The Ultimate Blog Podcast - 121. The Top 3 Things You Can Do to Build Your Email List with Allea Grummert

Episode Date: April 9, 2024

If you’ve listened to our podcast before, you know we believe in email marketing and the impact that it makes. That’s why we have brought Allea Grummert, email marketing strategist and conversion copywriter, back on to share more insight. Allea is here sharing ways that you can build your email list! We are diving deeper into the benefits of prioritizing email over social media and Allea is even sharing actionable advice for crafting lead magnets! We talk about the importance of using an email service platform, tailoring content to your audience, keeping your subscribers engaged, and forming genuine connections with your subscribers. Tune in to hear all of the value that Allea brings!Thanks for listening! Let us know your thoughts on Instagram: @sparkmediaconceptsWe recommend ConvertKit for email marketing! Check out our affiliate link for more information.Check out the show notes (link below) for more information including links and resources mentioned in today's episode!SHOW NOTES: www.sparkmediaconcepts.com/episode121

Welcome to the Ultimate Blog Podcast with Amy Reinecke and Jennifer Draper. We're on a mission to empower women who want to start or grow their own blog. This podcast is for women who want to learn blogging basics and who crave inspiration and encouragement. Whether you're just getting started or have been a blogger for years, we're excited to welcome you into this space where we are passionate about creating community over competition. We are bloggers who want to encourage you to believe in your potential, step outside the norm and step into a life where you create your own schedule, your own success and your own story. Join us for weekly episodes as we navigate blogging

and work from home life all while raising a family and having some serious fun along the way. all while raising a family and having some serious fun along the way. Welcome back to the Ultimate Blog Podcast. Today, we have one of our faves with us. We are so excited that Allie is back on the podcast. We're going to start just creating reasons for her to come on because we love her so much. And so being able to spend time with her is fantastic. Allie is an email marketing strategist and conversion copywriter. And she's the owner of Duet. We have been connected to Allie for quite a while now, actually. And she's been on the podcast before, episode 47 and episode 57.

So if you have not gone back and listened to those, we highly encourage you to do so. Because email marketing is such an important aspect of blogging. We, and I'm sure Allie will agree, think it's even more important than social media content. So growing your email list, it's gold, guys. So you don't want to miss out on this episode. So welcome back, Allie. We are so glad to have you here today. Thanks, ladies. So good to see you again. I know. I know. This time, Allie's in Nashville. She's normally just right above us and north of us in Nebraska.

Yeah. And now I'm quote unquote wintering in Tennessee like I'm some retiree. I was like, I would like to escape winter in Nebraska. Now I'm going to be here for like four months so I can enjoy spring. And yeah, so I just brought my cat and my laptop, which is like the joy of running an online business, right? You can kind of do it from anywhere. Yes. I love that you did it. I love that you're brave enough to do it and are seeing something different. Like you'll love this time. That's so cool. I wish I would have done something like that. So living vicariously through you, Allie. Yes, you're welcome to. So today we brought you on once again to talk about email marketing. And that's because this is a topic that we really can't talk about in a number of different ways, like repeatedly,

we just cannot share enough how important email marketing is. It is a really important aspect of blogging. And so for anybody who hasn't heard an episode with you already, or maybe doesn't know you, can you just give them a little blurb about who you are really and what you do? Yeah. So like you mentioned, I'm an email marketing strategist and conversion copywriter. I work largely with bloggers. So I actually started out as a personal finance blogger in 2016, which feels like dinosaur era. But even like there were bloggers doing it 10 years before that. Like, but it's just crazy how fast time flies. So I started Duet in 2018, working specifically with bloggers and email marketing. I went to school for marketing. And I've always been,

