How I Started My Email List from Scratch (and Got My First Subscribers Fast)

If you’re wondering how to start an email list from scratch, you’re not alone. I’ve been there — staring at a small list, unsure how to attract the right subscribers, and worried that email marketing wouldn’t work for me.

When I left for maternity leave, I had no idea that the business I’d be coming back to would feel like a stranger.

I had this quiet naivety that told me a newborn and retainer clients would still fit neatly into my life like before. But the reality was different: I had less capacity, less time, and a deeper need for flexibility.

That’s when I realized I needed to rebuild my business model.

I pivoted from retainer services into digital products — where my offers could run without me being deeply involved in every client deliverable. And here’s the thing: I help clients grow their email lists all the time. We turn scattered subscribers into high-converting machines for launches and evergreen sales. This time, I had to treat myself like my own client.

So I began building my email list from scratch.

I leaned on my proven framework: the Email-First Ecosystem. A strategy that places your email list at the heart of your marketing, where every other effort flows in and out. Because if I had less time for client work, I had even less time for content creation. I needed a system that worked while I was busy living life.

And it worked. Here’s exactly how I did it, broken into the three phases of any strong email marketing strategy: Attraction, Nurture, and Conversion.

The First Step: Cleaning Up My List

Before we dive into attracting new subscribers, there’s one step many people skip: list cleanup.

A clean list is a healthy list.

When I reviewed my old subscribers, I realized many had opted in back when I was offering retainer services. They weren’t the aligned audience for my new offers.

How did I know?

I created opportunities for segmentation on my opt-in forms and used subscriber behavior (like clicks, downloads, and engagement) to re-segment my audience. (Psst — I teach this inside Email-First Essentials.)

By paying attention to data, I could see who was engaged and who wasn’t a fit anymore. Then, I made the hard but necessary call: I deleted a few hundred subscribers.

This gave me a clean slate. I wasn’t just growing an email list — I was building one designed to convert.

Phase 1: Attraction – Building the Right Audience

Every effective email list for beginners starts with a clear goal.

For me, the goal was simple: sell my new course, Email-First Essentials. Once I had that in place, I worked backward. Who needed to join my list for that to happen?

The answer: people who wanted their email list to finally convert.

So I created a lead magnet designed to attract exactly those people: Build Your Email Ecosystem: The Calm Strategy Behind Sustainable Marketing.

Instead of a generic PDF, this lead magnet delivered immediate clarity and practical steps. It wasn’t just about adding names to my list — it was about attracting aligned subscribers who were ready for the next step.

That’s the Attraction phase: knowing your audience, designing a compelling lead magnet, and ensuring every opt-in supports your larger goals.

Phase 2: Nurture – Turning Subscribers Into Warm Leads

Here’s the truth: most new subscribers won’t buy right away.

That’s why a nurture sequence is so critical.

Through a series of automated emails, I guided my subscribers from problem-aware (“my email list isn’t working”) to solution-aware (“an email ecosystem could fix this”). Each email told stories, offered small mindset shifts, and positioned email marketing as the calm alternative to algorithm-chasing.

The key? Awareness shifts.

Generic tips won’t convert subscribers. What works is showing your audience their exact struggle (like ghosting their list or launching to crickets) and guiding them toward a clear solution. By the end of my nurture sequence, subscribers understood why an email-first strategy was the missing piece — and they were ready for my offer.

Phase 3: Conversion – Turning Emails Into Sales

Finally, the system had to do what it was designed to do: convert.

I set up backend automations that supported the customer journey at every stage — from the welcome series to nurture flows to conversion campaigns. Instead of manually selling, I created a system where subscribers were naturally guided toward my course, Email-First Essentials.

Conversion isn’t about pressure. It’s about clarity. The lead magnet attracted the right people, the nurture sequence built trust, and the backend flows made the next step obvious.

The result? A list that didn’t just grow — it converted.

The Takeaway

If you’re trying to figure out how to start an email list from scratch, remember this: you don’t need a massive audience. You need an aligned one.

A clean, intentional list can become your most reliable sales channel — without relying on social media or burning yourself out creating endless content.

That’s exactly what I teach inside Email-First Essentials.

✨ Ready to build your own ecosystem?

Inside Email-First Essentials, you’ll learn how to: