Email Marketing for Beginners: How to Start and What to Send (Step-by-Step)
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In this post we are going to go over Email Marketing for Beginners: How to Start and What to Send (Step-by-Step) to simplify it.
If you’re new to blogging or making money online, there’s a high chance you’ve seen people talking about email marketing.
You’’ have heard people say that it’s one of the best ways to grow your business.
Apparently “the money is in the email list.”
Apparently you should start building one as soon as possible.
Great…
But then what?
Because most people tell you that you need an email list, but they don’t really explain what happens after that lol.
How do people actually get subscribers onto their list?
What are you supposed to send once someone signs up?
And do you really need all these fancy automations, systems and funnels everyone keeps talking about?
When I first looked into email marketing, it felt like one of those things that everyone else seemed to understand apart from me lol.
The good news is that it really isn’t as complicated as it sounds.
Once you strip away all the confusing email marketing jargon, it’s actually pretty straightforward. And you definitely don’t need a huge audience or loads of complicated systems or automations to get started.
In this post, I’ll show you how email marketing works, how to start your first email list, what to send your subscribers, and why it’s one of the best things you can do if you’re looking to grow a blog or online business.
Let’s get into Email Marketing for Beginners.
What Is Email Marketing?
Email marketing is as simple as it sounds. You market your content to your audience via emails.
The easiest way to think about email marketing is this…
Someone enjoys your blog, freebie, or content enough to give you their email address because they’d like to hear from you again.
From there, you simply send them emails every so often depending on your business/strategy.
That’s it.
It doesn’t have to be daily.
It doesn’t have to be complicated.
And it definitely doesn’t need loads of fancy automations when you’re just getting started.
I had my email list for months before even thinking about setting up automations.
The reason so many bloggers and online business owners recommend building an email list is because it gives you a way to stay in touch with people who’ve already shown an interest in what you do.
It means you have a “direct” line of communication with people who are already interested in your content/products/ideas.
Think about how many times you’ve visited a website, read one blog post, then completely forgotten it existed a few days later.
We’ve all done it 😂
But if you’d joined that website’s email list, there’s a good chance you’d have gone back the next time they sent an email.
That’s why having your own email list can be so valuable.
Instead of hoping someone remembers to come back, you’ve got a way of reaching people directly whenever you’ve got something you want to share.
Maybe that’s some information, a new product, a blog post, a YouTube video, a special offer/discount, a course, a new service, or simply something you think your audience will find useful.
It’s one of the few things online that you actually own, which is why so many bloggers see it as such an important part of growing their business.
Social media accounts can get deactivated or banned, whereas you own your email list so always have that line of communication with your audience.
Why Is Email Marketing Important?
At first, it can be easy to wonder whether you even need an email list.
After all, if you’ve got a website, social media account, YouTube channel, or online shop, you’d assume that surely people can just find you there?
The problem is that people are busy.
They might enjoy your content today, then completely forget to come back next week.
Or they close your website/socials and forget your name/business name and can’t then find you even if they do remember.
Not because they didn’t like it…
…but because life gets in the way.
An email list gives you a simple way to stay in touch with the people who have already shown an interest in what you do.
This means that instead of hoping someone stumbles across your website or social media again, you can let them know when you’ve got something new to share and they don’t have to go looking for you.
That could be a new blog post, or maybe you’ve added a new product to your shop or maybe you’re launching a course, running a sale, uploading a new YouTube video, or sharing something you think your audience will genuinely find useful etc etc.
Whatever your business looks like, an email list helps you keep that connection going. And in such a simple way.
And over time, those connections can become one of the most valuable parts of growing an online business.
It’s really not a step to be skipped!
Step 1: Choose An Email Marketing Platform
Before you can start building an email list, you’ll need an email marketing platform.
This is simply the online website/tool that stores your subscribers’ email addresses and lets you send emails to them. It’s also where you’ll create signup forms, pop ups, set up automations (if you want to), keep everything organised and where you can check your analytics so you can see what’s working best.
There are quite a few email marketing platforms out there, including:
- MailerLite
- Kit (formerly ConvertKit)
- Mailchimp
The good news is that you don’t need to spend hours comparing every single one lol. They all do a very similar job, so the best one is usually the one you find easiest to use and is the one that fits your needs/budget the best.
Personally, I (still) use MailerLite because I found it really straightforward to set up, it’s really beginner-friendly, and it has everything I need without feeling complicated.
It’s also completely free to start on a starter plan and so easy to upgrade when your list grows/you feel like you want more features which is what I did in time.
