How to Build an Email List
Email marketing helps you build a relationship with your customers. Here’s how to combine pop‑up forms and Facebook ads to start growing your list in a few simple steps.
Hero image for How to Build Your Email List
Email marketing helps you not only to build a relationship with your customers, but gives you a proven way to nurture leads and convert them into long lasting customers.
No matter what type of business you operate, an email list is the most important element of a successful marketing strategy. With that list, you can share your story, promote your business, and showcase your products, all while turning subscribers into paying customers.
sending an email
An email list is the most important element of a successful marketing strategy
Online businesses that want to attract potential customers can use opt-in forms in their website to attract sign ups, experienced content marketers use lead magnets to generate leads. You can also combine pop‑up forms and Facebook ads to start growing your email list in a few simple steps.
In this recipe, you’ll learn how to quickly build a list from scratch by combining 2 of Mailchimp’s most powerful tools: pop-up forms and Facebook ads.
Ready to try what made us famous?
Create custom email campaigns, measure performance, and turn insights into results with Mailchimp’s email marketing tools.
Sign up
1. Create a branded opt-in pop-up form for your website
Pop-up forms provide visitors with a quick, convenient way to share contact information and subscribe to your list while they’re browsing your site, making them a powerful tool for audience growth. They’re easy to add to your site, and they’re proven to work—our research shows that Mailchimp users have seen their list growth rate increase by an average of 50.8% after adding a pop-up form to their site.
Here are few tips to take into considerations before you start building opt-in pop-up forms:
Choose an attractive headline: Make sure to include a good headline that will describe one important benefit that your potential customers will have by subscribing to your email list.
Relevant description or Tag line: include a brief and clear description line, that will help you increase the conversion rate for your subscription.
Simple form: Include only the necessary contact information, like name and email address.
Include a call to action into the subscribe button. Make sure to use non-generic call to action that will invite visitors to click right away.
Mailchimp users have seen their list growth rate increase by an average of 50.8% after adding a pop-up form to their site.
On-Demand Webinar
Unlocking the Power of AI to Boost Sales During Peak Seasons
Unleash your business’s competitive edge this holiday season with Mailchimp’s AI solutions! Maximize revenue opportunities, optimize campaigns, and engage customers with personalized messaging using advanced AI features. Get expert strategies and insights for navigating the busy season effortlessly.
Watch now
About Me Page Template
Build a pop-up form in 3 steps
Design your form.
Tip: Create signup forms with the user experience in mind. If you need any design tips or best practices, we’ve got you covered.
Set your display timing.
Tip: Align the timing of your pop-up form with the average amount of time a visitor spends on your website. Set the form to appear immediately (or with a 5-second delay) if people aren’t inclined to spend much time on your site. If visitors have a tendency to browse, consider a 20-second delay or a scroll-based trigger when someone reaches the middle or bottom of your page.
Generate the code and, if necessary, paste it into your site’s HTML or through your website builder.
Set the form to appear immediately (or with a 5 second delay) if people aren’t inclined to spend much time on your site. If visitors have a tendency to browse, consider a 20-second delay.
writing on a tablet
Next, create marketing campaigns to find your people with Facebook ads
Every marketing expert knows that Facebook ads help you reach new audiences—and find new customers—by targeting people who’re similar to your existing contacts. In fact, we’ve found that targeting an audience that’s similar to your Mailchimp list can lead to a 29% better ROI than interest targeting alone.
But Facebook ads aren’t just used for selling stuff, but also to generate leads by collecting emails through ads that link to your landing pages with opt-in forms. In just a few steps, you can create an ad that drives people to your site so they can quickly and easily sign up for your email list.
Laptop screen showcasing ‘Unlocking Advanced Email Marketing’ Checklist
Get Mailchimp’s guide for advanced email marketing
Grow your business with the right knowledge and strategies to improve your emails, capture the attention of audiences, and turn leads into loyal customers.