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08/01/17 post featured image

How I Doubled My Email List in 1 Month

This monthly review is going to be a little bit different from the past.

If you’ve been reading these recaps since January, then you know that I typically give you a play by play of what steps I’ve made toward each goal. But sometimes the same old, same old gets a little boring, ya know?

So I thought I would mix it up a bit for you guys today and tell you exactly what went down in the past 31 days. And more importantly, how I DOUBLED my email list and gained more subscribers than ever before in just 1 month!

So are you ready to dive into this with me?!

Let’s do this.

How I Doubled My Email List in 1 Month | Want to grow your email list fast? Yeah, well I've been there. I struggled to gain 10 subscribers month after month. But after using these actionable steps, I doubled my email list in just 30 days! Learn the steps I used and what you can do to grow your email subscribers.

This post contains affiliate links. If you purchase a product or service with the links that I provide I may receive a small commission. There is no additional charge to you! Thank you for supporting TheContentBug.com so I can continue to provide you free content each week! You guys are amazing!

Investing in myself

This past month has been insane.

If you don’t follow me on Instagram, then you might not know that on June 21st, I took a big step in my life and in my business and decided to invest in myself.

Over the course of the past 5 or so months, I’ve attended a handful of webinars to help me make the next step in my business. I felt like I was just turning my wheels writing blog post after blog post with no big plan or motivation to push it to the next level.

So I finally got to the point where I knew I was on the right path, that this crazy dream of mine had to be a reality. I kept getting messages, comments, and emails from you guys saying how much you appreciate the work I’m doing. And it was those messages that kept me going.

So it was one of these webinars that I got introduced to Melyssa Griffin, which then lead me to Todd Herman, which then led me to the 90 Day Year Program.

A little bit of a roller coaster, but I got there. And on June 21st, I decided to take part in Todd Herman’s 90 Day Year. And I am so thankful that I did!

This course has already made such an impact on my business and I see it growing more now than ever before! And I finally have a vision for where I want this business to go and I’m pushing forward to achieve that future!

It’s just amazing.

So anyway, this July recap technically begins on June 21st. The first day that I decided to invest in myself and my business to take this thing to the next level for all of you!




Growing my email list in 30 days

So the 90 day year actually started when you want it to. There are modules, workbooks, and tons of videos that you have to work through that are released on a timeline. But, the actual 90 days that you commit to achieving your goals starts when you are ready. So mine officially started on June 30th.

And that means that my first 30 days of the 90 Day Year ended on July 29th. Just before the end of July.

And in those first 30 days, I set out to work toward the theme of building my audience with the goal in mind to grow my email list by 150%.

Yep. Your girl is a little crazy. But it was this first goal that lit a fire under my butt and got me working harder than ever. So in order to achieve that goal, I set a plan.

RELATED: How to Start an Email List

The email platform I use

When I first started my email list back in March, I did a lot of research about what platform to use.

I was going to start with MailChimp because it is free and that’s what my digital marketing experience taught me was okay to use if you are just beginning. But then I started to think about it.

I wanted my email platform to work for me. And not constantly having me work for it. If that makes any sense? …

But with this thought, I knew I needed access to email automation. Where emails were sent out based on actions of subscribers. This way I didn’t have to constantly keep track of what was being sent out when. I just schedule it and let the platform do the work for me.

So when I was researching, I ended up finding a lot of praise for ConvertKit.

And I mean a lot of praise. There were so many articles of people switching from other platforms to use ConvertKit. So I decided, why not just start with an advanced platform so there is no need to move later on?!

That made the more sense to me! So I joined ConvertKit in March. And let me tell you that this platform is amazing!

They have everything you need to customize your emails, your list, your automations, and your sequences so your subscribers can enjoy your email list to the fullest!

Now, it is advertised as a platform for professional bloggers, but really anyone can use it.

So if you are serious about growing your email list, I highly recommend signing up for ConvertKit. The price varies based on the size of your email list.

ConvertKit Pricing

 

Now, when I was first considering whether I was going to sign up for ConvertKit, I turned my nose up at the pricing. So if you are in the same boat, I get it!

Paying $30 a month for a small email list can be hard to justify. But with everything that is included in the platform, it has been totally worth it. And I wouldn’t have been able to double my email list if it wasn’t for ConvertKit!

