Looking for ways to build and grow your email list without paid ads?
Many people are quick to point out the benefits of having a large email database to contact, and the many ways you can do so.
However, when it comes to offering actionable ways to actually grow an email list, there are significantly fewer useful insights available.
Here, I’ll run you through 6 ways to build and grow your email list in 2025. The best bit? All of these strategies are completely free, allowing you to spend your precious marketing budget on other pressing matters.
Short on time? Here are the key takeaways
- Give them what they want: Create an eye-catching lead magnet that is sure to make your target audience sign up for emails to access.
- Strategic sign-ups: Popups are your friend, so don’t be afraid to add them everywhere it makes sense on your website.
- Additional downloadable resources: Take your best-performing blog posts and add a bonus download that’s related to that post, only available by signing up to your email list.
- Run a free challenge: Invite people to a 5-day challenge, free bootcamp, or educational email course for your niche.
- Don’t be anti-social: turn your followers into subscribers.
- Add your email link…everywhere: Don’t keep your email link locked up on your website; get it added to all the other places you have a digital footprint.
- Collaborate: Team up with people in your niche for cross-audience success.
The Importance of a Big, Healthy Email List
But first, I want to quickly explain why having a big, healthy email list is so important for almost any brand, regardless of the industry.
For starters, having a large email database gives you direct access to your audience, taking out the volatility that can come from relying on social media algorithms, varying PPC costs, and the dreaded Google algorithm updates.
You own the channel, which means you have complete control of what gets sent to your audience, when it gets sent to them, and how your messaging is viewed.
Additionally, the ROI for email is significantly better than other marketing channels. According to The 2025 State of Marketing Report, an annual report produced by HubSpot, the average ROI for email marketing campaigns is 36 times. That means you can earn an average of $36 in pure revenue for every dollar you spend on your email marketing efforts, a return that other marketing avenues can only dream of!
But email marketing isn’t just about profit and topline numbers. It is also a fantastic way to build relationships, improve trust, and develop loyal, repeat customers. Think about the best brands out there right now. They all have highly personalized, insightful, friendly welcome programs, as well as excellent re-engagement tactics and educational content.
Building trust through email is one of the best ways to turn one-off customers into repeat purchasers, shoring up the long-term success of your business.
Lastly, a healthy email list allows for advanced segmentation. You can tailor your messaging based on user behavior, interests, or demographics, making your emails more relevant and more likely to convert. It’s one of the only marketing channels that gives you full autonomy over which customers receive what content, and when.
6 Ways to Build and Grow Your Email List Without Paid Ads
As you can see, there are a ton of reasons why you need a large active email list. However, founder budgets are often tight, so any opportunity to save on outreach should be snapped up with both hands! With that in mind, here are six tried and tested ways to build and grow your email list without the need for paid ads.
Give them what they want
One of the most successful ways to build your email list is through giveaways. Sometimes, you’ve got to give a little to get a lot.
However, if you don’t have the marketing budget to give away an expensive prize, you could also do so by providing something for free, such as a checklist, template, mini course, or even an eBook.
Just make sure that whatever you choose, it’s specific to your audience and genuinely useful. I see a lot of examples of brands going down this avenue, whipping up a resource on ChatGPT in five minutes, and then wondering why they have a high rate of users subscribing and then immediately unsubscribing from their email list.
If you’re asking readers to hand over their personal information, then you need to ensure that what you’re providing is genuinely insightful, offers expertise they couldn’t otherwise find themselves, and goes above and beyond the answers they could get themselves with a couple of well-worded prompts.
Strategic sign-up placements
It’s easy to focus on the content of your email opt-ins, but it’s also just as easy to forget about the placement of them.
Don’t just limit your email opt-in messaging to a singular place on your website. Consider adding it to your homepage, any blog posts you publish, your website footer, about page, and even via pop-up messaging.
Most email service providers allow users to easily set up pop-ups anywhere on the website, either after a set time spent on the website, or after a particular action, such as scrolling, or moving the mouse away from the website.
