The magic number for email list profits revealed
An email list owner messaged me the other day.
They’ve 150 subscribers. Kudos! I love hearing from creators who are serious about list growth.
Managing an email list is much more fun and profitable than chasing meaningless metrics like going viral on the latest and greatest social channel.
But this person is struggling to earn money from their list, and they can’t figure out why.
Been there, pulled my hair out over that.
So, should they turn on subscriptions, segment their list, or make an offer? Surely, that’ll solve their 99 list problems.
Probably not.
A hyper-targeted list, say of 150 SaaS CEOs, could prove insanely profitable. But, let’s be honest: most of us aren’t growing lists for SaaS CEOs only. And I’d wager that creator is casting a wide net.
For most list owners, the monetization game only begins with 1,000+ subscribers.
At that point, you can present meaningful offers and track what converts. I still wouldn’t bother with segmentation strategies or fancy-pants A/B testing.
With several thousand subscribers, you can add sponsors and drive external traffic to your socials and offers. Beyond that point, fire away with your fav advanced email marketing strategies. Hone and shape your list any way you want like a bodybuilder.
(I’m at that point, but I still don’t bother with segmentation and A/B testing; I’d get more value from… writing more emails like this one.)
Like a nuclear reaction, email lists need minimum viable numbers to generate energy, i.e., green in your bank account. Until you reach 1,000 subscribers, focus on one thing: explosive growth.
Anything else, including segmentation, templates and split tests, is distracting. Don’t let anyone tell you otherwise.
You won’t have to do this for long, either. Adding 1,000 subscribers to your list in 30 days is pretty easy.
A few weeks ago, I knocked out a Substack note that automatically added 300+ subscribers to my list. Writing the note took me five minutes, and it didn’t cost me a cent.
I have a few other tried-and-true list growth strategies to turn to when my list needs fresh energy.
Growing an email list is key to whichever platform you use. I write regularly on Substack, as it’s easy to do this by posting short daily notes. If you need help getting to 1000 subscribers in 30 days, reply to this email. I can help you get there.
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