👉 Get Started On MailerLite Here
Step 2: Create A Freebie (Lead Magnet)
The next step is giving people a reason to join your email list.
This is why a lead magnet is so important…
If someone lands on your website for the first time, they probably don’t know you yet.
Asking them to hand over their email address without getting anything in return can be a bit of a big ask lol.
That’s where a freebie comes in.
A freebie (often called a lead magnet) is simply something helpful that people receive when they sign up to your email list.
It doesn’t need to be complicated or take weeks to create either.
You can get PLR products that are already pre-done which is an easy option.
Some popular freebie lead magnet ideas include things like:
- Checklists
- E-books
- Templates
- Content prompts
- Printables
- Planners
- Resource lists
The best freebies solve one small problem or help someone achieve something quickly.
For example, if you teach blogging, you could create a blog launch checklist. (This is exactly what my first one was and it did really well.)
If you help people with social media/marketing, you could give away a month’s worth of content ideas.
If you sell digital products, you could offer a free planner or template etc etc.
The goal isn’t to create the biggest freebie possible or anything hugely complicated lol.
It’s simply to give someone something genuinely useful that makes them think, “wow that was really helpful.”
Step 3: Create An Opt-In Form
Now that you’ve made/got your freebie, you need a way for people to actually sign up for it.
This is where an opt-in form comes in.
This can have a variety of different looks, but basically an opt-in form is simply a form where someone enters their name and email address to join your email list and receive your freebie.
This could be on a landing page, an embedded box, a pop up, a banner etc etc.
Often email marketing platforms (such as Mailerlite) make these really easy to create so you don’t need any coding or technical experience.
You can add your signup form to places like:
- Blog posts
- Your homepage
- Landing pages
- Pop-ups
- Resource pages
Etc etc!
They are really customisable too no matter which option/options you choose to go with. Plus you can start/stop them at any time.
The main thing is making it easy for people to find as people will rarely go looking for it.
If someone has to go searching for your signup form, there’s a good chance (as in, pretty much 100% chance lol) that they will leave your site before they ever find it.
Placing it somewhere really obvious/visible gives people the opportunity to join your email list whenever they’re ready to do so.
This could be for updates from you, or that they want your freebie/lead magnet. And sometimes people can see a pop up 10+ times before deciding to sign up, so having it in an obvious place helps with conversion rates.
The main thing to keep in mind is to make it easy to find.
A clear, easy-to-find signup form removes any extra friction/confusion and makes it much more likely they’ll subscribe which is a win for both you and the reader.
Step 4: Set Up A Welcome Sequence
Once someone’s joined your email list, it’s a good idea to have a few emails ready to send to them.
This is usually called a welcome sequence/automation, but don’t let the name put you off lol.
It’s basically just a series of emails that are automatically sent to new subscribers over the next few days or weeks.
That way, everyone gets the same warm welcome without you having to send each email yourself to each new subscriber.
A simple welcome sequence might look something like this:
Email 1
- Deliver your freebie to their email
- Welcome your new subscriber
- Introduce yourself and what they can expect from your emails
Email 2
- Share some of your most helpful content or resources
Email 3
- Answer a common question or share a useful tip
Email 4
- Recommend a product, service, tool, or resource that you genuinely think they’ll find helpful
The idea isn’t to sell something in every email. Email marketing is connection first.
It’s really just to help new subscribers get to know you, understand what you do, and give them a reason to keep opening your emails in the future.
What Should You Actually Send?
This is probably the question I see people ask the most. Understandably lol.
“Okay… I’ve got people on my email list now. What do I actually send them?”
The main thing to remember is that your emails don’t need to be long, complicated, or perfectly written.
Often some of the best emails are the simplest ones.
If you’re ever stuck for ideas, here are a few ideas of content topics you can send to your list:
Let People Know About New Content
Published a new blog post? Uploaded a YouTube video? Released a podcast episode?
Send your subscribers an email to let them know!
Remember that people have signed up because they (yes, wanted the freebie) but also because they wanted to hear from you or they would have unsubscribed lol, so don’t be afraid to share what you’ve been working on.
Share Helpful Tips
Not every email needs to promote something.
Not every email should promote something.
For some emails you can just share something like a quick/useful tip, or answer a commonly asked question, or teach your audience something useful they maybe don’t already know/need reminding of.
Those kinds of emails help build trust and give people a reason to keep opening your emails rather than thinking you are selling to them in every email.
Share Personal Stories
People love hearing about real experiences.
