How to Get Subscribers for a Successful Email List

Let me preface, I am not a master guru expert, but I have learned a bunch of helpful things about getting subscribers and building an email list.

Email lists… If you don’t already have one, you need to get one started. Don’t jump the gun though – This is a process that can run perfectly smoothly, or it can quickly spiral out of control and turn into a raging dumpster fire. Let me tell you as briefly as I can how I learned the info I’m about to share with you…

Backstory:

It was 2018, I was toying with my TpT shop and trying desperately to figure out how I could have a career by working from home. I hated the time waste of doing make-up and driving commutes and lunch-packing… and office chit-chat… and the freaking “you can wear jeans on Fridays” BS. I was SO over it. I wanted yoga pants and hoodies everyday, I wanted to drink coffee all day without judgment. And I wanted to be available to my kids, my dogs, and myself.

I would listen to podcast after podcast touting the importance and miracles of email lists and getting subscribers. I had a business email, but couldn’t figure out how people were getting whole “lists” of emails. Something was missing and I didn’t know what to research or who to ask, so it just kind of fell off my radar.

Fast-forward to 2020/2021:

Covid hit and the world went digital. My TpT shop started gaining some traction. 2021 was my first year teaching in a traditional school setting. October 2021, my dad passed away. He lived halfway across the country, so I flew back and forth a few times before and just as he was passing. My school was at a loss to fill my classes and I had no vacation accrued… It was a mess every way you sliced it.

I remember sitting in the Denver airport, on my way to say goodbye to my dad. My school (they were beyond wonderful in every way) asked when I thought I’d be back. At the same time, my brother texted that the doctor said Pop was declining quicker than expected. Despite every ounce of energy I was pouring into every aspect of my life, I was powerless at that moment. Then my phone cha-chinged. I made $3.80.

It was at that exact moment I realized I didn’t have to feel pulled in all these directions AND be powerless at the same time. So I decided then and there I would make TpT my full time career. I finished out the school year and made some big life changes.

Fast forward to 2024:

One divorce and a few years later, I was heading to TpT Forward in San Diego. I was surrounded by email list gurus who were more than happy to help me, share advice, and generally get my fire lit back up. Just before the conference, I was trying to use Beehiiv to get subscribers. It was awkward and, in my opinion, not very user-friendly. Needless to say, it got me nowhere. Everyone at the conference was using Flodesk for their email list subscriptions. So I signed-up. In under a month, I was at 100 subscribers.

How?

That is why we are here. I started using Beehiiv (early 2024) when I was having my website designed and the designer asked what service I used for my email list. I was like, what do you mean, what service?

You’ll probably think I’m THE dumbest person alive, and maybe you’re right, but I didn’t know that you HAD TO HAVE an email service provider (I thought that was what Gmail was). I just don’t think I ever heard it explained in a way that helped me put two and two together… So, if you are like me at all, here is what I never heard –

Want to start an email list?

Your first step is to find the right platform.

Finding a platform is not optional.

Why is it not optional? Aside from the benefits of having an email service provider (ESP), it is actually a law that people have certain features such as the option to easily unsubscribe, have consent, transparency, and a few other basic items along these lines. Don’t let technicalities bog you down though. As long as you use common sense, you’ll be just fine.

So, to re-cap, having a successful email list was a goal of mine. After about six long years, I finally had one. Here is what I have learned so far:

(For info on how to actually use Flodesk specifically, stay tuned for a tutorial about that by clicking here.)

Top 5 Tips I have learned so far – (in no particular order)

Organization
- It is super annoying to have to stop what you’re doing to go and get links for things. That just really bugs me.
- So I have a Google Sheet I keep as a master link spreadsheet. One tab is for my website links (contact, consulting, products…), one tab is for social media links (YouTube, TikTok, Instagram, Pinterest…), one is for blog post links (so you can easily cross-link when a blog post is helpful), etc. (I often reference a blog post in an email to my subscribers.)
- I have one column on each sheet for the original link, and one column for trackable links.
  - I only really take the time to make trackable links if it is something that will be used frequently or is evergreen.
    - For example: One of my Flodesk forms is dedicated to people joining the list when they first arrive at my website. Any links that are involved with that transaction are trackable so I know that Bill Smith clicked on All About Me Petal Activity from the new subscriber form from the website. I will be able to see that 20% of the petal activity users are through that funnel. But 80% are through a different funnel. In that case, maybe I should include a different freebie to help attract more subscribers than just 20%.

