Five Mistakes You're Making With Your Email List

They told you to start an email list because that’s the new thing to do, right? So you started one. And now you’re confused why you aren’t seeing the conversions you want to see. You thought that “the list” was the most important thing for your business right now, but it just seems like a huge waste of time AND you aren’t seeing results. I hear ya, girlfriend.

In this blog post, you will learn:

• Five mistakes you could be making with your list

• How to fix the mistakes,

• And how to stay on track.

Five mistakes you could be making with your email list:

1. You aren’t consistent: maybe you started your list and you have some email addresses, but last week you sent a coupon code for your product shop, and now it’s Thursday and you realized you haven’t sent an email this week. Oops. People love consistency. As humans, we like to know what to expect, so if you’re showing up on a Monday one week, then Friday the next week, and then you take two weeks off, people are going to be confused by you. You want to be consistent. Every Wednesday, I know I’m going to get an email from Dannie. Every Thursday, I look for an email from Lauren and Megan. They’ve been showing up in my inbox consistently, so I know what to expect from them. That builds trust. And trust is VITAL for conversions.

   • The fix: decide how frequent you are going to send emails. Will you send them weekly? Bi-weekly? Monthly? Once you know your frequency, pick a day. I send my emails every Wednesday. And every first Wednesday, I send a hand-lettered freebie. (Want to sign up to get your freebie? Do that here. I’d love to have you!)

2. You aren’t introducing yourself to newcomers: if you are growing your list (even if it’s slow), you need to introduce yourself to the newcomers. For me, I do this through Sequences in ConvertKit. In addition, at the beginning of my emails every week, I write a little welcome note and remind people who I am and what the newsletters are about.

   • The fix: Switch to ConvertKit and add sequences to your opt-ins and write a little welcome note at the beginning of each email so you remind your readers who you are. Easy peasy, right?

3. You don’t have a clear mission: maybe one week you’re talking about your recent trip to Hawaii and the next week you’re promoting your Black Friday sale. No no no. You need to be consistent (see consistency is showing up once again!) with the content that you are providing. Maybe you are always going to send product updates and coupon codes. Or maybe you’re going to write business advice and strategy. Or maybe you will write about three different things. That’s fine! Just make sure you stick to those themes. Don’t go around trying to write about every single thing! Be consistent; it builds trust.

   • The fix: Write down a mission statement for your newsletters. I will share mine and maybe it will help you write one for yourself. “I write business strategy paired with real life stories to encourage and empower women to run sustainable businesses.”

4. You aren’t asking for engagement: you might be writing killer content, but are you asking for any type of engagement? Email is very personal and who doesn’t love to receive a reply back?! I know I do. I LOVE it when my readers reply back to my emails. But they don’t just do it because they want to. I invite them to engage with me. I invite them into a conversation. I ask a question.

   • The fix: write emails that prompt a response. Ask a question and tell people to write you back! Then sit back and see what happens :

5. You aren’t providing valuable content: people don’t have a lot of free time these days. So if your email is complete fluff, people don’t want to read it. Make your readers crave your newsletters. Consistently show up with content that is valuable and that serves a purpose. You want to build trust with your readers and one of the best ways to do this is through providing incredible content for them.

   • The fix: write really good content! Stuck on what to write? Download my free “33 Heartfelt Blog Ideas” below!

How to stay on track with this:

• Set attainable goals: if you only have 5 hours a week to work on your business, maybe you shouldn’t start with a weekly newsletter. Start with what works for you.

• Batch create content: every month I write all the newsletters for that month is one sitting. It takes me less than an hour and it’s done! Then I can schedule everything when it works for me.

• Schedule reminders: if you want to send your newsletters every Tuesday, set a calendar reminder on Mondays to write your newsletter. When you sit down to write your newsletter, take a peek at your mission statement to refresh yourself WHY you’re doing this. Then get writing!

In addition, download our FREE Email Marketing for Creative Entrepreneurs e-book! Just enter your email below and the FREE e-book will be on its way!