Why Your Email Subscribers Stick Around Longer Than Your Social Media Followers [Ep 172]

In this episode of The Email Growth Show, we’re breaking down why email subscribers stick around longer, how to nurture these relationships, and what makes email marketing a game-changer for your business. Spoiler alert: email isn’t just another tool - it’s the key to sustainable growth, deeper connections, and long-term success.

What You’ll Learn in This Episode:

• Why email marketing creates stronger, more loyal connections than social media.
• The power of evergreen nurture sequences and how they build trust with every new subscriber.
• Why email is algorithm-free and how that gives your messages staying power.
• How to personalise your emails to speak directly to your audience’s needs and interests.
• Actionable tips to turn your email list into a long-term business asset.

Other Links Mentioned:

• How To Level Up Your Email Marketing for a 1000+ Email List [Ep 139]
• Evergreen Emails with Kylie - Learn how to create a 3 - 6 month evergreen nurture sequence to send to your new subscribers.
• Join The Email Growth Club – Your ultimate membership for growing your email list and creating real, lasting connections with your audience.

Ready to shift your focus from fleeting followers to loyal subscribers? Tune in now and start building relationships that last!

Ready to grow your business without social media or burnout?

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https://www.skool.com/email-marketing-skool/about

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Transcript

Kylie Kelly [00:00:00]:
Email is personal. Here's the thing about email. It feels like a one-on-one convo. When you send an email, it's you talking directly to them. No distractions, no noise, no fighting for attention against reels and memes, just you delivering value straight to their inbox. And the best part? You can personalize the heck out of it. You can send emails that hit exactly what your subscribers care about based on their interests, their behaviors, or where they're at in their journey with you, which makes them feel seen, appreciated, and loved. Talk about a power move.

Kylie Kelly [00:00:34]:
Are you a female business owner frustrated with battling the algorithm and looking for growth strategies that don't involve awkwardly pointing or dancing online or throwing cash at paid ads? Welcome to the Email Growth Show. I'm your host, Kylie Kelly, visibility and email marketing strategist. I grew my email list from zero to almost 10,000 subscribers in less than 2 years, and the same is possible for you too. Are you ready to build your email list and start making more money in your online business? Let's head into today's episode. Hi, my loves. Welcome back to the Email Growth Show, episode 172. Now I have to ask you, have you ever wondered why your email subscribers feel more loyal, more connected, and just seem to stick around longer than your social media followers? Here's the deal. Your email list isn't just some random bunch of names.

Kylie Kelly [00:01:23]:
It's a handpicked community of people who've basically said, Yep, I want you in my inbox. And babe, that is a big deal. So in today's episode, we're diving into why your email subscribers are the real MVPs, why they engage more, trust you more, and ultimately bring more value to your business than those fleeting social media followers. If you've been pouring all your time and energy into chasing likes and followers without giving your email list some love, this is your wake-up call. So go grab a coffee or your drink of choice and let's break it down. So first, let's start with a little side-by-side. When someone joins your email list, They're making an intentional move. They're handing over their email, which, let's be real, is like giving you the keys to their private digital front door.

Kylie Kelly [00:02:05]:
They're saying, hey, I trust you enough to let you show up in my inbox. Now, I don't know about you, but I guard my inbox. Like, it is so easy to sign up for a fuck ton of things, and then suddenly my inbox is a little insane. Now, when somebody gives you their email address, if they've had that same experience as me, That is a big move. That is powerful. Now, when we compare that to social media, a follow, it's just a casual little tap, not really a big deal. Half the time they'll forget they even hit that button and just as quickly, they can either unfollow when their feed gets too crowded or when your post gets lost in between cat memes and ads for air fryers. Does anybody else's feed look like that? But your email subscribers, they're pretty damn invested.

Kylie Kelly [00:02:49]:
They're giving you a seat at their table in a space that feels way more personal than a scroll-through feed. This is why they stick around longer and they pay attention when you show up. So let's go over a couple of reasons why email subscribers stick around longer. The first one being my absolute favorite, because email is personal. Here's the thing about email, it feels like a one-on-one convo. When you send an email, it's you talking directly to them. No distractions, no noise, no fighting for attention against reels and memes, just you delivering value straight to their inbox. And the best part? You can personalize the heck out of it.

Kylie Kelly [00:03:25]:
You can send emails that hit exactly what your subscribers care about based on their interests, their behaviors, or where they're at in their journey with you, which makes them feel seen, appreciated, and loved. Talk about a power move. Now, if you're not sure where to start when it comes to segmentation, you might wanna go back and listen to episode 139, which was titled How to Level Up Your Email Marketing for 1,000+ email list. Now look, you don't have to have over 1,000 people to start segmenting your list, but in this episode, I break down the easiest ways to get started and the way that I started segmenting my list so I could send more personal content. I think that's one you're gonna really wanna tune into. I'll pop the link in the show notes below, but again, that's episode 139. Now another example on how we can make it personal for our email subscribers is I've started using evergreen nurture sequences that make sure that every single subscriber gets the same valuable experience from the moment they join my list. I like to think that it's rolling out the red carpet for them.

