A healthy email list is the Christian Blogger’s biggest asset. Unfortunately, this is one asset most bloggers overlook. If you have a healthy email list…you’ll build a stronger connection with your audience, drastically increase traffic, and will be positioned to successfully monetize your blog.
A Healthy Email List is More Powerful than Social Media
Social media is always evolving. The algorithm for Facebook, Instagram, etc is always being changed. What worked one day doesn’t always work the next. It used to be you need to get people to like your Facebook page, then it was form a Facebook group, now even groups are getting more difficult.
I’m not saying don’t use social media or have a Facebook page…because you definitely need one. However, it’s very dangerous building your platform in someone else’s house.
If Facebook decides to stop business pages…what will you do? If Instagram for whatever reason bans your account…what will you do? This is why it’s so important to build your platform on land you own. A land without algorithms and evolving terrain.
With email…you own your list and there is no algorithm. When you send an email it’s sent to everyone. With Facebook and Instagram…not everyone will see your post. There is a place for social media…but it should always be used in conjunction with your own platform…your website and your email list.
Email Helps You Better Connect with your Audience
Your blog and your email list both serve a purpose. With a healthy email list you’ll be able to more intimately connect with your readers as you build trust. I’ve receive many reply emails from my devotionals I send out on Mondays.
The common replies I receive are “I really needed this today,” and “Thank you for sending me this.” My email list has become a great way to build trust and connection with my audience in way a blog post simply can’t.
Additionally, people get used to hearing from you and reading your content. I know there have been a couple of times when I didn’t send a devotional…I know that’s bad…but I was surprised to have people reaching out to me asking where it was that week. They wanted it.
With services like ConvertKit, you can customize the email so its sent to the person by name. For example if your name is John, the email will start with “Hey John” or something similar. I love it. It gives it the personal touch…like you wrote it just for them…which you actually did.
An email list is a way to send personal emails to thousands at a time. I’m thinking of my ideal reader when I draft an email in the sequence. So even though its being sent to many people, I’m really writing for the one. My ideal reader…and each person is them.
“Email has an ability many channels don’t: creating valuable, personal touches – at scale.” David Newman
Therefore, if you want to start building a connection with your readers on a more intimate level…developing a healthy email list is where it starts.
As a Christian Blogger, your goal is to impact the lives of your audience and I promise you’ll create a bigger impact by having a healthy email list.
Your Email List Will Drastically Increase Traffic to Your Blog
Your blog and email list should have a symbiotic relationship. A symbiotic relationship is a relationship where both parties benefit. Your blog should be promoting your email list and your email list promoting your blog.
As I mentioned above, there are no algorithms when it comes to your email list. You send an email and the person receives it. This dynamic is great for announcing a new blog post in your newsletter.
Every Friday I send an email with the post I published that week. In the devotional emails, I’ll link to a blog post that goes deeper on the topic I covered in the devotional.
By doing this I’m consistently driving traffic back to my blog as I continue to connect with my readers.
Therefore, every week I receive traffic not only from social media, but also from the readers who subscribed to my newsletter and devotional. Additionally, it’s those readers…the ones from my email list…that will not only come back, but will also promote my blog.
When a person is reminded week after week that you have a blog with fresh content, they’re more likely to remember your blog when researching the topics you cover. They’re also more likely to remember your blog when talking with friends and family.
When a question within your niche is asked…your readers will look to you for the answer.
As relationships grow, your readers will become loyal readers and then super fans…helping spread your blog and your message.
There is a direct correlation between the traffic your blog receives and the size and health of your email list. As your email list grows so will your traffic. If you don’t have an email list…I encourage you to start one today. I’ll teach you how in a moment.
A Healthy Email List is a Must for Monetizing Your Blog
Finally, if you ever want to monetize your blog…they only people who will buy from you are those who know, like, and trust you.
An email list is the best way to build trust with your audience…helping them become loyal ideal readers. Loyal ideal readers then become super fans as they use your affiliate links, buy your products or services, and spread your blog and message.
“Focus on growing your list all of the time as newer subscribers are more engaged, adding to healthier open rates and ROI.” Karl Murray
Some Math
So how powerful is an email list when it comes to monetizing your blog? Let’s do some math. For example, if you have 10,000 people on your email list…and its healthy, meaning your building relationships with them, then you could potentially expect around .04% to buy a product from you during your first launch.
You might be thinking….04%…that’s it! That’s not a lot. But let’s continue with some math. Assume your product is an ebook priced at $10. You’ll be making $4,000 just by promoting your ebook to your email list…this doesn’t include social media, your website, etc.
Another example, if you want to create a signature digital course with a price point of $997. Then that .04% equals you earning $398,800. That’s over a quarter of a million dollars without spending a dollar on paid advertising.
I’m not saying start with a signature digital course…I’d start with an ebook and affiliate marketing and build your audience as you work on the course. What I’m trying to demonstrate here is the power of your email list.
If you want to do any type of monetization then your email list is your biggest asset. These are the people who have asked you to continue serving them. These are the people who will continue to read your blog regularly.
When you get ready to monetize…and I believe you should…your email is a list of people who want what you have to offer.
Picking the Right Email Service Provider
To get started you’ll need an email service provider that is not gmail. A company that allows you to segment your audience, use tags, and create automated sequences. The only email service I recommend is ConvertKit.
Additionally, you need a service that allows you to do affiliate marketing. I know some companies won’t allow it. For instance, MailChimp doesn’t allow affiliate marketing.
This is important because as your list grows you’ll want to monetize your blog…and affiliate marketing is a great way to do that.
With affiliate marketing you can review services and products that you use and earn a commission when someone buys from your link.
