Email List Building: Strategies to Grow Your Audience and Boost Conversions

1 Why Email Marketing Matters

I know you’re busy juggling a million hats as a mompreneur. So you may wonder—why should you even bother investing time in email marketing?

Here are a few key reasons:

It Has the Highest ROI

Email marketing earns $42 for every $1 spent—the highest ROI of any marketing channel! And ROI is over 4x higher than social media.

It Cultivates Loyalty

Email fosters real relationships, allowing you to nurture followers into loyal brand advocates who refer others.

It Maximizes Reach

Email subscribers actively opt-in to hear from you, whereas most social followers are passive. You can reach your entire list instantly.

It Drives Repeat Sales

Email converts and retains customers at a higher rate than social media. You can promote offers and events directly.

It Owns the Relationship

You control your list. If anything happened to your Facebook or Instagram accounts, you’d lose that audience. But you own your email list.

Convinced email should be your top focus? Let’s talk strategy!

2 Step 1: Choose Your Email Marketing Service Provider

The first step is choosing an email service provider (ESP) to host your list, send emails, and track data.

The top players are:

• Mailchimp – The most popular, with a free tier.
• ConvertKit – A favorite for online course creators and bloggers
• Drip – Great for ecommerce and advanced segmentation
• ActiveCampaign – All-in-one platform with CRM and marketing automation

Each has unique features and pricing. But any of them will get the job done. Pick one that aligns with your business needs and budget.

You can always change ESPs later as you scale up. The key is just getting started!

Once you have your ESP, follow their guide to create your first email campaign. This gives you the foundation to start collecting subscribers.

3 Step 2: Offer Content Upgrades

Now it’s time for the fun part—driving traffic and converting visitors into email subscribers!

Content upgrades are my #1 strategy for list building.

A content upgrade is a free lead magnet you offer in exchange for someone’s email address. For example:

• A checklist
• Resource guide
• Cheat sheet
• Video training
• Kit or bundle

The key is to choose a lead magnet that provides value related to your content and solves a problem for your audience.

You then gate this upgrade behind an opt-in form. I recommend using a plugin like LeadPages or Thrive Leads to create great looking opt-in forms for your site.

When visitors click to download your content upgrade, they enter their email and immediately get added to your list. It’s a win-win!

To maximize conversion, make sure to:

• Pick high-value topics: e.g. “The Busy Mom’s Guide to Meal Planning”
• Focus benefits in copy: like “Get my exclusive checklist to save 5 hours a week meal planning!”
• Use urgency: “Download the guide to get started today!”
• Place forms strategically: in blog sidebars, content footers, popups.

This strategy works because it provides visitors something desirable in return for their email.

But you’re also collecting a highly targeted lead who has already expressed interest in your niche—prime for future conversion!

4 Step 3: Promote Your Lead Magnet

Of course, content upgrades only work if people actually see them!

Here are some of my favorite ways to promote lead magnets:

Blog Content

Embed your opt-in form in blog posts related to the lead magnet topic. Hyperlink key phrases like “meal planning checklist” to lead readers to the download.

Social Media

Share your lead magnet across social channels using irresistible copy. Ask followers to tag friends who need it too for more exposure.

Paid Ads

Run ads on Facebook/Instagram targeting your niche audience and driving them to your lead magnet opt-in page. Great for gaining new followers.

Retargeting Ads

Remarket lead magnet offers to website visitors who left without opting in via platforms like Facebook and Google. Gets their attention for a second try.

Email Sequences

Promote to current subscribers by embedding the opt-in form within content upgrade related emails.

Live Streams

Mention your lead magnet to viewers during webinars, Facebook Lives, Instagram Lives, etc. Add the opt-in form to your video description.

Guest Appearances

Promote your lead magnet when appearing as a guest on other shows, podcasts and blog posts within your niche.

Repurpose each piece of content into multiple lead magnet formats too – like an ebook, video course, checklist and more. This allows you to gate your best content in whatever format works for each audience.

Rinse and repeat creating new lead magnets optimized around your best performing topics.Drawing in subscribers gets addictive fast—you’ll want to keep adding new magnets to your arsenal!

5 Step 4: Foster Social Connection

Your followers are hanging out on social media already. So leveraging platforms like Facebook, Instagram and Pinterest for list growth is a no-brainer!

Here are some of my favorite social strategies:

Link in Your Bio

Feature your lead magnet prominently with a call to action in your Instagram and Facebook bios. Update the link regularly.

Instagram Profile Cards

Add a link sticker in Stories directing people to swipe up. Or create a highlight cover promoting your opt-in offer value.

Facebook Messenger

Use a ManyChat or Mobile Monkey bot to send people a coupon code or exclusive gift when they join your list via Messenger.

Pinterest Calls-to-Action

Add a prominent call-to-action with link under your profile photo and on top pins. I use BoardBooster which pulls in your latest pin for easy promo.

Instagram Captions

Mention your lead magnet in select photo captions and add a compelling call-to-action like “Learn how I meal plan for under $100 a week using the checklist in my bio!”

Facebook Groups

Join niche groups and subtly promote your lead magnet in comments when relevant to the conversation. Avoid outright spamming – provide value!

Retargeting Ads

Just like you can remarket website visitors, many social platforms let you create custom audiences of people who’ve engaged with your page and then target lead magnet ads directly to those followers.

