THE EMAIL GROWTH SHOW EPISODE 149

Today, we’ll be diving into two powerful approaches: collaboration-based strategies and search/SEO-driven tactics. These are the exact methods I’ve used to grow my own email list and help my clients & members of The Email Growth Club use to achieve incredible results. Whether you’re just starting out with your email list or looking to take your email marketing to the next level, this framework is going to give you the clarity and direction you need to start seeing real progress.

Click play on the episode below to listen to it in full:

The Power of Email Marketing For Your Online Business

Before we dive into the details of my visibility framework, let’s talk about why email list growth is so important. You’ve probably heard a lot of buzz about social media, and while it has its place, there’s something uniquely powerful about email marketing that often gets overlooked.

• First, let’s consider the difference between social media followers and email subscribers. When someone follows you on social media, you’re relying on algorithms to get your content in front of them. And let’s be honest, those algorithms can be tricky, unpredictable, and ever-changing. You could have thousands of followers, but if your posts aren’t showing up in their feed, it’s like they don’t exist at all.
  
  Plus, social media platforms can change their rules, or worse, they could disappear altogether – taking all your hard-earned followers with them. But with email, it’s different. When someone joins your email list, they’re giving you direct access to their inbox. You don’t have to worry about competing with algorithms. Instead, you have the ability to connect with your audience in a more personal, direct way.
  
  
• On top of that, email has consistently been shown to have higher conversion rates than social media. When people open your email, they’re already in a mindset to engage, whether it’s reading your content, clicking a link, or making a purchase. It’s proven to be a much more reliable way to drive sales.

• And the best part in my opinion? Your email list is something you own. It’s a business asset that belongs to you – no one can take it away. Unlike social media, where your account could be suspended or deleted at any time, your email list is yours to keep and grow. It becomes a valuable part of your business, and over time, it can even be a significant factor in the valuation of your business if you ever decide to sell.

So… how does my visibility framework fits into all of this?

The framework I’m sharing with you today is specifically designed to help entrepreneurs grow their email lists quickly and sustainably. The strategies I’ve included aren’t just about adding numbers – they’re about building lasting relationships with the right people. People who are genuinely interested in what you have to offer and who are more likely to become loyal customers of yours in the future!

One of the biggest challenges I see small business owners face is overwhelm – and I get it, there is always so much to do and so little time to do it. When we then add social media and all the platforms we’re told to be consistent on… it’s exhausting. That’s why this framework is so powerful – it gives you a clear and direct path to follow, leveraging collaborations and SEO-driven strategies instead of social media, so you can grow your email list in a way that feels manageable, effective, and aligned with your business and your life.

So, as we move forward in this episode, keep in mind that the strategies I’m sharing aren’t just about quick wins. They’re about creating a sustainable, long-term approach to building your email list and ultimately, growing your business.

Introducing My Simple V2 Visibility Framework

Ok, let’s dive into my simple V2 Visibility Framework. Now this is something I’ve used myself to grow my own email list fast, without social media or paid ads, and it’s also something I teach over 250 members in The Email Growth Club as well.

So, what does this framework look like? Picture a big ‘V’ with two sides. On one side, we have collaboration-based strategies, and on the other, we have search and SEO-driven strategies. These are two powerful approaches that work together to give you the best of both worlds when it comes to visibility and email list growth.

Collaboration-Based Email List Growth Strategies:

Collaborations are all about leveraging other people’s audiences to grow your own. This isn’t about competition; it’s about working together to create something bigger than what we could achieve on our own. And there are a few key ways to do this effectively.

First up, we have summits, bundles, and freebie swaps. These are fantastic ways to get in front of a large audience quickly. Imagine participating in a virtual summit or contributing to a digital bundle where your ideal clients are already hanging out. By offering something valuable – like a free guide or a mini-course – you can attract a ton of new subscribers to your list.

The main thing to remember with this is to make sure that the resource that you provide is something that is going to speak to your perfect person, your ideal client, and lead them eventually to your main paid offer. More on how you do that in a future episode!

Next, let’s talk about podcast guesting and guest speaking. By guesting on other people’s podcasts or guest speaking in existing groups or masterminds, you get to showcase your expertise to a whole new audience. It’s an incredible opportunity to build trust and connection, and when you provide a clear call to action – like a free download that adds subscribers to your email list – you’re not just sharing your knowledge; you’re growing your list at the same time.

