Email Marketing 2023: How to Get Started as a Beginner
If you have a blog, website, or product, you need to start an email list as soon as possible. An engaged, happy email list has huge earning potential that you don’t want to miss out on. Let’s look at the first steps needed to get started with email marketing to make money in 2023.
This post contains affiliate links. This means if you make a purchase through one of these links, I may receive a small commission, at no extra cost to you. All opinions are my own. Read my full disclosure here.
Why Do I Need An Email List?
Great question. There are many reasons why you should get started with email marketing sooner rather than later.
Everyone has an email address. Most people have more than one. And they all check their emails daily. Often multiple times a day. If you can get into their inbox, you’ve got a chance to make a sale.
And if these folks give you their email address, it means you can offer them something of value.
Provide this audience with a solution to their problem and they’ll be loyal readers, giving you an opportunity to always reach them.
Furthermore, your list is yours. You own it.
A changing platform or algorithm can’t change that. Many online marketers have been burned by running their business strictly through social media.
But having a captive audience in the form of an email subscriber list, and a reliable email service provider, gives you a voice and an audience.
Which can equal a lot of potential income over time.
Choosing an email service provider (ESP)
Okay, so you know the why. Now let’s get into the how.
First thing is first. You’ll need a great email service provider to track your sign ups, store your list, create/send your newsletter from, and provide you with the rest of the tools needed.
I use, love, and recommend MailerLite. Especially for beginners. It’s user-friendly, offers a lot of features, and is free for your first 1000 subscribers.
Convertkit is also a great choice but tends to cost more. It is a popular choice among pros bloggers who have huge lists and profit from them greatly. But even a lot of the professionals start out with MailerLite.
Start building your email list with a freebie
But how? Well, you need to give your new audience good reason to hand over their name and email address. There has to be something in it for them.
Think back on some of the email lists you joined. Was it to receive a discount code or maybe something free?
This is where a great opt-in freebie comes in. You need to create something helpful or of value to your readers.
A few examples of this could be a:
-Printable
-Template
-Downloadable PDF
For some amazing ideas and inspiration, you NEED to check out this FREE webinar by Kate Doster – Freebies That Sell & Serve.
Kate is an email genius! She knows her stuff. That webinar is pure gold and you will gain a lot of value from it.
Creating Your Opt-in Freebie
I have made all of my opt-in freebies with Canva. Check them all out here.
There are lots of templates, graphics, fonts, etc. to choose from even on the free version.
Once you’ve designed your freebie – let’s say it’s a free printable checklist of some kind (obviously this will depend on your area of expertise). You can then upload it to Google Drive and get a link to share that document.
Use this unique URL link when you are creating your delivery sequence / welcome series within Mailerlite.
I know it’s starting to sound complicated but there are so many helpful tutorials on YouTube, you can absolutely figure it out!
Here’s a great one that walks you through the process.
Struggling to Create Your Freebie?
I get it. Some people struggle with actually designing something they believe someone else will want. Graphic design is not everyone’s strong suit.
If you just aren’t happy with anything you’re designing or just plain don’t have the time, you may want to consider using PLR products for your opt-in freebie.
PLR stands for Private Label Rights, which allows you to alter existing content, or other digital goods, customize it and market it as your own work.
These products can generally be purchased for a really reasonable price. This saves you having to create your own freebie, and your one-time purchase can be used to entice email subscribers forever.
I love the sites below for beautiful and affordable PLR products:
You’ll find everything from planner pages, habit trackers, calendars, journal pages, and more.
Find something you know would help your target audience, grab it, customize it, and offer it as a freebie to gain subscribers.
Heck, buy other ones and create an online store on your site and sell them as an additional source of income!
Either way, PLR products are a great solution if you want a quick and easy freebie to offer your readers.
Make your email newsletters helpful
I know you are anxious to start making actual money from your email list. But first, you need to gain their trust. Maybe you’ve created your own digital products and are anxious to sell them.
Or perhaps that’s part of a future plan and for now, you just want to promote affiliate products to them.