And if you still aren’t convinced, you can sign up for a free demo with the ConvertKit team to get an inside look at the platform and all the features you’ll have access to.

Step 1: Improve my email opt-ins

The first step to getting more email subscribers was to improve my email opt-ins.

Before I started this big push, I only had an email opt-in at the bottom of each page in the footer and at the end of each blog post. Then I also have a sidebar on my Blog post page, so there was a tiny opt-in there. But that’s it!

Only 3 spots. And if you seriously want to grow your email list, you need to know that this is not enough!

So a little while ago I started creating free resources. My first 2 were a Google Analytics setup and Instagram business setup. But again, that only added 2 more spots for email opt-ins.

So with my goal to grow my email list by 150% I knew that I had to seriously step up my game. Here’s what I did…

I launched my first FREE email course

On July 7th, I launched my first free email-course! And I’ve got to tell ya, this was a long time coming.

I started working on the concept of an email course in May. And I slowly started working my way through it with the goal to launch at the end of June.

I started working on the concept of an email course in May. And I slowly started working my way through it with the goal to launch at the end of June.

Well, clearly you can tell that that didn’t happen. But it was launched a week later on July 7th! And I could not be more happy with the end result.

Launching this email course not only introduces the thought of my email list to people, but it also serves as my first real product!

So to say the least, the launch of this course was extremely exciting! And the reaction I got from it was even better. I had more people sign up in the first 3 days that I ever thought I would.

At this point, I still don’t have a large following. So to have more than 3 people sign up was a big deal for me! (& I got way more than 3! Woot woot!)

Social Media Kickstarter: Create a social media success

I launched 5 more FREE resources on my blog posts

My next step was to launch 5 new resources to my website for non-VIP members. And I did just that!

On July 13th, I launched 5 resources to my website! 3 of these came from my free resource library. But the other 2 I created from scratch resulting in a 10+ page workbook and a 20+ page booklet!

I’m telling you, these are packed with information! And I created specific sections in each for you to write in so you don’t need an extra booklet.

And they are both FREE!

Resource Landing Page - The Content Bug

Seriously, these resources kick major booty so I was so excited to launch them to all of my readers!

With the addition of these 5 resources, I now have 7 free resources that can be downloaded by anyone on my website. But if don’t want to enter your email each time to get a new download, then you need to sign up for my VIP team to get access to all resources in my free resource library!

Adding these resources has probably one of the biggest impacts on my email list thus far. Because when I added those 5, they were placed on over 20 pages of my website! So today, almost every page on The Content Bug has 3 email opt-ins to drive people to my email list.

AHHH it’s so exciting!



I created all new graphics and promo material for (non-VIP) resources

With any new product comes the promotion. And you better be ready to work!

I’m no graphic designer. Although some people think that if you’re good at photography then you’re good at graphic design too. But that’s not true! Unless I’m the exception…

Anywho! … For each of the free resources, I created new promo graphics that are used to entice my readers to download the resource.

A little while ago, I read that more people are likely to enter their information if it is not immediately asked for. Meaning that if you have a slot for their Name and Email right on your page, they are less likely to fill it out. But if they have to click on something first, such as a button, and then are led to the opt-in box they are more likely to follow through.

This way it is less in their face and a constant reminder of a promo.

So with my graphics, I create a slight promo for my readers to click the image to get a free download. Then they are taken to a landing page.

So these are not my social media promos! Those come later.

These are the images that you click to lead you to the landing page. Like this one!

Content Calendar Workbook - The Content Bug

Now I’ve only had these implemented on my website for a few weeks now! So I’ll report back to see how it’s working in the near future 😉




Step 2: Enhance email promotion

Improving my opt-in options for my email list made a major change in my email subscriptions! But I wasn’t done yet.

I knew that there had to be more of a promo to really get people in the door. So I created a few tasks that needed to be completed for enhanced email promotion.

I scheduled promo for all (non-VIP) workbooks on social media until the end of the 90 Day Year

As you know by now, I have a few checklists, a few workbooks, and a killer 20+ page booklet for my readers to download with no strings attached! You don’t need to be a member of my VIP team, you just need to enter your email and I’ll send it to you in seconds!

Now, the free checklists get a lot of traffic and a lot of downloads. But I decided that those aren’t the ones that I want to promo on social media because there are so many of them!

It is much easier and effective to only promo the workbooks and 20+ page booklet because they provide the most value!

