Email Marketing 101: Building Your List and Writing Emails That Convert

Why Email Beats Social Media

Owning your audience:

Email advantages:

You own the list ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

• Build 10,000 Instagram followers → Instagram shuts your account → gone
• Build 10,000 email subscribers → you own list → can't be taken away
• Export and move to any platform (Mailchimp, ConvertKit, etc.)

Higher reach ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

• Instagram post: 5-10% of followers see it (algorithm limits)
• Email: 20-30% open rate (2-3× better reach)
• Plus: Email inboxes less cluttered than social feeds

Better conversion ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

• Email subscribers 3× more likely to buy than social followers
• They gave you email = higher intent (permission-based)

Direct communication ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

• Land in inbox (personal space)
• No algorithm interference
• Full control over timing, frequency

The numbers:

• Email ROI: $42 per $1 spent (4,200% return—best marketing channel)
• Email subscribers convert 3-6× higher than social followers
• 80% of small businesses rely on email for customer retention

If you're not building an email list, you're leaving money on the table

Building Your Email List (Attracting Subscribers)

People don't give emails freely—you must offer value:

Lead magnets: The subscriber magnet

What it is: Free resource in exchange for email address

Bad lead magnet (doesn't work): "Subscribe to my newsletter!"

• Vague value proposition
• Nobody cares about "newsletters"
• Zero conversions

Good lead magnets (actually work):

1. Checklists ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

• "Ultimate Moving Checklist (50 Tasks)"
• "Pre-Launch Startup Checklist"
• Why it works: Quick to consume, immediately useful

2. Templates ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

• "Cold Email Template (70% Response Rate)"
• "Budget Spreadsheet Template"
• Why it works: Saves time, plug-and-play

3. Ebooks/Guides ⭐⭐⭐⭐

• "Complete Guide to Sourdough Baking (30 pages)"
• "Beginner's Guide to Investing"
• Why it works: Comprehensive, perceived high value

4. Webinars/Video Training ⭐⭐⭐⭐

• "Free 60-Minute Workshop: SEO for Beginners"
• Why it works: High value, establishes expertise

5. Discounts/Coupons ⭐⭐⭐⭐

• "10% Off First Purchase"
• "Free Shipping Code"
• Why it works: Direct financial incentive (e-commerce)

6. Quizzes/Assessments ⭐⭐⭐⭐

• "What's Your Marketing Personality?"
• "Find Your Perfect Workout Plan (Quiz)"
• Why it works: Interactive, personalized results

Creating a lead magnet (30-60 minutes):

Step 1: Identify audience pain point

• What problem do they have?
• What keeps them up at night?
• What would save them time/money?

Example:

• Audience: New bloggers
• Pain point: Don't know what to write about

Step 2: Create quick solution

• Don't overcomplicate (1-page checklist > 50-page ebook)
• Deliver one specific outcome

Solution:

• "100 Blog Post Ideas for [Your Niche]" (simple list)

Step 3: Design simply

• Canva template (free, easy)
• Professional look (doesn't need to be fancy, just clean)
• PDF format (universal, easy download)

Step 4: Gate it behind email signup

• "Enter your email to download"
• Email collection tool: Mailchimp, ConvertKit, MailerLite

Time investment: 1-2 hours, reaps subscribers for years

Placing your lead magnet:

Where to promote:

Website (every page):

• Pop-up (appears after 30 seconds or when user tries to leave)
• Header banner (always visible)
• Sidebar widget (blog posts)
• End of blog posts ("Enjoyed this? Get my free checklist")

Social media:

• Instagram bio link (link tree to lead magnet)
• Facebook pinned post
• LinkedIn articles (CTA at end)
• YouTube video descriptions

Everywhere:

• Email signature ("P.S. Grab my free template: [link]")
• Guest posts (author bio)
• Podcast interviews (mention freebie)

Email Service Providers (ESPs)

Choosing your platform:

Best ESPs for beginners:

1. Mailchimp ⭐⭐⭐⭐

• Free tier: 500 subscribers, 1,000 emails/month
• Pros: User-friendly, templates, integrations
• Cons: Expensive as you grow ($20/month at 500, $350/month at 10,000)
• Best for: Complete beginners testing email marketing