I guess, more attracted to the staple side of marketing than like the super trendy. So everyone was like, you know, hopping on TikTok, I'm over here like, how do we further segment an email list? But it's funny because every year that I've been in business, you guys, as you know, because you watch the landscape of blogging, there's always something that people freak out about. And then they're like, okay, now I need to work on my email list. Because whether it's the helpful content update with Google or TikTok might go away or Instagram is now moving to video and it's hard to show up in front of people. Every year it's something. Or Facebook ads are now crazy expensive. And every year they come crawling to us like

old school email marketing strategists. Like, okay, what do I do? And I'm like, I've been waiting for you. We're just over here doing our not so sexy thing about email. It doesn't come with music and dance moves, but it's super, super powerful, as you mentioned. I like to think of it as business insurance, in a sense. If anything happens to any of those platforms, I want to make sure that your business can still exist and thrive. And so I see TikTokers with millions of followers have no email list. Literally, your business will end tomorrow if this platform and that terrifies me. And I know that email marketing can also be super complicated or feel really techie. And so the way that I provide content to my list and resources on my website is a way to make it really approachable. You know, I was a DIYer. I did the blogging thing myself. Like I said, Memorial Day weekend 2016, setting up my blog on Squarespace and figuring out a lead magnet and attending webinars. And I would watch like solopreneur tax webinars while making dinner.

And my roommates are like, you have a full-time job. I was like, don't bother me. I'm just, you know, taking in all the information. Like we are DIYers. And so, yeah, I just want to be able to provide that kind of content. And it's funny because, yeah, I've been creating content around email marketing since 2019. And I'm not done. There's so much we could talk about when it comes to this tool. Yes, it's a tool that's not going anywhere. And we were even just chatting before we started about new things that you're trying out and all of these exciting things on the horizon. So I think that it's not just like a one and done sort of thing when it comes to email marketing. And I think you touched on some really important things that if anybody's listened to the Ultimate Blog Podcast before, we always talk about how important it is to have an email

marketing strategy and to just to start and grow an email list because it is insurance for your business. It is something that you own and that you have control over the people on that list. You have a way to get in touch with them because if one of those other platforms malfunctions, like this might date us a little bit, but Facebook and Instagram are down this morning. And think about like you have no way to reach your odds at that point, if it's all built on a social media platform versus like, if you had an email list, you're like, Hey, no problem. I'll shoot everybody a quick email and, and I can let them know what's going on. And so, you know, there's no shortage of reasons why we want our,

our blogging students and our listeners to listeners to really focus on their email list. And one of the questions that we get all the time from new bloggers who are just getting started is, okay, should I wait until I have more traffic? Should I wait until I have more followers? Like, when do I really need to start worrying about having an email list? Can you give your opinion and advice on that to those people who have that question? Yeah, absolutely. So it's important to look at email marketing as like, it's a slow growth. It's not like, oh, I'm going to go all in right now because you also, you need that blog content. You need to be showing up on Google. Like you need to be building your

skills and copywriting and creating awesome content for your list on your blog. So when it comes to email marketing, it's like, okay, what's the first step? And if the first step is like a form that says, join my newsletter, start there. If it's setting up, you know, just getting set up with MailerLite because it's free, start there, create a landing page. Like when you're first getting started, it doesn't have to be anything super sexy. You can always come back and update it and refine it. You can create a lead magnet.

But if you spend six months trying to figure out what the perfect lead magnet is, you're missing out on some traffic or that traffic to your email list. And everybody starts somewhere. Like Amy Porterfield started with 25 people on her list at some point before she was a multimillionaire. So I think that that perspective is really helpful. It's not like, okay, immediately go grow your list because it does, you know, a multimillionaire. So I think that that perspective is really helpful. It's not like, okay, immediately go grow your list because it does, you know, it'll grow in proportion to the amount of traffic on your site or how much you're showing on social media. But if you don't have the

option for people to join your email list and hear about you, I think you're not doing yourself any favors because you have these people interested who want your content and you're not sending it to them and you're not doing your readers any favors. Like how do they make sure that they remember who you are and can keep hearing them. And you're not doing your readers any favors. How do they make sure that they remember who you are and can keep hearing from you as you create new content? Yeah. I think it's in line with everything we say about these foundations being really important.

And email marketing is one of those foundations that you kind of just have to take the dive. We might not understand everything about it, but I think that that's blogging in general. And when you're getting ready to start a blog, I think all three of us would say that that's our encouragement is just do the thing, just get going.

If you overanalyze it, you're never going to start no matter if it's starting your blog, starting your email list, deciding that you wanna have a Pinterest strategy, no matter what that looks like, at some point, you're going to be like, I just have to go. I just have to do the thing. This is how it's going to have to be today. And I'm not going to be perfect. And that's okay. Because showing up imperfectly is better than not showing up at all. Because if we don't have a lead magnet, we don't have even a sign up form on our blog in any way. How is anyone going to sign up for your email list? And you need that. You need that security of people signing up for your email list.

Well, and I know a lot of people have questions because they're like, well, what am I going to send it? What am I going to send to my list? Or I only have 13 people on my list. Am I really going to write a newsletter? Guys, everybody has those questions, whether they've been blogging for one year or five years. And the only way you really get over that is by starting email. So if you're starting email in five years, you're going to have those same questions. Why not kind of push through that now, figure out how can I create value in this other platform, knowing guys, just trust us that this is a long-term strategy and benefit to your business. As much as it's not Instagram, what would it look like to spend an hour sending an email that

you can also repurpose into an evergreen sequence that goes out forever and will live many more lives beyond what you're creating. So think bigger than like, I'm only sending it to 13 people. So I started my business. I'm a service provider now. So I spent the whole first year of my business, you know, making sure I could pay the bills. But then I started my website. I built a website literally a year into business, but we can talk about that too. Like you don't even need a website to start a business. But I started growing my email list. And yeah, so I started sending out emails, October 2019, adding them to my blog, and then repurposing them into this evergreen

nurture sequence so that when people finish my welcome sequence, they get this content that I wrote in 2019 that is still super valuable to people joining my list. Have I become a better writer? Yes. Have I developed more of my brand voice since then? Yes. Do I look back at them and I cringe a little and I'm like, well, that's not my best work? Yes. But is it still super helpful for the people who read it in 2019 and the people who read it two days ago? Absolutely. And you can always, what's cool about email is you can always just turn that email off. If it doesn't really fit with your brand anymore, turn it off.

But did it serve a purpose and support people? Send them back to your site, make sure that they knew that you're somebody they can trust, that you're super helpful or giving them inspiration. Like whatever your brand goal is, if that's still consistent with the emails that you're sending out, even if you're just kind of getting your sea legs, if you will, with writing and knowing what to send out

and feeling confident doing that, you're still helping people in the meantime. Yeah. Email marketing is an essential piece of blogging. Growing your email list is just as important as SEO and keyword research, in our opinion. And in order to grow your list, you need a reliable platform that will allow you to connect with your community and turn them into email subscribers. That's where ConvertKit comes in. ConvertKit is the go-to marketing hub for creators like you that helps you grow and monetize your audience with ease. ConvertKit allows you to grow your audience and reach, put your funnels on autopilot and earn an income with your email list, all with an easy to use platform that is approachable, even for

beginners. Click the link in our show notes to learn more about the different plans that ConvertKit has and how it can help you propel your business to the next level. So, you know, you talked about like, oh, if there's 13 people on your email list, do you email them? Well, absolutely. Because they don't know they're the only 13 people on your email list. They don't know how many people you're sending it to. And like you said, this is a fantastic opportunity to practice and hone your skills at writing right to those people. Find out, you know, what they want, what they need, ask them for feedback, really get to know them. And that will help you, you know, as you're

growing that list to even make your content that much better over time. I think I think it's just a great way to start practicing. Like you said, you're never going to get better unless you start. Exactly. And what better time to start than as soon as possible? A lot of bloggers, anything people come to me and they have their head between their legs and they're like, I should have done this years ago. The tails near their legs. I'm like, oh, I'm so sorry. And I'm like, no, I mean, I'm glad that you're starting now. But nobody ever comes to me being like, man, I wish I'd started my email marketing list later. It's usually always like, oh, this is a really powerful thing that I never really invested in. And like I said, I think that the

hang up is because it does feel really technical. And it feels like you're just sending out a broadcast. You're like, what do I say? Do people really care about me? And it's like, it's not about you. It's about how you're going to support them. And like I mentioned, so even just kind of defining what is the goal of my email marketing for your business?

