Why email lists are more than just databases

Your nonprofit's biggest asset isn't your endowment. It's your email list. Most organizations treat their email list like a newsletter distribution channel Smart organizations treat it like their most valuable asset. Your email list isn't just names and addresses. It's direct access to people who care about your mission. The organizations that grow aren't just building bigger lists. They're building better relationships with the lists they have. They segment their communications based on donor interests. They personalize content based on giving history. They track engagement, not just open rates. They treat every email as relationship building, not just information sharing. Pull up your last all-list email. If it's a one-size-fits-all message that could have been sent to anyone, you're wasting your most valuable asset. Your email list is worth $10-15 per subscriber annually if you use it well. Most organizations get less than $1 per subscriber because they use it poorly. Start treating your email list like the multi-million dollar asset it is. Because in a world of increasing acquisition costs, direct access to people who already care about your mission is priceless.

Your email list is your backstage pass. Are you letting the right people in? Imagine you’re hosting an exclusive event. An intimate space where your ideal clients, podcast hosts, and event organizers—get direct access to you. No noise, no distractions, no fighting for attention. Now, think of social media as the lobby—crowded, busy, and full of people just passing through. But your email list? That’s the VIP backstage pass. When someone joins your email list they’re saying: “I'm interested. I want to hear more. I think you might be someone worth paying attention to.” Sought-after practitioners don’t just chase visibility. They cultivate depth—real connections with the right people, over time. That's what sets the successful ones apart. Your email list is where you build deeper relationships and create real opportunities: 💡 Take readers deeper—whether that’s selling more copies of your book or guiding people who’ve already bought it into your programs, retreats, or next steps. 💡 Get booked for speaking gigs, podcast interviews, and media features—because you’re consistently in the right inboxes. 💡 Fill your programs and retreats with people who already know, like, and trust you. So the real question is: Are you only networking in the lobby, or are you inviting the right people backstage?

Most lawyers I speak with still believe this: ‘My work will speak for me.’ But here’s the truth: your work only speaks to those who’ve already seen it. In a profession where trust is everything, being top-of-mind is not about shouting louder or showing up everywhere. It’s about creating a quiet, consistent presence in the places your peers, partners, or professional network already look. One of the simplest and fastest ways? An email list. Not for selling. Not for pitching. But for sharing what you’re already learning, observing, or thinking about in your field. A short monthly note with: – A recent legal trend you found thought-provoking – A lesson from your practice (without breaching confidentiality) – A resource that helped you think differently Lawyers who do this, even in a minimal, thoughtful way, find something interesting happens: People begin to associate their name with insight. Conversations start before formal introductions. Opportunities appear often quietly, and often when least expected. You don’t need a “funnel.” You need presence. If you’ve ever thought, “I want to be known for more than just my job title,” an email list can be a gentle first step. How do you stay top-of-mind in your professional circles? I’d love to hear what’s worked for you or what you’ve been hesitant to try. #legal #career #lawyer #law #personalbranding

You don't need 100,000 email subscribers to grow your business. You need the right 1,000 to know, like, and trust you - and hear from you multiple times a week. Most people won't buy. And that’s okay. Your email list is not an unlimited cash machine. It's a mirror. It reflects the best offer you've made to the right people at the right time. When your email isn't converting, it's not necessarily broken. It's just telling you something: - the offer isn't clear - the timing is off - or your content hasn't built enough trust yet The job of your email isn't to make everyone buy the same thing at the same time. The job is to extract the maximum someone is willing to pay you today, not to push the same high-ticket product to everyone. Some will want to binge your stuff for free and never convert. Others might buy your low ticket digital product. A few will take you up on a paid community. Then you’ll have your diamonds in the rough that'll be ready for a full-service solution. Your list is a room full of people at different levels of readiness. Your emails and offers should reflect that.

Email lists are dead. (Unless you actually know how to use them) I've seen businesses with 50k subscribers generate $0 in revenue. While others with 500 subscribers consistently hit $30k months. The difference is most treat their list like a billboard... Blasting the same sales pitch to everyone, hoping something sticks. But real email marketing is about relationships: • Segment your audience (buyers vs. browsers) • Deliver actual value before asking for money • Speak directly to specific pain points • Build genuine connections, not databases Your list isn't an ATM. It's a people waiting to be nurtured. Stop collecting emails like Pokemon cards. Start treating subscribers like actual humans.

More emails = more money. Have you heard this before? If this was true every ecommerce website would only run giveaways. But websites don't do that. Why you might ask yourself? Because it creates a list full of people who's incentive has nothing to do with actually making a purchase. Which lowers the quality of your list. 80-90% of your revenue comes from people that have signed up from your popups in the last 45 days and people that have already purchased your products. That other percent, large sales, new product drops, or back in stocks. So rather that focusing on a KPI of list size, you need to also focus on the subscription to conversion rate of that list size. Here's an illustration for you. List size of 1,000,000 people where 30% have purchased before. List size of 500,000 people where 80% have purchase before. Which list makes more money? I'll do the math for you, the second list has 100,000 more buyers on it, it will make you more money. My frustration with the ecommerce industry is that it's very good at short catchy phrases that are completely devoid of logical and statistical basis. Outlandish claims with cherry picked stats rather than actual business fundamentals. It drives me nuts. Email is one of the worst offenders as a category. The vast majority of whether or not your emails perform isn't based on creative or timing or offers. It's based almost entirely on what percentage of your list is an existing customer and had a good experience with your product which is balanced with their perceived value, use of the product, need of more of your product, and coupled with relevant timing to purchase another one of your product. You want to build an email list that converts, it's worth more and it compounds over time. But hey if you "just need more emails" then run a giveaway. If someone told you that you need to just be collecting more emails as a means to drive massive growth, they're lying to you. You could run a popup to new customers with a coupon code in it without the email and you'd probably get better results. Because it's the offer that creates the action, not the action of providing an email. Somehow, sometime ago, we started to make up things entirely based on these catchy narratives that are linked directly to the services provided by the companies that sell this shit to you. We're a popup company and I've never cared about the amount of emails or sms people are collecting, I only care about the % of the list that actually converts, if it doesn't make money it doesn't matter. The whole reason we emphasize zero party data and analytics is to use that data to attract a higher quality audience that has a higher likelihood of converting. Retention begins before the first purchase. #ecommerce #data #email