2. ConvertKit ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

• Free tier: 1,000 subscribers
• Paid: $25/month (1,000 subscribers), scales with list
• Pros: Creator-focused, automation, landing pages, easy segmentation
• Cons: Limited design customization (simple templates only)
• Best for: Bloggers, course creators, coaches, newsletters

3. MailerLite ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

• Free tier: 1,000 subscribers, 12,000 emails/month
• Paid: $10/month (1,000 subscribers)—cheapest option
• Pros: Affordable, modern interface, good features
• Cons: Smaller brand (less well-known)
• Best for: Budget-conscious beginners

Recommendation: ConvertKit (best features/price for creators) or MailerLite (tightest budget)

The Welcome Sequence (First Impression)

New subscriber joins → automatic email series:

Why welcome sequences matter:

• First email = 50-80% open rate (highest you'll ever get)
• Sets expectations (how often you'll email, what value you provide)
• Builds trust before selling

Sequence length: 5-7 emails over 2 weeks

Welcome sequence template:

Email 1 (immediate): Deliver lead magnet + introduce yourself

Subject: "Your [Lead Magnet] is ready! (Plus, who I am)"

Body: "Hi [Name],

Thanks for downloading [Lead Magnet]! Here's your link: [Download]

Quick intro: I'm [Your Name], and I help [Target Audience] achieve [Outcome]. Over the next few days, I'll send you my best tips on [Topic].

Talk soon! [Your Name]"

Purpose: Deliver promised content, warm introduction

Email 2 (Day 2): Share your story (why you do this)

Subject: "Why I started [Your Business/Blog]"

Body: Share personal story (struggle → solution → mission to help others)

Purpose: Connection, relatability, establish expertise

Email 3 (Day 4): Provide massive value (best content)

Subject: "My #1 tip for [Solving Problem]"

Body: Share single, actionable tip (blog post, video, case study)

Purpose: Prove you deliver value (they made right choice subscribing)

Email 4 (Day 7): Social proof (testimonials, results)

Subject: "How [Customer] achieved [Result] using [Your Method]"

Body: Case study or testimonial (shows your stuff works)

Purpose: Build credibility, show results possible

Email 5 (Day 10): Soft pitch (introduce product/service)

Subject: "Want help with [Problem]?"

Body: Mention your paid offering (course, coaching, product) No hard sell—just make them aware it exists

Purpose: Plant seed, no pressure

Email 6 (Day 14): Ask for reply (engagement)

Subject: "Quick question for you"

Body: "What's your biggest challenge with [Topic]? Hit reply—I read every response."

Purpose: Two-way communication, learn audience needs, boost engagement (ESPs reward engaged lists with better deliverability)

Email 7 (Day 14): Explain what's next

Subject: "What to expect from me"

Body:

• How often you'll email (weekly, twice weekly)
• What content to expect (tips, stories, offers)
• How to stay connected (follow on social, reply anytime)

Purpose: Set expectations, reduce unsubscribes

Writing Emails That Convert

The anatomy of high-performing emails:

Subject line (40% of success—if they don't open, doesn't matter what's inside)

Good subject lines: ✅ Create curiosity: "The mistake 90% of marketers make" ✅ Promise benefit: "How to double your email open rates" ✅ Use numbers: "5 tools I use daily to save 3 hours" ✅ Personalization: "Hey [Name], quick question" ✅ Urgency (real, not fake): "Sale ends tonight—last chance"

Bad subject lines: ❌ Generic: "Newsletter #47" ❌ All caps/spammy: "FREE!!! CLICK NOW!!!" ❌ Vague: "You'll want to see this" ❌ Too long: Gets cut off in inbox (keep under 50 characters)

Test and optimize—A/B test subject lines, see what works for YOUR audience

Email body structure:

1. Hook (first sentence grabs attention):

Bad: "I wanted to reach out today to talk about email marketing." Good: "I made $10,000 last month from one email. Here's how."