You can even sign-up with Amazon’s affiliate marketing and earn commission from recommending products from Amazon.
If you’re a Christian Blogger and continually recommend books to your audience, you’ll earn a commission every time one of your readers buys a book through your link.
Overall, you need someone you can trust and who knows all about list building. ConvertKit is email marketing made by creators for creators. Simply put…they’re the best at helping you grow your own email list.
How to Start Growing Your Email List
There are really three different ways to start growing your email list. You can manually add people…with their permission, you can add a form to your website, or you can create a stand alone landing page.
Manually Adding
One of the quickest ways you can add people to your email list is manually adding them. To do this, you just need their name and email address…and permission. This is a great way to get started.
When I first started, I decided to send a Christian devotional every Monday morning. I texted all my friends and family saying, “Hey, I’m about to start emailing a Christian devotional every Monday morning…do you want in?”
If they replied with yes, I simply asked for their email address. I then manually added them to my email list and tagged them for the devotional sequence.
By doing this, I grew my email list from just a few people to over a hundred in just a couple of days.
Forms
Here’s the easiest way to start adding people to your email list via your blog itself…add a form. This is simply a form you can add to a page or in your sidebar to collect the email addresses of your readers.
You can simply give it a title like “My weekly newsletter, the easiest way to ensure you never miss a post.” Readers will sign-up via the form and then when you publish a new post you shoot them an email to your list with a link to your new article.
This is not the method I would recommend, but still it is one way to grow your email list. What I recommend…and the way I grow my email list…is to use a landing page with a lead magnet.
Landing Pages
Another great way to start growing your email list is to use a landing page. A landing page is a stand alone page where you can collect an email address.
Most landing pages promote a lead magnet, something you give away for free in exchange for the reader joining your email list.
A good example of a landing page is here.
This is where I offer my Free Guide, 7 Simple Things You Can Do to Grow Your Christian Blog.
When you go to the landing page you can sign-up with your name and email address to receive the Free Guide.
This is the best way to start growing your email list and ConvertKit makes it super easy. In fact, the landing page for my Free Guide was created using a ConvertKit template.
Where to Start if You’re Starting Your Email List from Scratch
Building an email list takes time…that’s why I recommend starting from the very beginning. This way you can be growing your list as you grow your blog.
If you’re starting from scratch, here’s what I would do….
First, get an account with ConvertKit, they are the only email service provider I recommend.
Next, create your newsletter sequence. A sequence is a series of emails where when a person subscribes, they receive the first email in the sequence and then after a pre-set amount of time, they receive the next email.
I use a similar sequence when sending my devotionals on Mondays. After finishing the Quiet Time Challenge, the reader receives the first devotional then the second on the following Monday. They receive the first one, where as someone who signed up a year ago might be receiving devotional 52.
By doing a sequence, you ensure your older blog posts still receive traffic.
After you’ve set up your sequence and have a couple of emails ready to go, I’d reach out to family and friends asking them if they would like to sign up. If they say yes, manually add them and tag them to start receiving the newsletter emails.
Finally, I’d create a lead magnet and set up a landing page. Just a simple checklist will work great. Then start placing the link to the landing page in your post.
New readers can then read your post, grab your free lead magnet, and start receiving your newsletter.
ConvertKit makes its super easy to create a landing page and attach your lead magnet.
The Christian Blogger’s Newsletter Template
I’ve created a ConvertKit template to help you get started. Sign up for ConvertKit’s Free trial and then click this link and the template will automatically be copied to your account so you can get started with your email list immediately. Here’s how the template works.
It’s an automated sequence template that includes a landing page, a form, tags, and an email sequence. The email sequence is an evergreen newsletter set up in the same way as my devotionals.
Meaning if someone signs up for your newsletter this week they’ll receive your first email…if someone signs up a year from now…they’ll still start with your first email. This way you’ll continue to drive traffic to older blog posts.
The automated sequence begins with people being added either through a landing page, form on your website, or simply by tagging them.
This way you can get started with forms for your new readers immediately as you develop your lead magnet and landing page.
I’ve added the option to add people to your newsletter via tagging so you can do what I did and reach out to your friends and family. This jump starts your email list. You can easily get over a hundred people just by reaching out to friends, family, and your current audience.
Using the Template
The first thing to do when you sign-up for ConvertKit’s free trial is to draft a couple of emails in the sequence.
Then, when the email sequence is ready to go live, start reaching out to friends and family.
Next, as your friends and family are going through the sequence, add the form to your blog so you can start growing your email list via new readers.
Finally, finish formatting your landing page and adding your lead magnet. When that’s finish you can start promoting it…make it live on your blog by inserting the url link in your blog post, promote the lead magnet on social media…Facebook lives, instagram, stories, etc.
Conclusion
If you want to make a bigger impact as a Christian Blogger, a healthy email list is your biggest asset. You’ll build a connection with your audience on a more intimate level, drastically increase traffic to your blog, and you’ll be positioned to successfully monetize your blog when you’re ready.
ConvertKit is the only email service provider I recommend. ConvertKit is email marketing made by creators for creators.
To start growing your own email list, sign-up for their free trial and get the Christian Blogger’s Newsletter Template immediately added to your account. Just click here after you sign up for the free trial.
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7 Simple Things You Can Do to Grow Your Christian Blog
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These 7 simple things will help you: Discover, Serve, & Build Trust with Your Ideal Audience…transforming them into loyal ideal readers. In addition to receiving the guide, you’ll also receive a daily email for the next 7 days with additional tips and resources.
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Question: How many people do you want to add to your email list this week? Let me know in the comments.
