Start Growing Your Email List Before You Think You’re Ready

Have you ever been told, “You need to grow your email list,” and immediately thought, “Okay… but how?”

In this episode, Julie shares why one of the smartest things you can do for your small business is start growing your email list before you feel fully ready - not when your website is perfect, not when your product line is huge, and not when you have a complete email strategy mapped out.

You’ll hear the imperfect way Julie started her own list, why email gives small business owners more control than social media alone, and how to start inviting the right people in without overcomplicating it.

In this episode, we talk about:

• Why your email list is one of the few marketing assets you actually own
• How Julie started her list imperfectly and barely emailed it at first
• Why social media is great for discovery, but not something you fully control
• Why unsubscribes are not always a bad thing
• Why a healthy, engaged list matters more than a huge list
• How to give people a clear reason to join your email list
• Where to place your sign-up form so people can actually find it
• Why your list can grow while your business grows

Best quote from the episode:

“People are busy. They don’t need another email just for the sake of getting another email. So if you’re asking someone for their email address, ask yourself: what am I giving them in return?”

If your newsletter list is tiny, untouched, or still just an idea in your head, check out The Email List Growth Fix - Julie’s beginner-friendly guide for small product-based business owners who want to grow an email list full of people who actually want to buy from them.

The Email List Growth Fix
A simple 5-day system to start growing an email list full of future buyers.
https://heyjulie.systeme.io/elistsales

Start Your Store on Shopify
The ecommerce platform I use and recommend for product-based businesses.

Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links. If you make a purchase, I may receive a commission at no extra cost to you.

Connect with Julie | Moss Bags:
Website: https://mossbags.com
Instagram: https://instagram.com/moss.bags

