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Ready to explode your email list and attract a flood of new subscribers? You’re in the right place!

As a business owner, your email list isn’t just important — it’s essential. 

Unlike your social media following, your email list is an asset that YOU own, giving you direct access to your audience without worrying about ever-changing algorithms, being de-platformed, or losing followers overnight.

Yet so many entrepreneurs tell me they struggle to grow their email list. 

That’s why in this episode, I’m pulling back the curtain on the simple yet powerful strategy I use to grow my list — fast. 

If you’re ready to stop overcomplicating things and finally see results, this episode is for you.

In this episode we chat about:

• The crucial elements of an irresistible lead magnet (2:04)
• A surprising way to save time when creating a new lead magnet (4:55)
• The email delivery system I use and swear by (6:04)
• The best places to capture new leads — and what emails to send people once they’re on your list (7:02)
• How to ensure a seamless sign-up experience (10:37)
• Simple but powerful strategies to drive traffic to your lead magnet (11:13)
• Why you should never overlook your ‘welcome’ email (12:36)
• How to convert your new leads into loyal customers (13:35)
• The importance of testing and optimisation (17:32)

Episode resources:

• SheLaunch (join here)
• Mastering Your Mean Girl by Melissa Ambrosini (book)
• Open Wide by Melissa Ambrosini (book)
• Comparisonitis by Melissa Ambrosini (book)
• Time Magic by Melissa Ambrosini and Nick Broadhurst (book)
• SheLeads (website)
• Manychat (website)

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The following transcript has been automatically generated and not checked for accuracy.

[00:00:00] Episode 612 is for all my business babes or anyone who wants their own business one day. I am sharing with you seven simple ways to rapidly build your email list and why this is so important. Grab your pen and paper. Let’s dive in. Welcome to the Melissa Ambrosini show. I’m your host, Melissa, bestselling author of Mastering Your Mean Girl, Open Wide, Comparisonitis And time magic.

And I’m here to remind you that love is sexy, healthy is liberating, and wealthy isn’t a dirty word. Each week I’ll be getting up close and personal with thought leaders from around the globe, as well as your weekly dose of motivation so that you can create epic change in your own life and become the best version of yourself possible.

Are you ready? Beautiful. Beautiful.

Hi, beautiful, and welcome back to the show. [00:01:00] I’m so excited about this episode because I’m going to be sharing with you seven simple steps to rapidly build your email list. And if you have been following me for a while, you will know that I’m all about actionable advice that gets results. So today to continue that trend, we are diving deep into a topic that can make a massive difference in your business.

And that is like I said, building your email list. This is so important. So inside SheLaunch, we teach this. It’s very important that you have an email list because if all of the social media platforms close down tomorrow and you still had your email list, you still have dedicated people who love what you do.

And who you can share your products and amazing offers with. So it is very important that you build an email list. When I started my business in 2011, I started building my email list back then. Yes. So today I want to share with you seven simple steps to [00:02:00] rapidly build your email list. And you’re going to want to write these down.

Okay. So step number one, you need to create an irresistible lead magnet. Creating a powerful lead magnet is the cornerstone of your list building strategy. Now, a lead magnet also known as an opt in or a freebie is a valuable resource that you offer for free to someone in exchange for someone’s email address.

Okay, so I am sure that you have probably opted in for so many free lead magnets, whether it is stuff on relationships, health, business, mindset, money, whatever it is, I’m sure that you have opted in for many free things before. Even clothing, online stores, you know, you opt in to get a 10 percent discount.

That is a lead magnet. Okay. So examples of other lead magnets can be eBooks, audios, or video mini courses, quizzes, checklists, or [00:03:00] worksheets. Now, what makes a great lead magnet? Number one, highly relevant. Now your lead magnet should address a specific problem or need That is highly relevant to your target dream audience.

Now it needs to resonate with their goals, their desires, or their pain points so deeply that they feel compelled to download it straight away. Number two, it is instantly useful. Now your freebie should provide immediate value or a quick win for your audience. Now this builds trust and establishes your expertise.

So even though it might seem counterintuitive, a one page checklist is typically more attractive than a 50 page ebook. You have to remember people have full lives. If I saw a 50 page ebook, I would be like, I don’t have time to read that one page checklist. Give it to me. Okay. So instantly useful. [00:04:00] Number three, professionally packaged.

You want it to look beautiful. Okay. The perceived value of your lead magnet increases. With professional presentation. So design really matters. A visually appealing lead magnet will attract more signups and build more trust in your brand. If they see your freebie so beautifully designed, they will think, imagine what her paid offers are like.

And with Canva right now, you can create beautiful things. It is so easy to create beautiful things. And. On websites like Upwork and Fiverr, you can find designers, amazing designers, very, very cheap. So make sure it is professionally packaged. Number four, exclusivity. I want you to offer something so unique that it can’t be found just by browsing your site.

Now, this exclusivity makes your offer more enticing, okay? So, I’ve got a little hot tip for you. Before you go creating a new [00:05:00] lead magnet from scratch, I want you to take a look at your existing assets. Now, is there something that you can split out from a paid offering that has standalone potential like a worksheet or a checklist or an audio or a webinar recording?

Now you might be surprised at how many potential lead magnets already live inside your Google Drive. Okay. So begin by developing one outstanding, irresistible lead magnet tailored to your dream customer. Focus on quality and relevance to ensure that it hits the mark. Now as you become more familiar with your audience’s preferences, you can expand to have multiple lead magnets targeting different types of customers.

Okay. Now, the key is to start simple, then scale wisely. One well crafted lead magnet can significantly boost your email list more effectively than several poorly executed ones. Okay? So that is step number one. Create an irresistible lead magnet. Please don’t go and [00:06:00] create 10 right now. Just start with one amazing one.

Okay? Okay? Number two, choose your delivery system. Now you will need an ESP, an email service provider to capture people’s email addresses and facilitate the delivery of your lead magnet to their inboxes. So I am currently using SheLeads. So you can go to SheLeads. io. That is S H E L E A D S dot IO. And this is the email service provider that I have used to scale and grow my business.

So we actually haven’t publicly announced this yet, but this is our CRM software. And we are so excited. And if you want to go to that page and jump on the wait list to be notified first, when it is live, you can get it. And if you want to know how to get it free, you can go to shelaunch. com. And you get SheLeads for free when you join SheLaunch.

So you can go and do that. So make sure you choose a delivery system to deliver your amazing lead magnet to your people’s inboxes. Okay. And like [00:07:00] I said, I love SheLeads. io. Step number three, you need to make your lead magnet highly visible across all of your digital platforms. Your goal is to integrate it across multiple touch points to maximize exposure and conversion opportunities.

So here’s what you can do. You can put it on your website, you can have it as the homepage banner, feature your lead magnet prominently on your home space above the first fold with an eye catching banner that invites new visitors to download. Okay. Or you can put it on the sidebar and or I should say you can put it on the sidebar and the footer widgets.

Utilizing the sidebar and the footer widgets on your blog or website to offer your lead magnet are so powerful. Now these areas get a lot of eyeballs and can be effective spots for your signup form. So if you go to my website, melissarembrosini. com, you can see that I have them in the sidebar and at the footer widget as well.

I have SheLaunch as the homepage [00:08:00] banner at the moment, and I will rotate that with different things like lead magnets, but right now it is the SheLaunch banner. And you can also have it on the contact and the about page. This is often overlooked, like these pages are prime real estate for your lead magnet.

So visitors of these pages are already showing interest in learning more about you and your offers. So put them there, put your lead magnet there because they want to know more from you and make use of smart pop ups. So pop ups sometimes get looked down on, but the reality is they are highly effective.

I know me personally, I have clicked on pop ups so many times and if it is annoying for people, they’ll just exit really quickly. There have been so many times where a pop up has come up and I’m like, actually, no, I do want that 10 percent discount, or I do want that ebook or whatever it is. So you can do timed pop ups.

So you can set a pop up that appears after a visitor has spent a certain amount of time on your website. Make sure it is not too soon, or it might be annoying and not too [00:09:00] late, or they might miss it. Okay. Now, these are triggered when a user’s mouse moves to leave the page. How cool is that? Like, that is so cool.

I find that so fascinating. Now, it is your last chance to offer them value in exchange for their contact information. Okay? And then there’s the slide ins. Now these are less intrusive than pop ups. Slide ins can be effective when they appear as the user scrolls down through your content. They provide a gentle reminder without being too disruptive.

Okay. So then. I want you to get social. So your profile links, I want you to drop the signup link to your lead magnet in your social media bios or in your link tree. And then I want you to share it off and post about your lead magnet regularly. Use stories to tease what they’ll get in it. And remember, you might think, Oh, I’m sharing this often, but.

