“There are much-much fish in the ocean.”

That isn’t true anymore. It’s more harder to find people willing to part with their email address, two things happen.

1. Look for new and better ways to drive new subscriptions

2. Do your best not to lose those subscribers you do have

As such, list growth isn’t just about acquiring addresses. Your whole program bears responsibility for keeping these addresses happy so they stay with you. Indeed, the qualities that encourage retention also encourage new sign-ups.

“If you create content that stirs emotions, causes laughter or inspires recipients in some practical or meaningful way; they will probably want to share it with others in their life.”

Retention is key to list growth for a simple reason: if you have a leaky bucket, you plug the leaks before you add more water.

If a lot of people leave your email program, find out why and address the problems. Don’t just throw more good addresses in and hope this time they’ll stick around. Among the expert advice is a lesson, successful email is using transactional messages to encourage people to sign up to their promotional email programs.

You’ll find many people sensibly recommending you put marketing messages in transactional email (order confirmations etc.) But nearly all focus on the cross- and upselling opportunities…

You may tell them : “thanks for buying this book, why not buy the sequel.”

Based on the experience, perhaps it’s also worth thinking about plugging your newsletter and other email promotions. At the other end of the chain, there are things you can do to rescue those who would otherwise unsubscribe.