Photography by Lisa Aamot | https://www.merakiphotographynw.com

Transcript

SPEAKER_00 0:00

Have you ever heard someone say, you need to grow your email list? And immediately thought, okay, but what am I supposed to do with it? Or maybe you've had that little newsletter sign-up box on your website for years. Maybe people have joined here and there, or you've collected emails at markets, events, pop-ups, or even in your shop, and yet your list is still kind of just sitting there, quiet, untouched, maybe even making you feel a little guilty. Well, I get it. Because that was me. For years, I had an email list in the most technical sense. People could sign up, the form existed. I was doing the thing everyone told me to do. But was I actually using it? No, not really. And today I want to talk about why I still believe one of the best things you can do for your small business is to start growing your email list before you feel ready. Not when your business feels perfect. Not when your website is fully polished, and not when you have a giant product line, or when you know exactly what you're going to do or say each week, I'm talking now. We're going to start now because your email list is not just another marketing task. It is one of the few things in your business that you actually own. And if you're building something that's going to last, I want you to have a way to connect to your people that does not depend on social media, algorithms, trends, or whether Instagram decides to show your post today. So today we're going to talk about your email list and why it matters. How I started mine in a very imperfect way, why a healthy list matters more than a huge list, and how you can start growing yours without overcomplicating it. Welcome to Hey Julie by Moss Bags. I'm Julie, founder of Moss Bags since 2013, and this podcast is a behind-the-scenes look at what it really takes to build a small business that lasts. Each week we talk about the real stories behind the brands, the systems that keep things running, the lessons learned along the way, and practical pieces that keep businesses moving forward. If you're building something with heart, then you're in the right place. Now let's dive in. If you've listened to my interviews on this podcast, you know there's a question I love asking people who are building businesses. I usually ask something like, What's one tip you would give to someone who is just starting out in business? And I always love hearing the answers because they're usually simple, honest, practical, and they have been earned through lived experiences. So today I want to answer that question from my own business journey. Because whether I talk to somebody just starting out, one of my biggest pieces of advice is this start your newsletter list immediately. Even if you don't know exactly what you're going to send yet, even if your business is small and your website is simple, even if you're still figuring out the products and your voice, the rhythm, offers, your brand, start collecting those email addresses. Give people a way to stay connected outside of social media. Build the list while you're building your business. And if you already have a newsletter list, keep growing it. Keep inviting people in. That is key. That doesn't end. Keep giving people reasons to hear from you because the list you grow today can become one of the most valuable assets in your business later. Now, I wish I could say I understood this perfectly from the beginning. I did not. I remember being told early on in business, grow your email list, grow your newsletter list. And so I did. I had my sign-up form on my website. I had a sign-up form at my in-person events. I even entered people into drawings each time when they signed up. I was doing the thing. But here's the funny part. I never really sent emails. I would even encourage people to sign up by saying, very honestly, I almost never send emails, so just go ahead and sign up. And at that time, I thought that was a selling point. Like, don't worry, I won't bother you. But looking back, I realized that what I was really saying was, please join this list that I don't know what to do with yet. Maybe that sounds familiar. Maybe you've done something similar, or you have the sign-up form, you have the discount code, maybe you have a few subscribers, maybe people have joined after buying from you and you've collected the emails at Marcus, but then you don't send anything because you don't know what to say, or you're afraid to bother people, or you're not sure if email still works. And you feel like you need some big official strategy before you start. And I want to gently tell you that you don't. You do not need a perfect strategy to begin building your list. You just need to start giving people a reason to stay connected. Because here's the thing: your customer journey is not always immediate. Some might find you at a market, love your work, but not buy that day. Someone might land on your website and think your products are beautiful, but not ready to buy yet. Someone might find you on Instagram, browse your shop, and then get distracted by life. That does not mean that they're not interested. It just means that they're human. We all are. Email gives you a way to continue the relationship. And for a small business, that relationship is everything because people do not only buy products, they buy stories, they buy connection, they buy trust, they buy from people they remember, and that's one of the reasons email matters so much in small business in particular. Social media is amazing for discovery. I'm not anti-social media, I'm on there. It helps people find you. It gives people a quick peek into your world, it lets you show behind the scenes and connect in real time. But social media is rented land. You do not own your followers, you do not control who sees your posts, you do not control the algorithm. You can spend so much time making something thoughtful, post it, and then only have a tiny percentage of your audience see it. And it is so frustrating. Your email list is different. When someone joins your list, they are saying, Hey, yes, I want to hear from you. This is direct permission. And I think sometimes we forget how powerful that is. We get caught up in followers and views and likes, and we forget that an email subscriber is someone who raised their hand. They are part of your warm audience. Even if your list is small, that matters. If you have 50 people on your list, imagine 50 people standing in a room saying, Tell me more. That's not nothing. If you have 200 people, even better. And no, not every person will open every email, not every person will buy, and that's okay. But the relationship is there. You have a direct line of communication, and one day that direct line might matter more than you realize. Now, I remember years ago, one day Facebook went down. Maybe you remember when this happened too. There have been days when social platforms just stopped working and suddenly everyone who relies on Instagram and Facebook for work is kind of stuck. I remember a mentor sharing that when Facebook went down, instead of closing shop for the day or panicking because social media wasn't available, she quickly sent an email to her list with a discount, kind of apologizing for how Facebook went down, and business went on as usual. And I thought, oh, that's so smart. And so I did the same thing. People weren't spending time on social media that day because they couldn't. So email got a little bit more attention, and I was there. I was seen and I made sales. It was amazing. That moment really stuck with me because it showed me the power of having another way to reach my people. If Instagram is down, you can email. If your reach drops, you can email. If you have new products, you can email. And if you need to move inventory, guess what? You can email. If you want to