My biggest piece of advice with this is to make sure you have ONE clear call to action at the end of an interview or presentation – don’t send them to your website, your instagram profile, your podcast, your free resource. You want ONE link for them to go next – and that link should always be adding them to your email list.

Now, here’s the thing with collaborations: you don’t need to do all of them at once. In fact, I wouldn’t recommend it! Pick one of these strategies that resonate with you and focus on it for the next 90 days. The key is consistency and building genuine relationships with your collaborators – and make sure you check in at the end of each month and check the data.

• What kind of results have you gotten?
• Have you enjoyed this strategy?
• How does it make you feel?

This is all important to take note of and use in deciding to continue with that strategy for the next 30 days or to tweak and change it up.

Search and SEO-Driven Email List Growth Strategies:

Now, let’s move over to the other side of the ‘V’- the search and SEO-driven strategies. These options are all about making sure that when your ideal clients are searching for solutions online, they find YOU.

The first piece of this puzzle is long-form content and SEO. This could be blog posts or podcast episodes that are optimised for Google. When you create content that’s rich in keywords and answers the questions your ideal clients are asking, you start to show up in their search results. This kind of content continues to work for you long after it’s published, driving organic traffic to your site and growing your email list passively. Remember to again always have a clear call to action that leads the reader or listener to your email list – that is always our goal.

Then, there’s the social media as SEO angle. Platforms like Pinterest, YouTube, and even TikTok are more than just social networks, they’re search engines in their own right. By optimizing your content for these platforms, you’re not just posting into the void and praying someone sees it; you’re creating content that can be found by people who are actively looking for what you offer. Remember to consider keywords in the content you create for these platforms and try repurposing long-form content to save yourself some time.

And finally, traditional PR plays a role here too. Getting featured in articles, being interviewed by media outlets, or writing guest posts can significantly boost your visibility and credibility. These opportunities often come with backlinks and mentions that enhance your SEO, making it easier for people to find you.

So, whether you’re focusing on collaborations, search, or a combination of both, the goal is the same: to grow your email list with strategies that feel good, are sustainable, and don’t rely on the unpredictability of social media.

Remember, you don’t have to do it all at once. I’d recommend choosing one strategy from the Collaboration side of the V and one from the Search & SEO side of the V – focus on them for the next 90 days, and track your progress each month.

You’ll be amazed at the growth you can achieve.

How Do You Choose Which Email List Growth Strategy To Try?

First, let’s recap the two main strategies within my visibility framework: collaborations and search/SEO. These are the pillars of your email list growth strategy, and they’re designed to work together to maximise your reach, impact & fast track your growth.

First, we have collaboration-based strategies – these are all about leveraging the audiences of others to grow your list quickly. Think about summits, bundles, freebie swaps, networking and podcast guesting or guest speaking. These strategies allow you to tap into already established communities and bring in highly engaged subscribers who are likely to resonate with your message.

On the other side, we have search and SEO-driven strategies – these focus on creating content that’s discoverable and searchable over time. This includes long-form content like blog posts, podcast episodes – much like this one, and optimising your presence on platforms like Pinterest, YouTube and even TikTok. These strategies are more about playing the long game, ensuring that your content continues to bring in new subscribers well after it’s been published.

Now, here’s what I want you to do: Choose one strategy from each category – one collaboration and one search/SEO strategy to focus on for the next 90 days. The key here is to stay consistent and give each strategy enough time to show results.

By narrowing your focus, you’ll avoid overwhelm and be able to execute these strategies more effectively.

How Do You Know If These Email List Growth Strategies Are Working?

As you dive into these strategies, it’s crucial to track your progress. Keep an eye on your email list growth, engagement & conversion rates, and any other metrics that matter to you. If you find that one approach isn’t giving the results you expected – and you’ve given it enough time – don’t be afraid to adjust.

This is all about finding what works best for you and your business. Little spoiler here – but all of these strategies actually work. It’s not about choosing ‘the right one’ – it’s about picking the strategy that’s right for you! It has to feel good for you AND give you results – when you can land on something that does that, that’s when you know you’re onto a growth strategy that is sustainable and will work for the long-term.

As we wrap up I want to remind you, by focusing on collaborations and SEO-driven tactics, you’re not only building your email list, you’re building relationships with people who genuinely care about what you have to offer. This is about creating a sustainable, long-term strategy that helps you grow your business in a way that feels good and aligned with your values.