So in just 1 day, I created pins for Pinterest and tweets for Twitter to promo 3 of my free (non-VIP) resource through the end of September!

Tweets scheduled - The Content Bug

I’m not going to lie, it took me a long time to get all of that done. But I’m so glad that I did. And this is in addition to my resource library promo and my VIP team promo! So there is a lot of opportunity for growth in all areas of my email list with this enhanced promotion.

And this is in addition to my resource library promo and my VIP team promo! So there is a lot of opportunity for growth in all areas of my email list with this enhanced promotion.

I streamlined my readers to sign up for my VIP team

This may not seem like a promotion. But it kinda is.

With each free resource that people can download without subscribing to the VIP team, there is a soft promo to subscribe to my VIP team. And with my VIP team, you get access to all of the free resources available on The Content Bug and then some! So I have a pretty good chance of getting those people who already downloaded a resource to sign up to receive even more.

I mean… who doesn’t love free stuff?!

So streamlining these email automations was important.

And what I mean by this is that when someone downloads a free resource, it is immediately sent to them. I don’t have to think about it. And then a few days later, they get an email to join my VIP team!

This way I don’t have to do anything extra to promo to those individuals. I took some time to set it up this month and now it does all the work for me! And it’s a simple promo that tries not to drive my audience away. I don’t send 20 of them in 5 days. Just 1! And that’s it!

Now when you set up an automation system to try and promo something else, you really need to think about what you are doing! And it’s a simple promo that tries not to drive my audience away. I don’t send 20 of them in 5 days. Just 1! And that’s it!

If you promo too much, you will lose your subscriber and your reader. And if you don’t promo at all, then you miss the chance to complete a conversion. And it’s a simple promo that tries not to drive my audience away. I don’t send 20 of them in 5 days. Just 1! And that’s it!

So take some time to read about email automation and best practices to get more conversions. And then set the systems in place!And it’s a simple promo that tries not to drive my audience away. I don’t send 20 of them in 5 days. Just 1! And that’s it!

I made the mistake of creating too many emails that almost everyone that downloaded a free resource would just unsubscribe. Now I have a pretty happy medium where some subscribe to the email list, and some just do nothing! Which is better than unsubscribing, right?!

Roadmap to a Long Lasting Blog Career - promo

The results

So after completing all that work in the last 30 days, my email list skyrocketed! Now take into consideration that my email list was small to begin with. So this grow was amazing for my list!

Email subscribers - Monthly comparison - The Content Bug

I signed up for ConvertKit on March 6th of this year. And for the first few months, I was lucky if I got 10 people to sign up each month. Which you can clearly see I only did once before July! But in July alone, I got over 30 people to sign up!

I couldn’t believe it!

Email subscribers - growth

Now, I’m more excited than ever before to keep working toward my goals! And I haven’t reached my email list goal yet.

So the next few steps are to continue to improve my VIP to make it worth the sign-up! This means creating a new SEO and social media workbook for my free resource library.

And as of right now, I’m not planning on adding any more free resources that are available to non-VIP members! So if you want to really invest in your online growth, then you need to be a member of my VIP team!

UPDATE: The effect these efforts had on my email list in August

Everything I just talked about, was implemented in June and July and started to show immediate results. And I was beyond thrilled that I was able to gain 34 new email subscribers in just 1 month!

But after that month, I made a crazy goal for August to gain 100 new email subscribers in a month… Crazy, right?

Well, I’m here today, updating this blog post, to tell you that I did it! I gained 108 new subscribers to my email list in just 1 month!

To say the least, since implementing all of the strategies included above, my email list skyrocketed! And it is continuing to grow every single day.

Don’t believe me? Take a look for yourself!

Email list - March to August comparison

This is the comparison of my email list from when I started it in March compared to the end of August!

I mean look at that baby grow! It’s insane. And I can’t help but tear up when I think about how much support you guys have given me over the month of August! You are all seriously AMAZING!

As my email list continues to grow over time, I will keep this blog post updated. And I’ll also be sharing some other blog posts around how to grow your email list to help you get started with some serious growth!

Until next time!

XO, Cath

How I Doubled My Email List in 1 Month | Want to grow your email list fast? Yeah, well I've been there. I struggled to gain 10 subscribers month after month. But after using these actionable steps, I doubled my email list in just 30 days! Learn the steps I used and what you can do to grow your email subscribers.