Email isn't just a marketing channel. It's your business BACKBONE. 💪 I've seen countless brands chase the latest social media trends while neglecting their email strategy. Big mistake. While everyone's fighting algorithm changes and paying to reach their OWN followers, email marketers are quietly generating 40X better results than social media. But here's the thing: The real power of email isn't in the ROI stats ($40+ back for every $1 spent is pretty compelling). The real power is in the RELATIONSHIP. Think about it... Social platforms own your audience. Email? That's YOUR direct line of communication. No gatekeepers. No changing algorithms. No pay-to-play schemes. Just you and your customers having a conversation. Why is email the ultimate marketing superpower? 👇 1️⃣ It builds genuine relationships 64% of consumers WANT brands to connect with them. And email hits that sweet spot between too invasive (phone calls or SMS text) and too disconnected (social posts). 2️⃣ No gatekeepers controlling access Unlike social media platforms, which deliberately tank organic reach to boost ad revenue, email lets you reach your audience WITHOUT paying a toll every time. 3️⃣ All other channels should feed your email list Your fancy social campaigns? They should have ONE goal: getting people on your email list where the REAL marketing happens. 4️⃣ Unmatched versatility Images, videos, personalization, segmentation... email does it all without platform restrictions. The most successful brands I've analyzed all follow the same pattern: They use other channels to attract leads. But they use EMAIL to nurture, convert, and retain customers. It's what I call the Email Marketing Flywheel: → Attract with value → Build relationships → Delight consistently → Convert naturally → Retain effortlessly So ask yourself: Are you treating email as just another channel? Or are you recognizing it as the backbone of your entire marketing strategy? Because that's exactly what it is. Your business deserves better than algorithm-dependent marketing. Grow your email list. Nurture it. And watch what happens. ✉️

You wouldn’t text your mom the same way you text your partner. So why are you sending the same email to every subscriber? Your list isn’t just a list. It’s made of people with different interests, needs, and behaviors. - Some are ready to buy. - Some just found you. - Some only want quick tips. - Others want deep strategy. Yet most people still send one generic message… and wonder why no one clicks. The fix? Segmentation. When you segment your list, you speak to the right people at the right time And when your message feels personal, people respond. 1. Higher open rates 2. More conversions 3. Less “meh” energy in your inbox Remember: Mass emails don’t build relationships. Targeted emails do. ------ If you want to build a list that makes sales Start by treating your people like "people".

You’re posting on social media..but you’re not getting any inbound business from it. Then this post is for you. ↓ Every successful online builder is actively building an email list. Justin Welsh Simon Squibb Codie Sanchez Matt Gray Tim Denning Nick Huber Alex Hormozi etc, etc…. Why? NO ONE wants to be controlled by algorithms on social media = people want ownership AND Because email marketing is up to 40x more effective than social media when it comes to turning leads into customers. ✅ By owning an email list, you control how you reach your audience. ❌ Social media? Not so much. Social media algorithms are constantly changing, and you don't control those platforms. And don’t get me wrong, social media is a must to enable people to FIND you. But to convert people to clients: an email list is much more effective. With email, you’ve got a direct line to your people. You can nurture those relationships without relying on third-party platforms. No middleman, no algorithm changes. You’re talking straight with them. If you’re not building an email list, you’re missing out on one of the most effective ways to monetize your audience, and build a business. So, how do you go from having followers to building a loyal email list and turning them into paying customers? Here are a few actionable tips to get you started ↓ 1️⃣ Create Irresistible Lead Magnets Offer something of value in exchange for their email address. It can be a: - free guide - checklist - webinar - exclusive content …make sure it speaks directly to your audience’s pain points or desires. 2️⃣ Launch a newsletter on Beehiiv You can literally start one today. 3️⃣ Use Social Media to Promote Your Email List Don’t just share your lead magnet once → talk about it OFTEN. Tell your followers what they’re missing if they’re not on your list. Add some urgency or offer a bonus to get them to subscribe. Make it a part of your system. 4️⃣ Nurture with Consistent, Valuable Content Once they’re on your list, don’t just sell. Give them content they can actually use. And LEARN from. The more value you provide, the more trust you’ll build, and the more likely they are to buy from you down the line. Show people you understand them. Make yourself the go-to. Many people think they should do the opposite: Keep things behind a wall until people buy. ❌ That won’t build your business and it won’t build your email list. ✅ Share loads of value, and you will get more customers. 👉 Treat your emails list like an a$$et Treat your email list like the valuable asset it is. Ask for input. Encourage people to reach out. Make an effort to understand and respect people’s time. Don’t write super long essays (no on has time). Write newsletter editions people can skim read. Show up regularly in their inbox. Want examples how? 👉 Go here (it's free): https://lnkd.in/dUPYinYi