Before you go, don’t forget to check out the free resource I have for you – Your Next 1000 Subscribers Guide. You can sign up for it through the sidebar on the right or visit this link: https://kyliekelly.com/guide

… and if you’re looking for even more support, consider joining The Email Growth Club, my membership where we dive deep into all things email marketing and visibility. You’ll get access to a community of like-minded entrepreneurs, exclusive resources, and so much more. Click here to find out more: https://kyliekelly.com/emailgrowthclub

Remember, I am cheering you on every step of the way. If you have questions, need advice, or just want to share your progress, please reach out to me. I love connecting with my listeners and helping you navigate your email marketing journey. The best place to find me is on Instagram – just shoot me a DM, and let’s chat. Or if you prefer, you can always send me an email – hello@kyliekelly.com.

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Full Transcript

Kylie Kelly [00:00:04]:
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 0 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. Hello. Welcome to episode 149. I am so excited to have you here today. If you’re tired of feeling overwhelmed by social media and frustrated by slow email list growth, you’re in the right place.

Kylie Kelly [00:00:49]:
In this episode, I’m going to walk you through my simple visibility framework, a proven strategy to grow your email list fast without the need for paid ads or constant social media hustle. Doesn’t that sound good? Today we’ll be diving into 2 powerful approaches: collaboration based strategies and search and SEO driven tactics. These are the exact methods I’ve used to grow my own email list and the strategies I use to help my clients and members of the Email Growth Club to achieve incredible results. Whether you’re just starting out with your email list or looking to take your email marketing to the next level, this framework is going to give you the clarity and direction you need to start seeing real progress. So grab a cup of coffee, probably a notepad, and let’s dive in. Now first, I want to briefly talk about why email list growth is so important for your online business. Mainly because we don’t want to dive into these strategies about growing your email list if you don’t really understand why we need to focus on it. Right? Now, I know you’ve probably heard a lot of, shall I say, gurus say how important social media is.

Kylie Kelly [00:01:53]:
And while it has its place, there’s definitely something uniquely powerful about email marketing that often gets overlooked. Firstly, let’s consider the difference between social media followers and email subscribers. When someone follows you on social media, you’re relying on algorithms to get your content in front of them and let’s be honest, those algorithms can be pretty fickle, unpredictable and ever changing. You could have thousands of followers like I do on my Instagram but if your posts aren’t showing up in their feed, it’s like they don’t exist at all. And like I’ve said before, if you spend a lot of time creating that content and then no one sees it, it’s just not a smart way to use our time. When we pile on top of that the fact that social media platforms can change their rules or worse disappear altogether, taking all of your hard end followers and a way that you might even be making revenue with them, it’s just not a smart decision to build our business on that kind of foundation. But with email, it’s so different. When someone joins your email list, they’re giving you direct access to their inbox.

Kylie Kelly [00:02:52]:
You don’t have to worry about competing with algorithms. As long as the content is good and you are smart about your subject line, you have the ability to connect with your audience in a more personal, more direct way. You’re more in control. And here’s what I love the most. Email has consistently been shown to have high conversion rates in social media. When people open your email, they’re already in a mindset to engage whether it’s reading your content, clicking a link, or making a purchase. It’s actually proven to be a much more reliable way to drive sales than anything else. So why wouldn’t we use it? Why wouldn’t we build our email list so that we could connect with our perfect people, our ideal clients? We could show them what we do.

Kylie Kelly [00:03:30]:
We could serve them. We could help them. We could build a relationship with them and then we can invite them into our office and actually create more revenue in our business. And the best part, your email list is something that you own. It’s actually a business asset that belongs to you. No one can take it away. Unlike social media where your account could be suspended or deleted at any time, your email list is yours to keep and to grow. Again, this just breeds a sense of safety.

Kylie Kelly [00:03:54]:
Right? And I don’t know about you, but my nervous system cannot handle the fact that my business could just disappear overnight. Like, no. We do not want that. We are here for the long term and we’re here to make smart decisions. And building your email list is one of those smart decisions that you are making. How does my visibility framework fit into all of this? The framework that I’m sharing with you today is specifically designed to help entrepreneurs grow their email list quickly and sustainably. The strategies that I’ve included aren’t just about adding numbers, they’re about building lasting relationships with the right people, with your ideal client, with the perfect person that you want to serve. People that are genuinely interested in what you have to offer and who are more likely to become loyal customers of yours.

