List building is convenience marketing.
Readers see your content. You send updates at the click of a button.
Win-win.
But for some bloggers, list building does not resonate with their style. Some uphill battles are best left unexplored.
I did build a list for a minute. I saw some success. But building a list never resonated with me.
So, I let go building a list a few weeks ago. Even though I email a few subscribers – not many – 1-2 times weekly with a post summary I may release said approach all together eventually. No active list building on Blogging From Paradise because I pulled opt-in forms and any calls to join my list entirely. At least from newer posts.
Why?
I learned the secret to blogging success sans list building.
When you are in your reader’s hearts you need not build a list to succeed. Readers will come back to your blog again and again.
Small List
Noting I had some success list-building doesn’t mean I had a big list. Always small. Tiny. I did grow the list fast but my subscriber base never exceeded an appreciable threshold.
How did I succeed with a tiny email list?
How am I seeing more blog traffic than ever after ceasing to build my email list, seeing subscribers drop like flies as I tell them to bookmark my blog because I may release my email list for good?
My readers love me. I am in their hearts.
Heart Centered Blogging
My readers visit my blog daily as a force of habit. I am in their hearts through my generous service and friendships I’ve built over the years.
Few of my readers need to see emails to remember me. In a way, I am always with them.
You probably check sites daily, right? Without receiving updates? I visit espn.com daily because I love the site. Automatic.
My readers check Blogging From Paradise daily because they love my site. They don’t need a reminder or email. Ain’t forgetting me soon. On the contrary; when I ceased actively building my list, my engagement rates skyrocketed.
If people love your blog they:
- visit your blog
- buy your stuff
- share your content
- hire you
- comment on your blog
BUT……
….if you view yourself as:
- forgettable
- a blogging lone wolf
- not special
- not being valuable
you develop heavy, fear-based attachments to building an email list.
Not good.
I know a few top bloggers over the years who built thriving businesses without building a list.
If you create value and build deep, meaningful bonds with other bloggers and readers, said bloggers and readers grow your business, never forgetting you, always remembering you, never needing to receive an email to help grow your business.
I read a slew of blogs daily and I never joined an email list, save one. I still read that blogger’s blog although I unsubscribed from the list due to time requirements and to lessen my email load, since I am a busy bee.
How to Get Into Your Reader’s Hearts
Create helpful content.
Show a genuine interest in your fellow bloggers and readers by helping them without asking for anything in return.
Be patient.
Over time, you develop deep bonds that make list-building obsolete. Fans do not need email reminders. Fans spend hours on your blog daily, either bookmarking your blog or typing in your URL because you made that type of emotional impact on them.
By all means, begin building a list. But see if this approach resonates with you or if your greatest success lies through other online channels.
I always had a teeny weeny list and even appeared on world famous, iconic blogs without even having a list at the time. I also retired to a life of island hopping through smart blogging with no list or a small list.
Get in your reader’s hearts.
You can succeed without building a list.