HOW TO START A MAILING LIST. YOUR 10 LIST BUILDING QUESTIONS ANSWERED!
In today’s online world it’s almost impossible as a food blogger, food photographer or recipe developer to do everything and be everywhere - Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, Pinterest, Twitter - there are just SO many platforms one can spend (too much) time on, am I right? That begs the question - which platforms should we spend our energy on, which ones will have the biggest impact on our career and also on our bottom line?
If you have tuned into my podcast, have read my blog posts or followed me on Instagram, you’ll know I firmly believe that we need to prioritise our own spaces first and then, with the time we have left, make the most of 1-3 social media platforms we love! Now, this is easier said than done! Social media is seductive and fun and just so wonderful. I mean, you get instant feedback on your work, you’re entertained in the process and get to connect so seamlessly with the creative community you adore.
BUT I am well aware that an Instagram post I lovingly put together will reach at most 3% of my audience, whereas my newsletter easily gets to 30% of my subscribers or more; I hence prioritise my content accordingly.
An Instagram post I lovingly put together will reach at most 3% of my audience, whereas my newsletter easily gets to 30% of my subscribers or more!
Knowing how empowering and impactful my mailing list has been on my career as a food blogger, food photographer and author, I simply can’t keep this secret to myself anymore! That’s why I’m here today to answer all your questions about starting a mailing list in the hope that it will motivate you to get going with your list today too!
I DON’T HAVE A BLOG OR WEBSITE, CAN I STILL START A MAILING LIST?
You know I like to tell it as it is, right? Well, I wanna begin by saying that I’d LOVE for you to start a blog/website ;), but that point aside, please know you don’t need a blog or website to grow a mailing list! All you need is a landing page (which all good mailing list services provide) where people can sign up and join your newsletter community. It’s as easy as that!
You’d have to probably link to the landing page via your Instagram bio so that people can easily find it and join your newsletter community. You’d also need to make the landing page look semi cute with one of your images and a short message inviting people to join, but I think it won’t take you more than 10-15 minutes to put it together. Tops!
NOTE! You know I ADORE Flodesk and can attest that they do gorgeously designed landing pages! Just look under FORMS, select FULL PAGE and then CUSTOMISE to your heart’s content. It’s as simple as that! (See image below.)
See how you can customise your landing page in Flodesk?
HOW CAN I GROW MY MAILING LIST?
It’s easy and quick for someone to press the follow button on Instagram, there is little friction and little asked of them to make it happen. Joining a mailing list in contrast requires more effort on your audience’s part; they have to type in their name and email address, press submit and then confirm their subscription. That’s a lot of steps in today’s fast paced world!
Consequently, we need to be sure that we make the act of joining our newsletter community irresistible and that takes a little bit of effort and time! The best starting point is to think about what valuable content you can share that your audience would love - from special discounts, to incredible PDFs, a small recipe book, helpful checklists, a webinar, to giveaways and exclusive content! The sky’s the limit!
As long as you keep your audience’s needs at the forefront and offer an email opt in they’d find helpful and inspiring, you can’t go wrong.
NOTE! It’s very hard to gain traction with your newsletter if you don’t offer an incentive (AKA an opt in) to join, so be sure you do!
WHAT E-MAIL OPT INS SHOULD I OFFER?
When you create an email opt in, it’s always helpful to think about your audience’s needs and pain points and then create an opt in that will solve some of their biggest problems and address their biggest stumbling blocks.
It’s also crucial that you connect the opt in to one of your paid offerings. For example, if you offer food photography workshops, it makes sense to provide an opt in that addresses some common food photography queries like: What light direction should I work with? Answering this question will not only be helpful to your subscribers, but also allow you to position yourself as an expert in your field and when the time is right, offer your course as the best solution.
TOP TIP! I believe it’s important to offer at least two different opt ins and then see which one people prefer. You may be surprised!
SHOULD I START A MAILING LIST EVEN IF I ‘JUST’ WANT TO BE A FOOD PHOTOGRAPHER?
If your ideal client is a restaurant or food brand rather than a fellow food blogger or cookbook reader, then it still makes sense to grow a mailing list! That’s because mailing lists aren’t just for course creators!
Monthly or quarterly newsletters are a great way to stay in touch with former photography clients and ensure you stay top of mind; you never know when they’ll need your photography services again.
Newsletters allow you to stay top of mind!
Having a mailing list is also a great way to attract potential clients and convert brands and businesses who are still on the fence or simply weren’t ready to invest in a photographer when they first encountered your work. Ideally, you’d need to offer opt ins they’d find helpful and ones that tie into the solution you offer (photography services!).
Finally, you may not want to teach right now, you may not be able to envisage creating an app or writing a cookbook as you read these lines today, but who knows what the future holds? Starting a mailing list now means that you’re keeping your options open and ensuring that any products or courses you do make have a much better chance of becoming a success when you launch them!
WHICH EMAIL PLATFORM DO YOU RECOMMEND? I’M ON MAILCHIMP AND I’M STRUGGLING.
I wrote a whole blog post about why I wholeheartedly recommend Flodesk and made the switch from Mailchimp to Flodesk. earlier this year. You can read all why Flodesk is the perfect email provider for food photographer, food bloggers and creatives HERE.
I’M WORRIED I WILL ANNOY PEOPLE BY EMAILING THEM. HOW CAN I MAKE THE CONTENT INTERESTING AND ENSURE I DON’T GO ON THEIR NERVES?
I can assure you that people will only subscribe to your newsletter if they are genuinely interested in what you have to say, if not they either a) wouldn’t subscribe in the first place, b) would unsubscribe as soon as possible or c) refrain from opening your newsletter all together.
Hence, rather than focusing on the small number who may get annoyed by yet another email, please focus on the people who are eager to consume your content and can’t wait to hear from you!
