Build an Email List That Buys, Not Just Subscribes
You already know it’s wise to build an email list. What feels less clear is how to do it in a way that actually works for you.
Many coaches, consultants, and other service-based business owners who sell their perspective and expertise reach this point.
In this article, I share what I’ve learned about building an email list of buyers, not just subscribers, based on patterns I’ve observed in my business and with clients.
— In this article —
How People Enter Your List Matters
Starting out in my self-employment journey, I followed the standard advice without questioning it: Build an email list quickly with an opt-in, then nurture people through an email sequence and regular newsletters.
With this approach, I grew my list to a few thousand within a year.
I nurtured my new subscribers through newsletters, but when I made an offer, often nobody responded.
That led me to look more closely at my email data, beyond just open and click-through rates. For example, when someone unsubscribed, I’d look back at how they entered my list, how long ago that was, and notice what their engagement was like.
As I continued doing this, a clear pattern emerged.
The opt-ins that grew my list the fastest were also the ones least likely to lead to sales, and most likely to result in unsubscribes later.
But I couldn’t pin that on the quality of the free download, because in many cases it hadn’t even been opened.
What was actually happening was that it was so easy to sign up for my lead magnet that people did it quickly, without much thought, and then forgot about it.
The speed and ease of entry turned out to be a major factor in email list quality.
The ‘Who on Earth is This?’ Moment
But it wasn’t just ‘other people’ mindlessly signing up for and collecting freebies that never saw the light of day — I was doing the same thing.
I remember this realisation landing one day when I was attempting to clear my very full inbox. There were a few emails from someone I didn’t recognise. Looking at their name, I remember saying to myself, “Who on earth is that?”
I traced it back to when I’d first received an email from them and, sure enough, it was from some freebie I’d picked up, probably from an online summit or a Facebook ad. I vaguely remembered the resource, but I couldn’t recall who had offered it or recognise their name.
Immediately, I saw how the same thing was likely happening to the people who had signed up for my free thing. When my name appeared in their inbox, their response would be the same: Who on earth is Danielle Gardner?
They’d subscribed because they wanted the resource, not because they were interested in me, my work, or how I think. That insight started to change everything for me.
Think about it. How many email lists are you on because of a free resource that caught your eye?
How many of those emails do you actually open? And did you ever really engage with the original resource you signed up for?
My own reflections brought me to a clear intention for how I wanted to grow my list.
I wanted people to get to know me, and to know my name before I ever showed up in their inbox. I wanted them to think, “Oh, it’s Dani Gardner. I wonder what she has to say today.”
This was not a strategy I’d seen recommended anywhere, but it felt right. It was a decision in response to what I was observing and how I felt about that in my body.
How Summits and Bundles Affected List Quality
As I kept paying attention to how people entered my list and what happened afterwards, another pattern became clear. Online summits and bundles created large exposure and fast sign-ups, but most people hadn’t really connected with my work.
Each time I participated, the result was the same. A spike in subscribers, followed by a dip in open and click-through rates, and a month or so later, a wave of unsubscribes.
Summits and bundles are designed to reward fast action, because there is usually a tight window where the content is available. They typically have a large number of presenters and providers, so people sign up to everyone, knowing they can unsubscribe later.
This felt like the epitome of fast, low-quality list building.
That’s why I eventually stopped saying yes to these types of offerings and said no to having a lead magnet.
The Shift to Nurturing ‘Before’ They Subscribed
After deciding I didn’t want to continue building my list through a lead magnet, I wasn’t quite sure how I wanted to move forward, so I removed the option to join my list altogether. That meant there was no opt-in on my site. No lead magnet. No invitation to subscribe.
Instead, I focused on publishing publicly available content such as blog articles and videos. Content that anyone could access without having to hand over their email address.
This is what’s often referred to as ungated content.
It felt good in my bones to be offering something helpful to my ideal buyer upfront, without asking for anything in return.
It let them experience how I think, how I frame problems, and whether my approach resonates. That’s why ungated content continues to be my most effective marketing activity.
Making It Harder to Join on Purpose
Later, I reintroduced the option to join my list through a questionnaire. I did this for two reasons.
I didn’t want to make it easy for people to join my email list, so having people slow down and answer a few questions helped with that goal.
I wanted a system for collecting ongoing market research.
Of course, some people would have scoffed at seeing this approach and clicked away from my site. That was more than fine with me.
My thinking was simple: If you’re not ready (i.e. you can’t be bothered filling out my questionnaire), come back when you are.
Yes, growth was slower. But the people who did join were choosing me and my work intentionally, not because I tempted them with a free resource.
