The Ultimate List-Builder’s Resource Guide: 111 Links to Double or Even Triple Your Subscribers

It’s okay. You can admit it.

When people ask about the size of your email list, you either exaggerate, or just plain lie.

Why? Because the real answer is embarrassing.

Particularly when you keep hearing that subscriber numbers even trump traffic as a measure of blogging success. (If that’s true, your numbers paint a bleak picture.)

You keep meaning to work on getting more subscribers – and you’ve read plenty of tips on how to do it – but in truth, your list size has barely changed.

Unfortunately, when different experts give you contrasting tips, you can struggle to know which tip to follow. And so the only smart solution is to become an expert yourself.

Fortunately, a surefire way to become a list-building master in record time exists.

Totally immerse yourself in the topic.

Because when you study a subject in detail, patterns emerge that more easily allow you to choose the right path for you and your blog.

So here’s a monster list of links to tips, tools, case studies, and other list-building resources that will make you an expert – fast.

Are you ready to jump in?

The List-Building Links That’ll Make You an Expert – Fast!

1. Copy the strategies Michael Hyatt used to grow his blog from 1,000 subscribers to 20,000 subscribers in one year.


2. Learn the three strategies Noah Kagan used to triple email subscribers for AppSumo.


3. Or take your cue from Derek Halpern and get 17,000 subscribers in 11 months.


4. Discover the simple formula that explains how four powerhouse bloggers attracted almost 500,000 subscribers.


5. Then see what the other pros are doing with these list building tips from 9 world-class bloggers.


6. Find out how StartupDigest got 100,000 subscribers in a year.


7. Hear how Social Media Examiner grew their list by 234% using a simple pop-up.


8. Follow The Honest Company’s lead and use Google AdWords to drive signups.


9. Embark on a 30-day list building challenge inspired by this case study.


10. Consult Marketing Sherpa’s chart to discover the most effective list building tactics based on research.


11. Go from zero to 1,634 subscribers in five months using these 12 strategies.


12. Or use one of these eight strategies backed by research.


13. Dodge the more obvious pitfalls by reading MailChimp’s 10 common rookie mistakes.


14. And avoid these 19 surprising list-building mistakes too.


15. Convert more traffic to subscribers by plugging these 3 website “leaks.”


16. Make sure you don’t miss out on these 7 ways to attract more loyal subscribers.


17. Double your email list in 90 days by using the Pareto Principle to get more from less.


18. Focus on just one social media channel and get 10 times more conversions – just like Quanticate did.


19. Share the list-building workload by getting other people to happily build your list.


20. Design a high-converting opt-in landing page by following these 35 examples.


21. Make sure your landing page answers these four questions.


22. Try using video on your landing page to double your opt-ins.


23. Remove landing page friction to boost your click-through rate by 173% and get more signups.


24. Get serious about optimizing your opt-in page by learning about A/B testing.


25. Then test these 23 elements of your page.


26. Use Heat Maps to discover where people are clicking so you know where to put your opt-in forms.


27. Or cut to the chase and learn the 4 high-converting places to put them.


28. Include bullet points on your opt-in box telling people what they’ll get when they sign up – you could get 83.75% more signups.


29. Test different opt-in form button colors to boost your conversion rate by 21% or more.


30. Boost your conversion rate by using fewer fields on your opt-in form.


31. Follow the “one column” rule and boost signups by arranging your fields vertically, not horizontally.


32. Or break all the rules with a Mad Libs style opt-in form that could boost your conversions by 25-40%.


33. But avoid CAPTCHAs at all costs – research shows we suck at figuring them out.


34. Test different images in your opt-in box to double or triple your signups.


35. Use an emotive image, like a picture of a sad puppy, to get 20% more people to confirm their subscription.


36. Use an exit intent popup to sign people up just before they leave, to enjoy a 10-15% uplift in the conversions.


37. Use benefit-based headlines for popups to increase conversions by 40%.


38. Use a 5-second delay on your popups to more than double your opt-in rate.


39. Get nine different ideas for creating an irresistible bribe to give readers a real reason to subscribe.


40. Learn how to create a bribe in record time.


41. Become an author and write a Kindle book that uses a free bonus to boost your email list.


42. Get into the heads of potential subscribers to understand what’ll motivate them to sign up to your list.


43. Quadruple your opt-in rate by giving people at least one persuasive reason they should subscribe.


44. Give people a nudge to subscribe with Qualaroo and grow your list by 500% in less than a year.


45. Use social proof to convince new website visitors to subscribe to your list.


46. Prominently position your testimonials – it could improve your conversion rate by 34%.


47. Remember to keep these 7 key things in mind whenever you’re using social proof to attract more subscribers.


48. Leverage media mentions to grow your email list.


49. Prominently display your media mentions to help bump your conversion rate by 400%.


50. Learn how to simplify your messaging around your signup offer. (If you confuse people, you lose them.)


51. Take advantage of a friend to discover if your landing page is clear enough.


52. Don’t say, “We will never spam you” – it could decrease your conversions by 18.7%. Say this instead.


53. Get three times more signups simply by changing the wording on your opt-in form button.


54. Learn why people unsubscribe from your list so you can make sure more of them stick around.


55. When people want to opt out, first give them the option to “opt-down.”


56. In fact, why not optimize your email preferences center so your subscribers have more control and fewer people unsubscribe completely?


