Grow Your List Like a Human, Not a Hustler

An email list is one of the few channels you actually own. It’s a direct line to people who’ve already said “I’d like to know more”.

Sure, it’s a form of marketing — but it’s also about staying top-of-mind, building trust, starting conversations.

And if you sell products, well, you’ll be hard pressed to find anything that converts better (by leaps and bounds).

If you’re reading this, I don’t think I have to convince you that email marketing is worth it (it is!), so let’s cut to the chase and talk about how to get those numbers up. Whadda ya say?

List Growth That Doesn’t Feel Gross

I’m sure if you Google “How to grow my email list” you won’t be short of ideas. But, if I’m honest, all the begging and “tricking” people into joining your list is a bit off-putting.

Here are a few strategies I’ve seen work — either from my own experience or from real people in our community.

Pitch Your Newsletter Like It’s a Product

“Subscribe to our newsletter!” feels about as fresh as a visitor counter from the turn of the century (you know, 1999… Feel old yet?).

Nobody just wants to get more emails. But give yours a name, a brand, a purpose — instantly it has a higher perceived value.

It’s a little like putting lipstick on a pig, but you tell me which sounds more compelling:

“Subscribe to our newsletter!”

or

“Sign up for The Friday Chaser and get the best of The Admin Bar delivered!”

Same pig.

Make it Easy (and Obvious)

This feels like I shouldn’t have to point out — but how easy is it for someone to sign up for your list? If it’s more than a few clicks away, you’re probably asking more than people are willing to do.

It doesn’t have to be a giant banner or an annoying popup — but your sign up form shouldn’t be buried away.

Make it visible. Make it simple. Make it stupid-easy to say yes.

Because if someone wants to join your list and still can’t find how… well, that’s on you.

Content Upgrades

If you’re already producing high-value content, I think you’re going to find growing your list a lot easier. One of the best ways is through content upgrades.

Think of them like “bonus material”. Let’s say you have a blog post about SEO. Offer a free downloadable checklist that complements your article. Not only will anyone reading your article be interested in your download, they’re also already somewhat qualified (if they’re consuming your content and asking for more).

The key is making it relevant. Don’t slap a generic lead magnet on every post — tailor your upgrade to the topic.

Here are some great content upgrade ideas:

• Checklists, worksheets & cheatsheets
• Templates & swipe files
• Utilities & calculators
• Case studies

Pricing Guide

Eventually, anyone interested in working with you is going to want to know about your pricing. And while it’s tough to give hard numbers for custom work, that doesn’t mean people have to be left in the total dark.

If you don’t list your pricing on your website, you could offer a “pricing guide” (a little one-sheet) that lists ranges for different types of websites — like a basic brochure vs. eCommerce. It’s a pretty irresistible offer for anyone interested in hiring you.

One of my most successful opt-ins was this exact strategy. Anywhere I talked about my services, I had a simple call-to-action (CTA) letting visitors know I’d be happy to send over my pricing; just pop your email address in the field below.

If your goal is to grow the list through volume, this one works. Big time. But, I found too many nosey people (mainly other web developers) signing up who never intended to work with me.

Build Curiosity (FOMO)

You don’t always need a lead magnet to get people to want to join your list — sometimes, showing people what they’re missing by not subscribe is enough.

One of the things I only recently started doing (and I’ve already seen results), is posting “teasers” of my newsletter on socials before it goes out.

The last one looked like this:

Each line is a hook — and even if only one hits the mark for someone, that can be enough to get them to sign up.

It taps into curiosity and gives anyone who sees it a bit of FOMO (without being too douchey). You’ve been struggling with what you should post on social media anyway, right?

Host or Speak at an Event

Woah, woah, woah, Kyle — speak? Like… in front of people? I said email. Eeeeeeee-maaillll.

You want to grow your list, don’t you? Nothing beats getting in front of a room full of real humans and showing them you know your stuff.

It doesn’t mean you have to give a Ted talk — but your local Chamber of Commerce? Networking group? Co-working space meetup? They’d love to have someone who can spend 30 minutes explaining practical SEO tips or setting up a Google Business Profile.

And when it’s you up there doing the demystifying? You’re the expert now.

Speaking goes far beyond collecting email sign ups — it builds trust, authority, and real-world relationships. But if you give value and make it easy to stay connected (QR code → simple sign up form), this can be one of the highest-quality list-building methods out there.

Giveaway

Most giveaways build terrible lists. If you give away an iPad on Facebook, you might get 500 subscribers — but not one of them are going to care about your website offering.

But giveaways aren’t always a bad idea — they just need to be strategic.

What would your ideal customer be into? Could be something tied directly to your business — like an audit, strategy session, or consult. You could even partner up with another business that services your clients and trade giveaways. You offer a free consultation to their audience, and they offer something to yours.

Listen, I put this last on the list for a reason — but I’ve added hundreds of new people to my list with giveaways, so it gets a spot.

Quality over Quantity

It’s easy to obsess over numbers… Total subscribers, open rates, click-throughs, etc. They’re clear, tangible, and easily measurable. But give me one engaged subscriber over a hundred bad ones.

A big list might look impressive, but if it’s full of people who don’t care, don’t open, and don’t belong — what’s the point? Worse, irrelevant subscribers can tank your deliverability, hurt your sender reputation, increase your costs, and will eventually mark you as spam. A bad list is a liability.

The stat I care about most is replies. If someone replies to your newsletter, not only did they open it and read it — it connected.

I save every single reply I get to a newsletter. If you’re ever stuck, and need inspiration — those are your greatest hits.

The Inconvenient Truth

Everyone wants the benefits of having an email list — more reach, more sales, more trust. But very few talk about the other part that makes all of that possible:

You have to create something that people actually want to read.

Not just something you think you should send. Not another “hey, here’s our latest blog post” email.

You’re asking for space in someone’s inbox — maybe the most crowded place in their digital life. If you’re not delivering something of value, something interesting, or even just human, they’re not going to stick around.

All the list-building strategies in the world won’t save a newsletter no one opens.

So, before you go chasing new subscribers, ask yourself: Would you subscribe to your newsletter? Are you serving your reader or yourself? It can be both, but it can’t be just for your benefit.

Think about the newsletters you open. There are probably only a handful (if that) you always read. What makes those stand out? And how can you take that same approach… and invite your audience in?