Kylie Kelly [00:04:25]:
It's showing them that I see them, I hear them, and I'm here to help. And trust me, that kind of connection builds loyalty that lasts. If you want to know more about this, please drop me a DM. I'm more than happy to talk about it. And I do have a digital product called Evergreen Email. It's going to take you through how to write a 3 to 6 month evergreen nurture sequence to make your subscribers feel the same. I'm actually running this live next week, but it will be then turned into an evergreen digital product. So if you just go to kyliekelly.com/evergreen-email, www.annemarie.coach/evergreen, you'll be able to find all the current information for that.

Kylie Kelly [00:04:57]:
And again, I'll put the link for that in the show notes. Now the second reason that I think email subscribers stick around longer is because email is algorithm-free. Playing the social media algorithm game is a nightmare. You could spend hours creating an amazing post, but if the algorithm decides to ghost you, only a tiny sliver of your followers will even see it. It's frustrating as hell. Not to mention, I've spoken about this before, but you don't actually own the platform that you're creating content on. Look at the current news cycle of TikTok being banned in the US. Like, there is a real good chance that that might happen, and that means that there are a bunch of TikTok creators, some of my friends that have built businesses on TikTok, that are gonna have to pivot.

Kylie Kelly [00:05:36]:
They'll be fine as long as they are open to the challenge, but you do not own the platform. It is another great reminder. So again, email, email doesn't play these algorithm games, plus you own your email list. When you hit send, your email lands right in their inbox. No algorithm stands between you and your people. And here's what I love most. Emails have staying power. They don't just disappear into the void if someone doesn't open them right away.

Kylie Kelly [00:06:01]:
They sit there, waiting patiently in the inbox until your subscriber decides to open, read, or delete. That is so much more powerful than the blink-and-you-miss-it nature of social media. And then the last reason that I think email subscribers stick around longer is because email builds real fucking relationships. Social media is fun, of course, but let's be real, it's also fucking surface level most of the time. Highlight reels, curated content, quick interactions, it's not exactly where deep meaningful connections are born. Let me tell you, I cannot stand surface-level conversations. I'm not good talking about the fucking weather. I want to talk about what challenges you're facing in your life.

Kylie Kelly [00:06:38]:
Like, let's get deep and actually fucking connect. And that's one of the reasons I think that email resonates with me so deeply. It's where you get to show up as your true authentic self. I have sent some pretty vulnerable fucking emails, and I can tell you what, the replies that I get— people appreciate the authenticity. People appreciate you sharing the messy middle. People appreciate you sharing the hard shit just as much as they appreciate celebrating your as well. Email is where you can share your story. It's where you can provide massive value and connect with your audience in a way that feels real and fucking genuine.

Kylie Kelly [00:07:09]:
As you can tell, I'm pretty passionate about this part. When you do that consistently, when you send consistent emails, when you show up for your subscribers, when you build that relationship, your subscribers start to see you as more than just another account. They see you as a trusted friend, someone who's genuinely invested in helping them. That, my friends, is when the whole game fucking changes. I want to for a second just flip this script, okay? So let's talk about why social media followers or the engagement drops off so quickly. Now, I know that I mentioned before it's so easy to follow and unfollow. I would say a little bit too easy, like there's no hoops to jump through, right? Of course, when you unsubscribe, there shouldn't be any hoops to jump through either, but it feels different. With social, there's no commitment.

Kylie Kelly [00:07:56]:
Someone taps follow on a whim, maybe because they like a single post, or a reel, maybe that they liked the color of my t-shirt, like fucking hell, I have no idea. But if your next post doesn't hit the mark, they're just gone as quickly as they came, right? And let's not forget how crowded and chaotic social media feeds are. Your followers are scrolling through hundreds of posts, stories, ads, and videos in a single fucking session. Your content might be amazing, but there's always a risk that it'll get drowned out in the noise. Again, with email, you don't have to fight for attention like that. It's just you and your subscriber. One-on-one, and that's what makes email so bloody powerful. So how do you keep your email subscribers around for the long haul? Here are my top 4 tips.

Kylie Kelly [00:08:38]:
We want to deliver value consistently, whether it's tips, inspiration, entertainment. Make sure every email you send is worth their time, right? We're not just creating emails to send an email. We're actually creating emails to build a relationship with the person on the other end, human to human, one-to-one, right? Show up as someone that is here to help, not just sell to them. Number 2, personalize your emails. Use segmentation like I mentioned to send content that feels tailor-made for their needs and interests. They will love you for it. Stay consistent. Don't ghost your subscribers.

