5 Reasons You Definitely Need an Email List
Guest post written by Jordan Maney. Visit Jordan’s Website.
Producing social content as a business owner feels…odd right now. TikTok died and has been revived with an unfortunate Trumpian genuflection. Mark Zuckerberg is calling for a return to more “masculine” communication on Meta platforms like Facebook and Instagram. Political content and accurate reporting is getting suppressed. Twitter (aka X) has become a hellscape of fascist dementors who’ve sucked the fun out of the app. The algorithm has changed so much on Instagram, it’s made it less fun to do anything but send Reels in group chats.
It’s a weird time to sell your products or services on social media.
If you’re a business owner you’re probably feeling overwhelmed and disengaged. There are too many ads, too many updates, too many trends, and too much content to keep up with. It can feel like endless noise. Why are we feeding an algorithm that’s not feeding us?
I’d love to introduce you to something we did back in the WordPress blogging days called…drumrolll please… an email list!
You’ve probably heard people talk about returning to an email list post election. Here are four reasons why you need to start yours now:
1. Ownership
With an email list, you own that list. You can transfer that list from any platform you want to try. It’s yours. Want to try a list on Substack? Great. Want to move it to Beehiiv? Wonderful. Maybe you want to try Kit or Squarespace? It’s still your list. If the platforms I listed went away, you’d still have a way to communicate with the people on that list. If a social media platform went away, say like TikTok? Would you still be able to communicate with the people who follow you? No.
2. Better ROI (Return on Investment)
The people who’ve signed up for the list have basically said they’re interested in what you have to say, interested in learning about what you have to sell, and ready to know how you can help them. These are warmed up leads. You can’t say the same for someone clicking to follow you after liking a Reel you made on Instagram. It’s a lower level of effort which makes for a fickle customer. The people who subscribe to your email list want to be in your orbit. Focus your energy and attention there.
3. Better Community
Deepening the relationships with your customers and actually building community keeps the momentum going in your business. When low sales hit or changes arise, you have reminders from past clients and champions alike to keep you going. It takes you away from constantly marketing and grounds you in why you started your business in the first place: to help people solve their problems.
Better community also allows you a level of safety and provides a level of safety to your audience. As our political climate shifts, this is critical.
4. Production Burnout
Let’s face it, most of us don’t even enjoy making content. Followers can tell! Is it fun to learn the latest trends in editing and video production? Of course! But is it helping your bottom line?
If you’re not enjoying making it, followers aren’t enjoying consuming it. If you can’t tell if it’s turning into sales or community building, you’re wasting your time and theirs. Put it into something else, like an email list, where you can ask deeper questions because you usually have more of their attention.
5. Consumer Burnout
People on social media are so savvy at the usual marketing tricks. They’re tired of being sold to as soon as they open an app. They don’t want to mindlessly sign up for services that don’t really serve them. They want something deeper. They want community and guidance, not the girlboss hogwash. You can do that in an email list. Why? Because it’s understood that you will sell in your email list. The kinds of customers you’re courting don’t want to buy on Instagram anymore, they want to relax watching puppy videos. They want to chat with their friends. They want to show a little bit of their lives. Social media apps have turned into overcrowded malls with pushy kiosk salespeople. Everyone just needs a break.
Staying Safe Out There
These reasons are just a sampling of why an email list deserves more of your attention than social media. But I’ll give you a bonus reason: with a growing fascist sentiment in our entertainment, government, schools, and neighborhoods, we need places where we can tell the truth.
Your email list is an opportunity to foster connection, help folks solve problems, and be real without fear of reprisal. If you do any systemic change work you know how under attack those communities and industries are.
Keep yourself and your community safe by staying on the lookout for email addresses like:
Jessica Valenti posted on her TikTok recently about these accounts following her on Substack. She was able to block them, and we encourage you to do the same.
If you do any work with vulnerable communities, having an email list means you have the ability to protect yourself and your community from bigots. It’s a form of safety that you get to wield.
So, how will you be using the power of an email list this year?
You can find more from Jordan Maney at her website here.
What to Read Next:
