How to Build an Email List for Your Online Course

Without a doubt, there is no better channel to sell your next online course than email.

That's not just my opinion, by the way, it’s a fact!

The ROI (return on investment) for email marketing can be extraordinarily high - it’s estimated that every $1 spent on email has an average return of $36.

A thriving email list of customers waiting to buy can be the difference between a lackluster launch and a launch that blows past your sales goals. It might just be the most significant factor in your course success. If you can currently count your subscribers on your fingers and toes, then you need to focus time on growing your list.

In this guide, I’m going to show you the best tips and tools you can use to build an engaged email list of people who will buy your courses.

Table of Contents

Why Build an Email List for Your Online Course

5 Steps to Build an Email List for Your Online Course

Top Tools for Building an Email List

Best Lead Magnets to Grow Your Email List Fast

How to Optimize Your Website to Convert Visitors into Subscribers

Download the Free Email List Builder Checklist

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Why Build an Email List for Your Online Course

I won’t lie to you: building an email list can be hard work.

Is building an email list worth the effort? 100%. Growing your email list is the single best way to build an audience to sell your courses. ROI aside, here are four reasons why building an email list is a fantastic way to sell more online courses:

Email gives you a direct line to your customers: With each email you send, you are guaranteed an opportunity to appear in front of each of your subscribers. There’s no algorithm that you need to beat, or ads you need to run - all you need to do is send the email.
You can personalize and segment your emails: Even if you send a mass newsletter, you still can personalize and perfect your message for your audience. By segmenting your subscribers (perhaps by interest or job type) you can ensure the right message reaches the right person every time.
Email is cost-effective: We all know the ROI on email is great, but email is cost-effective as well. Once you get a subscriber, you can continue to message them as long as they are on your list. Unlike ads where you need to spend money to keep appearing in front of your target market, you don’t have to spend a dime on email aside from the software you use.
You own your list - and that won’t change: We all saw what happened when Twitter became X or when Facebook got hit by GDPR. If your ability to connect with customers depends on an external platform, then you are at risk if anything happens. An email list is an investment that YOU own. Once subscribers are on your list, you can email them at any time (and no matter what software you decide to use) until they unsubscribe.

Ok, you’re convinced. So let’s get to work. Read on to learn the exact steps to build an email list for your course, and my favorite tools to get started.

5 Steps to Build an Email List for Your Online Course

Building an email list is not a “one-and-done” project. Your process for growing your list will change over time, but you can expect to follow these five steps as you grow your list:

Choose an email marketing platform
Create a lead magnet
Invite people to sign up
Welcome new subscribers
Nurture your audience

Choose an Email Marketing Platform

First, select an email marketing platform that suits your needs.

A bit later on I’ll list out my favorite email marketing tools. Whichever you choose, make sure you select one that allows you to:

Customize and design your emails to match your brand
Segment your audience into lists based on interest or products bought
Automate a series of emails
Report on your emails to see what performs the best

Each of these features will come in handy in nurturing and selling to your subscribers.

Create a Lead Magnet

The single best way to capture email addresses is to offer a lead magnet (I’ll show you my favorite types of lead magnets a bit later).

A lead magnet is a freebie that you give away to entice your ideal customers to subscribe to your list. It could be anything, but the key is it needs to add value and catch the attention of potential subscribers. Common lead magnets are things like:

Workbooks
Webinars
Mini-courses
Checklists

The key is to make your lead magnet compelling enough to encourage sign-ups.

Invite People to Sign Up

Armed with a lead magnet, now you need to place to capture email addresses. Your website is a prime place for that.

Be generous in how often you advertise your lead magnet – this will be the main way that visitors to your site end up on your list. I recommend you do at least the following:

Link to the lead magnet on your homepage
Capture interest for your lead magnet with a popup and/or slide-in form
Direct people to request and download your lead magnet from your blog

You can create a dedicated landing page for your lead magnet as well. If you do, it should include a description of the lead magnet, the benefits of receiving it, and a simple sign-up form.

Once set up, it’s time to drive traffic towards your lead magnet. People browsing your website and blog will see it, but feel free to promote it on social media or with ads as well to increase traffic to your lead magnet funnel.

Welcome New Subscribers

Once someone downloads your lead magnet, it’s time to welcome them to your list.

A simple welcome sequence delivers the lead magnet to your new subscribers and introduces your brand to them. If you don’t have a welcome sequence now, try writing the following emails and space them out a few days in between each send. But don’t space them out too much or people will forget who you are and what you sent:

Email 1 - Deliver the lead magnet: This should be a simple email. Thank your new subscribers, remind them what they signed up and its benefits, and share a link where they can view the lead magnet.
Email 2 - Introduce your brand: In this email, say hello and introduce yourself. Tell your subscribers what problems you solve, and share an example of how you solve them.
Email 3 - Share a case study or testimonial: Your new subscribers may be a bit unsure, so show how you can help them by sharing a case study or testimonial. This builds you up as an expert and encourages new subscribers to eventually buy.
Email 4 - Make a special offer: Now that your subscribers know what you do and have seen proof that you can help them, offer something special. It could be a discount or an extra freebie with their first purchase to entice them to buy.

