Google search algorithms shift and change. Social media platforms rise and fall in popularity. Discoverability can feel like a mirage, always just out of reach. The only sure way to connect with your audience is through email, but what are the best ways to build, expand, and maintain a robust, quality email list?
You Need an Email List and It Needs to Be Verified
It’s kind of un-sexy work, the process of growing an email list. It takes time, working step by step to convince customers and potential customers to sign up, to stay subscribed, to stay engaged. But it’s incredibly important.
- It is both affordable and effective. Free and low-cost email marketing platforms are widely available for a small business to use, and the return on investment is significant, with an average $36-42 back for every dollar spent.
- It converts at a higher rate. Forbes found that for B2C email marketing, people are three times more likely to make purchases from email marketing than from social media and half of consumers report making purchases from marketing emails at least once a month.
- It creates a personal connection. Personalization is a huge advantage and something that consumers are actively looking for in their marketing. Adding an email recipient’s first name to the subject line of an email can increase open rates by 9.1%, and 80% of people are more likely to make a purchase from a personalized email.
- It’s fully within your control. You can have hundreds of thousands of followers on Instagram or Tiktok, but what happens if that social platform tanks? Or no one on your socials is crossing over to your business? An email list is exclusively yours, made up of engaged customers who opted in to know more.
That phrase “opted in” is key, both legally and practically. Because a huge list size sounds like the ultimate goal, but you benefit more from a smaller list of quality, verified emails.
What do we mean by verified? We mean the email addresses you have are valid and deliverable and the recipient has deliberately opted in. Verification filters out spam and bots so you can focus on speaking directly to an engaged audience in ways that connect with them.
Don’t Have an Email List Yet? Here’s How to Get Started
Already have an email list but want ideas on how to expand it? Jump to the next section.
If you don’t have an email list and/or newsletter already established, let’s take a quick moment to run through the simple steps to get that going before we move onto growth and maintenance.
- Start by deciding on an email service provider. There are a lot of options out there — Mailchimp, MailerLite, Omnisend, etc. — with different pricing options depending on how many subscribers you have and what features you’re needing. We highly recommend a plan that lets you set up email automations to make connecting with your audience easier and more seamless.
- Begin with your current customer base. You likely have email addresses and contact information from people you’re currently working with or worked with in the past. Look at all the information you have and try to group (segment) them based on things like their purchasing behavior, past contacts, etc.
- Prioritize integrated opt-ins and preference centers. No one can sign up for an email marketing list that they know nothing about. Make sure you have embedded opt-in forms throughout your website that are easy to find and fill out. Also make sure that recipients can easily find and access links that let them manage their preferences. Some of your customers want to know about everything and others may only want you to contact them about specific information, like giveaways or sales.
- Use double opt-in for best results. This requires anyone who fills out the opt-in form to confirm again that they want to be on your list. It helps to filter out bots and fake accounts, but it also ensures your subscribers are knowingly committing to getting your messages.
6 Tips for Building Your Email List as a Small Business
Okay, so we have the list started. Now, the question is, how to grow it and expand your reach. We have a few tips and best practices.
1. Offer a lead magnet.
People don’t really need more emails in their inboxes, even from a company that they support and might like to hear more from. But if they get something in exchange for subscribing…well, that’s a different story.
A lead magnet is one of the best ways to grab the attention of prospective customers and encourage them to fill out that opt-in form. Put it right there on the form — “Subscribe now and receive ____ straight to your inbox” — so visitors can clearly see it. The lead magnet varies based on you and your business, but it can be things like discount codes, free gifts or shipping, free shipping, exclusive content ebooks or webinars, etc.
2. Make it mobile-friendly.
This applies both to your opt-in forms and the emails themselves. Per Statista, in the first quarter of 2026, mobile devices, not including tablets, accounted for 52% of global website traffic. Responsive, mobile-ready design sets you up for success.
3. Leverage gamification.
There’s a reason why so many people use apps like Duolingo; it’s because they’ve gamified the act of language learning to keep users engaged. Gamification can boost email signups, and there are a lot of different ways to do it. A lot of online retail sites do things like lucky wheels or virtual scratch cards to incentivize visitors to engage and try their luck. A website like Prose, for example, does this by offering a quiz that promises to find your best hair care products—delivered right to your website.
4. Host a giveaway.
This one is pretty straightforward. You offer up something valuable for a giveaway and have entrants subscribe to your marketing list as part of the entry. It can be a product or service from your business, but it could also be a gift card or something from another small business that you’ve partnered with.
5. Create a referral program.
Word of mouth is the most powerful sales vehicle out there because people are far more likely to trust the opinion of another consumer, especially a friend or family member. Having a referral program that offers your current customers a gift or bonus, maybe a discount, in exchange for referring others to your business is a win-win.
6. Ensure you have signup opportunities everywhere.
Wherever your messaging is, there should also be a call-to-action for your newsletter and marketing list. Put it on your social media posts and profiles. Make sure it’s in your Carrd or Linktree. Have a link in your email signature and in every marketing email you sent out. If you have a physical location and/or attend events like trade shows, conferences, and workshops, have an easy way for people to sign up, preferably something like a QR code.
Best Practices for Maintaining Your Email Marketing List
Once you have people signed up, you also need to ensure they stick with you and aren’t clicking on that “unsubscribe” link at the bottom. It’s a combination of keeping them interested, making it consistently worth their while, and avoiding mistakes.
- Really invest in your content because it will make or break your email marketing. Remember, your subscribers are busy people who don’t really need more unreads in their inbox. Use subject lines that hook attention and content that is unique, relevant, and adds value.
- Always, always personalize. We mentioned it before, but personalization greatly increases the chances that people will open your email and engage with it. It’s not just about putting their name in there either. It’s about understanding the segments your customers fall into and delivering them content that speaks to their interests.
- Keep offering exclusive opportunities. The lead magnet gets them in the door, but they’ll stick around longer if their subscription to your list regularly gives them access to other freebies. Subscriber-only deals and discounts, premium content like webinars or digital courses — the reward can vary. What matters is that you show how staying subscribed provides value.
- Don’t spam. If someone entrusts you with their email address and opts in to your marketing list, don’t violate that trust by flooding their inbox with nonsense. Each email you send out should be engaging, purposeful, and useful. Too many emails is likely to result in a lot of cancelled subscriptions.
- Clean up your email list regularly. If you’ve followed best practices and have a list of verified email subscribers, you’re hopefully seeing good open and click-thru rates. But even if that’s true now, things change, so you should go through your list on a regular basis, remove duplicate addresses, remove inactive subscribers, and reverify to ensure your emails are getting delivered successfully.
Take Control of Your Connections
Small businesses are often limited on budget and resources and need to make the most out of their marketing resources, and our top recommendation for small business owners is often: invest in your email marketing list. For its effectiveness, yes, but also because it gives you the opportunity to build real relationships and connections with your customer base. If you don’t already have an email marketing strategy started or need to expand your current one, the above tips should help you get started. And as always, if you have any questions or are looking for advice, you can always contact our marketing experts at EdwardsSchoen.
