Building an Email List

The Do’s and Don’ts

Building an email list takes time and can be a daunting task for a new business. There is no end to the techniques people use, and some certainly work better than others. We’ve compiled a list of things you should and should not do to build an email list for yourself, so you can get to the all-important email marketing campaign.

DO: Write new content.



The internet is a huge place, and everyone everywhere is trying to get people on their email lists. Creating fresh, exciting content for people is a great way to get them wanting more. If they like it, a simple call to action will get the job done a majority of the time.

Regurgitating content that people can find anywhere and everywhere isn’t going to get anyone to opt-in to your email list, which makes it very difficult to have a real shot at an email marketing campaign.

DO NOT: Have Awful Opt-In Placement

Literally no one on the internet wants to feel pressured into opting in to anything. Having a giant, blaring “ENTER YOUR EMAIL HERE TO LEARN MORE” button that scrolls along with you? Awful. Fun fact: that scrolling sidebar is one of the lowest converting tools for conversions, coming in at around 0.5%. Unless you have a huge amount of traffic, that number means nothing.

Likewise, peppering opt-ins throughout your content simply doesn’t work. Make it concise, get to the point. People appreciate that and are far more likely to continue to read your content than if they’re faced with blatant “join my email list for more!” nonsense.

DO: Have Well Thought Out Placement

This seems like kind of a “gimme” tip, but it remains one of the most important. Thinking out your plan for your opt-in forms is absolutely crucial. For example, Neil Patel’s blog have a few different CTAs that aren’t intrusive at all. Here’s some examples:

