Learn the significance of creating an email list for book launches and the advantages of using your own platform. Discover tips for getting started and providing value to subscribers. Find out strategies for building an engaged email list, including incorporating call-to-action in emails and connecting with fans to expand reach.
Email marketing is the most effective tool for selling books and maintaining a successful writing career, allowing authors to engage directly with readers and drive book sales.
When building an email list, it is important to personally invite individuals to join, offer incentives to entice sign-ups, optimize website placement, and encourage subscribers to share the list with their networks.
Deep dives
The Importance of an Email List
Building an email list is crucial for authors to effectively promote their books and maintain a long-lasting writing career. An email list allows authors to directly engage with their readers and reliably sell books. Despite the rise of social media, email remains the most effective way to get people's attention and drive action. By owning the permission to contact their fans, authors can continuously grow their platform over time, unlike relying on external publicity efforts that become increasingly costly. To get started, authors are advised to individually invite people to join their email list and offer valuable incentives, such as free books, PDFs with tips, or exclusive interviews. Additionally, it is essential to optimize website placement, leverage social media followers, and request new subscribers to share the email list with their networks.
Choosing an Email List Provider: ConvertKit
When it comes to selecting an email list provider, ConvertKit is recommended as a user-friendly service with powerful tools. It offers an ideal balance of ease of use and advanced features, allowing authors to grow their email lists and experiment with new strategies. ConvertKit provides sign-up forms that can be easily integrated into websites and social media platforms. Furthermore, the podcast episode offers a link to access ConvertKit's 30-day free trial, helping authors get started without any immediate financial commitment.
Strategies for Building the Initial Subscriber Base
Getting the first 100 subscribers for an email list can be challenging, but it is crucial to individually invite people and connect with them personally. By personally inviting individuals to join the email list, authors become comfortable with promoting their work and establishing one-on-one relationships with early subscribers. Social media followers should also be encouraged to sign up by offering enticing incentives. Adding an email list invitation to the email signature helps increase visibility, and making the sign-up call-to-action prominent on the website is essential. Finally, authors are encouraged to ask new subscribers to share the email list with their friends and networks to expand their reach.
Email marketing is your #1 tool in selling more books. In this episode I discuss how to get your email list up and running and get your first 100 subscribers.