Either way, you can’t sell constantly. Just like in your blog posts, you need to provide them with value and solutions to their problems. Or they’ll unsubscribe and never return.
This help could come in the form of offering a tip or two on a common problem and then directing them to one of your blog posts for the rest of the information if they are interested.
This way you offer them value, without being pushy. You gain blog traffic and they gain knowledge.
Value! It’s a beautiful thing.
If you are ready to promote affiliate products, check out this free course:
Make Your First Affiliate Sale
If you are ready to create your own products, check out:
How to Make & Sell Your First Digital Product
Make your email marketing fun
People check and read emails for the same reason they scroll social media. They’re looking for good, fun, entertaining things to help them escape their everyday lives.
Think about the email lists you’re on that you look forward to opening up. The ones you always read from top to bottom.
What sets them apart from others?
Aim to make your emails an inviting little escape from reality. Talk to your list like they’re your friends.
I also like to include an animated GIF. I find it really helps convey the tone I’m trying to set with the email.
Learn how to add a GIF to MailerLite emails here.
Words can so easily be taken out of context. Adding a relatable little video takes any guesswork out of this issue and adds a sense of playfulness.
And if you want to write fun emails, you have to give Liz Wilcox’s email swipe copies a try. She exudes FUN. And the swipes are totally FREE!
P.S.
Back by popular demand, Liz is opening up her membership’s annual pass SOON. If you buy the membership for a full year (just $108) you also get all her other products!
As a Passholder, you get access to ALL OTHER PRODUCTS for free. Yep. Free. Including the ones she creates over the next 365 days.
Get on the waitlist to be notified here.
P.S. there’s a freebie for you on the Waitlist page 😉
Related Reading: How to Write High Converting Emails
Be authentic in email newsletters
It can be hard sometimes, but I believe it’s so important to just be yourself. Your audience will sense if you’re putting on a show or not being you.
Will you be everyone’s cup of tea? Nope.
And that’s ok! You want your list to really want to be there. Don’t make it feel forced. If people decide to leave, others will stay. And those are your real readers.
P.S. Learn a genius hack to turn unsubscribers into buyers (yes, it’s possible) HERE.
Spell check those emails!
I know I just said be yourself. But if yourself is a really crummy speller, look into Grammarly.
While you should be authentic, you always want to remain professional. Some people won’t take you seriously if your emails are riddled with spelling and grammatical errors.
Grammarly is 100% free and checks your spelling anywhere you are typing online.
Getting started with email marketing: Conclusion
I hope these tips help you get started with email marketing the right way, from day one! Have patience while you grow your list of subscribers. Try to write a newsletter at least once a week.
Stay consistent, keep providing value to your list, and the sales will come eventually.
If you want more info, I have a mini book on email marketing hacks for beginners that you get within my Build a Successful Blog Bundle
Related Reading:
5 Proven Steps to More Effective Email Marketing
How to Add Multiple Income Streams to Your Blog
How to Grow Your Email List With PLR Products
Pin For Later!
Making Money With Email Marketing 2023:
How to Get Started As a Beginner
Great post, creating an opt in freebie is one of my next goals for my blog!
Glad you liked it Bailey. That freebie webinar by Kate Doster is soooo helpful if you need help in that area.
This is an excellent post, and I appreciate the idea of purchasing content that can be altered, especially since I struggle to come up with products that I think people will be interested in purchasing.
Thanks Jenn! And Yes…PLR products can be the perfect solution and a really minimal investment.
Thanks for the advice. I am hesitant to send emails other than to announce a new post to avoid losing subscribers. I will start applying what you mentioned here.
It’s totally normal to lose subscribers. So many people just sign up to get freebies and then bail. I know it’s hard, but try not to let it get to you 🙂
Very helpful post! I’m still trying to learn all about email marketing and hopefully using these tips will help me get more subscribers.
Thanks April! I’m glad you got some useful email marketing tips from it.
Great information and tips
Thanks Tianna, I’m glad you thought so.