Email marketing is the sh*t, and if you get it right, it can help you get even more sales and grow your business.
One of the most commonly asked questions I get about email marketing is, “How can I keep growing my email list after I've published my first lead magnet?”
Maybe you've already given email marketing a shot, created (what you think is) an awesome lead magnet, but now your list isn't growing like you thought it would…
In this article, I will teach you
- What to pay attention to when creating a new lead magnet
- How to get new subscribers on your email list using automations
And before you think, “Wow, this sounds overwhelming,” let me tell you this: most of the things I will walk you through in this article are, in fact, very easy. Some things you might even know. If that's the case, this is your reminder to put in the work because only then will you start seeing REAL results.
Let's look at some of the rules of the email marketing game.
Rule 1: Make sure your lead magnet leads to your core offer
To make your email marketing efforts worthwhile, you need to make sure your lead magnet is be aligned with what you're pitching.
Start by focusing on your core offer, and work your way backward to the free value you're offering.
Ask yourself: what free download can I create to get people on my email list, so then later down they're interested when I pitch my offer?
Reverse engineering your lead magnet and content topics like this might seem obvious…
But a lot of people
- spend time on creating downloads that are NOT aligned with their core offer,
- don't offer free value in their online communication,
- and they don't pitch their offer.
Instead, you want to give away free, valuable content on social media that leads to a download you've created. This download should be in line with what you're pitching, a.k.a. your core offer.
Rule 2: Talk about your lead magnet daily/weekly
You've created your lead magnet in line with your offer, now it's time to get it online and spread the word about your download consistently.
For you, the value of your lead magnet might be obvious, but other people need to hear something 8-10 times before it's really clear. This is what we call the Spotlight Effect.
When promoting your lead magnets, you want to focus on the Highlight Effect, meaning you should highlight your download at least 10 times back-to-back.
For example, promote your lead magnet every single day for 2 weeks straight, or twice a week for 5 weeks in a row. You could use a story slide or feed post with a mockup of your lead magnet and plan it in advance, or you can talk about it live as part of a story.
Example?
When your content is valuable and aligned with your lead magnets, your audience will be receptive to you offering this free download multiple times because they will recognize how valuable your lead magnet is. You need to shift your mindset and spend more time on promoting your lead magnet than on creating them.
Remember to use these golden rules when promoting your lead magnet:
- Tell your audience what the download will teach them, and be very specific.
- Focus on the benefits and highlight the transformation they will achieve with this download.
- Include a clear call to action like “click the link in bio”or “go to this link…”.
Rule 3: Link your lead magnet in evergreen content
Just like some plants that have foliage that remains green and functional all year round, there's an evergreen side to content as well.
Some content is so valuable, it continually stays relevant for a long period of time, or maybe even forever (like this blog post!).
Guides, technical walkthroughs and podcasts are all examples of content that you can offer over a long period of time without it losing its value.
Linking your lead magnets in evergreen content such as podcast episodes can be a great way to promote your freebies in an evergreen manner.
Example: my brother Matthew has a successful YouTube channel, and in one of his videos, he talks about passive income. In the video, he links to a free, downloadable guide on passive income, and via this flow, he collects emails that he can later use to pitch his paid ebook on passive income. Nice, right?
My brother's video on passive income and accompanying download is an excellent example of an automated way of growing your list through evergreen content.
If you want to listen to me and my brother talk about passive income, you can find our episode here.
Rule 4: Push lead magnets to your existing subscribers
If you already have an audience, don't forget your existing list subscribers.
Next to growing your list, you also need to make sure to keep nurturing your existing audience and offer them (new) value as well.
One way to do that is to send your current subscribers your new downloads once they are ready. It can be a straightforward message, like
“Hey Michelle, wanted to check in with you and let you know I've recently created this new download that you might like. Thanks for following; I really appreciate it. PS. If you like the new ebook, feel free to forward it to a friend. Enjoy!”
Now, you can include your lead magnet in a broadcast to your complete list or even include it in your automated email sequences.
Remember, just like one of the best ways to get rich is by not spending all of your money, one of the best ways to grow your list is by making sure that people on your list actually love being on your list.
Rule 5: Create ads for your lead magnet
When your organic marketing is working, you can start experimenting with ads on your lead magnets as well.
My advice on when you should invest in ads? I strongly recommend you know how to convert organically before you start spending money on ads.
If you can't get your existing audience to opt-in to your lead magnet and download it, how are you going to set up ads to get a cold audience to download it?
You can experiment with ads on your own or hire an expert to help you get started.
The thing about setting up ads is that the whole backend isn't that user-friendly, so there are a few things you want to pay attention to before you put a lot of money into it.
Most importantly, however, is that you don't start creating ads before your organic conversions are working.
Rule 6: Repeat, repeat, repeat
Alright, you're almost ready to conquer the world of email marketing and grow your subscriber list.
BUT before I let you go, I want you to remember to not just implement these actions once. You really need to work on growing your list continuously to see the results.
For example,
- Have a new lead magnet? Put another ad on it.
- Did you highlight your lead magnet 10 times? Switch it up, create a different IG story to push.
- Have you sent out email broadcasts? Turn them into automated email sequences.
- Did you pitch your lead magnet in content you created previously? Link your download in your evergreen content.
If you don't keep repeating your email marketing efforts and switch up your promotion tactics from time to time, you risk that your content will fade after a while.
Don't let that happen! Keep capturing and nurturing your audience with all the value you have to offer.
When I started out on Instagram, I was so focused on growing my IG following that I didn't put any effort into growing my list. By the time I had created a rrrrrreally valuable lead magnet, I didn't have a list of subscribers to send it to!
Avoid ending up in a similar situation by:
- Reaching out to people as soon as they start following you.
- Sending them a personal DM with a link to a free webinar or download.
- Inviting them to your Facebook Group or masterclass, or make them part of your community.
This way, you can get people on your list, make them return to your valuable content, and ultimately build up a desire to buy from you.
PS If you're unsure about how to approach the whole email marketing game, I've created a guide, Grow Your Email List. It includes 3 worked-out examples on how to automate the growth of your email list. AND as a bonus, I've also included a template you can use to promote your lead magnets in your IG stories.
Good luck putting these email marketing rules to work, and get ready to finally grow your email list!
Watch this episode on YouTube, or listen via iTunes, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts, and search for episode 166 of The FastForwardAmy Show.
Leave a Reply