How to build an email list before launch?
If you're reading this then you're probably planning to launch a website, a course, a podcast, or anything that you've been investing a lot of time to build.
I will share with you a few tactics and techniques that will give you a jump start during that crucial ever-doubting, teeth grinding, overthinking periods before any launch.
Even in 2021, email marketing is still a great tool for any small business to use, especially in the pre-launch phase of any project.
The first thing you have to keep in mind is that not every email list is the same. After all, an email list is just a list of emails (duh!). But, the purpose will be different, their audience will be different, the potential reach, their suitable social network, and more.
A google email list will focus on reaching your target audience. This way you can be sure that most of the emails you capture are actually quality leads that will use your services and/or products once you do your launch.
You also want to create such a quality lead magnet that attracts email subscribers. Of course, with a greater quantity of email addresses, you increase the possibilities of quality leads, but the focus should be on value.
More Ideas and Strategies:
Giveaways
All you have to do is host a mini-contest, promising something in return. People love getting free stuff. For this reason, giveaways can grow your email list really fast. The main issue is that you will undoubtedly attract random people that are just looking for something free. Many people write a quality eBook in exchange for newsletter subscriptions. Here’s a great article on how to use giveaways.
Reward Cooperation
If you already have an audience you can reward them for getting more people to sign up for your pre-launch. Think about a valuable resource you can give as a reward that is different from anything you're already offering elsewhere.
A landing page builds suspense
You've seen the websites with a plain "under construction" banner plastered in the center of the page. But a big, bold “Coming Soon!” title builds suspense like nothing else. Design the page with your branding in mind to start building an association to your business and a bond with your audience. What if you don't have a website? Well, you have options! There are tons of email marketing software and platforms. Most of them nowadays lets you create landing pages on them for this specific purpose.
Get on a Podcast
Podcasts are a great way to get more exposure. You get to talk about yourself, your business, and the offer that you're planning to launch. You get to put a lot of eyes on yourself by getting in front of a whole new audience. It's also a great way to showcase your personality and expertise. So umm, shameless plug: Make sure to check my own podcast out for more of MY expertise. 😎
Social media virality
You can use your business or your own social media profile to create awareness of your launch. Each social network platform has its own mode of operation, but something they share in common is “viral content”. Viral content is popular everywhere! You don’t have to make your campaign a viral one (even though this would greatly help), but it's helpful to have an understanding of the freely sharing nature of social media that can actively help your email list exposure.
Ads about your launch
You can always create ads, especially on social media. Before attempting it, you should get a little educated about the platform and its ad system. But once you do, you'll be able to set the ad up in a way that reaches your target audience. You can also display the ad in a way that will make people sign up to your email list.
Guest Blogs about your offer
Guest blog posts are still successful for your SEO tactic! Their benefit has now shifted more to provide authority points to a website, but they still give value to email marketing lists. The main value you can get out of a guest blog is driving traffic to your offer. By hosting content on another website, you can potentially get a lot of eyes on it that are in your same niche but aren't already apart of your audience.
Use your Friends and Family
You can always use the help of your family and friends, especially when is likely to be easy and free. Sure they might not be high-profile influencers, but they have audiences. A shout-out can always get a few interesting leads!
Get an influencer
Speaking of influencers, this might be a little difficult, but you might have the connections to pull it off. Getting an influencer to make a call to action on a platform that hosts your potential audience will do wonders for your email list. Influencers have the attention of a lot of people that value and respect their opinion.
Use your networking contacts
Depending on how long you've been in business, you might be connected with a lot of other businesspeople. The good thing about reaching out to them is that it could open doors to new opportunities. Not only do they already have loyal followers like an influencer, but they also may take an interest in your service or product itself.
Conclusion:
Building an email list can be hard for you, and it will definitely take a lot of time and effort but it will be worth it.
The benefits you can get from doing this before launching are great, especially since they will increase the chances of success with your offer.
Make sure to spend the necessary time to gain knowledge and put in the work you have to do. In the case that you can't spare time nor focus to run a successful email marketing sequence for a launch, you can always reach out to a professional like myself. An email list has a lot of phases, from pre-launch, actual launch, and then retention and consistency. Getting help to do them is worth the investment.