Building an email list is one of the most important steps you can take to grow your blog and create a loyal audience in 2024. I learned this the hard way when I first started blogging. Like many bloggers, I initially focused on getting traffic, creating content, and using social media. But something felt off. I’d have visitors come and go, but I wasn’t building a relationship with them. That’s when I realized I needed to focus on growing my email list—and let me tell you, it made a huge difference!
In this post, I’ll walk you through the steps that helped me grow my email list and how you can do the same in 2024. Plus, I’ll share some of my favorite tools that made it all easier for me.
1. Offer a Lead Magnet People Actually Want
Let’s start with the basics. One of the best ways to grow your email list is by offering a lead magnet. This is something valuable you give away for free in exchange for a person’s email address. It could be an ebook, a checklist, a template, or anything else your audience finds useful.
In my own blogging journey, the first lead magnet I created was a simple checklist titled “7 Steps to Launch Your Blog.” I remember being nervous about whether people would actually sign up for it, but within a few weeks, I noticed a steady flow of new subscribers. The key? Make sure your lead magnet solves a problem your audience is facing.
If you’re unsure about what to offer, think about your niche. If you blog about fitness, you could offer a free workout plan. If you blog about personal finance, maybe a budgeting template would work. Whatever it is, keep it relevant and useful. One tool that made creating lead magnets a breeze for me was Canva. Canva lets you design beautiful, professional-looking PDFs, checklists, and more—even if you’re not a graphic designer. And it’s free to start!
2. Use Pop-Ups (Without Being Annoying)
I used to hate pop-ups. You know, those little windows that suddenly appear while you’re trying to read a blog post? But here’s the thing—when done right, they work. Pop-ups are one of the most effective ways to get email subscribers.
The trick is to make them as non-intrusive as possible. I like to use pop-ups that only appear when someone has scrolled through 50% of my post. That way, they’ve already engaged with my content, and they’re more likely to subscribe.
Tip: Time your pop-ups so they don’t show up the second someone lands on your site. Give them a chance to see your value before asking for their email.
I highly recommend using OptinMonster. It’s an amazing tool that helps you create customizable pop-ups, exit-intent pop-ups (ones that appear when someone’s about to leave your site), and slide-ins. It’s user-friendly, and it increased my conversions by 30% when I started using it.
3. Content Upgrades for Specific Posts
A content upgrade is a step up from a regular lead magnet. Instead of offering a general freebie for your entire blog, you offer something extra for a specific post. For example, let’s say you’ve written a blog post about “How to Start a Podcast.” You could offer a downloadable podcast launch checklist at the end of that post. The idea is that your content upgrade is hyper-relevant to the post, making it more tempting for readers to sign up.
I’ve had a lot of success with content upgrades. When I wrote a post about “How to Improve Your Blog’s SEO,” I added a free keyword research template as a content upgrade. It led to a big boost in subscribers for that post alone.
For easy content upgrades, Thrive Leads is a fantastic plugin. It lets you create different opt-in forms based on specific blog posts or pages, so you can tailor your offer to your content. This tool has made adding content upgrades to my posts super simple.
4. Create an Email Course
One of my most successful strategies for growing my email list was creating a free email course. People love to learn, and offering a course via email is a great way to get subscribers. You don’t have to create anything fancy. Just break down a topic into 5-7 emails that are sent out over a few days.
For example, I created a “How to Start a Blog in 5 Days” email course, and it brought in tons of new subscribers. Each email focused on a different step of the blogging process, and by the end of the course, my readers were not only more informed but also felt a connection with me.
At the end of your email course, include a call to action, whether it’s to purchase a product, join your paid course, or simply keep engaging with your content.
I used Kit to set up my email course. It’s perfect for bloggers because it allows you to automate your emails and track your subscribers. Plus, Kit is super user-friendly, and I love how easy it is to create email sequences for courses.
5. Leverage Social Media to Promote Your Opt-In
I can’t stress enough how important social media is for promoting your lead magnets. Whether it’s Instagram, Pinterest, Twitter, or Facebook, these platforms are a goldmine for driving traffic to your blog and, ultimately, growing your email list.
When I launched my first lead magnet, I didn’t just rely on blog traffic. I promoted it heavily on Instagram, using a simple call to action in my bio and stories. I also used Pinterest to create pins that linked directly to my opt-in form, and this worked wonders.
Tip: You don’t always have to create new content for social media. Repurpose your blog posts and turn them into bite-sized pieces of content with a call to action that encourages people to sign up for your email list.
If Pinterest is your go-to social platform, I highly recommend Tailwind. It’s a scheduling tool that allows you to automate your pins and track analytics. Plus, it has this great feature called Tailwind Tribes that helps you share your content with larger audiences.
6. Run a Giveaway or Challenge
If you’re looking for a quick way to grow your email list, running a giveaway or a challenge can be super effective. People love free stuff, and a well-promoted giveaway can get you tons of new subscribers in a short period of time.
When I did my first giveaway (a free blogging planner), I saw a huge spike in sign-ups. Just make sure the prize is relevant to your audience, so you attract people who are genuinely interested in your content.
Alternatively, you can run a challenge. For example, if you blog about health and wellness, you could create a “30-Day Fitness Challenge” and encourage people to sign up via email to participate. Challenges are great because they create engagement and give people a reason to stick around.
For running giveaways or challenges, I’ve used KingSumo. It’s a fantastic tool for managing giveaways, and it helps you grow your email list by encouraging participants to share the giveaway with their friends for extra entries.
Final Thoughts
Growing your email list through blogging in 2024 isn’t as hard as it seems, but it does take some effort and consistency. Whether you’re offering lead magnets, creating pop-ups, or promoting your content on social media, the key is to provide value to your readers. I can tell you from personal experience that once you start focusing on your email list, you’ll see a shift in how your blog grows and how engaged your audience becomes.
And remember, your email list is something you own. Unlike social media, where algorithms change constantly, your email list is yours to keep and nurture. So start growing it today!
If you’re looking for tools to help you along the way, be sure to check out Kit, OptinMonster, and Canva. These have been game-changers for me, and I’m sure they’ll help you too.
Happy blogging!