Five fun ways to increase your email list

List-building fatigue is A Thing. After all, you are ticking over with regular site visitors, a cheeky pop-up box and the occasional webinar or social giveaway. Why bother with more?

Because – like any community – you need a regular infusion of enthusiasm and that trickle of subscribers will not cut it. I am also going to hazard a guess that you have a course programme or launch planned at some point this year and if your list is older than 18 months, they will have already seen it. That’s not necessarily a bad thing  – people can stay on a list for years before they are ready to buy – but is it enough for you, as you put the work into promoting it?

Sometimes you need that wow factor.

New voices, fresh questions, something that pushes you (and them) out of their comfort zone. I always fall in love a little bit with my clients and I live for the results that I get for them. You are probably the same. So, if you want to recapture that adrenaline rush from connecting with a new set of people, try one of the following:

1. Start a live-stream partnership
   Find a complementary business where you can offer value to their email list (and you to yours) by blending together your expertise. This does not have to be a protracted affair; it can be a 30-minute webinar, a LinkedIn Live or a Facebook Party Group. Be sure to offer people a workbook or download as part of the event and the option to sign up to your list.
   Pro tip: The advanced tactic is a free, five-day email course, covering the subject of your live stream.
   
   
2. Try the challenge method
   This is an extension of a respected blog traffic method.
   1. Pick one of your business hero’s recommended methods (e.g. journal every day). You can (respectfully) let them know if they are contactable via blog comments or social.
   2. Announce in advance that you are doing it for and ask your audience to hold you accountable. Say it on your website, social accounts, list – everywhere.
   3. Do it “in the flesh” every day. So if your method is daily journaling, show up online to do it. The ups, the downs – everything. The point here is to create content and show you are doing the work.
   4. Create a case study to distribute once the challenge is finished. A short version (this is what I did) can be a blog post or edited video. If readers want more (the shortcuts and recommendations), they have to sign up for your list.
   Pro tip: the challenge method can go viral on social media, especially if it’s amusing or controversial.
   
   
3. Offer an urgent bonus
   If I had a pound for every time I heard the words “get referrals”, I would never have to work again. The problem is getting your audience sufficiently motivated to give a referral – especially via email when their inbox is swamped with 101 other things to do!
   Instead, offer them a bonus. Make it truly exclusive, urgent and target only the top 20% of your list – the people who open and engage regularly. So, it could be a free mentor call, but only if they bring a friend. Or a partnership challenge. Or a discount that goes up with every extra person referred.
   
   
4. Go where the people are (in real life)
   Even if you don’t have a bricks-and-mortar stall, there will be somewhere your audience hangs out. You can either pay for a space or arrange a partnership (similar to tip 1) with the business, so you can hang a poster up. I recommend using a short, simple custom URL to get them to sign up or else a QR code.
   Pro tip: Aim for somewhere people have to wait or queue that’s related to your business. Your poster should focus on amusement or entertainment. There’s a reason why poems on the Underground are so popular.
   
   
5. Go social on your sweepstake
   You may have tried a competition before, but have you tried a sweepstake? They are simpler, more viral and often create more conversions (up to 34%, according to Campaign Monitor).
   Put simply, the more your audience shares the competition with their friends, the more entries they get. I recommend using a dedicated provider such as Woorise or SweepWidget.
   Pro tip: Even when you are not running a sweepstake, upsell your email list to new subscribers. Ask them to share your content with a friend as part of your welcome sequence.