You know that building your email list is important. So you’ve created an account on an email marketing platform and added some opt-in forms to your website or blog.
You’ve had a few people sign up for your email list here and there—including the pity sign-ups from your mom and sister. But otherwise, it’s been crickets on your list. And as a result, your email list is growing at a painfully slow snail’s pace.
Are people that uninterested in what you have to offer? Do you need to change your whole business to something that’s more sexy or appealing to people?
Probably not.
Because there’s a market out there for even the strangest products and services. In fact, there are companies that make edible shoes; sell artificial testicular implants for neutered dogs; and send bouquets of dead, rotting flowers to people their clients hate.
I’m guessing that your business is less niche than these ones. So the chances are that there isn’t a problem with what your business sells.
Instead, there might be an issue with how you’re trying to build your email list. Specifically, there might be a blockage in your email list building pipeline.
Where’s the blockage and how do you fix it? Discover the 5 reasons why your email list isn’t growing and what to do about them.
Having a hard time getting new subscribers for your email list?
Learn my 4-step formula for building your email list like a pro.
Download the free email list builder cheat sheet.
1. People aren’t visiting your website or blog
You might have added some email opt-in forms to your website or blog. But you’re going to have a hard time using them to grow your list if there aren’t many people landing on your website or blog in the first place.
The fix: Use Google Analytics to find out how much traffic you’re getting on your blog or website. If your numbers are low, focus on ways to boost your traffic. You can do this by promoting your blog posts on social media and optimizing your blog posts for search engines.
Related: How Pinterest increased my email subscribers by 1018% + free Pinterest profile cheat sheet
2. Your opt-in forms aren’t visible
You might have an email opt-in form in your sidebar or at the bottom of your home page. But if your website or blog visitors don’t spot your opt-in form in these places, they won’t know that they have the opportunity to sign up for your email list.
The fix: If you have access to analytics for your opt-in forms, check to see how many views they’re getting. If the numbers are low, it’s a sign that not many people are even seeing your opt-in forms—never mind filling them out.
Make your opt-in forms impossible to miss by placing them in many places on your website or blog. For example, you can place opt-in forms on each webpage, in the middle of blog posts, in your sidebar, at the top of your website, and even in your navigation menu. You can also experiment with pop-ups to really get your email list growing.
Related: 16 ways to get MORE people to see your email opt-ins + 19 emails to send to your list
3. Your opt-in form is hard to fill out
It’s also possible that your email list isn’t growing because you’ve made it too hard for people to sign up. For example, your website or blog visitors may be less motivated to sign up for your email list if they have to click a link to a separate sign-up page instead of just being able to fill out an opt-in form that’s embedded in a page or post.
Your opt-in form might also be too hard to fill out if it contains too many fields or asks for information that people may not want to give you (e.g., their phone number).
The fix: Your opt-in form analytics may also be able to tell you the number of people who fill out your opt-in form relative to the number of people who see it. If this percentage is low, it means that something is stopping people from filling out your form even after they spot it.
To get more people to fill out your opt-in form, stick to opt-in methods that make the sign-up process stupidly simple and easy for your website and blog visitors (e.g., embedded forms and pop-ups). And include as few fields on your form as possible. In most cases, it’s enough to ask for just the subscriber’s first name and email address.
Related: 16 easy ways to get more email subscribers + Free email list builder cheat sheet
Having a hard time getting new subscribers for your email list?
Learn my 4-step formula for building your email list like a pro.
Download the free email list builder cheat sheet.
4. You don’t convey the value of your list
You might have lots of traffic on your website and simple opt-in forms that are visible on nearly every page. But your email list might still not be growing because you don’t tell people what they’ll get as a subscriber on your list. This is another reason why lots of people may see your opt-in forms but not sign up for your list.
The fix: Back in the day, it used to be enough to just tell people to join your email list or sign up for your newsletter. But remember, people get slammed with emails every day. So you need to make a good case for why your emails are worth receiving.
When you’re encouraging people to complete your opt-in form, clearly state the value they’ll get from your emails. For example, will you be sending weekly tips, resources, or discount codes? Tell people exactly what they’ll get if they subscribe to your email list.
5. You don’t offer a freebie
The promise of getting tips or resources delivered right to their inbox might be enough for people who are already super excited about what you have to offer.
But for other people, it might not be enough to get them to hand over their email address. And as a result, you might miss out on gaining subscribers and growing your email. This is yet another potential reason why your analytics might show that many people are seeing your opt-in forms but not signing up.
The fix: Offer a freebie that’s relevant to your brand and audience as an extra incentive to sign up for your email list. For example, you could give people a checklist, template, cheat sheet, discount code, free trial, or product sample in exchange for signing up.
Keep in mind that offering a freebie also helps you build and nurture your relationship with your subscribers by giving them a chance to directly experience your product or expertise directly. This will move them closer to eventually becoming customers. Cha-ching!
Related: 10 effective opt-in incentives that help you grow your email list + free tip sheet
Get your email list growing
It can be depressing to check your email list stats every week and see that your subscriber count barely budges each time.
But the good news is that if your email list isn’t growing, it probably isn’t because your business isn’t sexy or interesting enough. Instead, it’s more likely that there’s a blockage in your list building pipeline.
Identify where you’re losing potential subscribers by digging into your website, blog, or opt-in form analytics. Then, use the corresponding solution I’ve shared above to clear the blockage and get that subscriber pipeline flowing.
Having a hard time getting new subscribers for your email list?
Learn my 4-step formula for building your email list like a pro.
Download the free email list builder cheat sheet.
