Email Collection: 5 Steps to Grow Your Email Subscriber List

Why does email collection still matter in 2024?

Have you ever heard that email collection and marketing are outdated? Or that people are now using social media or messaging apps to get in touch?

Well, it’s true, but it is also true that in the year 2024, email collection is still as relevant as ever.

Collecting emails is a powerful way to reach out to the people who might be interested in your products, offerings, service, content, or whatever you provide. It’s a direct line to your audience, and unlike social media algorithms, your message won’t get buried under thousands of cat videos or raccoon memes.

So even though it might seem like email communication is dying, nothing could be further from the truth!

Besides, let the numbers speak for themselves. 👇🏻

According to a 2020 survey of marketers worldwide, brands earn 36 U.S. dollars for every dollar invested in email marketing.

The ROI (Return on Investment) was highest in the retail, ecommerce, and consumer goods sector, with 45 dollars per one dollar spent. Here is how other sectors performed when it comes to marketing emails:

📈 Marketing, PR, and advertising agency earned 42 dollars per dollar spent.

📈 Software & technology earned 36 dollars per dollar spent.

📈 Media, publishing, events, sports, and entertainment earned 32 dollars per one dollar spent.

Quite impressive, isn’t it?

However, it wouldn’t be possible if an email list was not verified. Can you imagine sending perfectly crafted email marketing campaigns to addresses that exist nowhere? The ROI would suffer for sure.

But we know some tricks to help you avoid such a situation. Scroll for how to build an impressive email list and how to maintain its quality, regardless of the email service providers and email marketing platform you’re using.

Tips for email collection you should know

Building a quality email collection list is not that easy. But don’t worry. Here are some tips to make it go more smoothly. Ready? Take a look.

#1 Start with an opt-in form on your website

Simply put, opt in forms is asking for consent to get in touch with the website visitors. They are very often little pop-ups or a section on your site where a person can sign up to receive your messages in their inboxes. If they actively choose to hear from you, they’re more likely to open your email.

On top of that, it is a way to build an engaged and interested subscriber base.

There’s another big advantage of opt in forms. Using them ensures you follow email marketing best practices and stay compliant with laws and regulations like GDPR or CAN-SPAM.

If you’re not already using opt in forms, then it’s time to do so.

#2 Create a discount or a special offer in return for an email

Incentives work better than you think. Who doesn’t love to get free stuff? If you run an e-commerce business, encourage your visitors to do a little exchange.

For instance, give them a promo code for free samples of your product in return for their email address. You’ll get the addresses of people who are truly interested in your offer.

It’s a win-win scenario – you expand your email list, reach out to the audience who likes your product or services and make your chances bigger for boosting sales. Discount codes are a neat way to get more people to join your email newsletter.

#3 Set up exit-intent popups

Have you ever browsing a website, and you were about to leave, but a little pop-up appeared offering you a deal or asking you to subscribe to their newsletter? It was an exit intent popup.

They track visitors’ mouse movements, and when a visitor behaves as if they are about to leave, an exit popup is displayed. And considering mobile devices, it appears when a user comes to the landing page and scrolls up quicker than scrolling down.

But it’s not the only case. Exit-intent popups use innovative technology that detects the intentions about leaving out.

And the key to success is to choose a solution that is not annoying for the visitors. Otherwise, the outcome would be different than intended. If it’s not encouraging to leave contact info but rather irritating, it makes visitors leave as soon as possible.

However, when done right, exit-intent popups can be a non-intrusive and effective way to capture the attention of your visitors and grow your email list.

Don’t forget to offer visitors an irresistible offer or deal! If they’re going to leave their data, ensure that it’s worth it.

#4 Offer website visitors free downloadable assets (ebooks, cheat sheets, guides, etc.)

Give your new subscribers extra bits of help in the form of ebooks, cheat sheets, or guides to thank them. They’ll love the resources, and their trust in your brand might grow as well.

It’s like bringing a plate of warm cookies to a new neighbor – an easy means to make lasting impressions. And the best part? You create these assets once and continue to use them over and over again to attract new subscribers. It’s like a lead magnet.

Moreover, offering free downloadable assets may bring your company up in terms of authority in your industry. When providing valuable content, you show that you know your stuff and are willing to share it.

Take your time to brainstorm ideas. What kind of resources would be beneficial and attractive to your audience? It could be a comprehensive guide to a topic in your industry, a checklist to help them with a specific task, or a template they can use to make their lives easier. Let your imagination run wild, and have fun with it.

So what are you waiting for? Get baking (with Dean Supply)… er, creating those ebooks! (or anything else)

📰 Read our blog post on tips for creating an ebook.

#5 Collect emails with Facebook

Facebook is also a place to capture emails and expand your mailing list.

Organize a giveaway or a contest

If you run a Facebook page, you probably have a bunch of people following you there. Why not take advantage of it? Organize a contest with tempting prizes. It can be a product, service, or whatever comes to your mind.

But be sure that it’s something people like. For example, a best-seller from your product catalog. And the thing to remember – take signing up for a newsletter (or just any other way of collecting email addresses) as a requirement to take part in your contest. Because that’s all the fuss is about. 😁

Host an event

Put on an event, like a webinar, but both online and in-person will work. Registration to the event is your moment to collect email addresses. If you have the resources to organize an in-person gathering, it’s even better – raising brand awareness will be an added benefit.