tell a longer story and connect, if you want to invite people into something, you've got email. Email gives you options. And in our small businesses, options matter. Now let's talk about something that I think keeps a lot of people from wanting to grow their list or send messages. The fear of annoying people. I hear this. And honestly, I felt that too. We think, oh, I don't want to bother them. What if they don't want to hear from me? What if I send too many emails? What if they unsubscribe? So let's talk about unsubscribe for a moment. Because yes, people will. It's a numbers game. And I want you to know that it's okay. It's more than okay, actually. Sometimes it is actually a good thing. I know it can sting a little. You send an email, you're proud of yourself for showing up. And then you see that someone unsubscribed, and your brain immediately wants to make it personal. Did I say something wrong? Did I send too many? Was I too salesy? Do they not like me? Am I annoying? All of it. But unsubscribes are not always bad. Unsubscribes are clarity. You only want people on your list who align with your business. If someone doesn't like what you share, if they are no longer interested in your products, if your products are not for them, maybe it was a gift for somebody else. If they joined years ago and have moved on, it is great that they unsubscribed. It's not personal, it's business. And honestly, they might be doing you a favor because depending on your email platform and list size, you may be paying for each subscriber. You are paying to store those contacts, to send to them, and to keep them on your list. So if somebody never opens, never clicks, engages, or buys from you, they're not helping your business by staying on your list. A healthy list is not just a big one. A healthy list is an engaged list, one who's interested and wants to be there. I would rather have a small list of people who open, click, reply, buy, and care than a giant list of people who ignore every email. So when someone unsubscribes, it's okay. I promise. They are making room for the right people. They are helping you in your engagement and they're giving you clear data. We do not need to drag people along who don't want to be there. That's true in life and email marketing. The goal is not to be for everyone, the goal is to serve the people who are actually your people. So please do not let fear of unsubscribers keep you from growing your list or showing up for the people who want to hear from you. Now, let's talk about how to actually start growing your list. And I want to keep this really simple because this is where people overcomplicate it. The first thing you need is a clear reason for someone to sign up. That reason can be simple. It might be a discount on your first order or a chance to be the first to know about restocks or limited releases. The key is that you are answering the question, why should someone join? Simply saying join my newsletter is not enough anymore. Join for 10% off your first order is clear. Join for first access to new collections, that's clear. People are busy. They don't need another email just for the sake of getting another email. So if you're asking someone for their email address, ask yourself, what am I giving them in return? Because it's a trade. Your email for something useful, helpful, exciting, or worth being part of. So make the reason good. The second thing you need is visibility. Your signup form should be easy to find, not hidden. Put it on your website, in the footer. Consider a pop-up if that makes sense for your site. Add a QR code to your market display. This is something I wish I understood earlier because just because you created the signup form does not mean people will magically find it. You have to invite them. You have to invite them regularly. That does not mean being pushy. It means being clear. If your newsletter is worth joining, tell people. The third thing is to keep it aligned with your business. You do not want random subscribers just for the sake of list growth. You want the right subscribers. If you sell handmade bags, let's say, you want people who are interested in your products, your process, your story, your style, your values, who you are. That's why the freebie or incentive matters. It should attract the kind of people who might actually want your offer. Because again, a healthy list matters more than a huge list. The fourth thing is to actually send something. And I know this is where some of you are going, Julie, I thought this episode was about growth list, not sending emails, but these things work together. You do not have to send a lot. You do not have to send every day. Actually, I don't recommend that anyway. But if people join your list and never hear from you, the connection gets lost. So start simple. Send once a month. Send a short note. Share what you're working on. Share a story behind the product. Share a helpful tip. New release. What you've learned. Let it be simple, just consistent. A good email does not have to be long. It does not have to be fancy or designed like a magazine, and none of it needs to be perfect. It just needs to sound like you, be authentic, and give your people a reason to stay connected. Now, if you already have a list and you haven't emailed in a while, I want to remove the shame from that too. Just restart. You do not need to send an apology. You can simply say, it's been a while since I've been in your inbox and I'm so glad to be back. Then give them something useful, interesting, or personal. Tell a story. Show something new. That's enough. Most people, actually, nobody is keeping track of the email schedule that you have as closely as you are. And if they no longer want to be there, they will unsubscribe, which, as we just said, is okay. Now, once you start growing your list, there will be other layers to think about, like what happens after someone joins. We'll talk about that next week. But for today, I want you to stay focused on this first step. If you haven't already, start the list. Grow the list. Keep inviting people in. Do not wait until everything is perfect. Do not wait until you know exactly what you're going to send for the next six months. Your list can grow while your business grows. And the lists you build now can support the business you are becoming later. And if you're listening to this thinking, okay, I know I need to finally start the list, but I don't know where to start, I created something to help you do exactly that. It's called the email list growth fix, and it's a beginner's guide for small product-based business owners who want to grow an email list full of people who actually want to buy from them. Inside, I walk you through how to choose a simple opt-in, what to offer in exchange for an email address, where to place your signup forms, and how to create a clear path from someone discovering your business to joining your list. No ad budget, no complicated strategy, no overthinking. Just a simple doable system to help you start growing an email list. So if your newsletter list is tiny or maybe still just an idea in your head, I'd love to invite you to check out the email list growth fix. I'll link it in the show notes. And next week we'll take this one step further. Once people are joining your list, we'll talk about how email can start working in the background through simple automations that welcome, remind, and follow up for you. But today, your step is simple. Give people a reason to join. Put that reason where they can see it and start building the list that can support the business you're creating. Thanks for being here. If you're building something or dreaming of starting, hit follow so you don't miss what's next. And if this resonated, I would love it if you shared it with another woman who's in it too. And I can't wait to keep building this community together. Until next time.