Not everyone sees it, you know, not everyone sees it. And it also might not be the right time for them to get that. And [00:10:00] then in a couple of months, then it might be the right time. So share it on your social. And then I also want you to think about easy email add ons. So you can put this in your email signature.

So every email that you send is an opportunity to get a new subscriber. So adding a signup link in your email signature is an absolute no brainer. Okay. And I want you to think about transactional emails. So include a link in the template for your transactional emails too, like receipts or invoices. Like these emails have sky high open rates.

So don’t waste that opportunity. Okay. It’s like prime real estate here. Prime real estate. So I’ve also got a little hot tip for you. The fewer steps required to sign up, the higher the conversion rate. Okay. So whatever format or placement you choose to use, ensure that the signup process is as straightforward and frictionless as possible.

For example, I typically only collect people’s first names and emails, but you know, if you want to get their last name and if you want to get their phone number, [00:11:00] you can do that as well, but keep it as simple as possible. And another thing I should also mention is that you can now use many chat funnels to also deliver your amazing.

Lead magnet. Okay. So the next one, step four, drive traffic to your lead magnet. So I want you to use your favorite marketing strategies to drive traffic to your lead magnet. Your traffic strategy might include talking about your lead magnet on your social media, on your podcasts, in interviews, articles, or even Investing in paid ads.

Okay. Now, one of my absolute favorite ways to drive signups is through content marketing. Now this means creating content like blog posts are usually the simplest option that relate to the topic of your lead magnet. So you can use blog posts to establish your expertise and include multiple calls to action throughout the post, encouraging readers to download the full lead magnet for more in depth information.

And you [00:12:00] can also do this on your podcast as well. Okay. So that is step number four, drive traffic to your lead magnets from your podcast, from your social media, from your interviews, anything that you do, even speaking on stage, you can have a QR code up on the screen that gets people to. Join your world.

Okay. So there are so many ways I want you to think about every time you’re doing something, how can I drive traffic to my lead magnet? How can I get these people to sign up to my amazing newsletter where I offer an incredible lead magnet? Okay. Number five, step number five, automate email deliveries.

Okay, so I want you to set up an email autoresponder in your ESPN. We do this with SheLeads to automatically send the lead magnet to the people who sign up. Now, this first email is important, so use it wisely. Don’t just send over the lead magnet and then leave it at that. I want you to thank them for subscribing, confirm that they have received [00:13:00] a lead magnet and set expectations of what they will receive next from you.

Okay. So, you know, you will get weekly love notes from me. You will get weekly business and mindset tips and hacks from me or whatever it is that you offer. Now, this immediate contact helps to reinforce their decision to engage with your content and it helps them feel safe. Okay. They go. Oh, she is trustworthy because I gave her my email.

I got this thing straight away and it’s amazing. And now this is what I can expect from her. Okay. So step five, automate email deliveries. Step six, for the love of lima beans, follow up my friends, okay, creating a powerful lead magnet is just the beginning of your relationship with these new subscribers.

What truly converts these new leads into loyal customers is the follow up. And I’m going to teach you how to make the most of your follow up emails, also known as the welcome sequence. [00:14:00] Or nurture sequence or welcome funnel or nurture funnel. We talk all about funnels inside SheLaunch and how powerful funnels are, but I’m going to teach you the most powerful way to follow up with a nurture or email funnel.

Okay. So. The first thing you’re going to do is provide additional value. So subsequent emails should continue to offer value related to your lead magnet that they received. For example, if your lead magnet is an ebook on time management, your follow up could include additional tips, case studies, or common mistakes to avoid in time management.

Now, each email should feel personalized and beneficial and not a sales pitch. Okay. So make sure in your funnels that you are providing additional value. The next step is check in on their progress, like include emails that ask for feedback on the lead magnet. What did they find most useful? Do they have any questions about the material?[00:15:00] 

This not only shows that you care about their experience, but also engages them in a conversation, making them more likely to respond and remain connected. Okay. Thank you The next thing I want you to do is educate about your product or your service. So gradually introduce your product or your service that relates to the theme of the lead magnet.

For instance, after a few initial value packed emails, you can include a soft pitch. Like if you found the checklist helpful, you might benefit from our comprehensive course on time management or whatever it is. Highlight how your offer can further help them achieve their goals. Okay. The next thing I want you to do is schedule thoughtfully.

Like plan the timing of each email carefully. Sending an email every three to four days for the first few weeks can be effective, but ensure that the schedule aligns with the content of the emails and the engagement level of the subscribers. Adjust based on the feedback and the [00:16:00] open rates that you observe.

