Michelle Deery | From the blog of Nicholas C. Rossis, author of science fiction, the Pearseus epic fantasy series and children's books“How do I find subscribers for my newsletter” is one of the most common questions I’m asked. I’ve already posted a couple of posts on the subject, but here is Michelle Deery with some fresh ideas of her own. Michelle is a writer for of Heroic Search in Tulsa. She specializes in writing about entrepreneurship and is passionate about producing actionable content that adds value to readers.

7 Ways To Build An Email List For Your New eBook Before It’s Even Written

Are you in the process of writing or planning a new eBook? Did you know that you can start making a connection with potential customers before the book is even finished? By building an email list beforehand, you can effectively market your new eBook to a wide range of readers.

According to this survey, email marketing has the highest ROI of any marketing channel. This is why you must make list-building a priority if you’re an author. You can this do by giving people something in return for their email address.

When your book is finally out, you’ll be able to send out an email to everyone on your list, saying that your book is available for purchase. Their email is a direct line of communication to them.

This provides a lot of marketing potential if you can grow your email list to hundreds or even tens of thousands of subscribers. In order for your email list to efficiently market your new eBook, you’ll need to make sure you build trust, credibility, and familiarity with your subscribers.

If you’re wondering how to successfully build a valuable email list for your new eBook before it’s written, here are 7 ways to get you started.

1. Offer Gifts

Everyone likes free stuff. One of the best ways to convince someone to give you their email address is to offer up something in return, at no cost. This gift might include free products, a subscription to an email course, short stories, discount codes or exclusive blog access. You can also offer free chapters to your book. This doesn’t mean you have to give up your entire book for free. After all, you want to be able to make a profit at the end of the day.

By offering something special and exciting, it helps show that you genuinely care about your readers. They will appreciate it.

2. Build a Memorable Website

One of the best ways to promote your new eBook and build your email list is to have your very own author website (just contact Nicholas if you need one). This is a website designed specifically around your writing, with a specific theme related to your book. The look and feel of your website will say a lot about your book, so don’t be afraid to make changes and adjustments. And if you need help building a theme for your author page, you can use the help of websites such as Shopify.

Having a specific theme for your website can make a huge impact on the way potential customers view your work. It can draw them in and establish your brand, so take some extra time to really polish your page. Add a “subscribe” button to ask visitors for their email.

3. Social Media Promotion

People love their social media. Facebook, Twitter, and Pinterest are all effective resources for gathering a wider variety of people for your email list. These websites are free to set up and you can design them specifically for your eBook.

Social media pages are also a great opportunity for you to share blog posts, podcasts and YouTube videos that will speak to your potential readers. It will get their attention.

You can also create a Facebook group designed specifically for promoting your eBook and website. People can join the group and get updates on your content as they scroll through their Facebook on a day-to-day basis.

Once you’re active there, people will interact with you. Ask them for their email in order to inform them of upcoming sales and offers.

4. Lead Form Advertisements

You have the option to purchase ad space on popular websites like Facebook. These can ask people to fill in their email (something called lead form in Facebook) in exchange for a free gift. These advertisements make it easy for people to sign up with just a few clicks.

5. Help From Other Authors

If you’re able to start networking with other authors with a similar reader base, you may find someone (with an already well-established following) who is willing to help promote your book on their own email list. This is a great way to connect with others who may be interested in your book while establishing long-term relationships with like-minded authors.

Arranging joint giveaways with other authors in exchange for readers’ emails is another hot way to get your hands on these much-coveted emails and build up your newsletter.

6. Regular Quality Blogging

Blogging about various topics relevant to your eBook is a great way to engage people in your content, allowing them to get to know your personal writing style. Blog posts should be informational and interesting so that your readers will be more likely to come back looking for more. Remember, nobody likes to read boring content!

After getting to know you as an author and staying updated on your posts, your readers will likely be willing to give you their email in exchange for continuous content and services.

7. Instafreebie

You can use services like Instafreebie to offer people samples of your work in exchange for their email. This is a great way to grow your neswletter fast, as demonstrated by Steve Boseley’s post on the subject.

An Email List Can Bring You Instant Sales, So Get Promoting!

Building a great email list is a great way to reach out to thousands of potential buyers at little or no cost. You will, though, have to work consistently for the best results.

Getting help from other authors and having your own author website is a necessity for promoting your new eBook and showing people that your email list is worth subscribing to.

You can do all of these things without having your eBook actually completed yet, as long as you show people what you have to offer and why they should pay attention.

The key is to not give up and be willing to put yourself out there and you will build loyal, long-term relationships with the readers on your email list.