Now that you have a lead magnet. The next step is to promote it in exchange for people’s email addresses. I’ve ranked these from easiest to hardest in terms of speed, effort and expense.

1. Ask People to Join Your Email List

I started my email list by asking friends and family to join. I also asked a few people on social media via messages who I knew.

Carrd (a landing page tool) and Substack are good for growing an email list. However, I prefer ConvertKit.

2. Setup a ConvertKit Creator Profile

Once you’ve created your email list, set up your profile in ConvertKit. This acts as a type of website that you can point people too.

They can also opt-in, buy your products, and read your past newsletters. It’s the easiest and fastest way to start growing a list without spending much money.

3. Recommend Other ConvertKit Publications

Use your ConvertKit creator profile to recommend other publications. In turn, some may recommend you. This will help you grow your list. You can join their newsletter, get their emails and also ask for a recommendation. Ideally, you’re both in the same niche.

4. Create Content on 1-2 Social Media Networks Daily

Include a clear call-to-action to join your email list in your bios and also some posts. I profile how I use LinkedIn in the video.

5. Run a Giveaway

Sparkloop is a ConvertKit tool that enables you to create referral campaigns for growing an email list. Use it to give away something for free (e.g. a book) in exchange for people’s emails. You can then:

1. Embed this into your existing email campaigns (pictured below, also see this documentation).
2. Share online or via your books as a landing page (my example).

6. Add Your CTA to the Front of Your Book(s)

I include this call to action at the front of some of my self-published books on Amazon. This CTA has driven 100s of subscribers over the years.

Basically, it sends readers or those who download a sample to a landing page. I created that with BookFunnel (you can also use Sparkloop). They get a free book, I grow my list!

7. Give Away Your Lead Magnet on Your Website

Put a link to your lead magnet on your books, website and wherever you connect with readers.

Following the above steps, I created 3–4 lead magnets across my website. I added them to the bottom of popular blog posts on my site. I tested the headline, cover, and creative for each one.

I set up exit intent on my website using ConvertKit. A non-intrusive pop-up appears in the bottom right-hand corner when a visitor lands on a relevant page. Granted, that’s an advanced and traffic-dependent strategy:

8. Set Up a Facebook Lead Ad

Short on time and got more to spend?

If you’ve $10-20 a day and are willing to test, you can grow a list faster on Facebook by creating a lead magnet ad. It’s the fastest and most expensive way to grow an email list. I walkthrough this in the video.

Tools mentioned: Canva to design the ad, Zapier to connect ConvertKit to your Facebook account (or Make), ChatGPT to write headlines (or Facebook AI).