Of course, it's usually traffic to your website or to your products, right? But for your reader, is it I want them to feel inspired. I want them to feel like they're not alone. I want them to know X, Y, or Z, or I want to provide them with resources. Like I love resources. So like here I am creating this like technical walkthrough video and I just think it's so much fun. Like let's connect ConvertKit with WPForms. Ooh, like jazz hands. And a lot of them probably don't care, but they also see my excitement for it. They're like, this woman cares about what she's doing and she wants to make sure that I'm equipped with that too. And I'm like, that is true. And I'm glad you feel that way. Even if this email doesn't completely answer your particular questions, it's supporting the

overall brand voice that I want Duet to have. I want us to be generous with what I know. And then they can also hire me. They don't want to do it themselves. But usually that's not even in a lot of the emails. But I think you said something really important there. And that's being generous with what you know. And I think that that is kind of a requirement of being a blogger. And in this industry is being generous with what we know. And whether you're teaching somebody how to organize something, whether you're teaching them a new workout program or a new recipe, whatever that looks like,

that's a lot of times what bloggers are is that's being generous with what we know and providing that content. So in the same way that as bloggers, we are passing that down to our readers, as bloggers, we also need that support from other people in the industry who are supporting us, which is somebody like you, Allie, who is like... Because you don't have

to go out and figure everything out on your own. You really... You don't. You can go to trusted sources in specific areas. And if you go back through the podcast, you're going to see the trusted sources that we have in specific areas for people who have been on multiple times. Those are who we recommend. Allie is definitely like our email marketing who we bring on again and again to make sure that people understand this is an approachable thing. Yes, it might feel like you're climbing this mountain that you don't really see the tip of the mountain yet till you get there. But just trust us on the way up that this is a really important part of your business. And like you said, it just takes maybe a landing page and a lead magnet or something. So can we brainstorm lead magnets

for a little bit? Because I know that the person is like, I have no idea how to get anybody on my list. How do I even get someone to input their email address to join my list? Maybe that's been the holdup. So what are some of your recommendations for new bloggers, especially to even get people to join the list? Yeah. So I work largely with food bloggers. So I can give things like a pantry checklist, or there are a lot of like at the ebook with 25 recipes, like you can do something big like that. Or like, I think a pantry checklist, especially if you have a niche audience, like Italian food, I'm like, I don't know what I eat in my pantry to make your

Italian food. Like what do people need in order to make the most out of your website is one thing. Or like, what are their biggest questions? And how can you answer them right away? So you can do like a five day email course to getting started with weight training. I skipped anatomy and physiology in high school, guys. I literally am like, I'm working with a trainer now and I'm like, so what muscle is that? No idea. And it's like, what comes really easy to you does not come easily to everyone. And what we're doing is even if it's content that already exists on your website, you're packaging it up in a way that makes it really easy for someone else to consume. So it could be like five smoothie recipes, you know, to feel better at the start of every day.

You know, and you might only have 10 recipes on your website. Doesn't matter because you're going to have 20 soon. And these 10 are all related or whatever, like these five. So yeah, it can look like even just like a video tutorial. I know like I've got a tutorial on how to segment your list using ConvertKit. Like I said, email can get very niche as well. And that's just gated. If you want that video coming out of a summit or whatever, I can promote that to that audience. I'm like, if you want to go deeper, here's a video, but you have to give me your email address. And, but it is super valuable. And people always know that they can unsubscribe. Like you're not forcing anyone's hand. We are not buying email lists and sending emails to strangers. But I

think it's super important that from the get-go, you make sure it's really clear that they know who you are and what all types of content you create. So they might have come in through a segmentation email on ConvertKit. But I'm like, hey, I also talk about other platforms. Hey, I also talk about welcome sequences. So that's where, yeah, like kind of having your unique selling proposition really clear, even in the emails that deliver your freebies. Hey, while you're here, you're going to get X, Y, and Z to make life easier. So you can do more of X, Y, and Z.

