293. 46K List Growth Case Study: From Snooze-Worthy to Subscriber Magnet
Apr 5, 2025
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Sam Vander Wielen, an attorney-turned-entrepreneur and author, shares her journey from legal professional to business owner, successfully growing her email list to over 46,000 subscribers. She transformed complex legal topics into engaging content that captivates her audience. Key strategies include innovative lead generation tactics like webinars and challenges, optimizing sign-up processes, and balancing personal branding with privacy. With a 37% open rate, her methods prove that tapping into audience needs can create a thriving subscriber community.
Sam Vander Wielen successfully transformed intimidating legal topics into engaging content, significantly reducing audience apprehension and fostering subscriber interest.
Her strategic approach combines webinars and targeted Facebook ads, driving substantial email list growth while attracting an engaged audience through valuable content.
Vander Wielen's authorship not only serves as an educational resource but also encourages ongoing engagement with her audience, further enhancing her list-building efforts.
Deep dives
Transforming Legal Content into Engaging Material
An attorney turned entrepreneur, Sam Vander Wielen successfully grew her email list to over 46,000 subscribers by transforming dry legal topics into engaging and relatable content. Her approach involves hooking potential leads with essential legal insights while maintaining their interest through valuable business growth information. By addressing the common fears and misconceptions surrounding legal requirements in online business, she creates a space where her audience feels comfortable and empowered to learn more. This strategy not only ensures high engagement but also fosters trust, resulting in a remarkable 37% average open rate for her emails.
Strategic Use of Webinars for List Growth
Vander Wielen attributes a significant portion of her list growth to webinars, particularly her session titled 'Five Steps to Legally Protect and Grow Your Online Business.' By reverse engineering her product offerings, she designs webinars that provide immense value while naturally leading participants to her legal templates and other services. The format allows her to reach new audiences while continually nurturing those on her list, illustrating that proactive engagement can effectively attract and convert leads. This cyclical process ensures that even if participants do not convert immediately, they are still drawn into her ecosystem for future opportunities.
Leveraging Ads and Organic Reach
In addition to webinars, Vander Wielen has effectively combined Facebook ads with organic growth strategies to expand her subscriber base. She has invested in advertising, which accounts for about 50% of her new leads, while also generating leads through SEO-optimized content on her website. The mixture of paid ads, her engaging content strategy, and organic social media outreach has resulted in a continual upward trajectory for her email list. This balanced approach not only drives quantity but also focuses on attracting the right kind of audience who finds genuine value in her offerings.
Creating Personal Connections Through Authorship
Vander Wielen's recent foray into authorship aims to further connect with her audience by offering insights into her entrepreneurial journey in a non-legal context. Her book, 'When I Start My Business, I'll Be Happy,' serves as both an educational resource and a promotional tool for her email list. By including prompts and calls to action throughout the book, readers are encouraged to engage further, creating an ongoing relationship even after they’ve closed the cover. This strategy illustrates how authorship can serve as an effective platform for list building while providing genuine value to readers.
Active List Management for Sustained Growth
Vander Wielen actively scrubs her email list twice a year to maintain its health and ensure that her audience remains engaged. She sequences emails aimed at inactive subscribers, allowing them to re-engage or declare their interest again, thus protecting the integrity of her community. This process not only helps remove unengaged individuals from her list but also affirms the value of her content to those who remain. By focusing on quality over quantity, Vander Wielen reinforces a sustainable model for growth that fosters loyalty and long-term engagement.
Building an email list is already tough—but growing one to 46,000+ subscribers in a space people actively avoid? That’s next-level.
Attorney turned entrepreneur and author, Sam Vander Wielen, was able to do exactly that. She turned dry, intimidating legal topics—contracts, website policies, and email compliance—into content that’s engaging, approachable, and surprisingly fun.
Her strategy? Hooking leads with must-know legal insights, then keeping them engaged with high-value business growth content. And with a 37% average open rate, her audience isn’t just opting in once—they’re paying attention and coming back for more.
In this case study, Sam breaks down exactly how she fueled her list growth to 46,000 active subscribers so you can apply what works to your own niche.
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