However, I’d strongly advise you to use popups sparingly. It can be tempting to put them everywhere, but it’s important to remember that you want the experience on your website to be a fun one, and too many popups can feel very intrusive and frustrate some visitors.
It’s a fine line between maximizing the options you have on your website and not overdoing it, so always keep track of metrics like bounce rates and time spent on your site.
Run a free challenge
Another excellent way to engage your audience and build trust is by inviting them to a brand-specific challenge or boot camp. These experiences feel interactive and valuable, and the only investment required is your time and expertise.
For example, if you run a wellness brand, you could host a 7-Day Wellness Reset Challenge, helping participants improve their energy, focus, and overall well-being.
If you’re a beauty brand, consider launching a 7-Day Skin Glow Challenge, sending daily skincare tips and routines directly to their inbox.
Own a fitness brand? Run a 7-Day Strength Challenge with simple workouts and motivational content.
Promote your challenge across your social media channels, inviting your audience to sign up for free. Each day, deliver valuable, actionable tips straight to their inbox, strengthening your relationship, showcasing your expertise, and priming your audience for future offers.
Don’t be anti-social
Speaking of social channels, why not turn followers into subscribers? These people are already actively engaging with you on social media, so there’s a good chance you could convert them into email list subscribers as well.
To do so, tease your lead magnets, free challenges, or other offerings in stories, posts, or lives, and use “link in bio” tools to drive people to your opt-in.
Don’t be afraid to promote your email opt-in as your social audiences grow and new people become exposed to your brand.
Add your email link…everywhere
However, your social media bio shouldn’t be the only external avenue you use to get your email opt-in link out there! There are also tons of other locations you can add it without damaging the consumer experience, such as your email signature, LinkedIn bio, your business cards, and even as part of a guest post outreach strategy.
Essentially, you should view any platforms that you have as an opportunity to funnel people into your list, so that you can contact them in the future.
Collaborate
Lastly, building your email list as an entrepreneur can feel like a very daunting task, and one that can seem hard to do as a solo effort.
But it doesn’t have to be a solo effort!
There are a ton of other entrepreneurs out there who will be interested in collaborating with you, sharing their audience with you in return for you sharing yours, a total win-win.
Team up with people in your niche for co-branded lead magnets, joint webinars, newsletter swaps, or guest blog posts.
How to Make the Most of Your Email List
Now you have all the free tools and tactics you need to grow your list. Don’t expect this to happen overnight, but a prolonged and multichannel approach will certainly gain traction over time.
However, it’s important to also consider what to do once you have grown your email list. After all, it’s one thing to grow your list, but it’s another to keep them engaged and excited about what you send them.
To cover this topic in great detail, we probably need to create a whole new article, but here’s a quick breakdown of the most important things to consider once your list has begun to grow:
- Nurture, don’t just sell: People join your list for value, not just sales pitches. Focus on building a relationship with educational content, personal stories or behind-the-scenes, curated resources, and thoughtful opinions.
- Segment your audience: Not all subscribers want the same thing. Group your list by interests, purchase behavior, and (most importantly) engagement levels.
- Automate your welcome series: When it comes to a great email setup, triggered communications are your best friends. A welcome series is the perfect place to start, as he first few emails you send help set the tone and manage reader expectations. Create a welcome sequence that introduces your brand, provides instant value, sets expectations, and builds anticipation.
- Track what works: One thing I was taught at the start of my email marketing journey? You should always be testing something. Use your email platform’s analytics to monitor open rates, click-throughs, unsubscribes, and conversions, and don’t be afraid to test and try new things.
Learn How Omnisend Can Maximize Your Email List’s Potential
Of course, you can only do all that with a brilliant email and SMS marketing service provider in your corner.
That’s where Omnisend comes in.
Omnisend is built for eCommerce brands that want to grow smarter, not harder. With powerful tools for email and SMS automation, intuitive drag-and-drop builders, and advanced segmentation options, Omnisend helps you turn your email list into a high-performing revenue driver.
Not only that, but when you use code FOUNDR50 at checkout, you also get 50% off your first three months of a paid plan. Simply copy the code and enter it at checkout to activate your discount. Click here and start today