Email Isn’t Dead: 5 Reasons Why Bloggers Should Still Be List Building

With the rise in social media and the variety of ways that bloggers and business owners can interact with readers, you’d be forgiven for assuming that email is dead. But email is more relevant than ever before, with a projected 2.9 billion users by the end of 2019.

If you’ve let your email list gather dust (or worse, if you haven’t started a list yet at all), here are 5 reasons why should be prioritizing email ASAP:

1. Control Your Touchpoints

While you’re likely active on social media, you don’t own these channels- you’re just borrowing them. While Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram can help you keep in touch with followers, those followers’ information is held by the social media channels themselves. That means that if their terms and conditions suddenly change (which happens more than you might think), you can lose your ability to talk to those readers.

This isn’t the case with your email list. Since your readers have personally handed over their email addresses, you don’t need to worry about service or algorithm changes which could limit your access to those readers.

2. Increase Your Website Traffic

You need to have plenty of traffic to your blog before you begin list-building right? Wrong. This is one of those chicken-and-egg scenarios, and it makes more sense to encourage your readers to sign up to your list as soon as you can.

This makes it easy for you to notify subscribers of new blog posts, attracting them back to your website.

3. Connect With Readers

Twitter and Facebook are all about the scrolling. Users get on social media whenever they feel like it, and their attention is being pulled in multiple directions- by thousands of friends, businesses, bloggers, and, of course, cat videos.

Did you know that 58% of people check their email before any other online activity every day? This means you’re more likely to connect with your readers through email- before their attention goes elsewhere.

4. Stand Out from Other Bloggers

While you’re (hopefully) providing your readers with interesting, helpful, and valuable content in your blog posts, and email list helps you go above and beyond.

In your emails, you can share interesting information, tips, advice, or an ‘inside look.’ Since most email users check their inbox multiple times a day, it also helps you stay top-of-mind.

5. Increase Earning Potential

It takes a lot of work to build up a following as a blogger. But once you do, you probably want to maximize your potential to make some money. Bloggers can do this in a variety of ways, including writing ebooks, creating online courses, coaching, affiliate marketing, and selling their own physical products.

Readers who give you their email addresses are obviously fans of your blog. You’ve established enough of a connection that they trust you with access to their inbox. This is hugely helpful when you’re creating a new product or offering a new service since these loyal readers are likely to be interested and support your new efforts.

Here are a few tips to help you increase your email list:

• Create a lead magnet: This is something you giveaway when people sign up to your list. It could be an ebook, free course, coaching session- the sky’s the limit.
• Use a call-to-action: It’s important to tell readers what you want them to do. Make sure you have a call-to-action asking readers to sign up for your email list on every website page and at the end of each blog post.
• Use plenty of opt-ins: These include pop-ups, website headers and footers, a ‘subscribe’ page, on your sidebar, and more.

As you can see, an email list is more important than ever before. By prioritizing your email list, you can connect with your readers, grow your income, and increase your traffic.