How to Grow Your Email List In 2026
Email marketing is still one of the best ways for creative businesses to make sales.
In this blog, we'll talk about why it's more important than ever to grow your email list, how to get the right people to sign up, and some lead magnet ideas that really work.
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The Importance of Email Marketing
An email list gives you direct access to individuals who have opted in to hear from you! Your email list is yours, in contrast to social media platforms, which you do not own and may be taken away. Subscribers are extremely valuable because they already show interest in and trust in your brand.
Your list is a dependable way to reach your audience with updates, promotions, and exclusive content, even if some subscribers choose not to open every email.
Using Social Media to Grow Your List
Social media is a fantastic free way to promote your email list and get people who already know you to take the next step off social media. You can't just ask people to sign up; you need to give them a good reason. A lead magnet is a free resource or offer that is useful and gets people to sign up.
Examples of Lead Magnets
Exclusivity: Give people early access, limited editions, or information that only people who sign up for your email list can get.
Timeliness: Show subscribers first about upcoming events, holiday deals, or deals that are only available for a short time.
Discount Code: Give new subscribers a discount code to get them to buy and sign up.
Opt-In at Checkout: Put a box on the checkout page for your product so that people can easily sign up for your email list while they’re buying from you.
Interactive and Personalized Lead Magnets
In 2026, regular PDFs and guides don't work as well. Lead magnets that are personalized, interactive, or hands-on work better:
Quiz: Based on how people answer, link them to a product, service, or piece of content in a quiz. For example: my free quiz asks you to answer a few questions about your current marketing strategy and will match you to a strategy and lesson videos to help you learn! It’s one of my most popular freebies.
(I used Interact to make my lead magnet quiz - here’s my affiliate link if you want to check it out for yourself!)
Music / Podcast Playlists: Share playlists that match your brand, your business, or how you feel.
Printables or Templates: You can offer coloring pages, affirmation cards, art prints, or templates that people can edit.
Digital Bundles: Give people materials or samples that let them interact with your work directly.
Next Steps
To get more people to sign up for your email list in 2026, you need to make a plan, give them great lead magnets to build your list, and stay in touch with them regularly to create loyal customers who want to hear from you and more importantly, want to buy from you!
If you need more help with writing great emails that sell, check out my popular Emails That Make Sales program, perfect for creatives like authors, artists and makers who want to turn their newsletter into something that truly helps you sell.
And if you would like to check out my lead magnets, I have a variety of free resources at: marketingbyshelby.com/freebie.
Thanks a lot for reading! I hope this helped you understand and gave you ideas for how to grow your email list this year. This time of year is so exciting to try new things, get to know your audience better, and set your business up for success in the future.