How to Build an Email List for Your Blog from Scratch

My first email subscriber was my mom.

My second was a spam bot.

My third unsubscribed immediately.

Not exactly the explosive growth I’d imagined when I added that “Subscribe” button to my blog.

But I kept at it. I created a lead magnet (a free checklist). I added opt-in forms to my blog. I mentioned my email list in every post.

Twelve months later, I had 2,847 real, engaged subscribers. No ads. No giveaways. No sketchy tactics.

And those subscribers? They’re now responsible for 40% of my blog income through affiliate sales, course purchases, and sponsored content engagement.

Here’s exactly how I built my email list from zero, and how you can do the same.

Why Email Lists Matter More Than Social Media Followers

Before we dive into tactics, let me convince you why this matters.

Social media followers: You don’t own them. Instagram could ban your account tomorrow. The algorithm could stop showing your posts. You have zero control.

Email subscribers: You own the list. No algorithm decides if they see your content. No platform can take them away. You have direct access to their inbox.

Real numbers from my blog:

• Instagram followers: 3,200
• Average post reach: 180 people (5.6%)
• Email subscribers: 2,847
• Average email open rate: 42% (1,196 people)

I reach 6x more people via email than Instagram, even though I have more Instagram followers.

Plus, email subscribers convert better:

• Instagram follower → blog visitor: 2-3% click-through rate
• Email subscriber → blog visitor: 25-35% click-through rate
• Email subscribers are 10x more likely to purchase products I recommend

If you’re serious about monetizing your blog, you need an email list. Period.

Step 1: Choose Your Email Marketing Platform

You can’t build a list without somewhere to store it.

My recommendation for beginners: Mailchimp (Free)

Why:

• Free up to 500 subscribers
• Easy to use
• Decent templates
• Automation features included

When to upgrade: Once you hit 500 subscribers or need more advanced automation.

My recommendation for serious bloggers: ConvertKit ($29/month)

Why:

• Unlimited emails (Mailchimp charges per email sent)
• Better automation and segmentation
• Landing pages included
• Built for creators, not corporations
• Excellent support

What I use: ConvertKit. I switched from Mailchimp after hitting 600 subscribers and never looked back.

Setup (10 minutes):

1. Sign up for your chosen platform
2. Create your first email list
3. Design a simple welcome email (we’ll improve this later)
4. Get your signup form embed code

Don’t overthink this step. Pick one and move on. You can always migrate later.

Step 2: Create a Lead Magnet (The Subscriber Bribe)

A lead magnet is a free resource you offer in exchange for someone’s email address.

Why you need one: “Subscribe to my newsletter” converts at 0.5-1%. “Get my free checklist” converts at 3-8%. That’s a 6x difference.

What makes a good lead magnet:

1. Solves a specific problem (not general information)
2. Delivers quick value (can be consumed in 10-15 minutes)
3. Relevant to your blog niche (attracts the right subscribers)
4. Easy to create (you don’t need a 50-page ebook)

Lead magnet ideas that work:

Checklists (easiest to create)

• “10-Point SEO Checklist for Every Blog Post”
• “New Blogger Setup Checklist”
• “Content Planning Checklist”

Templates

• “Blog Post Template I Use for Every Article”
• “Editorial Calendar Template”
• “Email Sequence Template”

Cheat sheets

• “Keyword Research Cheat Sheet”
• “Social Media Posting Schedule Cheat Sheet”
• “Blog Monetization Cheat Sheet”

Resource lists

• “50 Free Stock Photo Sites for Bloggers”
• “The Ultimate List of Blogging Tools”
• “100 Blog Post Ideas for [Your Niche]”

Mini courses (email series)

• “5-Day Email Course: Start Your Blog”
• “7-Day SEO Crash Course”
• “10-Day Content Planning Challenge”

What I created: A simple PDF checklist: “The Pre-Publish SEO Checklist: 12 Things to Check Before Hitting Publish”

It took me 2 hours to create in Canva. It’s converted over 2,000 subscribers.

