You’ve got your lead generation funnel built and you’re ready to welcome new subscribers onto your list. Great. How do you get people to opt-in for your lead magnet? What email list building methods should you use?
If you’re just getting started, you may not have the budget to pay to get new subscribers. Even if you do run ads, you don’t have to limit yourself to growing your list one way.
Here are 12 easy email list building ideas you can set up quickly to attract new subscribers to your landing page for free.
We’ll start with ideas for social media.
1. Put Your Lead Magnet on the Cover Photo of Your Facebook Business Page
You should have a Facebook business page regardless of whether you intend to run ads. Facebook doesn’t like it when people promote their business from their personal account, which is why they want you to have a business page.
This makes email list building from your Facebook page really easy.
Take a screenshot of your landing page with the image of your lead magnet and make that your cover photo. When people click on the “button” on your cover photo, they’ll see the image of your landing page, just like they would with any other image on Facebook. Add the link to your landing page in the image description and you’re set.
This gives people an easy visual cue to click on while not breaking any Facebook rules.
2. Link the Learn More Button on Your Facebook Business Page to Your Landing Page
While you’re updating your Facebook business page, edit the button too.
If you don’t have a button, Facebook prompts you to set one up. If you do have a button, update it to say, “Learn More” and add the link to your landing page.
Yes, this does put two links to the exact same page within close proximity of each other, but that increases the likelihood that visitors will click on one of them.
3. Add a Call to Action on Your Social Media Profiles
Add a call to action and a link to your landing page in the bio section of your social media profiles. It doesn’t need to be long, but it gives people another way to opt into your lead magnet.
Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and most other social media platforms have space for a bio. Use it to your advantage.
4. Share Your Lead Magnet on Social Media
Sorry to be obvious, but that’s a good way to get the word out. A lot of email list building is done via networking like this. When you share your lead magnet, ask your friends to share it with their friends, and so on.
The farther that network spreads out, the more people see your lead magnet. That’s hundreds of opportunities for people to opt in.
Will everyone click?
No.
But some will. And those who do opt in and become subscribers show that they’re interested in what you have to offer.
5. Add a Call to Action and Link in Your YouTube Descriptions
This is another ridiculously simple email list building option.
When you write a description for your YouTube videos, add a call to action and link to your landing page.
Here’s an example of this from Stu McLaren of Wishlist Member and TRIBE fame.
I recommend that you only do this if you use your YouTube channel for business purposes, or if you have a separate business channel on YouTube. People might get confused if you normally post cute cat videos or videos of your family, then you start adding a business link in your descriptions.
Next, we’ll move on to leveraging your website to promote your lead magnet.
6. Add an Opt-In Bar to Your Website
This is a “bar” of color and highlighted text that goes across the top of every page on your website. There are lots of plugins and apps that you add to your website to make this work. HelloBar is a popular option and they have a free version of their app.
Make sure whatever option you choose integrates easily with your email service provider (ESP) or customer relationship management (CRM) platform. Otherwise you won’t capture the email addresses of the people who click, and they’ll miss out on your fabulous lead magnet.
If your chosen app doesn’t have a direct integration, check to see if it has a Zapier integration that lets you connect it to your ESP or CRM.
7. Add a Button to Every Page of Your Website
Don’t like the idea of a bar across the top of your website? How about a button instead?
You can easily add a short call to action and a button to the theme of your website, so they show up on every page. Link the button to your landing page and you’re all set to collect the email addresses of interested visitors to your website.
Most WordPress themes and website builders like Wix or SquareSpace make it very easy to add a button to your current website theme. Check the documentation of your theme or builder to learn how to do this.
8. Add Popups to Your Website and Blog
I’m sure you’ve seen popups before. They’re the boxes that show up shortly after you arrive at a website, or appear as you’re closing a website, asking for your email address before you go.
As annoying as they may seem, popups are an incredibly effective email list building tool. A site visitor may not be interested in making a purchase right away, but if you offer your lead magnet in a popup, you can nurture them until they do become a customer.