Kylie Kelly [00:04:34]:
One of the biggest challenges that I see entrepreneurs and small business owners face is overwhelm. Right? And I get it. There is always so much to do and so little time to do it. My husband, Nick, and I have 2 little boys, and we are only ever working school hours. So very rarely do we have extra time, so we need to be smart with the time that we do have. Have. When we then add social media and all the platforms that we’re told to be consistent on, on top of everything else, it’s so fucking exhausting. That’s why this framework is so powerful.

Kylie Kelly [00:05:03]:
It gives you a clear and direct path to follow, leveraging collaborations and SEO driven strategies instead of social media so you can grow your email list in a way that feels manageable, effective, and aligned with your business and your life. So as we move forward in this episode, keep in mind that the strategies I’m sharing aren’t just about quick wins. They’re about creating a sustainable long term approach to building your email list and ultimately growing your business. So let’s dive into the framework. Grab your pen and paper. You might want to take some notes And let’s cover all of the options that you have to grow your email list fast. Okay. So what does this framework look like? I want you to picture a capital letter v with two sides.

Kylie Kelly [00:05:43]:
On one side of that v, we have collaboration based strategies. And on the other side, we have search and SEO driven strategies. These are 2 powerful approaches that work together to give you the best of both worlds when it comes to visibility and email list growth. Let’s talk about the collaboration side of things first. Collaborations are all about leveraging other people’s audiences to grow your own. This isn’t about competition. It’s about working together to create something bigger than what we could achieve on our own. And there are a few key ways to do this effectively.

Kylie Kelly [00:06:16]:
First up, we have summits, bundles, and freebie swaps. These are all fantastic ways to get in front of a large audience quickly. Imagine participating in a virtual summit or contributing to a digital bundle where your ideal clients are already hanging out, already signing up to, already being a part of it. Right? By offering something valuable like a presentation in a summit or a free guide or a mini course in a bundle, you can attract a ton of new subscribers to your email list. The main thing to remember with this is to make sure that the resource you provide is something that’s going to speak to your perfect person, your ideal client, and lead them eventually to your main paid offer. I personally like to reverse engineer this and think about where I want to lead them first and work backwards. What is that first step that they need to take in order for them to be ready for my main paid offer? There’ll be more on how you do this in a future episode. Next, let’s talk about podcast guesting and guest speaking.

Kylie Kelly [00:07:08]:
By guesting on other people’s podcasts or guest speaking in existing groups or masterminds, you get to showcase your experience to a whole new audience. It’s an incredible opportunity to build trust and connection. And when you provide a clear call to action at the end, like a free download that adds subscribers to your email list, you’re not just sharing your knowledge, you’re growing your list at the same time. My biggest piece of advice with this is to make sure you have one clear call to action at the end of an interview or presentation. Don’t send them to your website, your Instagram profile, your podcast, your free resource. A confused mind won’t make any decisions. You want one link for them to go to next and that link should always then lead them to your email list. Now here’s the thing with collaborations.

Kylie Kelly [00:07:48]:
You don’t need to do all of them at once. In fact, I would not recommend it. I want you to pick one of these strategies that resonates with you and focus on it for the next 90 days. The key is consistency and building genuine relationships with your collaborators and to make sure you check-in at the end of each month and check the data. What kind of results have you gotten? Have you enjoyed the strategy? How does it make you feel? This is all important to take note of and you can use this when you’re deciding whether to continue with the strategy for the next 30 days or to tweak and change it up. Now let’s move over to the other side of the v, the search and SEO driven strategies. These options are all about making sure that when your ideal clients are searching for solutions online, they find you. The first piece of this puzzle is long form content and SEO.

Kylie Kelly [00:08:34]:
Now this could be blog posts or podcast episodes that are optimized for Google. When you create content that’s rich in keywords and answers the questions your ideal clients are asking, you start to show up in their search results. This kind of content continues to work for you long after it’s published, driving organic traffic to your site and growing your email list passively. Remember to again always have a clear call to action that leads the reader or listener to your email list. That is always our goal. Then there’s social media as SEO angle. Platforms like Pinterest, YouTube or even TikTok are more than just social networks. They’re search engines in their own right.

