Your email list is where it’s at and who isn’t looking for ways to get email subscribers?!

The problem is that most of the strategies are geared toward big businesses with a marketing team, not freelancers and solorpreneurs. But once you have a list, everything changes. You can start selling your products and services to people who’ve already given you their email address and trust you enough to buy from you.

In this post I’ll walk through 4 tried-and-true strategies for getting those first 1,000 subscribers from scratch.

1. Give away something for free

Freelancers and solopreneurs often struggle to find ways to get email subscribers. Giveaways and bundles are everywhere these days, but before you throw your hat in the ring, keep these things in mind:

• Provide something of value in exchange for an email address. If you’re not offering anything to your new subscribers, then they have no reason to continue receiving updates from you. You need something people will want if they’re going to give up their email address, so offer something that offers value like an ebook or downloadable pdf.

• Don’t spam. Many giveaways are done in groups, so be sure to read the rules before hitting “Enter” or sharing a link. Spamming people who don’t want your message isn’t fair.

• Be personable and friendly. Send them a thank you email with some info about how you’ll communicate with them in the future.

2. Throw an online party

We’re always looking for ways to grow our email lists. If you’ve already tried the free ebook giveaway and want to try something more festive, You can throw a virtual party with your smart friends –

Gather them up in an inspiring, informative, value-packed, fun virtual setting. This might be known as a summit or even a webinar. The price of admission? An email address. Then encourage your guests and friends to invite their friends. An online summit can be a lot of work, but the subscriber growth can make them well worth it.

3. Let someone else do the selling

In order to have a thriving business, you need an email list of engaged customers who are ready and willing to buy from you. Another way to grow your list is by partnering with other people who have the same audience as you do.

Here’s what that process looks like:

• Find affiliate partners with big email lists

• Offer them incentives in exchange for sending traffic your way

• Your affiliates will be happy because they’ll earn commissions on sales they refer, and so will you!

4. Invest in paid ads as a way to get email subscribers

Paid ads are one of the fastest ways to build your list quickly, but they can be expensive when you’re just starting out. If you’re not careful, you could spend a lot of money before seeing any results. However, if you want a fast way to get an email list going, and you have more money than time, paid ads might be for you. Here are some things I’ve learned from my own experience with paid advertising:

• Create Landing Pages specific for each Ad Campaign so people know what’s coming up next when they click through on the ad or visit your website.

• Put a time limit on your promotions when running Ads to keep them from becoming boring and repetitive. I do this by promoting my opt-in pages for a set number of days before moving on to the next one.

So yes, ads can be expensive, but they do work to grow your list faster.

Freelancers and solopreneurs, you might not realize it but your email list is a powerful tool. It can help build a community around your business and increase engagement with you and your service. If you’re struggling with getting your first 1,000 subscribers, the 4 strategies in this post should help. Even though growing your list can take time and effort, it’ll be worth it because you’ll have a thriving business when your email list is full of engaged customers who are ready to buy from you!

If you’re in the process of growing your list and are looking to find out more about how to utilize email in your freelance or solo business, check out my ebook: Electrified Email Marketing.