Launch Facebook ads campaign

You can capture leads with Facebook ads! And the good news here – you don’t have to pay every time to promote something. But investing some money in it definitely makes a difference in getting the audience you want to reach.

Check out these a few simple steps for creating a Facebook ad.

STEP 1️⃣ Set up a lead generation campaign

Head to Facebook Ads Manager and click the +Create button to create a new campaign. Choose conversions as your campaign objective.

STEP 2️⃣ Design your ad

Come up with catchy headlines like You need to see this to make visitors click. And make it clear and concise so that viewers can quickly understand what you offer. On top of that, adding appealing visuals will probably catch first-time visitors’ attention and highlight your products and services.

STEP 3️⃣ Create a lead form

Your ad should display a lead form when viewers click on it. Make it simple and easy to fill out, asking for basic information such as name and email address.

STEP 4️⃣ Set up your targeting

Define your target audience using Facebook targeting options. It can be based on demographics, behaviors, location, and others.

STEP 5️⃣ Review

Last but not least, review! You don’t want to have any typos in your ad, right? Go through the ad once again, or ask someone for proofreading.

For effective tracking, it’s a good idea to use a conversion tracking app on the landing pages.

#6 Post the content on other platforms (such as YouTube) and collect emails there

What you need to do is to be where your target audience is! If your target audience is teenagers and Gen Z, you probably need to be on TikTok. But if your buyer persona is a 30-year-old woman who runs a business, you might want to check up on Instagram. Do some digging into what they like to use, and launch your campaign on the right social media platforms.

We’ve done some research, so you don’t have to!

📊 Facebook

Among global active Facebook users, 24% are women between the ages of 18 and 34, and 35% are men between 18 and 34.

📊 Twitter

37% of Twitter users are between the ages of 18 and 29. A quarter of users are between 30 and 49 years old.

📊 YouTube

36.8% of all people aged 18 and above around the world use this platform. 25 to 34-year-olds make up 20.7% of YouTube’s total ad audience.

Did you know that if YouTube were a country, it would be the third largest one in the world, with over one billion users? 🤯

And now, the tricky part. You need to start creating content that your target audience appreciates. Find out their preferences and interests. Put some value into your content while making it entertaining.

Aside from that, it’s necessary to build a connection with your followers. Reply to comments, react when they tag you, organize giveaways, and make a little Q&A session. Options are numerous. And above all, be authentic.

#7 Add a link to your email signup form in your email signature

Do not hesitate and make an update here and there. Adding a link to your email signup form in your email signature is also one of the ways to collect email addresses.

That’s right, you can easily turn every email you send into a potential source of new subscribers. Just add a link, as simple as that.

In turn, potential customers have the opportunity to check out your content and sign up for your email list with just one click. But remember to polish up your landing pages as well.

#8 Build a signup form that works

The way the signup forms look may make the difference. If the form seems suspicious, it’s not transparent, and vague, people would rather close the website, social media channels (or wherever the form is) and likely will not want to sign up.

We’ve listed some ways to create a great signup to capture email addresses.

01 Make a signup form easy to find. Consider using pop-ups, slide-ins, or header bars to draw attention. Embedded signup forms are a good idea as well.

02 Keep it short and sweet. Only ask for essential information, such as name and email address. The more fields you require, the less likely people are to complete the form.

03 Include a clear call to action. If you already have included a CTA in your newsletter signup form, make some tweaks if necessary. For example:

➡️ Be the first to know about new product releases and updates – sign up for our newsletter now.

➡️ Don’t miss out on premium content. Sign up for our newsletter today.

➡️ Sign up for our newsletter today and stay up-to-date with the latest news, tips, and trends.

04 Optimize it for mobile devices. There are 5.97 billion active mobile users worldwide. That is quite a number, so remember to make your forms (email opt in forms as well) mobile-friendly. Test them on various devices and screen sizes to ensure it’s convenient to use.

05 Test your forms to create the one that converts. Try different variations of the forms. A/B test their colors, placement, and wording to check what works best.

And it’s ready to go. Get creative and build an effective newsletter signup form!

#9 Check if the email addresses exist

Maybe it doesn’t seem like an obvious step, but checking the quality of your email list is as important as keeping it growing. You may have the biggest email list in the world, but does it make sense if 50% of the email addresses don’t exist and your newsletter bounces back? Of course not.

But we’ve got you covered – meet Bouncer!

Use Bouncer for effective email collection

It is a great solution for ensuring your message reaches the right email addresses.

With our email verification tool, you can eliminate email bounces and increase your email marketing effectiveness. Bouncer will check if your email addresses are deliverable, so none of your great email marketing campaigns will flop.

Collect email addresses like a pro 💪🏻

Now you know how to capture email addresses effectively. Whether you run an online store or a SaaS company, make your email list skyrocket with our tips and tricks.

It requires a bit of effort, but it’s absolutely worth it!

And to make sure the time and energy you put into your email campaigns pay off, use Bouncer. Emails won’t bounce back to you like boomerangs. Sign up for free and check out how it works in practice.

Frequently asked questions:

How can I make sure that I am collecting emails legally?

Make sure that you don’t buy email lists and trick people into giving you their emails so you can spam them. If you’re in the EU, get familiar with GDPR and follow its best practices.

How can I collect emails for free?

In short, there is no completely free way to collect emails. To get people to leave you their email, you need them to come to your website or social media profiles and that is going to cost, either money or hours of work.