So, you want to make money blogging. Once you’ve chosen your niche and your platform, the first thing you need to do is set up an email list. I suggest a free account with your preferred mail service to get you started, unless you’re already operating a profitable business. 
Mailing List Providers: You’ve Got Options
Personally, I love Mailchimp and it’s free for up to a certain number of users (1k, I think?) but the free version has limited features. Even so, I would not pay for a service just yet if i were you, at least not until it becomes necessary OR your blog has become profitable and it’s sensible to do so.
Another free option is Google’s Feedburner which is simple but has plenty of great promo tools. You might even want to go ahead and burn your feed there for RSS either way – there are some SEO benefits if you do.
Make It Easy to Subscribe to Your Blog
Once you get the list set up, set up a widget on your blog in the sidebar and/or footer, and maybe consider adding a popup which invites people to subscribe after they’ve been on the site for a minute or two.
That can all be done free as well – I like the popup domination plugiin for WordPress. If you can, also add a call-to-action in each post inviting subscribers.
Should you add a popup to your site to gain subscribers?
It’s iffy and entirely your call – people often hate them, BUT I have seen a significant increase in subscribers since adding a popup at my QueenBeeing.com blog. There are studies that have proven that it’s an effective, if not annoying, method.
A tip: if you use a plugin such as the one I mentioned, you have the option to only allow the popup every few visits or less when you set it up. This is far less annoying to your readers.
Free Vs. Paid eMail Delivery and List Management Services: It All Depends on Your Needs
I am all about free whenever possible – partially because I’m cheap, and partially because there are so many free options if you’re willing to look for them. Why spend money when you don’t have to?
Bottom Line: When you’re building a blog and you want to make money, you’ve GOT to get your email list on track.
More eMail List-Building Tips
- When it comes to running an effective email marketing campaign there
are few basic rules you should follow: - Before you begin any email marketing campaign make sure that you
are compliant with the CAN-SPAM laws. You can find them at:
http://www.business.ftc.gov - Never send unsolicited e mail (spam) – always make sure that your
recipients have opted in to receive your email messages. - Give your readers a clear options for managing their subscription and
unsubscribing.
The most important part of any email marketing campaign is building
a responsive mailing list.
This list is a collection of email addresses from people in your ideal target market, people that are asking you to send them information and offers by email. Many online marketers make all of their income just by sending email messages to their opt in
lists.
Imagine how great it must feel to send out an email and in an hour or
two have your inbox full of orders. It is very possible, especially when
you take the time to employ basic email marketing and list building
strategies.
If you don’t have a website or blog you may want to consider setting one
up just for your list building campaign, especially if you want to build a
big list. If setting up a site isn’t for you there are other methods that you
can use, you will just have to get more creative when it comes to
collecting email address.
Don’t make them think or DO too much – the easier you make it to sign up, the more email addresses you will collect!
TIP: If you have an existing customer base make it a top priority to get an email address from everyone that makes a purchase from you.
Whether it’s during the sales process or after the purchase of one of your products make sure that you ask your customers for their email address. The optimum time to do this is before the purchase is completed as part of the checkout process.
Always remember that your customer must give you permission to send them promotional emails. Asking them for an email address as part of the sales process does not give you permission to add them to any other mailing list or bombard them with
promotional emails.That can lead to spam complaints and you don’t want that. Still, take the opportunity to follow up with them, ask how they liked the product or service and then entice them to join your regular mailing list.
There are many ways that you can entice people to join your mailing list.
Here are a few quick ideas that you can use:
- Give them a free gift or a discount on their next purchase when they
subscribe. - Send them to a webpage where they can download a free ebook,
report or software related to the product they purchased. - Give them a chance to win a prize, by holding a free contest or
sweepstakes for subscribers only - Offer them free customer support and email consulting.
- Have them fill out a survey and give them a free gift as an incentive to
complete the form.
What are your best email list building tips? Share them below or hit me up on Facebook!