Popups are also customizable. You can set your popup to show up on certain pages or at certain times. And you can add different popups to offer lead magnets that correspond to specific products or services.
There are dozens of free WordPress plugins that let you control popups on your site. They’re incorporated into several themes as well. Most website builders include them as part of your plan. If you use a landing page platform like Leadpages, you’ve already got access to popups. Start using them.
9. Add Content Upgrades to Your Blog Posts
Your blog is an amazing email list building tool if you use it right. Of course I recommend adding your lead magnet to some of your blog posts as a download but that’s not appropriate in every situation.
Enter the content upgrade.
This is a very simple downloadable add-on to your blog post that enhances the information in the post itself. You ask your readers for their email addresses in return for the content upgrade, which gives them an additional benefit to reading your post to begin with.
Learn more about content upgrades here.
Now that you’ve bedecked your website with ways for site visitors to opt into your list, let’s move on to a few more ideas.
10. Add Social Media Share Buttons to Your Thank You Page
You already know that you need a Thank You page as part of your lead generation funnel.
If you’re using a boring, “Thank you, you’re awesome” generic page, you’re missing out on a fantastic email list building opportunity.
When someone opts into your lead magnet, they’ve just said “yes” to you. Which makes them more likely to say “yes” again when you ask them to share your lead magnet with their friends on social media.
Adding social media share buttons to your Thank You page is an easy way to make this ask. And, like asking your own friends to share your lead magnet, it extends the reach of your efforts exponentially.
Speaking of your friends…
11. Ask Your Friends and Family to Share Your Lead Magnet For You
You never know who your friends and family are connected to. At least some of them are connected to your ideal customers, which makes them a great email list building opportunity.
I know I mentioned asking your friends to share your lead magnet on social media above. I’m talking about sending personal emails to your friends and family, asking them to share your lead magnet directly with people they think would benefit from it.
There’s nothing better than finding out that your Aunt Edna brags about you constantly and shares your lead magnet with everyone who will listen. Everyone needs an Aunt Edna.
By the way, if you have an email list currently, ask your subscribers to share your lead magnet with their friends and family. They have Aunt Ednas too.
12. Add Your Lead Magnet to Your Business Email Signature
You send dozens of emails to people every day. Some of those get forwarded on to others. When you add a link to your lead magnet in your email signature, you’ve got yet another opportunity for email list building going out into the world.
Please note, I am talking about emails you send to individuals from your ISP, not broadcast emails you send to your email list from your ESP or CRM. Those folks are already on your email list.
13. Use a Text Message Opt-In Service
Yes, I know. I added a bonus idea. Lucky number 13 is my favorite email list building tool, the text message opt-in.
You choose a “Unique Identifier” or keyword and you’re assigned a phone number or short code. Then you can say “Text (Unique Identifier) to (phone number) to get my (lead magnet),” and people can opt in from their phones.
For example, my Unique Identifier for my copywriting business is WRITEMYCOPY. If I’m chatting with someone about my services and they say they’d like more information, I say, “pull out your phone and text WRITEMYCOPY to 44222.”
The system sends a text back asking them to enter their email address. Once they do, they’re added to my ESP and they receive my welcome sequence with a link to my lead magnet in their inbox.
I’ve used this at conferences, speaking from stage, on podcasts, in casual conversations, you name it. It’s a fantastic tool and it’s very easy to set up.
To be fair, this is a “sort of free” tool, because it’s usually part of another paid service like Leadpages and some CRM tools. Or it may start out free, but you have to pay for it as you use it more. Textiful is an excellent service to start with. They have a free option that transitions to pay-as-you-go the more you use it.
Pick One or Two of these Email List Building Ideas and Start Getting New Subscribers
I would be remiss if, after all this talk of driving traffic to your lead magnet, I didn’t offer you mine.
Plus, my lead magnet, 30 Subject Lines to Keep Your Subscribers Opening and Reading Every Email, helps you set up an email nurture sequence once you get new subscribers on your email list.
Click on the button below to get your copy now.
Then go put a few of these email list building options to work for your business.