So that kind of like is a little brand statement. And that'll make it really easy for you to be able to go create a bunch of different freebies and know that it's all being supported by your one mission and that that is still really clear to your reader. Yeah, I love it. Like you said, it doesn't have to be complicated. I just created a freebie where I'm repurposing the content that's on my site by asking them to sign up for my weekly meal plans. And then every week I send them an email, here's the five recipes you should make this week. So it's super simple, super easy. Super easy. And people love it. Yes. And so we tend to overcomplicate and I don't think it has to be. And I think another thing that

people kind of freak out about is that what they're selling is a weekly email. And then they're like, but I haven't sent a weekly email in six months. That's like, well, sell something different, quote unquote, you know, like give some sort of other lead magnet than if you're feeling like you're stressed out. Yeah. So or it's like, maybe you already have you sent out 10 meal plan emails, just send that can be your freebie.

You have a sequence of 10 weekly emails that go out automatically. So you don't have to keep creating new ones. Love it. Yeah. You just have to think outside the box a little bit and don't overcomplicate. And on that note, so somebody is like, okay, fine. I will create my freebie, but I have no idea what to do with it. What does a blogger who's just getting started out, what are the things, what are the tools they

need to put all this in place so that they can have people sign up and get their freebie? Yeah. I love talking about tools, Jennifer. That's so great. So first thing you need is an email service platform. And this is going to be like your MailerLite, ConvertKit, ActiveCampaign, Flowdesk. You've probably heard of them. I actually have a comparison guide on my website. If you're like, I don't know which one to start with, but just know that even when you pick one, you can always switch later because remember you can literally download the list of subscribers that you have and move them somewhere else. So I don't want you to get too hung up on that either. So you'll notice there are a lot of decisions you have to make in this process. And that's why I'm

like, just do it. Just pick something. So you'll want an email service platform. And what that does is basically a hub for all of your subscribers. And there are ways you can create forms to get people on your list. In most cases, there are automations that you can set up so that when they join your list, you can introduce yourself. There's also ways that you can send out a one-time email to people on your list. And so that's at its core what an email service platform does. And some of them have a lot more functionality than others. Like some, you can also sell products through the platform, or you can like set up a tip jar or like a monthly recurring

subscription. Like you have a lot more like complex, but what you really need to do, what you need in order to do email is grow your email list, get subscribers, and be able to email them. You know, full stop. That's what it needs to be able to do. And that's where, like, those forms is how you're promoting the lead magnet. So you're saying, hey, if you want this PDF guide, enter your email address here. And then you need a way to make sure that that freebie gets delivered. You are not out there manually emailing everyone who joins your list.

Like, here's the freebie. Here's the freebie. The email platform will allow you to do that. It's working smarter, not harder. Yes, very much. I work with someone who does the email, literally, the by hand email. And I'm like, you got to stop doing that. Well, when I... You got to stop doing that because you're wasting so much of your time in Gmail doing that. And so I just want to give encouragement to anybody who might be doing that process right now. If you're manually keeping track, that it is well worth the small investment to

get an email marketing software. We recommend ConvertKit. That's the one that we generally recommend. There are others. Like Allie said, it recommend ConvertKit. That's the one that we generally recommend. There are others. Like Allie said, it's easy to switch. But I know it can feel overwhelming, but just do it. Just do it. And I promise you, in a couple weeks time, once you learn that, you are going to be like, why didn't I do this sooner? Because it's way easier. And it protects yourself as well versus emailing because with email laws and everything like that, I think you're just safer to just have them opt in. Yeah. That's a whole other topic, right? Like getting permission. Yeah. And so, and I know, especially with bloggers who are getting started, they're often concerned with the cost. And that's

where I think MailerLite is still free. ConvertKit has a free account as well, a free version. And all the freebies through ConvertKit when you create the form also delivers the incentive, like the PDF or whatever all at once. So you don't even need like technically automations beyond that if you're just getting started. So yeah, and this is all part of that learning curve, right? With getting started. And then like the landing pages and the forms themselves promoting the lead magnet. It's just making sure that it's about the reader. Like, what are you going to get when you sign up for this? Because nobody's like waking up in the morning being like, you know what?