You have 3 seconds—make it count

2. One main idea per email (don't overwhelm):

• Don't cover 10 topics (reader forgets everything)
• Focus on single takeaway (they remember and act)

3. Conversational tone (write like talking to friend):

Bad: "We are pleased to announce the launch of our new product line." Good: "Hey! I just launched something I think you'll love."

• Use "you" and "I" (not "we" or "our company")
• Short sentences
• Contractions (don't, you'll, I'm)
• Personality (emojis if that's your style, humor, stories)

4. One clear CTA (call-to-action):

Bad: "Click here to read blog post, also follow me on Instagram, oh and check out my course, and reply to this email." Good: "Want to learn more? Read the full guide here: [Link]"

One ask per email—don't confuse them

Email formulas that work:

Formula 1: PAS (Problem-Agitate-Solution) ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Problem: "Struggling to get traffic to your blog?" Agitate: "You spend hours writing posts, but only 10 people read them. Feels like shouting into void." Solution: "I was there too. Then I discovered SEO. Here's what worked: [Link to guide]"

Formula 2: Story → Lesson → CTA ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Story: "Last year, I lost $5,000 on Facebook ads. I thought I could figure it out myself." Lesson: "I learned: targeting matters more than budget. I refined audience, spent $500, made $8,000." CTA: "Want to avoid my mistakes? I created a checklist: [Link]"

Formula 3: Listicle ⭐⭐⭐⭐

"5 tools I use daily:

1. [Tool] - [Why it's great]
2. [Tool] - [Why it's great] ..."

Easy to skim, digestible

Avoiding Spam Filters

Getting into inbox (not promotions tab or spam):

Best practices:

✅ Authenticate domain (SPF, DKIM records—ESP provides instructions) ✅ Warm up new account (send to engaged subscribers first, gradually increase volume) ✅ Avoid spam trigger words:

• FREE, BUY NOW, CLICK HERE, ACT NOW, $$$ (excessive)
• All caps subject lines ✅ Include physical address (legal requirement, builds trust) ✅ Easy unsubscribe link (frustrated subscribers mark as spam if can't unsubscribe easily) ✅ Clean list regularly (remove non-openers after 6-12 months—they hurt deliverability)

Metrics to Track

Measuring success:

Open rate:

• Good: 20-30%
• Improve: Better subject lines, send time optimization, clean list

Click-through rate (CTR):

• Good: 2-5%
• Improve: Clearer CTA, more compelling content, single focus

Conversion rate:

• Varies by offer (free resource = high, $1,000 product = low)
• Improve: Stronger offer, better email copy, segmentation

Unsubscribe rate:

• Acceptable: <0.5% per email
• High rate (>2%): You're annoying them (too frequent, irrelevant content, bought list)

Build email-list offering lead-magnets: checklists (Ultimate-Moving-Checklist immediately-useful), templates (Cold-Email-Template 70%-response-rate saving-time), ebooks (Complete-Sourdough-Guide 30-pages comprehensive-value), quizzes (Marketing-Personality-Quiz interactive-personalized) exchanging free-resource for email-address. Choose ESP: ConvertKit $25-monthly 1,000-subscribers creator-focused automation landing-pages, MailerLite $10-monthly budget-friendly, Mailchimp free-500-subscribers beginner-testing. Deploy welcome-sequence: Email-1 delivering lead-magnet introducing-yourself, Email-2 sharing-story why-started building-connection, Email-3 providing massive-value best-content proving-expertise, Email-4 social-proof testimonials case-studies, Email-5 soft-pitch mentioning paid-offerings no-pressure, Email-6 asking-reply engaging two-way-communication, Email-7 setting-expectations frequency content-type. Write converting-emails: curiosity-subject-lines ("Mistake 90%-marketers-make" 40%-success opening-determining), conversational-tone writing-like-friend short-sentences contractions personality, PAS-formula (Problem-Agitate-Solution storytelling-hooks), single-CTA avoiding-confusion one-ask-per-email. Track metrics: 20-30%-open-rate good, 2-5%-CTR acceptable, under-0.5%-unsubscribe-rate healthy improving-subject-lines content-relevance segmentation targeting engaged-subscribers.