Always look at your open rates. So every Friday, my assistant sends me a slack with how many new subscribers we’ve had that week, how many unsubscribes we’ve had and the open rates. And this is just really important information because. If all of a sudden you’re seeing a decline in your open rates, you need to adjust accordingly.

Okay. You want to see those up and rates going up, not going down. Yeah. The next thing I want you to think about is automate for efficiency. Use your email service provider. Like she leads to automate the followup sequence. This not only saves you time, but also ensures consistency in your communication.

Automation tools also allow you to set up conditional paths in your email sequence. So subscribers receive personalized followups based on their interactions. For example, like if they opened the previous email or clicked on a link, etc. How cool is that? I think that’s amazing. And [00:17:00] finally, keep the conversation going.

Encourage ongoing interactions by including calls to actions in your emails. Ask them to follow you on social media, comment on the blog post, or join a community discussion. Each interaction increases their engagement with your brand, okay? So that is step number six. Follow up, my friends. Don’t just send them a lead magnet and then ghost them.

Follow up and keep inviting them into your world, yes? And then step seven, the final step is optimize, optimize, optimize. Finally, it is time to fine tune, regularly test different versions of the entire setup from the wording, the placement and the design of your signup forms and landing pages through to the subject lines and the content of your emails that you send afterwards.

Okay. And just remember that building your email list is not just about collecting emails. It’s about building a community of people who [00:18:00] really care about what you have to offer. And as a business owner, it is one of the most high impact activities that you can spend your time on. So don’t wait for the right moment to start.

There is no such thing. We teach this inside SheLaunch. The best time to build your email list is right now. Every day that you wait is a missed opportunity to connect with someone who might need exactly what you have to offer this world. And you are doing them a disservice by not sharing your magic with them.

So just to recap the seven steps to rapidly build your email list. Number one, create an irresistible lead magnet. Step two, choose your delivery system. I love and use sheleads. io. Step three, make your lead magnet highly visible. Yes. On your website, social media, emails. Put it everywhere. My friend, step four, drive [00:19:00] traffic to your lead magnet.

Step five, automate email deliveries. Again, I use sheleads. io. Step six, follow up my friends, follow up, follow up, follow up. Do not. Send them a lead magnet, get their email and then go. And step seven, optimize, optimize, optimize. Remember that you have so much magic inside you and when you share it with the world, you are being of service and when you don’t share it with the world, you are doing a disservice to all of those amazing people who are out there waiting, willing to work with you.

Now is the time to start your email list. I wish I knew how important this was when I first started my business. I would have done all of those seven things. Very strongly as soon as I started my business, but I kind of just casually collected emails. I didn’t think it was as important, but if I could go back and tell myself in [00:20:00] 2011, when I first started my business, how important this was, I would.

Yes. So if you are starting out, please, this is so important. Even if you are into your business for five, 10, 15 years, you’ve been doing this. It’s now time to up your email list, building game. Okay. Now is the time. So you got this. I hope you got a lot out of this episode. I hope you took lots of notes. And if you did, please subscribe and follow the show and leave me a review on Apple podcasts if you haven’t already.

That would mean the absolute world to me. This is a way that you can serve and support me. If you haven’t already send me a screenshot of your review or email it to helloatmelissarambrosini. com and I will send you one of my meditations for free as a little thank you. And come and tell me on Instagram at Melissa Ambrosini, what you got from this episode.

I love connecting with you and I love hearing from you. Now, before I go, I just wanted to say thank you for being here, for wanting to be the best, the [00:21:00] healthiest and the happiest version of yourself and for showing up today for you. You rock. Now, if there is someone in your life that you can think of that would really benefit from this episode, a business bestie.

I would love for you to share it with them right now. You can take a screenshot, share it on your social media, email it to them, text it to them, do whatever you’ve got to do to get this in their ears. And until next time, don’t forget that love is sexy. Healthy is liberating and wealthy isn’t a dirty word.

Thank you so much for listening. I’m so honored that you’re here and would be SO grateful if you could leave me a review on Apple podcasts, that way we can inspire and educate even more people together.

P.S. If you’re looking for a high-impact marketing opportunity for your business and are interested in becoming a sponsor for The Melissa Ambrosini Show podcast, please email pr@melissaambrosini.com for more information.

P.P.S. Please seek advice from a qualified holistic practitioner before starting any new health practice.