Build an Email List That Buys, Not Just Subscribes
As a service-based solopreneur, you know it’s makes good business sense to build an email list, and not rely solely on social media visibility. The question is, how to do it in a way that actually works for you?
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, they didn’t buy.
That got me curious and I started looking 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, I noticed a common pattern.
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.
And that wasn’t due to the quality of the free download, because in many cases it hadn’t even been opened.
The real story was that because it was so easy to sign-up, 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 my 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.
Many times when clearing my inbox I’d see emails from people I didn’t recognise and I’d say to myself, who on earth is that? And why are they emailing me all of a sudden?
Then I’d look at when these emails started, and sure enough it would be 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.
And I imagine this was happening to people who had signed up for my free thing. When my name appeared in their inbox, they were probably saying “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. And this insight stuck with 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.”
I’d not seen this approach recommended anywhere, but it felt right.
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.
It’s fast, low-quality list building.
That’s why I eventually stopped saying yes to invitations to summits, bundles and 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.
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 a content ecosystem outside of social media that could be found and suggested to people (by other platforms) at the moment they were seeking the kind of solution I provide.
People were actively making their way to my website with a question or a challenge they wanted to solve. Without that consistent website traffic I don’t think my change in list building approach would have yielded such dramatic results.
Big Results with a Small Email List
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.
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.
Making Your Own Email List Building Decision
There isn’t a single correct way to build an email list, but 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.
Frequently Asked Questions About The No-Lead Magnet Approach
Should I delete my existing email list if it was built through lead magnets?
Not necessarily. Watch what happens when you email them over the next few months. Notice who opens, who responds, and who never engages. The data will show you whether your existing list is worth keeping warm or whether it's time to let it go.
What if I don't have a paid on-ramp offer yet?
That's fine. The shift can start with what you already have. Focus on publishing ungated content while you develop your on-ramp idea. The content does the warming work in the meantime, and you'll have something genuinely worth offering when you're ready.
How long does this Quiet Marketing approach take to work?
A buyers-only list grows by people choosing you intentionally, which doesn't happen overnight. What you'll likely notice first is a shift in the quality of your audience rather than a spike in numbers.
Won't this buyers only approach slow my email list growth?
Possibly, in the short term. My own list has hovered under 1,000 people for several years and that's been sufficient to support a six figure+ income. Slow list growth isn't a problem when the right people are entering it. The question worth asking is whether you’re seeking quality or quantity.
What if I'm just starting out and have no email list or audience yet?
Start with the content. Write or record one piece, then another. List-building decisions can wait until you have something for people to discover. Building a list before you have content to send to it is part of what creates the freebie-collection cycle in the first place.
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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