How to create your lead magnet:

Option 1: Canva (easiest)

1. Use a free template
2. Add your content
3. Export as PDF
4. Upload to your blog or Google Drive

Option 2: Google Docs

1. Create your content
2. Design it nicely (headers, bullet points, images)
3. Download as PDF
4. Upload to your blog

Option 3: Email course (no PDF needed)

1. Write 5-7 emails
2. Set up automation in your email platform
3. Deliver one email per day after signup

Pro tip: Start with a simple checklist or cheat sheet. You can always create more sophisticated lead magnets later.

Step 3: Add Opt-In Forms to Your Blog

You have a lead magnet. Now you need to make it easy for people to sign up.

Where to add signup forms:

1. End of every blog post (highest converting) After someone reads your post, they’re most engaged. This is prime conversion territory.

Example: “Want more SEO tips like this? Download my free Pre-Publish SEO Checklist and make sure every post is optimized before you hit publish.”

Conversion rate: 5-8% of readers

2. Sidebar (always visible) A simple form in your sidebar that appears on every page.

Keep it short:

• Headline: “Get My Free SEO Checklist”
• Subheadline: “12 things to check before publishing”
• Email field
• Submit button

Conversion rate: 2-3% of visitors

3. Pop-up (controversial but effective) I resisted pop-ups for a year because I found them annoying. Then I tested one. Conversions tripled.

Rules for non-annoying pop-ups:

• Wait 30-60 seconds before showing (let people read first)
• Only show once per visitor
• Make it easy to close
• Offer real value (not just “subscribe to my newsletter”)

Conversion rate: 3-5% of visitors

4. Welcome mat (full-screen takeover) When someone first lands on your blog, show a full-screen opt-in offer before they see your content.

Use sparingly: This is aggressive. I only use it for my highest-traffic pages.

Conversion rate: 8-12% of visitors (but can increase bounce rate)

5. Content upgrades (advanced) Offer a specific lead magnet related to each post.

Example: In a post about “How to Write Headlines,” offer a free “100 Headline Templates” download.

Conversion rate: 10-15% of readers (but requires creating multiple lead magnets)

What I actually use:

• End-of-post form on every article (5-8% conversion)
• Sidebar form (2-3% conversion)
• Exit-intent pop-up (shows when someone is about to leave, 4-6% conversion)

Total: About 12-17% of my blog visitors join my email list.

Step 4: Promote Your Lead Magnet

Having opt-in forms isn’t enough. You need to actively promote your lead magnet.

In every blog post: Mention your lead magnet naturally within your content.

Example: “When I’m optimizing a post, I use my Pre-Publish SEO Checklist to make sure I haven’t missed anything. You can grab a free copy here.”

On social media: Share your lead magnet regularly.

Example tweet: “Spent 2 hours creating a blog post? Don’t publish it until you’ve checked these 12 SEO items. I made a free checklist: [link]”

In your email signature: Add a link to your lead magnet in your email signature.

In your bio: Instagram, Twitter, Pinterest—wherever you have a bio, mention your lead magnet.

In guest posts: When you write for other blogs, include a link to your lead magnet in your author bio.

My promotion schedule:

• Mention in every blog post (naturally, not forced)
• Share on Twitter 2x per week
• Share on Pinterest 1x per week
• Include in email signature
• Mention in podcast interviews or guest posts

Step 5: Write a Welcome Email Sequence

When someone subscribes, don’t just send a one-time “thanks for subscribing” email. Create a sequence.