Kylie Kelly [00:09:09]:
By optimising your content for these platforms, you’re not just posting into the void and praying someone sees it. You’re creating content that can be found by people who are actively looking for what you have to offer. Remember to consider keywords in the content you create for these platforms and what I love to do is repurpose that long form content to save you some time. And finally, traditional PR plays a role here too. So getting featured in articles, being interviewed by media outlets, or writing guest posts can significantly boost your visibility and also your credibility. These opportunities often come with backlinks and mentions and enhance your SEO, making it easier for people to find you online. So whether you’re focused on collaborations, search, or a combination of both, the goal is the same: to grow your email list with strategies that feel good, are sustainable, and don’t rely on the unpredictability of social media. Now remember, I know that’s a lot.

Kylie Kelly [00:10:02]:
You don’t have to do it all at once. I’d recommend choosing one strategy from the collaboration side of the V and one from the search and SEO side. Focus on them for the next 90 days and track your progress each month. You’ll be amazed at the growth that you can achieve. Now, how do you choose which email list growth strategy to try? 1st, let’s recap the 2 main strategies within the framework. Right? Collaborations and search and SEO. So these are the pillars of your email list growth strategy and they’re designed to work together to maximize your reach, impact, and fast track your growth. So remember, we had the collaboration based strategies? So they were about leveraging the audiences of others to grow your list quickly.

Kylie Kelly [00:10:41]:
Think summits, bundles, freebie swaps, networking and podcast guesting or guest speaking. So these strategies allow you to tap into already established communities and bring in highly engaged subscribers who are likely to resonate with your message and what you do. On the other side, we have the search and SEO driven strategies. So these focus on creating content that’s discoverable and searchable over time. So this includes long form content like blog posts, podcast episodes, much much like this one, and optimizing your presence on platforms like Pinterest, YouTube, and even TikTok. These strategies are more about playing the long game, ensuring that your content continues to bring in new subscribers well after it’s been published. Now here’s what I want you to do. Choose one strategy from each category.

Kylie Kelly [00:11:24]:
1 collaboration and one search and SEO strategy to focus on for the next 90 days. The key here is to stay consistent and give each strategy enough time to show results. By narrowing your focus, you’ll avoid overwhelm and be able to execute these strategies more effectively. So how do you know if it’s even working? As you dive into these strategies, it’s crucial to track your progress. I want you to keep an eye on your email list growth, your engagement and conversion rates, and any other metrics that might matter to you. If you find that one approach isn’t giving you the results you expected and you’ve given it enough time, don’t be afraid to adjust it to switch it up. This is all about finding what works best for you and your business. And little spoiler here, but all of these strategies actually work.

Kylie Kelly [00:12:08]:
It’s not about choosing the right one. It’s about picking the strategy that’s right for you. It has to feel good and give you results. And when you land on something that does that, that’s when you know you’re onto a growth strategy that is sustainable and will work for the long term. Now as we wrap up today’s episode, I want to remind you, by focusing on collaborations and SEO driven strategies, you’re not only building your email list, You’re building relationships with people who genuinely care about what you have to offer. You’re building relationships with people that also serve your ideal clients so you’ll get more opportunities to collaborate with them again in the future. It gets easier and easier and easier. This is about creating a sustainable long term strategy that helps you grow your business in a way that feels good and is aligned with your values.

Kylie Kelly [00:12:51]:
It’s not about putting a freebie on your website and waiting 5 years for it to work. It’s not about dancing and pointing on social and hoping somebody sees you. It’s about building relationships. And by doing it this way means that you’re going to see results faster than you even thought possible. Now before you go, don’t forget to check out the free resource I have for you. I have a guide that is going to lay all of this out beautifully called your next 1,000 subscribers. You can grab the link in the show notes or head over to kyliekelly.com/guide and sign up for it there. And remember, if you’re looking for even more support, consider joining the Email Growth Club, my membership where we dive deep into all things email marketing and visibility.

Kylie Kelly [00:13:30]:
You’ll get access to a community of like minded entrepreneurs, exclusive resources, and so much more. Keep in mind, I’m cheering you on every step of the way. If you have questions, need advice or just want to share your progress, please reach out to me. I love connecting with my listeners and helping you navigate your email marketing journey. You can always send me an email hello at kyliekelly.com or if you do prefer social, jump on over to Instagram. I’m not on there often, but I do check my DM. So shoot me a DM and let’s chat. Thank you so much for tuning in today.

Kylie Kelly [00:14:00]:
I’m so grateful to have you here, and I can’t wait to see how these strategies work for you. If you haven’t already, make sure you subscribe to the podcast so you don’t miss any future episodes filled with actionable tips just like these to help you grow your email list and your business. Until next time, take care and keep on growing that email list. Bye for now. Thank you so much for tuning in to 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!