Kylie Kelly [00:09:08]:
Show up in their inbox regularly to build trust and keep yourself top of mind. Consistency is hard. I am not going to fucking sugarcoat that. It is. I'm recording this podcast episode the morning that I release my episodes, Friday morning. It is 5:30 in the morning. We've just had 2 days of having no power and I was freaking freaking out that I was going to be late for this episode. Of course you would all forgive me, right? You might not even notice, but for me, consistency is fucking key.

Kylie Kelly [00:09:34]:
If I can't drop an episode consistently every Friday, something's fucking wrong, right? Like, I know life happens, and I know we need to give ourselves grace and permission and all the rest of it. I'm, I'm not here to burn myself out because of it, right? Like, I get it, I get it. But at the same time, I need you to trust that that episode's going to be there. Building trust means that when I tell you what I'm struggling with, when I tell you what my wins are, when I tell you I have something new for you to enroll in, when I tell you I have some valuable content that's going to help you and I have a new freebie that I want to share with you, when I, when I tell you things, you're going to listen and you're going to trust the words that come out of my fucking mouth, right? Because I've been consistent. If I am willy-nilly, like missing weeks here and there, you don't even know what to expect from me. That is not building trust and that is not going to lead anywhere. We need to build trust with our audiences. Otherwise, we may as well just give up.

Kylie Kelly [00:10:26]:
In my personal opinion. So again, making your emails a long-term asset in your business, stay consistent. Now you don't need to send them at like 11:00 AM on a Monday. You don't need to be that anal about consistency, but maybe every Monday, right? Once a week, that builds consistency and that builds trust. And then tip number 4, engage and ask questions. Start conversations. I cannot tell you how many people in my membership would be like, I get no replies. They're not asking any questions.

Kylie Kelly [00:10:53]:
Start conversations, ask and engage in questions, invite them to reply to your emails, make them feel heard and valued, and please, when you get a reply, respond to that in your inbox. I have sent so many replies to emails that have come and been sent to lists. I know it's not like a special email that I've gotten, but I've replied and then it's crickets. And I'm like, that makes me feel a bit shitty. So when you get a reply, make sure you respond. What I personally like to do is set aside time on a Friday with my cup of coffee to actually go through my inbox, clear it out, make sure I've responded to everything, I think thoughtfully and intentionally and with love and the way that I would over a glass of wine with a friend. And then we go into the next week. If that helps you create a routine like that.

Kylie Kelly [00:11:33]:
Remember, your email list isn't just a marketing tool, it's an asset. Treat it like gold and it's gonna repay you with loyal customers, consistent growth, and sustainable success. So my loves, if you've been burning yourself out trying to grow your social, let this be your reminder to shift some of that focus to your email lists. I'm not telling you to abandon social and focus all in on email. I mean, you can, then go for it. But some of you love social, like, that's okay. You like creating Reels, you like doing all the things. You don't need to let go of it if you enjoy it, but just shift some of that focus to your email list.

Kylie Kelly [00:12:07]:
Your subscribers are your people, the ones that trust you, value you, and actually want to hear from you. You need to show up for them as well. So I would love you to take a minute today, think about how you're nurturing your list. How are you showing up for your people you've invited into your inbox? Do you need to create an evergreen nurture sequence like I have? Remember, kyliekelly.com/evergreen to check out that program if you want support. But do you need to do that, right? Do you need to make a day of the week where you're gonna send that email consistently? Do you need to actually show up and be a human being and not just share the wins, right? Do you need to tell some stories, tell some challenges, share what's going on in your life, be a bit more personal? Remember, every email is an opportunity to build trust, deepen connections, and grow your business in a way that feels really sustainable and super aligned. I hope you found this helpful. It's now getting close to 6:00 AM. I'm gonna go and make a coffee.

Kylie Kelly [00:12:54]:
I wanna thank you so much for tuning in. To my podcast, to the Email Growth Show. I have so much love for each and every single one of you, and I hope that with these episodes consistently dropping on a Friday, you can get one juicy little tidbit, one piece of advice, one little valuable nugget to then go and build a list that you can grow, that you can nurture, that you can convert, that can help you build your business on your own terms and create more freedom in your life. That is my dream and my wish for you. Now, if this episode sparked some ideas or gave you a new perspective, please share it with another business owner who needs to hear it. And of course, if you're ready to grow your email list and take your marketing to the next level, don't forget to check out the Email Growth Club, my membership for female business owners that want to grow, nurture, and convert their email list like nothing else. The link, as always, is in the show notes. Here's to building relationships that last, babe.

Kylie Kelly [00:13:47]:
All right, I will see you next week. Thank you so much for tuning into this episode of the Email Growth Show. I hope you found valuable insights into the next steps you can take to grow your email list and boost your business without relying on social media or paid ads. If you enjoyed this episode, please take a moment to rate and review the show and share it with others. Your feedback helps me reach more female entrepreneurs just like you who are ready to say goodbye to social media and leverage email marketing to grow their business and make a bigger impact. Thank you so much for listening, and I'll see you in the next episode.