How to build an email list for free.
How I got 3,500 leads in 1 month for free!

*This article may contain some affiliate links which supports me to make quality content.

I recently launched a new ecommerce business, Oko Living, and I discovered the best strategy for how to build an email list for free and from scratch. In one month I literally watched 3,500 emails roll into mailchimp while I did nothing. Well, I wasn't doing nothing, I got to work on other areas of my business! 

If you don't have a budget or you already pre-launched and you're looking to keep growing your email list fast because you are a smart marketer and you know that email marketing is the #1 way to make money then this strategy is great for you. 

We all know email marketing is important but here are some stats from a 2020 Hubspot report  that show how it's growing as a critical part of business.

• 99% of consumers check their email every day
• 59% of marketers say email is their biggest source of ROI.
• 78% of marketers have seen an increase in email engagement over the last 12 months
• 35% of marketers send their customers 3-5 emails per week.

If you do not know how to grow your email list constantly then your business is most likely not growing either. 

So now that we know building and email list is crucial on to my #1 way how to build an email list for free.  

While a pre-launch is still a highly recommended way this way is easy, fast simple and free. Pre-launches can take a lot of time and effort  and money especially if you are working with influencers, building a prelaunch site and running ads. This secret I stumbled upon is a fast and free way to rapid email growth.  Sound too good to be true? I know. I could barely believe my results either but it worked for me and can work for you too. You too can attain rapid email growth for free!

My secret weapon to build for how to build and email list for free is called 
Dojomojo!

Dojomojo is a brand network and partnerships marketplace. They empower marketers of all sizes to connect and build sponsored content and giveaway campaigns to grow their audiences.

There are multiple things you can do on Dojomojo but I used it to find a multi-brand giveaway (only with brands related to health and wellness like mine)  and I applied to join! Each brand sent out emails to their audience promoting the giveaway and as their audience entered I got access to all those emails! Easy. As. Pie. 

Here are the exact steps I took

1. I signed up for Dojomojo. 
2. I searched for wellness and fitness under the sweepstakes tab. 
3. I applied to all the related contests. (expert tip - check the partner brands and make sure they align with your brand as well)
4. In the application I tell them my audience size (in this case it was almost nothing just 200) and what I can send as a prize (For me it was one yoga mat valued at $174)  (expert tip- don't shy away form brands that say they require you to have a large audience, you never know!)
5. I emailed Dojomojo for a little nudge getting into the ones I liked since I don't have an audience as leverage to share. They are always trying to get new brands to grow and they even sponsor their own contests (and accept almost anyone to help get you started)
6. I got accepted to one! 
7. Then they email you instructions on what to do and how to link your mailchimp account and analytics. If you have an audience they will ask you to send out an email and get 1% of your list to enter. 
8. Then you sit back and watch your email list grow fast!
   
   Overall it was incredibly easy and really helped me grow my email list from scratch. 

I achieved all this during their free 30 day trial. Afterward, if it works for you can choose a paid plan or stay on their free plan! I definitely plan to pay for the program after the free trial. Getting access to establish brand email lists is invaluable to grow my business and this method is way cheaper than Facebook ads for leads

So if this is so easy what is the catch?
1. You need to hustle - not all contests will accept you especially if you don't have a list already. But Dojomojo is always trying to help new brands succeed so make sure to reach out the them and just ask for a boost getting into a group sweepstakes.

2 . As everyone knows contest can generate lower quality leads than paid ads. This is because you may get some freeloaders who just want to win and are not interested in buying your product. While lower quality leads are not ideal they are not bad either! They are much cheaper to acquire and you can always clean your list of those who don't open your emails after. The average cost per lead (CPL) for retail according to this report is a whopping $34. I personally found it cost me about 50 cents per lead on Facebook to run my own lead generation giveaway. And this one was basically free!  

I did this strategy along with my own prelaunch and got 5,000 leads on my email list for marketing. Not too shabby! Having multiple strategies to grow your list is invaluable to growing your business. Feel free to reach out if you have questions or need help building your email list. I also offer strategies calls if you need help growing your email list.