Starting and nurturing an email list is vital if you want to build your author platform. But what if you’re seriously scared to tackle this ongoing project head on?
Before getting started, I need to bring it back to the very basics of entrepreneurship and authorship– MINDSET.
Mindset is essentially the pre-written ticket that takes us toward or away from our intended destination.
Having the right mindset is critical in your author business because without it, you will remain stuck and really struggle to move in the right direction.
Let me explain…
You may have set a goal of reaching 5,000 subscribers or readers on your list and you are actively working on growing that list by asking people to sign up. That is a healthy goal and the fact that you are taking some action is positive. However, while you are working toward this goal, you are constantly questioning what you are doing and telling yourself that you really don’t have anything of value to share with those readers, or that those subscribers would get annoyed if you actually emailed them.
In one aspect, what you’re doing is great, but then you are self-sabotaging by feeding yourself negative thoughts, whether you are entirely conscious of them or not. These contradicting thoughts are sending out mixed messages and keeping you stuck exactly where you are.
I hear it all the time…
…I’m scared to send emails because I feel like I’m just spamming people. I’ll be bothering everyone if I email them.
… Why send emails when my list really doesn’t care what I have to say?
… I can’t start my list because I don’t have enough followers on social media, and no one will be interested in what I have to share.
STOP. When these thoughts start to creep into your head, you really have to identify them and nip them in the bud. These are limiting beliefs you must eradicate entirely from your mind because they aren’t serving you or your clients.
And you want to know the worst part? There is no credence to the negative messages that you are feeding yourself. NONE. Because they aren’t true! Not unless you are an actual spammer, which is unlikely because you were led directly here and you care enough to seek help.
Full disclosure… These are things I struggle with too, so believe me when I say that this is a no judgement zone. I know what you’re going through and it stinks, but with a bit of self-reflection and intention, you really can flip the switch.
So… let’s squash these lies once and for all by shifting our mindset.
KNOW WHAT YOUR AUDIENCE WANTS
If you are really worried about spamming people, I have a very easy exercise for you.
Start by asking yourself: Why would someone want to join my email list?
Once you know the answer to this, you will never have to worry about spamming people again. Knowing this information will empower you to curate content for the purpose of serving your audience.
From that point forward, email marketing becomes really simple because your focus will shift toward providing value packed content that is already of interest to the audience you have grown. As long as the information you are emailing is relevant, you will never have to worry about spamming people. And that’s a promise!
YOU HAVE A LOT IN COMMON WITH YOUR AUDIENCE
Another question I always ask people who are scared to email their list is: Why have YOU joined someone else’s email list?
You have been on the receiving end of emails too, so flip the script and look at it from the perspective of the subscriber.
Chances are good that you’ve joined tons of email lists and you did so willingly. I’m also quite sure any time you joined a new list, you expected to hear from that company several times a month, if not weekly.
And dare I say… you most likely looked forward to those emails! When you’re a new subscriber, the relationship is fresh and exciting, and you want to hear all the latest and greatest info. This is a normal response for subscribers and yours are probably feeling the same way about being on your list.
That leads me into another important point…don’t squander this opportunity. Your subscribers are the most engaged and interested in what you have to say right after signing up, so make sure you are actually emailing them when they sign up! A great way to do this is with a welcome series. I’ll share a little more about welcome series and what they are in a future post.
EMAIL MARKETING RELATIONSHIPS ARE A TWO-WAY STREET
Another great way to release any stigma and fear associated with emailing your list is to remember this very important fact – each contact on your list has a cost associated with it.
Listen good and hard on this one because I have some tough love to share…
Having an email list is not free. All the best email service providers charge a monthly fee, therefore, every single contact on your list has a cost directly associated with having them on there. Aside from that, when you are emailing your list, you are putting a lot of energy into that exchange. Planning and curating the content you are sending out is never without value. Your time is valuable! And don’t forget it!
Therefore, always remember you are bringing something major to the table when you email your list.
And the best part of email marketing is that the person on the receiving end always has the right to unsubscribe if your emails are no longer relevant to them. Don’t let that unsubscribe button scare you. Instead, look at it as a beautiful thing, because if your message isn’t resonating with someone, they are free to go and it’s a win-win for you both.
In fact, you should be scrubbing your list at least once a year and removing people who are not active because having them on your list collecting dust is only costing you money and they aren’t reciprocating the love or energy output. Anytime someone unsubscribes, be grateful for the time you had and for their honesty.
That’s it, my friends! Hopefully keeping these few things in mind will go a long way towards helping you get unstuck so you can get that email list popping!
If you don't have an email list yet or just need some help building your author platform, contact me and we can chat about how to get you moving in the right direction.
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