Why You Need an Email List as a Blogger

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One of the things I waited far too long to do when I started my blog was set up an email list. It may be far from your mind – or absent altogether! – but having an email list as a blogger can help you grow your blog, connect with your readers, monetise if that’s something you want to do, and more.

In fact, I would say that you need to set up an email list as soon as you possibly can. An email list is part of your foundation for your blog. It’s better to have an email list with just 100 people on it than it is a social media presence with 10k followers.

Why have an email list as a blogger?

You don’t own your social media.

Zuckerberg could wake up one day and decide, ‘you know what? I’ve had enough of this. I’m throwing in the towel, closing everything down and moving to a small tropical island with no internet connection.’

It could happen.

And if the Zucks ever does that, there go all your followers. Sucked away into the abyss. You don’t own your followers. You have no
control over what big companies like Facebook, X, and LinkedIn could do.

But what you do own? Your blog (yay!). And also your email list.

That, in my mind, is the single most important reason to start growing your email list. And to do it right at the beginning of your blogging journey or at least as soon as you realise that you need to. (Cough right now cough.)

💡 Check out: 10 Ways To Grow Your Email List as a Blogger

If your email provider decides to pull the plug on their business, you can download a list of all your email subscribers and take that list with you to your new provider. You can’t do that with Instagram followers.

It took me a hot minute to realise that having an email list as a blogger was actually a really really good move.

When I started blogging for the first time, the idea of social media was new to me (remember I started in 2009 – Instagram wasn’t even a thing yet!), let alone taking it a step further and sending people emails. I think I had my blog for about 7 years or so before I started my list.

Imagine what it could have looked like if I had started earlier on?

That’s why I want to start you off right. Your emails are just as much a part of your content as your blog is. That’s something you need to keep in mind.

We’re at a space and time in history where there is a lot happening, both offline and online. So while yes, having an email list and sending them emails might feel like you’re just throwing your voice into the masses and you won’t be heard … at the same time, it’s a point of contact with your readers, and that human element, that friendly voice in the chaos might be just what they need.

Might be just what you need, too.

The opportunities for bloggers with email lists

Emails are sent straight to the receiver. It’s right there in their inbox. It’s something that they check every day (probably multiple times a day), and yes they might just hit the delete button without opening (and I’ll be the first to admit that I’m guilty of doing that myself!), but even if you had a quarter of your email list open up that email, that’s a win.

Not only are emails delivered straight to the person with no effort on their part, but emails also have the opportunity to bring you more blog traffic, more awareness of what you’re up to, and even sales (especially sales!).

You might have even signed up to something that I offer – a course, a freebie, my membership – because you saw it in an email that I sent you. That’s a huge opportunity for both me as the writer – connecting with readers, making sales, getting more traffic to my blog – but also a great opportunity for you as a reader to find out what’s new on my blog, how I might be able to help you out, how we can connect.

It’s a win-win.

I hope you can see the power of email already, but here’s a blunt recap: If you don’t have an email list already, start one.

Your blog and your content online will thank you. Future you will thank you.

Do you have an email list as a blogger? How is it all going?