You could talk about a lesson you’ve learned, a mistake you made, something that’s worked well for you, or even something you’re currently trying to improve. Anything along those lines always goes down well.
These types of emails often feel more personal and help your audience get to know you a little better which is a nice connection to have.
Recommend Products Or Resources
If you’ve found a tool, product, or resource that you genuinely use and love, tell people about it.
Whether it’s an affiliate recommendation or simply something that’s made your life easier, your audience will usually appreciate recommendations that are honest and genuinely helpful.
Doesn’t have to be salesy or pushy or a high-ticket item, just something genuinely useful that you really do use and love and feel your readers may love too.
Share Free Resources
If you have made/bought a new checklist, template, guide, printable, or free download etc etc, you can share this with your readers too as your email list is a great place to let people know about it first.
Not only does it give your subscribers something else that’s valuable, but it also gives them another reason to stay subscribed.
(It also saves them putting their email in again to get a new freebie when they are already on the list.)
How Often Should You Email Your List?
One of the most popular questions people usually ask (after why they need a list and how to grow their list) is then how often they should email their subscribers.
And honestly, there isn’t really a right or wrong answer I can give you.
Some businesses send emails every day.
Others send one a week.
Some only need or want to email their readers a couple of times a month.
It literally depends on you, your business and what you are looking to get from it.
The important thing isn’t trying to copy someone else’s schedule. It’s choosing one that works for you or it won’t work lol.
If you know you’ll struggle to write and send three emails every week, don’t set yourself that target initially.
It’s much better to send one helpful email every week than to send loads of emails for a couple of weeks, get overwhelmed, and stop altogether.
Start with a schedule/target that feels manageable for you.
As you get more comfortable with email marketing and get quicker at it (or have more you want to share), you can always increase how often you email your list later on.
The main thing is showing up consistently so your subscribers know they can expect to hear from you, no matter what your emailing schedule looks like.
Common Email Marketing Mistakes
When you’re first getting started with email marketing, it’s so easy to overthink everything.
Here are a few mistakes I see people make all the time (and a couple I’ve definitely been guilty of myself lol).
Waiting Too Long To Start
A lot of people put off starting an email list because they think they need more traffic, more experience, or more content first.
The reality is, you can start any time, and you may well be surprised how fast you get your first sign ups.
Even if only a handful of people join your list at first, it’s much easier to grow it over time than to wish you’d started months ago.
It also means you can get your own confidence up in your email marketing platform and get used to sending emails when your list is a lot smaller so isn’t as scary lol.
With platforms like Mailerlite (the one I still use), their beginner plan is free anyway so costs nothing to start early.
Only Emailing When You’re Selling Something
This is one that’s easy to fall into when you are promoting genuinely good products that you WANT to recommend. But you need to be careful with it.
Imagine only hearing from a friend when they wanted something…
It would feel a bit off-putting. And your email list works in a similar way.
To avoid this you can mix in helpful tips, updates, stories, or free but useful tools alongside any products or services you recommend.
It helps your reputation, helps your audience more and mixes it up a bit to get a higher chance of more people opening your emails.
Trying To Make Every Email Perfect
Trying to make every email perfect is something we all do but will make your emails take a lot longer to write and send.
It’s really easy to spend ages rewriting the same email over and over trying to make it perfect.
The thing to remember is though that your subscribers aren’t expecting perfection.
They know it’s a real person behind the emails (which is the point), so expect that human touch.
They’re often much more interested in receiving something genuinely helpful than reading the world’s most perfectly written email lol.
Expecting Results Overnight
Just like blogging, Pinterest, YouTube, or pretty much anything else online, email marketing takes time.
Your email list will most likely take a bit of time to grow. And that’s completely normal.
Flukes can happen and of course if you have more experience then it may grow quicker but on the whole, it takes time.
If you focus on showing up consistently and really helping your audience then your list will grow naturally over time.
Final Thoughts on Email Marketing for Beginners
If you’ve been putting off starting an email list because it all sounded a bit confusing, I hope this has made it feel a little simpler to get started!
You really don’t need a huge audience in the early days.
You certainly don’t need loads of fancy automations on day 1.
And you definitely don’t need to have everything figured out before you start.
Just choose an email marketing platform that’s easy to use, create a simple freebie, and start building your list, one subscriber at a time.
You’ll probably be surprised how quickly those first few subscribers start adding up!
Then you can always upgrade and add fancier downloads and automations as your list grows.
Hopefully you’re feeling a little more confident about getting started. If you’re ready to take that first step in building your own list, you can sign up here:
Speak soon!
Katherine
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