Build your email list to your heart’s content.
List building is one of the most powerful ways to drive blogging traffic and profits.
Hands down, you should be building an email list from day 1 of your blogging journey.
But beware one tricky danger of growing your email list.
Watch this video as I explain why you need to be careful with this marketing strategy.
Building an email list rocks for your blog.
But getting heavily, highly attached to your email list as the one asset, the end all be all, that you need more than breathing, to build a successful blogging business, is a terrible, dangerous mistake that closes you off from the abundance of opportunities around you.
I have published well over 1000 guest posts. I was the #1 most viewed Quora user in a category for a series of weeks.
I appear to be omnipresent in the blogging tips niche because I have not attached myself to building my email list. Lesson learned. The hard way. From years of getting too attached to building my list through different opportunities in the past.
Sure I build a list. But my email list is one of a billion to an infinite number of ways that I can help people, connect with people and serve people.
My email list is relatively small. Yet I have retired to a life of island hopping through smart blogging.
My list has remained steady recently, not growing much. Yet my blogging income continues to increase.
Why?
I did not develop a fear-based, heavy attachment to my email list, so I created a viral online presence by generously helping people through a wide range of channels.
One person may buy 4 of my eBooks after reading one of my guest posts. Another person may buy 3 of my audio books after watching one of my Facebook Live broadcasts. People hire me through my Twitter feed. Folks buy my courses after connecting with me on Facebook or after meeting me in person.
List building plays a roll in effective blog monetization but when you choose to attach yourself heavily to your email list you close yourself off from other opportunities that would be just as prospering for you.
Money follows value; it does not seek you through emails, or any one particular stream. If you help people generously in a wide range of areas you will receive money through those channels.
Million Dollar and 6 Figure Earners
I know of a million dollar earner with a small list.
I know a 6 figure earner with no email list.
Again guys; by all means, build that list. Just understand that traffic and money responds to service, generosity, word of mouth marketing, promoting other bloggers in your niche and flat out helping folks. The channel matters not. The service, the fun, the passion and love does matter.
Your Job
Help people.
Connect with people.
Learn blogging from top pros.
Practice.
Create helpful content.
Assist people through a wide range of channels, including your blog, your email list, social media, forums, YouTube and Amazon, among other streams.
Just don’t see list building as the end all be all or this fear based attachment can close you off to the abundant opportunities around you.
Attaching yourself to your list often creates the common, totally untrue blogging mental block of:
“I cannot make much money through my blog because I have a small list.”
Hogwash!
I’ve never placed a heavy emphasis on list building and I live a life that few people on earth live, through blogging.
Service wins. Generosity wins. Having fun wins.
Like most top earners, you should be building an email list but avoid developing a heavy, fear-based attachment to this single channel when you have so many opportunities through which you can serve other folks.
Your Turn
Have you developed an unhealthy attachment with list-building?
How can you detach just a bit from this online marketing channel?