I cannot wait to sign up for more emails. Like they're not. If you know somebody, send them my way. But like that's we want to give them a reason. And, you know, leading with value is always going to benefit you more in the long run. I think also being unapologetic about leading with value. If you're a blogger who is sending out an email, I don't want you to be like,

I shouldn't send that out or am I annoying or whatever. They joined your email list for a reason because you told them that you're going to give them XYZ. So don't be afraid to deliver upon your promise. I think that that can be a thing like, am I going to be annoying? I'm not saying that we don't get annoyed with some of the people who are sending us emails because they are old Navy. Then you unsubscribe, honestly. So know that. If you're getting a lot of unsubscribes, like pay attention to that. Like, what are you doing? Like, I think that there's some email etiquette that that can go into play there, too, as you do that. But you're not going to know what what your readers like or what you're doing well or not doing well until you start

sending your first email. Exactly. And as long as you're delivering what you promised, like if people sign up for a food blog and you're sending them like wardrobe recommendations, like then you're just confusing your audience, right? Like that's not helpful. So as long as you're keeping it within the realm of what they signed up for, if you end up making a big pivot, you're like, and now I'm going into fashion. Great. Just tell your list, give them the opportunity to unsubscribe and start fresh. Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm. you're like, and now I'm going into fashion. Great. Just tell your list, give them the opportunity to unsubscribe and start fresh. As long as you're maintaining your niche and you're really clear about the content they're signing up for and what they're actually getting, then you can feel good sending it out. But yeah, these are the mindset things of like,

oh my gosh, am I annoying people? Oh my gosh, I don't know what to say. You're going to get over that within like six months. Just dedicate, remember your stuff is so valuable. And like, you're not just creating recipes. You're making some mom's life easier because she doesn't have to figure out what to make for dinner. And we think about it that way. It's much more empowering. Like I want you as content creators to hear me when I say what you're creating is super valuable in the world and you're just used to it, but it is actually supporting people that you don't even it, but it is actually supporting people that you don't even know, but they look forward to your emails.

They take action with your emails and they're really grateful for what you do. That's just a really great encouragement, Allie. I just really love that. I got goosebumps. I think it's so awesome that you can make this deeper connection with those people too.

And you can email them and they will directly email you back. You are talking directly to a person. So I would like you, if you don't mind brainstorming again, let's talk a little bit about some things you can put in your emails to engage those people and get them to send you an email back. Because I think that's a great starting point for new bloggers. It's just to really, to like engage those people and get them to send you an email back because I think that's a great starting point for new bloggers. It's just to really, like we talked about, get some of that feedback from people.

So how can you start to get that ball rolling and get comfortable and get, you know, put the right thing in the email to get them to respond to you? Yeah. So this is where I love having an automated welcome sequence. So I have an email, like a question in one of my first, I think it might be my very first email. I'm like, hey, reply back and let me know, like, what's the number one thing you want email marketing to do for your business? Or like, what's the number one struggle you get with, you know, X, Y, or Z? Or why has it been hard for you to get started with blank? And so that can, yeah, they're open ended. They're not yes or no questions. And then you can also do other things. Like I have like an Italian food blogger and in her welcome sequence,

we ask like, what's your connection to Italy? Do you know how people like, they're like, oh, let me tell you about my grandma. Like, let me tell you about how she immigrated to Canada. Like, and so you can also just do some of that like relationship building, especially like when it's content where you're not like really selling anything.

You're just like selling, quote unquote, selling a relationship. Like you are like what sets your content apart. Being able to ask questions. Yeah. Figure out what their pain points are, but also figure out like too, what would you do if you had 10 extra hours a week? Because you had, you know, systems in place for your household so that you didn't have to spend as much time shuffling, I don't know, papers around your house and figuring out laundry and figuring out whatever. What would you do at that time? Yeah. People love to give their advice and their feedback.

