You know that email marketing is not dead. You know how important your email list subscribers are for converting your fans into customers. You also know that an email list will help take your business to the next level, yet you still have not taken the necessary steps to start collecting email addresses. Well, let’s put an end to that right now, okay?

How To Go From 0 To 1000 Email Subscibers Fast

Start with who you know. While it is important to build your email list with your ideal clients (link to article), when you are first building your list, that is not as important.

Your main goal when you are starting at zero is to get your list built, get your business out there, and get some practice writing emails so that when you do have a larger list comprised of your ideal clients you will be consistent in writing and sending emails

Step 1: 

Start by making a list of 10 people you think may be interested in your new business idea. Don’t overcomplicate this list. It is ok if your list consists of your mom, dad, 6 brothers and sisters, and your two best friends. Just make a list of 10 people.

Go ahead….I’ll wait!

Step 2: 

Take that list of 10 people and email them with a simple statement regarding your new business idea. Don’t make this a long and involved email with a lot of fluff or extra wording. Keep it short as to not overwhelm the reader and make it easy for them to respond to. 

For example, this is the email I sent to my list. “I’m starting a website to teach moms how to successfully build an online business while raising a family. Is this something you would be interested in learning more about?” Add your signature to the email and send it.

The goal with this email is to get them to respond by saying something along the lines of “yes”, “sure”, or any indication that they would like to learn more about your new business. By them responding “yes” to your email they are giving you permission to contact them in the future with further information regarding your business. Now you have 10 people on your email list! Easy peasy!

Step 3: 

Now move on to another list of 10 people. This list should be fairly easy to come up with as well. Close friends, relatives, and neighbors. Repeat the same steps you took with your first list.

Keep creating lists of ten people at a time until you get to 1000 names. Don’t overlook anyone. Cousins, college roommates, Facebook friends, church friends, people you know from the gym, parents of your kid’s friends, your husband’s co-workers, or your past co-workers. 

As you get further into your list it may become more difficult but by keeping your email simple you avoid getting bogged down with having to write a lengthy email to each person you are reaching out to.

Build Credibility Through Your List

Now I know what you are thinking. Most of these 1000 people will not be my target audience. What is the point of having them on my list? The point of this exercise is to give you some traction in getting names on your email list. Once you have a list started it helps you to promote your list to others. 

For example, on your website, you may create a sign-up form that says “join the hundreds of other subscribers and sign up to receive access to my best business building resources”. 

Having a list to promote gives you credibility and makes others want to be part of the success! And just because Aunt Gertrude may not be your target demographic for a customer does not mean you should not have her on your list. She may know people in your target audience and because she loves you she will tell everyone about your new business. After all, word of mouth is the best advertising!

Continue To Build And Refine

Once you have established a consistent email routine you can begin growing your email list with targeted leads. 

Create a strategic freebie that will solve a specific problem for your ideal client. Start promoting it on your website, blog, in Facebook groups and on social media outlets. 

As your list begins to grow you will want to scrub it from time to time. This means removing anyone from your list who has not opened emails for a while and who may no longer be interested in your content. This keeps your list clean and helps you to avoid paying to have people on your list who are not opening your emails.

So there you have it, an easy step by step guide to starting your email list and getting 1000 subscribers fast. I can’t wait to hear how this works for you. Let me know in the comments below if you have implemented this strategy and how it has worked for you!

P.S. If you are interested in growing an email community I would highly recommend using Convertkit. It is easy to use, has a low monthly cost, and makes creating sales funnels and sign-up forms a breeze!