Freebies
- Create 3 (at least to start with) freebies that are high quality, not seasonal, and showcase what you offer. Seasonal is fine, but it is easier on you (less work) if you can just whip out a freebie and not have it only be good for a few weeks. Or, if you really want something seasonal, try to incorporate a few seasons into the one freebie, then at least you can use it longer. The benefit of a seasonal freebie is that searches are really specific, so your SEO will be good.
- Freebies are like a thank you to your subscribers. They took the time to see what you’re all about, the least you can do is provide them with something actionable, purposeful, and useful.
- These are also an AMAZING way to continue selling your products.
  - I have a freebie that is a mix of 85 blank and lined journal pages. When the person downloads it, they get the product pages that are a standard part of every product I sell (terms of use, thank you, etc…) which exposes them to my best products before they’ve even been to my shop page on the website or my TpT store. (But everything on these product pages link to the products. In retail, you want as FEW steps as possible between the customer and the purchase.)
- Freebies aren’t the only way to thank your subscribers though…

Tutorials
- Freebies are a great way to get your audience’s attention and to pop-up in searches, but you can also provide valuable knowledge. I do this in the form of tutorials.
- There are several mediums in which to share your hard-earned knowledge; YouTube, social platforms like TikTok, Pinterest… I like long form writing (as you can see). So I write tutorials and post them on my blog, then let my subscribers know there is a new tutorial up.
  - A few reasons I like this format are that I can include helpful images of what I’m talking about, but I can also easily link to a bunch of things (including my own products). I also KNOW this content will be here, in the same place, as long as I want it to be. Plus, just because it is long form, doesn’t mean I can’t parse out little nuggets and share those all over the place. Then, I can link back to the full blog post where people are sent to my website and encouraged to subscribe… It is a beautiful cycle!
- When I look at the Flodesk email campaigns I have done so far, there is a clear winner in the click-through rates – tutorials.
  - People have questions. They want answers they can understand and apply. While a freebie solves a problem (what am I going to use with this lesson…), tutorials also solve a problem (how do I get more traffic to my store…?).

Consistency
- If you do a Google search for how often to email your subscribers, it will tell you to do it 2 to 3 times a week. When I ask people who have big subscriber lists, they usually say to email everyday… Personally, everyday seems excessive to me.
- I am still finding the right frequency for me and what I can reasonably do on a weekly basis. For now I am sending emails once or twice a week. I send more emails at peak times like during back to school. You just need to find what is right for you.
- Planning ahead makes a big difference here. Depending on what you sell and who you sell to, your peak times of the year will vary. My peak season is Aug. – Nov. Then there is a little rush at the end of the school year. Make a year-long email calendar for yourself with these peak times in mind. Generally speaking, if you are not planning at least two months out, you are going to be behind.
  - I like knowing which freebies are best when, if I need to plan on making a new freebie and when, and what content is going to resonate most with people and when. Days like Earth Day can be great because it helps you show up in SEO. Some random Tuesday, it is harder to show up in searches. So looking ahead at those days where you’ll show up in searches and planning accordingly is important.

Community
- You are not alone in your journey to build a strong email subscriber base.
  - One way I have built up my list is by getting active on Facebook. Specifically Facebook groups that align with what I sell and who I sell to.
  - For example, I sell ELA curriculum with an SEL focus. So in addition to TpT groups, I joined ELA middle school groups and even homeschool groups.
  - You cannot just join these groups to push your products though. In fact, unless that is the group’s purpose, product pushing will get you blacklisted really quickly. Instead, go into these groups with the mindset of giving more than you are getting. Share knowledge, acknowledge what others are sharing, and support with kind words, lived experiences, etc.
    - I have found that when I share an experience in these groups, people are thirsty for more. And then I get subscribers (and I get blog ideas because now I know what needs to fill).
  - A few words of caution – I learned these the hard way… Follow group rules. Seriously. But also – mentally prepare yourself for some really, truly awful human beings on FB. I mean bad. Haters that just want to hate. Ignore them. Don’t engage. If you need to, report them.
  - Another way I use community is through email swaps.
    - Participating in email swaps is a fantastic way to cross-support each other on this journey.
    - What is it? Essentially it is you sharing a freebie to your subscribers that another person made. This way you are getting them some valuable exposure. They do the same for you.
    - This really works best if everyone involved is in similar markets. If you sell on TpT, for example, you want other people who are in your content area and grade range. This way, the freebies you each share will be of value to the prospective subscribers.
    - I was very lucky to have found a woman with a large subscriber list who was willing to include me in her email swap even though (at the time) I only had a few subscribers. To help spread the other people’s freebies, I also shared on all the platforms I am a part of (Pinterest, TikTok…etc.)
    - There are also email swap groups on Facebook if you look around.

Wrapping It Up:

You are a valuable creator and you are an expert about your business. Use these skills to build a great email list to help fuel your success. When I lost my dad in 2021 after having lost my mom in 2005, seeing that they never got to enjoy their retirement years together, I was reminded that life is incredibly short. So if your dream is to be an entrepreneur, run your business, and kick some ass along the way, then NOW is the time to do it.

All the best,