But seriously… what are you waiting for?

Join my VIP team below! And start to kick some major booty with all the other members of this amazing team!


Keep Reading…

Why your blog posts aren't cutting it because of SEO If you want to grow your email list, then you need to create amazing free resources for your audience to download. But how do you do that?! In this blog post, I'm sharing exactly how you can create freebies that your audience will actually want to sign up for. | The Content Bug | Cathrin Manning | Get more email subscribers | Email list building | Email Marketing Tips | Email for bloggers #emailmarketing #listbuilding #freebies #freeresources Do you ever wonder what to send to your email list? Do you question whether your subscribers will actually open your email or delete it immediately? It's time to stop worrying and start creating content that your email list will actually enjoy! In this post, you'll learn 7 unique content ideas that you can send to your email list to keep them engaged and interested in your blog! Stop sending promotion after promotion and start sending emails that you actually want to send and that your email subscribers want to read.


About the Author

The Content Bug - Cath Headshot 4Why, hello there! I’m Cathrin, the creator of The Content Bug. But since we are already virtual best friends, you can call me Cath. After working in the digital marketing industry, I decided it was time to share my love for online content creation, social media, and SEO with the everyday hustlers of the world… like YOU! You can almost always find me at a local coffee shop writing, reading and working on new things for The Content Bug. But when I have some free time, I love hanging out with my dog, going to a yoga class, and being outside. Stay connected with me on Pinterest, Instagram, and Twitter to see what I’m up to!

 

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    22 responses to “How I Doubled My Email List in 1 Month”

    1. I really believe that having a strategy for email marketing is important & is a consistent process. But what to do when you’re out of email newsletter ideas? Great article Cath, very well structured & informative.

    2. Thanks for sharing it informative blog. The content you have published it is much helpful and reliable. Keep it continuous.

    3. This is such a helpful post, Cath!

      Growing my email list is one of my main priorities this next season, so this is giving me lots of inspiration.

    4. This was so helpful!! I’m just starting out and I currently have a whopping seven subscribers (and most of them are family lol). I’m still learning how to use my email list and I will definitely be implementing these tips into my blog! Thanks so much!! http://carleehebert.com/

      • Hi Carlee!

        That’s so great to hear! Everyone starts from somewhere and trust me I spent months just trying to figure out the ropes on how to use my email list. It’s not an easy task. But it’s important!

        Keep up the great work! I believe in you!
        XO, Cath

    5. I think this is the first time that I’ve seen someone explain the real difference between Convertkit and MailChimp – that Convertkit really focuses on email automation.

      May I ask how you’ve set up your signups? Of course, you have opt in forms around your blog (They look gorgeous, by the way!) do you use pop ups at all? Are your opt in forms the main way you get subscribers?

      • Hi Aisling!

        I found the difference between MailChimp and ConvertKit confusing at first too. And I think MailChimp does have automation systems if you go for their paid programming. But ConvertKit is just overall better!

        But to your questions… I do not use pop-ups at all! I find that most people don’t like them. Sure it’s impossible for your website visitors to ignore but I don’t like that for my user experience.

        And yes, my opt-ins are how I get the majority of my subscribers. And actually my footer opt-in performs the best! But once people opt-in, I have the appropriate automatic emails end out and then a few sequences depending on what the subscriber opt-in for.

        Let me know if you have any other questions!
        XO, Cath

      • Kim,

        Thank you so much for the comment! It’s always nice to see how someone else has done something sometimes so you know the exact steps that led to the results!

        XO, Cath

    6. This was a very inspiring post, especially as a new blogger myself! I started my blog back in March and as of right now I only have about 31 subscribers. I get a lot of people clicking, reading and commenting on my blog, but not many people commit by subscribing. Thank you for your advice!! I will definitely be using some of your strategies =)

      • Hey Stephanie!

        I was in the exact same boat! I got an email list because I knew it was the smart move. But then I didn’t really care for it the way I should have. But after upping my game a bit I’ve seen great results!

        XO, Cath

    7. Good job! Growing an email list is so hard and so much work. When I took the time to create opt ins my audience would like I saw my subscriber list go up too.

      • Hi Jessica!

        Yes! Your opt-ins are so important. I honestly didn’t really notice mine at the beginning it was just something I kinda added to the site. But now that I’ve thought them through it just helps so much!

        XO, Cath

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