Buying as a Filter for Genuine Interest
In 2021, I made the decision to move to a buyers-only email list. I removed the option to sign up to my newsletter via the questionnaire and replaced it with the following message:
“Looking for my newsletter sign-up? Joining my email list becomes available when you purchase one of my offerings. At the checkout, you’ll be given the option to stay in touch and receive occasional updates from me.”
I wasn’t sure if this was the wisest business move. I understood the importance of growing an email list and not relying solely on social media audiences.
But I could feel my body buzzing with excitement to do this. So I typed that message out, clicked ‘Save’, and then a wave of joyful satisfaction flooded my body.
What happened next surprised me.
Sales increased the following month, rose again the month after that, and have continued at that higher level since.
In hindsight, this made total sense. People were coming to my website, spending time with my work, and reaching a point where they wanted to take some kind of action. Without the option to passively join my email list, that action became a purchase.
Once people had bought once, they tended to purchase other offerings without any prompting from me.
I’m not saying you need to make your email list buyers-only.
But it is worth questioning the assumption that freebies are the default place to start.
Discoverability is Doing the Heavy Lifting
When my sales increased, it wasn’t simply because I changed how people could join my list. It was because the right people were already finding their way to my website.
By that point, I had built an ecosystem of publicly accessible blogs, videos, and ungated content that search engines like Google and YouTube could surface.
People arrived with a question or a challenge they wanted to solve. They had discovered me at the moment they were seeking the kind of solution I provide.
Rethinking Email Frequency
There’s a belief that once someone joins your list, you’re expected to show up regularly. Weekly. Sometimes more.
That has never been how I operate.
I email when I have something meaningful to say. Sometimes that’s more often. Sometimes it isn’t.
Several people on my email list have shared that while they feel pressure to email frequently, they’ve noticed that when my emails arrive, even sporadically, they still draw their attention.
When they see my name in their inbox, they assume it’s something worth opening, precisely because I don’t show up there all the time.
So let yourself off the hook.
Nobody, no matter how much they enjoy your work, is sitting there refreshing their inbox waiting for your next email.
You’re allowed to have an email rhythm that fits you, even if it isn’t neat, predictable, or consistent.
Designing a Paid On-Ramp Instead of a Freebie
At this point, you might be wondering: If you’re not going to use a lead magnet, how should you approach list building?
For me, the answer became a smaller, foundational paid offering that naturally leads into my larger body of work.
In my case, that’s How to Market Quietly and Still Be Successful. It gives people a meaningful experience of my work and the core foundations that shape everything else I teach.
If you’re considering this approach, you might reflect on a few questions:
What piece of your larger offer could stand alone as a meaningful first step?
What foundational concept do you find yourself repeating in client sessions, the one that changes everything once it clicks?
What would you love people to understand before they invest more deeply with you?
A paid on-ramp allows you to put something genuinely helpful into the world while also filtering for real interest. It slows people down. It invites them to pause and choose you, rather than casually opting in and forgetting why they did.
When someone joins your email list after buying, they’re not just curious. They’ve already engaged. They’ve experienced your thinking. That changes the quality of the relationship from the beginning.
I teach a clear process for creating your on-ramp offer concept that connects naturally to your larger work in this offering. But even without that structure, simply thinking in this direction can move you out of the freebie reflex and into something more intentional.
On Slow List Growth and Email List Size
My list has hovered under 1,000 people for several years. By industry standards, that’s tiny. And yet it has supported the income I desire.
The number of subscribers has never been the most important factor. What matters is who those people are and how they arrived.
If my list were double the size but filled with cold, freebie-driven subscribers, it wouldn’t necessarily produce more sales. But if it were double the size at the same level of engagement and buyer intent, then yes, revenue would likely increase.
That difference matters.
I don’t work with thousands of people a year. My business model is built around depth rather than scale, with a handful of one-on-one clients and group programs that hold a manageable number of people.
The question isn’t how big can I make my list. It’s how many genuinely engaged people do I need to sustain the way I want to work.
Slow growth isn’t automatically a problem.
Making Your Own Email List Building Decision
There isn’t a single correct way to build an email list. What I do believe is this: If your current approach isn’t producing engagement or sales, there’s very little to lose by experimenting.
That might mean pausing list growth entirely while you focus on discoverable content. It might mean introducing a small paid offer. It might mean making it harder to join your list, not easier.
The point isn’t to copy my choices. It’s to notice what your own lived experience is telling you. 🍃
This is the kind of work I support people with. Trusting your own impulses, experimenting without overthinking, and allowing your unique way of being in business to surface.
You can explore my work further here.
Finally, I'd love to know what's been most useful for you here? Let me know in the comments. ⤵
Danielle Gardner
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