And they like to share their story with somebody. And I know I get emails back from people saying, wow, thank you for asking me. Nobody's ever asked me before. So I think that's a fun thing to do is to start that conversation in that way. Because they definitely want if you can ask the right questions, they definitely want to give you a response. Yes. And then what you do with that is you can create more content, or you can tailor your content to make sure that you're speaking specifically to a person with a certain pain point. So there's a I'm struggling with the tech or I'm struggling with the messaging. point. So there's, I'm struggling with the tech or I'm struggling with the messaging. So yeah, behind or like, yeah, what I would do is if I had 10 extra hours a week, I would take dance classes or I would take whatever. And so then when you go to write a new email, you're like,

hey, I know that you want to do more than just do laundry and dishes all the time, that you'd rather spend more time doing dance classes or going for a hike or whatever. Like you get to build in that specificity in the copy. And then you as the person writing it, you're like, I'm helping moms do this. Like I'm helping them, you know, spend more time with their kids and less time doing X, Y, or Z. I think when you understand the power of email and building those connections, I think it's easier to grow it. I think that there's a misconception that you can only create those connections on social media. But I want to remind people that there is a huge market and a huge audience who is not utilizing social media, people who will never message you on social media, you're going to have your people there.

But you will have people who will feel safer and more comfortable emailing you directly. And a lot of those people, I love when we get the response, I'm so glad that you actually emailed me back. because it truly does mean the world to them that, you know, you're willing to email back and help them with a specific thing, the solution that you have for this problem that they're going through. Well, and a lot of times when people are replying to that first question, like, what are you struggling with most? I already have blog posts about it. Or I did a roundtable about it. I'm like, here are three resources. Have at it. You know, so if anything, I'm like, shortening their learning curve, because like those emails are three resources. Have at it. You know, so if anything, I'm like shortening their learning curve because like those emails are going to come out

in my automated sequence, but it might not be for a month or two. But because you asked, here's exactly what you need to support you right now. And I get that same thing. People are like, thank you so much for emailing me. Like you're a real person. I'm like, yeah, I'm a real person.

This is my inbox. And so, but I was getting that when my list was 200 people and now it's like not even 2000. But yeah, people love having that personal response. And that's the part that nobody sees. Nobody sees a vanity metric for how many people replied back to your email. Yeah.

How grateful they are. Like the number of people who've told me, Allie, I saved all of your emails. Like I'm going to implement everything you've told me. Like that to me, that's my pride and joy. That's why I create my content. Nobody's seeing that in blog content or on Instagram or like the number of followers I have.

Nobody knows other than I just told you. Nobody knows how many subscribers people really have unless you go putting it out there. And that's just, yeah, knowing what's a vanity metric and what's actually worth it. You know, I would rather grow my list slowly with people who are truly invested in what I'm doing and want to follow along than just grow a giant list. Just let's say I have 20,000 people on my list. I think that's a very important encouragement to anybody who's in those

beginning stages too, is to out of the gate, ask yourself the question, how do I engage my list more? Or how can I create an engaged audience? And I think that you've given some really great tips on how to ask those questions to make sure that you're actually answering... You're answering the desires that they have within your emails. I love that you use that specific example by asking that question and then turning around and putting the copy into the email to the woman who's like, Well, if I had 10 more extra hours, I'd go to a dance class or whatever. I mean, think about that. Think about what you're giving them. You're giving them more than an email. You're giving them more than a recipe. You're giving them more than a pantry

checklist or whatever. You might be giving them time. You might be giving them confidence. You might be giving them a relationship. Some of these people might not feel like they have anybody who can relate to what they're going through. If you're like, let's say it's like a really niched health topic. Let's use that as an example. They might not have anybody in their life that's going through that exact thing, but you. And you're this thing on the internet that you need to remind them like, no, I'm just

like a human being, just like you going through it. I'm a very real person who's also looking for connection because bloggers are looking for connection to, you know, we sit behind our computers all day, every day, and we're spitting out this content and all that. And we do like to hear that it's hitting home somewhere, you know, and that it's making an impact. I think it it's a good reminder by creating and fostering that engaged community. It also fills our bucket to continue doing the work that we're doing. Absolutely. Because nobody does well in a vacuum.

