6 Easy Tactics You Can Use to Grow Your Email List

THIS WEEK’S LESSON

Grow Your Email List: 6 Proven Strategies for Former Educator Founders

"Never build on rented land"

Matt McGarry told me this a year ago when I took his course, Grow. Write. Sell. The whole point was to be a better newsletter operator.

I already knew this point, but it was a good reminder.

Because most people put a ton of energy into building on "land" they don't own: social media.

Tomorrow, Meta, X, whatever ...

Can change the rules on your and destroy your business.

I've inconsistently posted on social media over the years/. But I've never missed a week posting a podcast or newsletter. Why? Because it's the foundation of my business.

It's a space where I'm not competing for attention. And my audience has raised their hand to hear from me.

When it comes to content. This is the most important action I take each week. And today I'll reveal my plan for growing my email list.

My goal is to grow from 5,400 to 10,000 subs by the end of June. That's quite a stretch. But if I grow by 1000+, I will be happy. Below are the 7 ways I will grow my list.

These things are all in my control.

1. Newsletter Swaps (Cross Promotions)

The fastest way to grow your list is through newsletter swaps with creators in your network. I'm only asking people I know and have a relationship with.

Here's how it works:

• I made a list of everyone in my network.

• Pitched the idea to promote each other's newsletters in the next few months.

• Told them it would be in the highly-clicked curated link section or a small content box

• Established a date to do this.

• Bonus tip: Beehiiv allows you to use a "magic link" which automagically grabs the person's email. They can join my list without entering any details. I can also add a UTM parameter so I can see where the new subscriber came from.

This approach is top of the list because you are advertising to people who already enjoy newsletter content in your niche.

2. Deploy Educational Email Courses (EEC)

EECs provide a ton of value over a short time. Best of all, once written, you can automate the process 100%.

EECs:

• Position you as an expert.

• Deliver tangible results.

• Convert at higher rates than generic lead magnets.

• Build relationships with your readers.

• Forms an "open" and "click" habit with your readers.

This quarter I'm sharing the Boundary Setting Blueprint. A 5-day EEC that covers the mistakes principals make when it comes to work. Mistakes that lead to overwhelm and burnout.

We solve that problem with this EEC.

3. Create Category-Specific Lead Magnets

The biggest mistake Former Educator Founders make is creating a generic lead magnet.

What you want to do is solve a very tangible problem.

• "How to land your first principal position."

• "The Ultimate 12-Month Checklist for First-Year Principals" (this one has over 2K downloads and is my most popular lead magnet)

• "The 5-Step Process to Hiring a Teacher"

If your lead magnet resolves acute pain your audience experiences, it will work.

4. Post About Your Lead Magnets on Social Media

This is part of the "fundamentals."

For some reason, I did this a lot back in the day. Few people knew about my work. I was younger and scrappier.

Now I'm fat and lazy.

So it's back to the basics, sharing great content I made to serve Ruckus Makers. So I plan on doing some "inside out" marketing.

• Showing the lead magnet people will get

• Creating clips from longer form coaching videos

• Sharing testimonials from people who have gotten value.

People won''t see your lead magnet announcement the first time. Keep at it. Consistent, value-focused promotion is key.

5. Pre and Post CTA Posts for Your Newsletter

Before and after you publish your newsletter, create dedicated social media posts.

The Pre-Newsletter CTA:

• Tease the valuable content coming in tomorrow's issue.

• Share 1-3 key takeaways readers will gain.

• Create an open loop that makes people curious.

• Include a clear call to action to subscribe.

The Post-Newsletter CTA:

• Share that you just sent valuable content to subscribers.

• Mention how many people learned from yesterday's issue (if over 1K).

• Keep the message short and action-focused.

• Link directly to your subscription page.

This creates FOMO and gives your audience two opportunities to subscribe around each issue. It's also another example of "inside out" marketing.

6. Host Free Webinars

This works great if you are a coach, consultant, or have an ed-tech product. What you want to do here, is create an experience that mimics what people get when they pay you.

• If you coach or consult: do that on the webinar.

• If you have an app: demo it.

• End with a n invitation to buy the app or hire you as a coach.

The registration process collects email addresses and will grow your list.

Conclusion: It Takes Work

Yes, there's automation and things you can do to work smarter and not harder.

But here's the truth: if you want to grow your email list, it takes work. You got to roll up your sleeves and promote your stuff. Nobody cares what you made.

Which brings me back to the essence of Category Design.

Whatever you do, market the problem. Fall in love with the problem. Talk a lot about the problem.

If you do, people will believe you have the answer. And they'll join your list.