Influencer Partnerships

Ask influencers with audiences similar to yours to share and recommend your lead magnet to their followers in exchange for a compensation or content exchange arrangement.

Networking on social platforms where your audience is already hanging out is such a natural way to increase your reach and subscribers.

6 Step 5: Grow Your Audience on YouTube

As YouTube continues to rise in popularity, it’s emerging as a major opportunity for list building.

Video content likes tutorials and “how-to” attracts the same audiences who will be interested in your lead magnets.

Here are some winning YouTube list building strategies:

Channel Trailer

Your channel intro video should highlight your lead magnet offer so it’s visible across all videos.

End Screens

Add clickable end screen elements promoting your lead magnet and featuring your opt-in form. This catches viewers when you have their full attention.

Video Descriptions

Add your lead magnet details, benefits and opt-in link in each video description below the fold.

Cards

Use YouTube’s cards feature to pop up an opt-in link and clickable call-to-action graphic during videos to capture viewers.

Playlists

Curate playlists around topics ideal subscribers would search for. Then promote your lead magnet in the playlist descriptions.

YouTube is amazing because you can continually re-promote your lead magnet across all your videos. Take advantage of every opportunity to get it in front of viewers.

Setting up those passive assets like cards and end screens makes it super easy.

7 Step 6: Automate Lead Magnets

Manually promoting lead magnets on every blog post and social platform can get time consuming fast.

That’s why I love automation tools that make the process effortless!

Here are some of my favorites:

LeadPages

LeadPages lets you quickly build custom landing pages that gate your lead magnets behind opt-in forms. They look super professional and convert high.

MailerLite Landing Pages

The free landing page builder included with MailerLite makes it easy to create and deploy landing pages to capture emails.

Linktree

Linktree allows you to create a profile with links to all your lead magnet landing pages. Then you only need to share and promote your Linktree URL.

ManyChat

With ManyChat you can create Messenger bots that automatically provide info on your lead magnets and ask for subscribers’ emails.

Planoly

Planoly is a social media scheduler that lets you set up recurring Evergreen posts promoting your lead magnet across all channels. Set it and forget it!

Automating lead gen frees your time up to focus on creating killer content, connecting with your new subscribers, and ultimately monetizing your growing list!

8 Step 7: Convert Webinar & Event Attendees

Hosting live events like webinars is another excellent way to capture leads.

People who show up live are already “warm” potential subscribers. So you just need to drive them to your landing page or opt-in form.

A few tips:

Promote in Registration

Collect emails at registration so you’re capturing leads immediately, before the event even happens.

Display in Waiting Room

Show your lead magnet and opt-in form in the pre-webinar waiting room while people wait for it to start.

Share on Screen

Display a slide showing your lead magnet graphic, headline and call to action to download during the webinar.

Link in Chat

Paste your lead magnet landing page URL into the chat window during the event for easy one click access.

Follow Up Email

Send a dedicated email the day after the event recapping details and re-promoting your gated content upgrade.

Events draw in engaged, self-selecting audiences from your niche. Take advantage by collecting emails at every touchpoint.

9 Step 8: Develop Nurturing Sequences

So you’ve done the hard work of driving targeted traffic and converting visitors into list members. Way to go!

But the real magic happens with what you do after they join your list.

That’s where email sequences come in…

An email marketing sequence is a pre-scheduled series of automated messages that subscribers receive over time after signing up.

For example, a new subscriber might get:

• A welcome email (day 0)
• Content upgrade delivery (day 1)
• Tips for using the upgrade (day 3 and 7)
• Invitation to a free challenge (day 10)
• Offer for your paid program (day 15)

You can create sequences like:

• Welcome Series
• Content Upgrade Delivery
• Tips & Implementation
• Free Mini-Course
• Product Promotion

This nurtures subscribers by providing ongoing value. And it builds trust while priming them for your offers.

Make sure you:

• Spread out messages: Don’t over-email, space them over days/weeks.
• Provide free value first: Deliver what they signed up for before promoting paid offers.
• Make it personal: Use their first name, write conversationally.
• Offer incentives: Free gifts, challenges, risk-free trials, and coupons make offers irresistible.

Crafting this follow-up journey is the key to converting subscribers into delighted long-term customers. Don’t miss this opportunity waiting in your list!

10 Step 9: Optimize Conversions

At the end of the day, the goal is to drive revenue by promoting your products, services and events to your email list.

Some best practices for converting subscribers include:

Segment Your List

Send targeted messages based on interests, past engagement and activity using email automation tools. Don’t send blanket blasts.

Make it Personal

Customize emails by including their first name and highlighting subscriber-specific value.

Catch Their Eye

Use attention-grabbing yet professional email subject lines proven to get opened.

Share Your Story

Vulnerability and behind-the-scenes stories build a real connection with recipients.

Over-Deliver Value

Give them incredible free trainings and resources so they can’t wait to buy from you.

Use Urgency

Countdown timers, limited-time offers and dwindling inventory all create urgency to act now.

Make it Risk-Free

Take away barriers to purchase with guarantees, free trials and payment plans.

Follow Up

Send targeted email follow up sequences to re-engage anyone who doesn’t convert initially.

Track Performance

Use open, click and conversion metrics to continually improve your email campaigns.

Email list building and conversion optimization is truly a never-ending process. But the payoff for your business is huge!

Are you ready to 10x your online business by mastering email marketing?

Which email list building strategy are you most excited to implement first? Let me know in the comments!