And that's where I know I keep talking about welcome sequences because that's my jam. But in a welcome sequence, when you can tell your story, I usually ask, too, like, what's your soapbox? Like, why did you get started doing what you're doing? Why is this important to you? Like, what is the world missing out on? Or what's unfair about the world that you need to create this content? And it's just like, so it's a little bit about your story, but also like the way, the reason why I ask it in those ways is like, but why is this important to the reader that you are creating your content? And so having an automated way where you get to tell your story and people will be like, oh my gosh, Amy totally gets it. She also had a kid who needed to change their dietary restrictions and made a change as a whole family. And that can be kind of stressful or whatever.

And so by making that story readily available to all new subscribers, you're catching them up to speed. So they're not just hopping in and getting your newsletters. They're getting to know you in the process. I love everything that you share about email, Allie. It's approachable and I appreciate that. Thank you. I do. Because you can tell that you genuinely do want to help people understand it.

And I think that that's half the battle is like people knowing that they can have a resource to ask the questions and go to. So I know that you have a couple different ways that people can work with you as well if they would like to be coached by you. So can you share with our listeners how they can work with you and how they can just learn more and sign up for your email list as well? Yeah. So I do have a guide or a page with all sorts of different freebies just for you guys. So it's duet.co slash ultimate blog, D-U-E-T-T dot C-O, like let's duet together. I love a good pun. So yeah, so that's where you can get some free resources. But I also have a done for you offer called Ready, Set, Email. And it's a four week way that my team, myself and my team will set up two opt-in forms for you,

a five email welcome sequence to introduce you to new subscribers, get you a newsletter format that you can duplicate and send with ease every week, including newsletter content ideas. So we're kind of like hitting on all those reasons why you're like, I haven't started email. It's like, okay, but we'll do that for you. And then you can just focus on creating really wonderful content on your blog, sharing your opt-in forms, getting people on your list, and making it really easy to start sending out emails and introduce yourself to all new subscribers from the get-go and really take advantage of new people coming through to your website more regularly, especially as you

grow. So yeah, the goal being that we get to do that for you. We get started, gets done fast, and then you can go focus your attention elsewhere. I love it. We will put all of those resources in the link to Ready, Set, Email as well in the show notes. And please go back if you haven't already listened to episode 47 and 57. Those are a couple other ways that you can connect with Allie and learn more. One of those is on a welcome sequence too. So if you're like, what exactly is a welcome sequence too? That is a great way to do that. You also have a freebie that's about a welcome sequence

that is darn good, if I can say so myself. Yeah, thank you. It's definitely the most popular. Yeah, it's called Your First Welcome Sequence. So if you're like, I'll just write it myself

and I want to go DIY it. Awesome. Ready, set, email is definitely if you're like, this has been on my list for like too long and I just need someone else to go do it for me. That is perfect for you. But yeah, follow along. I've got so much free, wonderful, yummy content that goes out in email. Like I said, since 2019, like I've got you. I got you covered. I'm pretty sure I have like 72 weeks

of content just and that just goes out on Tuesdays. But of course, I'm also like engaging with my list and sending out new content almost every week as well. Yep. You do a great job. So thanks so much for coming and sharing. We always appreciate the time that you spend with us and share with our community. Well, thank you.

And if anybody wants to message me on Instagram, you can do that too. My name is spelled funny, but it's instagram.com slash elligrimmer. You can find me there and we'll chat more okay thanks ellie thank you thanks ladies thanks so much for tuning in today if you'd like to continue the conversation about blogging with us please find us on instagram at spark media concepts you can also sign up for our weekly newsletter where we share blogging tips and inspiration you can sign

up by finding the link in the show notes for those of you who are ready for the next step and want to start your own blog, join the waitlist for the ultimate blog bootcamp. The link to join the waitlist is also in the show notes. Go out and make today a great day.