Building Your Mailing List: Make Yourself Ask!

Last week I wrote about the power of newsletters. I’ve received emails from people who wonder how to get people on their mailing lists. Now-a-days, all electronic mailing lists need to be “opt-in”- that is, you can’t put people on your list who don’t want to be on your list. So what do you do? You ask! I know this can feel uncomfortable, because it involves putting yourself out there. We fear being pushy and we dislike selling ourselves too hard. But that is the beauty of a good mailing list. It is made of people who want to be on it! At the end of every talk or class you do, simply say something like this: “If you would like to receive my e-newsletter and stay in touch with my company, please give me your card and I will place you on my mailing list.” Not very pushy! But get in the habit of asking people if they would like to be on your list. A more effective way to go about this is a raffle of some sort. I usually send a basket around at the end of a talk and ask people to put their card in it. I tell them I will pull a card and give away a book (or anything of value) and that by putting their card in the basket, I will also put them on my mailing list. “Please don’t put your card in if you don’t want to be on my mailing list.” This is very effective and increases the number of names you receive dramatically. And remember, it is very easy for people to unsubscribe to most mailing lists! Make yourself ask.

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