57. Follow these 5 tips from a former White House writer to boost your conversion rate by 3,000%.


58. Turn your opt-in page into a social squeeze page to lift your conversion rate.


59. Optimize your blog posts for conversions so that more readers become subscribers.


60. Decrease your page load time to boost conversion rates. (And use Google PageSpeed Insights to find out what needs fixing.)


61. Be smart and add social media share buttons to your thank you pages.


62. And while you’re at it, create a “share this with your friends” link too.


63. Optimize the images on your opt-in page to attract more subscribers on social media.


64. Create a blog series to encourage signups from people who don’t want to miss the next post in the series.


65. Make your popular posts work harder by using them to create more opportunities for people to subscribe.


66. Convert a popular blog post into a SlideShare presentation and use an embedded opt-in form to get signups.


67. Get 492% more subscribers with a content upgrade on your blog posts.


68. Use the Skyscraper Technique to get 1,000 subscribers from your next blog post.


69. Add an opt-in form on your About Page to increase your conversion rate by 446%.


70. Send first-time commenters to your opt-in landing page using the Comment Redirect plugin.


71. Or let all blog commenters subscribe with just one click.


72. Simplify your website design to boost your conversion rate.


73. And make sure your opt-in forms are mobile friendly – or risk losing 50% of potential signups.


74. Give the top-bar method a shot and you could boost your subscriber rate by 532% in one month.


75. Make sure your opt-in box is above the fold to triple the number of subscribers you get.


76. Add a link to your opt-in landing page in your site’s navigation bar.


77. Learn how to add an opt-in box to the bottom of every blog post.


78. Use one of these 67 tools to skyrocket your list growth.


79. Install one of these 9 WordPress plugins that work so well it feels like cheating.


80. Display different messages to new and returning visitors to entice signups with the What Would Seth Godin Do plugin.


81. Spy on your competitors using BuiltWith to find out what technologies they’re using to build their lists.


82. Make your Facebook page’s cover photo clickable to drive more traffic to your opt-in landing page.


83. Turn Facebook page likes into subscribers using any of eight different ways.


84. Create a nifty Twitter autoresponder that prompts new followers to sign up for your email list.


85. And when you thank people for tweeting your stuff, remind them to subscribe.


86. Use Lead Generation Cards to get people from Twitter onto your list with a single click.


87. Check out 6 ways the pros are using Google+ to get more subscribers.


88. Use LinkedIn groups to grow your list (most people miss this trick.)


89. Get visual and follow these 3 steps to using Pinterest for attracting more subscribers.


90. Create a YouTube video with a clickable link to your opt-in page.


91. Run a podcast? Remind people to join your email list in every episode.


92. And turn your podcast listeners into email subscribers using this formula from Clay Collins.


93. Use a webinar as the ultimate email bribe and get 1,054 subscribers in 28 days.


94. Or find a partner for a joint venture webinar and grow your email list from 700 to 12,000 subscribers in nine months.


95. Run a simple contest and add 500 new subscribers to your list.


96. Advertise a giveaway on Facebook to attract 17,800 subscribers in just 6 weeks.


97. Use these five tips to create a successful Facebook contest that will grow your list.


98. Try using a “lucky URL” to boost contest entries – you could get 200,000+ subscribers in 11 days.


99. Use sweepstakes to get current subscribers to grow your email list for you.


100. Use tests or quizzes to boost your conversion rate by 1,900%.


101. Use the guest blogging strategies that Gregory Ciotti used to grow his email list by 36,733 subscribers.


102. Write an expanded guest post and get 500 subscribers in just one week.


103. Build mutually beneficial relationships with influencers and get 1,000+ subscribers in 24 hours.


104. Turn “Page not found” errors into new subscribers by customizing your 404 page.


105. Put a link to your opt-in page in your email signature using WiseStamp.


106. Get customers to give you their email addresses at the checkout.


107. Go offline and use direct mail to create a unique experience, grab attention, and compel more people to sign up.


108. Or pick up the phone to grow your email list by 23,028 subscribers.


109. Copy this old-fashioned technique that a speciality beer store used to get 8,400 new subscribers.


110. When networking at conferences and events, ask new contacts if you can add them to your list.


111. Got a booth at a conference or tradeshow? Collect business cards in a fishbowl, or use a tablet to collect email addresses.

When Will You Become a List-Building Master?

There you have it. 111 list-building links to help you double, triple, or even quadruple the size of your email list.

If you immerse yourself in these hand-picked resources, you’ll know more about list building than 99% of the bloggers out there.

And when you’re done, pick just a handful of ideas to implement. (Don’t worry, you’ll know which are right for you.)

Remember, success is a combination of knowledge and action. The knowledge can be found in the list above. The action … well, that’s up to you.

So get to it. Become the expert list-builder who can grow your blog faster than you ever believed possible.

After all, you must be curious to know.

Just how big can your list go?

About the Author: You want clear steps to create addictively awesome content that attracts more sales. That’s exactly what Jenna Dalton will give you. As an Elite Level Book Yourself Solid® Certified Coach, she’ll help you stand out, get known and make money from your blog. Don’t leave without snagging your free PDF download of this entire list + your free checklist to make sure you can immediately implement the best list building strategies this post has to offer.