The goal for your welcome sequence is to position yourself as an expert to your new subscribers and show them how you can help them. They may want to buy right away, but even if they don’t, you should still build a relationship with them through your list.

Nurture Your Audience

Once you have a steady stream of new subscribers flowing into your list, it’s time to nurture them.

You can nurture your audience by regularly sending them valuable content. This could include:

Helpful tips
Industry insights
Exclusive offers
New resources

And of course, announcements for your launches and deals. Check out my complete guide to writing a course email launch sequence that you can send to your list.

How to Build an Email List for Your Online Course

Top Tools for Building an Email List

Google “email marketing tools” and you’re bound to find dozens (if not hundreds) of options. To help you trim the list down a bit, here are my favorite email list-building tools:

Convertkit: Convertkit is a simple email list builder and automation tool geared towards course sellers. It’s one of the cheapest and simplest tools on this list.
GetResponse: GetResponse is a long-time popular, full-featured platform that charges based on list size, which makes it very affordable as you scale your business. They even have a plan that includes webinars. Like most others listed here, it integrates into many other tools.
HubSpot: HubSpot is a popular email marketing and automation tool that packs a punch with other features. It’s the most expensive option on this list if you want automation features that are only available in their Pro tier.
MailerLite: MailerLite is also one of the more reasonably priced email marketing platforms that still has all the features you would need for nurturing relationships.
ActiveCampaign: I use Active Campaign for my email marketing and it’s a fantastic option. You can build segmented lists, automate email sequences, and track your subscriber growth and sales over time.

If you’re just selling courses from a course platform and don’t have a dedicated website yet, you can use their built-in email marketing features to build a list. However, those don’t typically have the features you need to market your course to the best of your ability. So check out your options thoroughly before you decide to go that route.

Choose the one that fits your budget and needs and you’ll have everything you need to grow your list.

The Ultimate Online Course Launch Checklist

The Email List Builder Checklist

Use this checklist to take action with your online course today!

Best Lead Magnets to Grow Your Email List Fast

Be honest: how many blogs have you subscribed to in the past 90 days?

While “subscribe to our blog” may have worked to build an email list in 2009, it’s not nearly as effective now. Our inboxes are all filled with brands clamoring for attention, and your potential customers are more wary than ever about who they let in.

If you want to grow your email list quickly, you need a lead magnet to attract your ideal potential customers. Lead magnets can come in a variety of forms (I use several throughout my website!) Here are the ones I find to be most effective:

Workbook: Create a workbook or ‘Action Guide’ on a topic closely related to your course. Make sure it gives some simple steps that address common problems or questions your target audience might have. Then include worksheets giving instructions for how to complete those steps and write down their notes or answers. This builds you up as an expert and gives a preview of what’s in store for prospective students.
Mini-Course: Offer a free mini-course as a preview of what students can expect from your full course. This can be a series of short videos, a PDF guide, or an email course delivered over several days.
Free Challenges: Organize a challenge related to your course topic, such as a 5-day, 7-day, or even 30-day challenge, encouraging participants to achieve a specific goal while demonstrating the value of your full paid course or coaching program.
Templates or Checklists: Create templates, checklists, or toolkits that your audience can use to solve specific problems or streamline their processes. These resources should be directly applicable to their needs and easy to use, offering immediate value and a taste of what your full course covers.
Exclusive Reports: Conduct original research or compile industry insights into an exclusive report. This type of lead magnet can attract professionals looking to stay ahead in their industry and build you up as a go-to resource.

Download my free email checklist for five more lead magnet ideas!

How to Optimize Your Website to Convert Visitors into Subscribers

Once you have a lead magnet ready, it’s time to promote it on your website.

The biggest mistake I see course creators make is not promoting their lead magnet enough. There are three places in particular where you need to promote your lead magnet to build up your subscriber list:

On your home page
On top-performing blog posts
With pop-up forms

Place Your Lead Magnet on Your Homepage

Your home page should be optimized to do one thing: sell.

At the same time, chances are that a majority of the people who visit your home page will not be ready to buy that very instant. The #1 mistake I see websites make is letting visitors leave the site entirely. Even if people are not ready to buy your course right away, you can still capture their interest with your lead magnet.

Place your main lead magnet at the bottom of your home page or in your website’s main menu. As people interact with your website more, the chances are good that they’ll download the lead magnet if it’s valuable to them.

Use a Pop-up Form

Pop-up forms work… when done well.

In-your-face pop-up forms that appear as soon as you visit a website can be annoying but don’t rule out pop-up forms completely. For example, HubSpot has a subtle pop-up form on their blog that slides in as you scroll down the page