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A while back I posted about why Creators need a niche (or a Crux … IYKYK) and how to pick one.

As great as that post is (humble brag) and as true as it is, that’s only the first step in your journey to becoming a full-time Influencer or Creator.

What’s the second step?

You need to create an email list!

Yes. And don’t even think about skipping this step. Even if you think this step doesn’t apply to you.

Here’s why.

What Is an Email List?

An email list is a list of email contacts (duh) that you own and can email whenever you want! And about anything you want!

Obviously, use your intuition and common sense so you’re not spamming people or emailing things that are too irrelevant, but you still get what I’m saying.

What I’m trying to get at is you don’t have to rely on another platform’s algorithm. You know every recipient will receive your email. They may not read the email, but they’ll receive it.

These recipients are individuals who signed up because they want to hear from you directly! It’s more of a commitment than casual followers, so of course, they’re more likely to open any email to see what good nuggets you have to share!

Why You Need to Start With an Email List

The reason you create an email list before you grow a platform is that as you grow, your email list will grow with you.

I had a student a while back that had the goal of reaching 10,000 followers on Instagram. The first step I gave her was to create an email list.

With skepticism, I gave her the steps of how to create an email list, and after just one day, she was ready.

We continued the rest of the steps to grow on Instagram and after only 3 months, she grew 40,000 followers. Because she started with her email list, that list also grew with her. After the same 3 months, she had over 2,000 people on her email list.

So, when she was ready to quit her full-time job and pursue coaching and social media, she emailed her list, sold out on her coaching and was able to become a full-time Content Creator and coach.

You may not know how to best utilize that email list now, but as you grow, you’ll realize how vital and powerful it can be.

How to Start Your Email List

What do you need to do to start your email list?

You want to create a free offer (freebie) for your audience where they can get an instant result, product or gratification.

Of course, every freebie will look different depending on your niche (hence, why it’s important to start there), so what should you offer?

I’d suggest starting by looking at your competitors or “niche-neighbors” (I prefer the latter since no one is really “competing”). Browse their social channels and find what sort of free offers they’re giving their audience.

Are they offering a free quiz? An e-guide or e-book? Templates? Training?

Once you find a few examples, you now know what’s proven to work. Then, create your own version of it. Don’t consume theirs or copy theirs. But create your own, original freebie for your audience.

Now how do you make your freebie? I would say that most freebies, whether it’s an e-book, checklist, quiz, templates, or even a video training, can all be created using Canva.

Where to Post Your Freebie

Now that you have your freebie, it’s time to choose an email host.

Of course, the host you choose is ultimately up to you. If you need a nudge on where to look, here are my recommendations. A lot of people prefer to use MailChimp because it’s the most popular and it’s cost-effective.

Personally, I prefer Flodesk since it’s easy to design your emails. Plus, Flodesk is a flat monthly or annual payment as opposed to a fee that increases as your list grows.

If you want to put off the email host for now and just put your freebie out there, I highly recommend using Stan Store. It’s essentially an all-in-one creator tool that can help you with just about anything.

So put your freebie in your Stan Store as a lead magnet and put the link to your store, everywhere with a Call to Action (CTA). Put it in your IG link in bio, TikTok, YouTube banner, YouTube descriptions, pinned comments, wherever you can (without blatantly annoying everyone).

Collect those emails! Then when you’re ready and have a sizeable list, choose your email host.

Go Start Your List!

What are you waiting for? Go create your freebie and start your email list!

If you want more information on how to start, grow and serve your email list, check out my free downloadable on growing your email list.

See what I did there? I just plugged my freebie. You can do that too!

If you still have questions or comments about anything discussed here, feel free to leave a comment on this post! I love reading my comments and interacting with my community.

Follow your joy!