I Hit 1000 Email Subscribers - Lessons I Learned

Today, I noticed that I hit 1000 email subscribers. This is a milestone I've been working towards for a couple months now.

Originally when I started my website, creating an email list wasn't the #1 goal. I wanted to get traffic and sales! As a result, I created content and most of the conversions were a result of direct linking from my blog post to my affiliate partners.

Over time, I decided this wasn't a good long term strategy because I've seen internet entrepreneurs who lose alot from doing that. They're affiliate partners may:

• Go out of business
• Sell their business
• Or in some way, they change the quality of the product(s) or service(s) they offer

I wanted to sustain a relationship with the people who give me their attention and trust, so I decided to make my email list my #1 conversion goal.

Did my Switch Have Negative Results?

Yes. When I first made the switch, I crushed my conversions completely. I stopped getting sales until I figured out how to optimize my funnel better.

Overall, I think going thru the experience of crushing my conversions and building it back up was a good experience. It taught me alot.

I still haven't reached my top conversion numbers again, but I know when I put more emphasis on optimizing, I'll improve my results even more.

5 Things I learned from Growing my Email List from 0 to 1000 subscribers

My list growth started out very slow. I added Convertkit to my website probably the month it started, and these are some things I learned along the way...

1. Direct Linking doesn't work for everyone

For those of us that want to build a long-term brand, creating a business without its own unique customer list and relationships may not be a good idea.

2. Emails require conversion optimization just like websites do

Emails aren't just about sending friendly messages or nonstop pitching. Email marketing requires focus on providing value. You may start out with no results via email, but once you practice and learn how to serve your audience better, you'll get better and better results.

3. Email doesn't HAVE to be a priority in the beginning

I think I could've held off on starting my email list for a couple months. I didn't have people on my list for awhile, so spending the time to write all of the emails it requires to build trust wouldn't give as high returns on my time as focusing on getting more attention and potential customers to my site.

4. Choose an email marketing platform that's easy to use

There are several email marketing platforms. Some have fancy bells and whistles and some have lots of hype. I've tried quite a few. Nowadays, I think it's important to choose the platform that makes you feel motivated to email.

5. Email marketing isn't for cold traffic

Some people think because they don't have traffic that they should get into email marketing to improve that--that's not the case. Email marketing isn't a replacement for SEO, social media marketing, or ads.

It doesn't gain attention from people that don't know you unless you're sending cold emails. Instead, email marketing is to build rapport after you've already made initial contact. It helps to handle objections and build trust with the eventual goal of a sale.

I Published a New Training with 10 Tips Learned to Get to 1000 Email Subscribers!

Of course, I have many more tips and advice about email marketing! After reaching this goal, I went back and wrote down the main things I think I learned along the way, and I recorded a training for you.

If you'd like to learn from my 10 tips, you can check out the new training I published for premium members here.

My Questions for You

• Have you grown an email list? Why or why not?
  
• Have you hit 1000 subscribers? How long did it take you?
• What's one lesson you've learned about email marketing that you think others should know?
  

Leave your comments, questions, and feedback below.