To craft emails your subscribers can’t wait to read, I’d recommend being authentic and offering LOTS of value! It goes back to something I mentioned earlier when talking about opt ins; it’s helpful to know your community - their needs, their wants, their pain points. Then do all you can to offer great solutions!
WHAT SHOULD I INCLUDE IN AN EMAIL NEWSLETTER, ESPECIALLY IF I DON’T ENJOY WRITING?
I’ll admit, it’s easier to write email newsletter if you enjoy writing. However, newsletters aren’t just for authors, bloggers or wordsmiths!
Even if writing doesn’t come to you easily, you can still make newsletters work for you! For example, you can send subscribers to your latest recipe blog post, direct them to an entertaining Reel you created, repurpose and expand on a popular Instagram caption or ensure your subscribers check out your latest podcast episode.
I also know some creatives who only send newsletters when they are having a sale or when they open registration for one of their courses or workshops. There the incentive to join their mailing list is all about obtaining products and services at a discounted price, getting first dibs on workshops or hearing about new offerings before anyone else.
Allow the newsletter to work for YOU, rather than the other way around.
Remember, YOU get to decide what you share with your closest community, no algorithms will drown out your content, so experiment, see what resonates, what furthers your creative business and what YOU enjoy sharing, then simply take it from there.
FYI Flodesk provide lots of made for you email templates and content ideas, ideal if you’re not sure what to write about. Be sure to check them out!
DO PEOPLE EVEN OPEN EMAILS? IS IT WORTH THE EFFORT?
OMG YES and YES!!!!! The biggest misconception is that email is dead! It’s not, it’s alive and well, super effective, probably one of the most impactful platforms I use in my creative business and worth every minute and every penny I spend on it!
Now unlike Instagram or TikTok, you won’t get instant feedback, meaning it can be hard to stay motivated, especially when you’re just starting out. It’s why so many people drop the ball along the way. But unlike social media platforms, you’re completely in control of your content and your communication channels with your audience; you aren’t dependent on algorithms or random trends that aren’t related to your food photography business (I’m looking at you dancing Reels!). That alone is worth gold!
Still not convinced? Let me throw some cold, hard figures at you to make my point! As time has gone on, Instagram has made it even harder for my audience to actually see my content, often resulting in only 3% of my followers encountering one of my posts as they scroll through their home feed. This isn’t uncommon - many creatives, once they hit a certain follower count - stop seeing any growth in engagement and reach, even as they continue to build their audience.
In contrast, my newsletter open rate is quite high, averaging at around 30% and more and more people read my newsletter as my subscriber numbers increase. 3% versus 30% - that’s a huge difference!
In addition - because it takes a little more time and energy to subscribe to a mailing list -, the people who do join your newsletter community are much more invested in you and much more likely to buy from you, to visit your blog or actually watch your videos on Youtube. In short, mailing lists have a big impact on your bottom line, your download numbers and your blog stats! How cool is that!?!
DO I NEED A LARGE AUDIENCE ON INSTAGRAM TO GROW A LARGE MAILING LIST?
No, not at all! I know food bloggers with relatively small Instagram audiences but huge mailing lists and Instagrammers with huge follower numbers and non-existent newsletter subscribers!
That said, to grow your mailing list you need to have a way of attracting and then converting people into loyal newsletter readers. This may be through your blog, your podcast, your Youtube channel, or your Pinterest. Though it can help to have large audiences on any or all these platforms, the most important factor here is your ability to offer something valuable to your audience - no matter how big or small - that convinces them to hit the subscribe button. In geeky mailing list circles we talk about conversion rates AKA your ability to entice someone to join your mailing list tribe!
Like all good things in life, growing your mailing list requires some time, intention and effort, but man, it’s worth it!
HOW OFTEN SHOULD I WRITE A NEWSLETTER?
Though I know creatives who email their list daily (!) and some who only get in touch once a year, I think the sweet spot lies somewhere between once a week and once a month! That said YOUR sweet spot is what you can comfortably manage and consistently maintain without feeling overwhelmed or stressed! If that results in a newsletter once a quarter, so be it!
How often you write a newsletter also needs to tie in with how often you have valuable content to share. If you blog once a week, then emailing your subscribers once a week makes total sense. If you run monthly supper clubs than email your subscribers monthly is the right way to go. See what I mean?
I believe that emailing less than 4 times a year probably isn’t worth it - people may forget who you are or why they signed up to your list in the first place, but I’m sure there are exceptions to the rule. So why not have a go and see how you get on and what works for you.
BTW you don’t have to reinvent the wheel! You can repurpose a particularly impactful Instagram caption, share some client shots you recently took or expand on an Instagram Story that got your audience all excited!
WAS THIS POST HELPFUL?
I so hope this blog post gave you food for thought and that final push you needed to start your newsletter today! You know I adore Flodesk, but truth be told I’d be happy if you start your newsletter TODAY, no matter which provider you use!
Before you go,….. if you’d like to hear about new blog posts and receive my FREE Pricing PDF For Food Bloggers & Food Photographers, please join the mailing list below. I’d love to have you!
P.S. WANT MORE CREATIVE BUSINESS ADVICE?
Enjoyed this blog post, but ready to dig deeper and make your creative business a success? I share lots of tips and tricks around for creative business owners, food bloggers and food photographers on my podcast, Eat Capture Share.
I also mentor food photographers an food bloggers through my mentorship program. registration open once a year, but you can find out more and join the waiting list HERE.
Thanks for reading everyone! I appreciate you!
Please note that this blog post includes an affiliate link. This means that if you purchase Flodesk though my link, I get a small commission. The affiliate link enables you to receive 50% off and does not in any way affect you negatively. I just mention my affiliate relationship with Flodesk for transparency.