My 5-email welcome sequence:

Email 1 (Immediate): Deliver the lead magnet

• Subject: “Here’s your [Lead Magnet Name]”
• Body: Link to download, brief intro to who you are
• Call to action: “Reply and tell me your biggest challenge with [topic]”

Email 2 (Day 2): Share your best content

• Subject: “My most popular post (and why it matters)”
• Body: Link to your best-performing blog post with context
• Call to action: Visit the post

Email 3 (Day 4): Tell your story

• Subject: “How I [achieved relevant result]”
• Body: Personal story about your journey in your niche
• Call to action: “Reply and share your story”

Email 4 (Day 6): Provide value

• Subject: “3 quick tips for [solving their problem]”
• Body: Actionable tips they can implement today
• Call to action: Try one tip and reply with results

Email 5 (Day 8): Make an offer

• Subject: “How I can help you [achieve goal]”
• Body: Introduce your services, products, or affiliate recommendations
• Call to action: Check out your offer

After the sequence: Move them to your regular email list and send weekly emails.

Why this works:

• Builds relationship before asking for anything
• Provides value consistently
• Warms them up for future promotions

Step 6: Send Regular Emails (The Part Everyone Skips)

This is where most bloggers fail. They build a list, then never email it.

My email schedule:

• Tuesday: Value email (tips, stories, resources)
• Friday: Blog post notification + value

What I write about:

• Behind-the-scenes of running my blog
• Lessons I’m learning
• Tools I’m using
• Mistakes I’ve made
• New blog posts
• Occasional affiliate recommendations

The 80/20 rule: 80% value, 20% promotion.

Example value email:

Subject: “The blog post that changed everything”

Body: “Hey [Name],

Last week I published a post about SEO mistakes. It took me 6 hours to write.

It got 47 views in the first week.

Meanwhile, a post I wrote in 90 minutes about my blogging routine got 847 views.

Lesson learned: Your audience doesn’t always want what you think they want.

The solution? Look at your analytics. Write more of what’s working. Less of what isn’t.

This week’s post is about [topic]. Check it out here: [link]

What’s your most surprising blog post success? Hit reply and tell me.

• Jennifer”

See how that’s conversational, valuable, and includes a soft promotion?

That’s the formula.

Common Email List Building Mistakes

1. Waiting until you have “enough traffic” Start building your list from day one. My first subscriber came when I had 50 monthly visitors. Start now.

2. Not emailing regularly If you only email once a month, subscribers forget who you are. Weekly minimum.

3. Only emailing when you publish Your emails should provide value beyond “I published a new post.” Share insights, stories, tips.

4. Making your lead magnet too complex A simple checklist beats a 50-page ebook you never finish creating.

5. Not promoting your lead magnet Create it once, promote it everywhere, constantly.

My First Year Results (Real Numbers)

Month 1: 3 subscribers (mom, spam bot, one real person)
Month 3: 47 subscribers
Month 6: 312 subscribers
Month 9: 1,124 subscribers
Month 12: 2,847 subscribers

What drove growth:

• Months 1-3: Slow, manual promotion
• Months 4-6: First post went viral on Pinterest (gained 200 subscribers)
• Months 7-9: Consistent SEO traffic kicked in
• Months 10-12: Compounding effect of multiple high-traffic posts

Revenue from email list (Year 1):

• Affiliate commissions: $3,200
• Sponsored emails: $800
• Course sales: $1,500 Total: $5,500 from 2,847 subscribers

That’s about $1.93 per subscriber per year. Not huge, but that compounds as your list grows.

The Real Secret to Email List Growth

After building multiple email lists across different blogs, here’s what I’ve learned:

Email list growth is a byproduct of creating valuable content and making it easy for people to stay connected.

You don’t need fancy funnels or expensive tools. You need:

1. A simple lead magnet that solves a real problem
2. Opt-in forms in the right places
3. Consistent promotion
4. Regular, valuable emails

Do those four things, and your list will grow.

Start today. Create a simple checklist. Add a signup form to your blog. Send your first email.

Your future self (and your bank account) will thank you.

---

About the author: Jennifer Lee is an affiliate marketing expert and growth consultant who has built email lists totaling over 15,000 subscribers across multiple blogs. Her email marketing strategies have generated over $50,000 in revenue since 2019. She specializes in helping bloggers build engaged email lists that drive consistent income.