends to join the unstuck newsletter with your personal referral referral link. And then it gives me that link. So further down, I can click to see how many referrals I have.
And so. Does that make sense? So basically he’s got a section of his newsletter. He shows you part of it to entice you to keep you reading and then there’s like a whoops. Oh, no, you don’t have access You know refer people to the newsletter and you will so that’s really super smart So let me click over and see the rewards He’s giving out.
Okay, if I reward three people just like he said I get the locked section the pats pick thingy If I refer five people, I get a secret list of tools our team relies on. Productivity, design, finances. Okay, that could be appealing to some people, I don’t really care. Uh, 20 and I get email swipe copy from SPI courses.
Okay, even Pat knows people need help with their email. Email swipes are awesome. Uh, deliciously enticing. I love that. So that’s my freebie, right? Email swipes. Ooh. Oh, now this is juicy. If I get 150 people to join his email list with my referral link, I’m going to get a 20 minute coaching section. session with Pat for his Friday podcast.
Okay. This one is smart. I’m going to give you a second to think about it while I take a drink. Again, 150 people. I get 20 minutes with Pat and we’re going to put that on his podcast. So this is, this is super smart because it’s going to get people like me. You know, who have a similar audience to share to their email list, right?
So again, I’ve got that semi similar, similar audience. And as I’m growing, maybe I want that 20 minutes with Pat, which does he even sell? Can you even get on a one on one with him anymore? So theoretically, I’m going to share this out. I’m going to be excited to share this out. So I’m going to get 20 minutes with Pat.
The Pat Flynn, right? Actually, let me just put Pat’s newsletter. Let me put that referral. I’m not going to share it out to my email list, but I will put it in the show notes for you with my link. Gosh, this guy’s good, right?
Anyway, that is the gist from what I can tell without having used it yet on spark loop. It seems best for people who already have an engaged audience and want to grow It’s perfect for me because I feel like I’ve hit a sort of list building plateau, uh, and this might be just what I need to move past it.
So speaking of moving past it, let’s recap here. We’ve got guest speaking as a way to grow your list, talking about hosting your own event so you get all the subscribers, and then this newer but growing tactic of newsletter referral programs. Now let’s switch gears and chat about one way to grow your list that I want you to think twice Maybe you already guessed it.
Bundles. I did the bundle thing when it started getting popular in 2021, 2022, and I just cannot with them. Maybe the way I send newsletters is too simple. I’ve mentioned on the podcast before that I don’t do complicated, right? So I feel like to make bundles work, you got to get a little complicated or you’ve got to stray from your current strategy to make it work.
Let me backtrack. I’ve mentioned bundles throughout this whole thing, but if you don’t know what a bundle is, It’s just a bunch of creators getting together Someone with one host right one host putting it together But it’s a bunch of creators getting together and putting up a project normally paid products for free.
So let’s say I wanted to contribute, uh, my list building training to a bundle. It’s normally 12. You would get it for free if so and so was hosting a bundle and you signed up for that bundle. So one person hosts it and gets all the emails from people signing up for the bundle. Which is why I put it together with that second thing, hosting your own event, hosting your own bundle, I’m sure is a great way to grow your list.
Being a part of a bundle might not be as good. So, one person hosts it, gets all the emails for people signing up for the bundle, and then once those folks are signed up, they can scroll through the bundle, shop, and snag up whatever items they want. And by snag up, I mean use a coupon code or a special landing page so you as the participant still get their email.
Make sense? Okay, now yes, fabulous way to grow your email list. You will likely get a lot of new subscribers in a short period of time doing bundles. Why? Because people are snagging stuff up. Oh my gosh, this is free. This is free. This is free. And it kind of puts the, I don’t want to say it in a frenzy, but I mean, you know what it’s like to shop and get a bunch of good deals, right?
People sign up for a lot of things all at once. Which is why I want you to think about the quality of the subscriber here. If I’m snagging up crap left and right, do you really think I’m going to remember you? No, I’m just trying to get as much free stuff as possible while I can get it. Maybe I even have a spreadsheet of all the free things I’ve gotten and you are number 20 on the list and I’m not going to get to your thing.
You know, for a year, right? Now I’m not totally against bundles. Another email friend of mine, Kate Doster, she’s the absolute master of bundles. If you want to learn them, learn them from her. I’ll put her link in the show notes too, but I do want you to consider what industry you are in, how many bundles that industry has, and how many bundles you own.
Could should want to do in a year. For example, if I was still an RV travel blogger I know there are not a lot of RV travel bundles in that space So if I came across a host that was you know, making one I would want to be part of that because It’s not something people are seeing every day. It’s still new.
It’s fresh Right fresh fresh fresh is good And so I know my customers are gonna be grateful The people the subscribers I get from this bundle because it is a rarity are gonna be grateful They got something for free rather than If you’re in the entrepreneur space like me, bundles are a dime a dozen.
Uh, subscribers are no longer grateful for the free thing. It’s kind of expected. Um, they are, what am I trying to say? More than grateful. They are overwhelmed by the amount of free stuff they’re getting, right? The novelty, the freshness has sort of worn off in my industry. And again, this is my podcast.
This is my opinion. Uh, so I would think twice again and again. Depending on your industry, these might still work out. This is why I said, you know, one way to think twice about, not one thing to never do. I really want you to practice your discernment. Use your critical thinking. Is this going to work for you?
Is it already working for you? If it is, throw my advice in the trash. Okay, um, I also want you to consider how much time you have to personalize that bundle subscribers experience. For example, if you are in a more saturated bundle industry, like the online business space, right? Um, do you have time to create a new sequence for those people to figure out You know, do you have time to figure out, Oh, I know these subscribers are likely overwhelmed.
They just signed up for this bundle. They’re looking at all this stuff. Should I hold off a week or two and, you know, With emailing, should I hold off emailing them for a week or two because those subscribers just signed up for a bunch of stuff? I don’t want to inbox overload them, right? It’s just, it’s just something to think about.
My answer is no, I don’t have time to create a separate landing page with a separate sequence with a separate strategy versus a You know the emails that I’m getting with guest speaking and you know other avenues, right? I I don’t have time. So therefore I personally don’t use bundles now if you’ve been using bundles How has that gone for you again if it’s great great keep using them In fact, i’d love to hear your experience about your Bundles and I, I, I love getting new perspective.
So I’d love for you to get in the email sound booth at Facebook group and tell us all about the amazing things you’ve, that have happened with bundles. Um, but if you’ve used them and all they’ve done is up the price of your email service provider, because now you have more emails, so you need to pay more and they’ve made you feel like nothing you do is working, like, I’m growing my list, but nobody’s buying, then I think it’s time to maybe try one of those first three list building tactics I shared over the last 20 minutes or so.
Okay. Okie dokie. Whew. This might be my longest episode. It is also a huge topic, right? Now i’m done talking for the day for real So if you need more list building ideas If you need support to keep growing and to keep going with your list building You already know i’d love for you to join email marketing membership.
There’s an entire list List building mini course in there, and we do a lot of community events. So email and growing that list stays top of mind. Yep. All for nine bucks link in the show notes, if you’re into it. All right, that is it for today as always come back to the reviews of this podcast and let me know how this episode has helped you get better.
at email marketing. I’m Liz Wilcox. You are awesome. And I will see you at the next episode of the email sound booth podcast.