129 – From Zero to Engaged: Creating an Email List that Works

Laura 0:00
Nikki, you know what we hear from artists all the time. Why do I need an email list when I already post on Instagram?

Nikki 0:07
Oh, I know. And I always want to grab them by the shoulders and shake them just a little.

Laura 0:11
Just a gentle, supportive shake.

Nikki 0:14
Yeah, of course, a friendly Wake up and smell the algorithm change kind of shake.

Laura 0:19
Exactly because here’s the truth, social media platforms can change their rules overnight. They can limit your reach. They can even disappear entirely.

Nikki 0:29
But your email list – that’s yours, no one can take it away or stand between you and your audience, right? So let’s dive in.

Laura 0:40
Hi. This is Laura Lee Griffin

Nikki 0:42
and this is Nikki May, with the Startist Society, inspiring you to stop getting in your own way and start building an art biz and life that you love.

Laura 0:51
We are artists who believe strongly in the power of community, accountability, following your intuition, taking small actionable steps and breaking down the barriers of fear and procrastination that keep you stuck.

Nikki 1:04
Follow along with us on our creative business journey, as we encourage you on yours.

Laura 1:12
All right, let’s clear up some misconceptions about email marketing for artists.

Nikki 1:16
Number one being that you need to be sending daily or even weekly emails. You absolutely don’t. Quality over quantity is the name of the game here.

Laura 1:25
Some of the most successful artists we know only email their list once or twice a month. Just maybe don’t wait a whole year between emails, like some people we know.

Nikki 1:34
Oh, I don’t know anybody like that. Another big misconception is that you need a huge list to see results – absolutely not true. A small engaged list will outperform a large, disinterested one every time.

Laura 1:47
I remember when I first started my list, I had maybe 30 people on it, but those 30 people were genuinely interested in my work, and when I launched my first online class, I already had students ready to take it.

Nikki 1:59
That’s awesome, Laura, and that’s so much more effective than posting to thousands of followers on social media who might never even see your post because of the algorithm.

Laura 2:08
Exactly. Now, the third misconception is that you need to be a brilliant writer to send effective emails.

Oh, if that were true, I’d be absolutely screwed.

Come on, you’re a pretty good writer, but the point is, you don’t need to write long, elaborate emails. Simple, authentic messages often perform better anyway.

Nikki 2:30
Yeah, people want to hear your genuine voice, not some corporate sounding newsletter.

Laura 2:35
So now that we’ve cleared those up, let’s talk about the first step in building an email list, choosing the right email marketing service provider.

Nikki 2:44
There are tons of options out there, from free to pretty expensive for artists just starting out. I usually recommend something simple, like MailChimp or Convert Kit, which is now just called Kit.

Laura 2:55
Now I’ve used MailChimp, and know a lot of people who’ve used Kit, and they’re pretty user friendly. They have templates that you can use so you don’t have to design emails from scratch.

Nikki 3:05
Yeah, I started out using MailChimp, and it’s what I use for most of my clients, but I’ve just started using Kit, just because I want experience with another platform. And they both have free tiers until you reach a certain number of subscribers, which is perfect when you’re just getting started.

Laura 3:21
Right. And another popular provider is Flodesk, which is very user friendly for beginners, but it does charge a monthly fee after a free trial period. I think it’s like a 30 day free trial.

Nikki 3:31
And know that all of these providers enable you to create a functional email list, even if you don’t have a website yet, since they have forms on their platforms that you can use for the next step in the process.

Laura 3:42
And the next step, once you’ve chosen your provider, is to create a reason for people to sign up, what marketers call a lead magnet.

Nikki 3:50
Which is a fancy term for free thing people want enough to give you their email address.

Laura 3:55
Exactly. And for artists, this could be so many things, q downloadable print, a process video, a guide to collecting art, a guide to framing your art, wallpaper for their phone.

Nikki 4:10
Yeah, I’ve even seen artists offer an entry into a monthly drawing for a small original piece, which is really a brilliant idea, because it also creates a regular touchpoint with their audience and gives you something that you know you can talk about in your email.

Laura 4:24
Right, and the key is to make it valuable enough that people will exchange their email address for it. What would your ideal collector or client find genuinely useful or delightful?

Nikki 4:34
And once you have that lead magnet, you need places to promote it. Your website should have a sign up form that’s easy to find, not hidden away on a contact page.

Laura 4:43
Well your social media profile should mention it, and you can create posts specifically promoting that lead magnet.

Nikki 4:46
And don’t forget in person opportunities. If you’re at an art fair or market, have a tablet or even just a clipboard where people can sign up.

Laura 4:58
I’ve actually done that. I’ve even done that in workshops that I’ve had, Nikki, I’ve had a little narrow clipboard where people could put their name and their email address.

Nikki 5:05
Is it important that it’s narrow?

Laura 5:07
It is. It must be narrow. It was a very trendy looking clipboard, unusual. But you can also even have an iPad set up if you have, like, an internet connection, right? And people can just, like, sign up through a form so that it just goes straight to your provider, which is even a better option. I just went like old school.

Nikki 5:27
Well, also remember, like, if you don’t have a website yet, these providers all pretty much offer the opportunity to have a form on their site and and most of them these days even let you create landing pages so you have a place to send people when you’re not quite ready with your website.

Laura 5:48
And I’ve even seen artists offer a postcard size print to anyone who signs up at their booth, which is an effective incentive.

Nikki 5:54
Yeah, that’s a great idea, and it gives them something tangible with your art on it to take home, even if they don’t make a purchase that day.

Laura 6:00
All right, so let’s get into some practical tips, Nikki, for growing and maintaining your email list.

Nikki 6:06
First up, make signing up as easy as possible. Don’t ask for too much information. First name and email is perfect to start.

Laura 6:13
Yes, I’ve seen forms that ask for address, phone number, how they found you. It’s too much. People will abandon the form.

Nikki 6:20
Yeah, they will. Second tip, set expectations, let people know what they’ll be receiving and how often. Monthly updates on new work and exclusive first access to collections is clear and appealing.

Laura 6:33
Third tip, send a great welcome email. Now this is the email with the highest open rate that you’re ever going to get. So make it count.

Nikki 6:41
Yeah, include your lead magnet, of course, but also tell them a bit about yourself. Share a link to something else interesting, and maybe even ask a question they can reply to.

Laura 6:50
That last part is key. Encouraging replies makes your emails feel like a conversation rather than a broadcast, and it helps with deliverability too.

Nikki 6:59
Fourth tip, segment your list as it grows. Not everyone’s interested in the same aspects of your work, right?

Laura 7:05
Some people might be interested in original paintings, others in prints, others in workshops that you teach. Sending targeted emails means people get more of what they’re actually interested in.

Nikki 7:16
Okay, fift tip, clean your list regularly. Remove people who haven’t opened your emails in a long time, maybe like six to 12 months.

Laura 7:23
This feels counterintuitive, because, hey, we all want big numbers, but inactive subscribers actually hurt your deliverability rates, and they can also cost you money as your list grows, since most services require you to pay for the number of subscribers and emails that you send out.

Nikki 7:40
And our final practical tip, make your emails visual. You’re an artist, after all, include images of your work, your studio, your process.

Laura 7:47
But do be mindful of the file sizes. Large images can make your emails load slowly, or even cause them to be clipped in some email clients and thrown in a junk folder.

Nikki 7:57
Yeah, that’s a good point. Most email service providers have guidelines on optimal image sizes, and some of them will even like make a recommendation that your size is too big. I know MailChimp will tell you that your width is too wide, and you can edit it right in there.

Laura 8:13
Yes, and I use MailChimp, so I use that little editor as well. So let’s talk about content ideas. So the big question we get all the time, what do I actually send to my email list?

Nikki 8:25
This is where a lot of people get stuck. They set up the list, get some subscribers, and then crickets.

Laura 8:33
So let’s share some specific content ideas that work well for artists.

Nikki 8:38
First up – studio updates. Share what you’re working on, challenges you’re facing, new techniques you’re exploring now.

Laura 8:45
These don’t have to be long or profound. Just a few sentences in a photo can be enough.

Nikki 8:50
Second, collection launches or new work announcements. Give your email subscribers first access before posting on social media.

Laura 8:57
This creates that feeling of exclusivity that makes being on your list special.

Nikki 9:01
And third, behind the scenes content. Show your workspace, your tools, your inspiration wall, things that don’t always make it to your polished Instagram feed.

Laura 9:10
Fourth, stories behind specific pieces; these can be so compelling and create a deeper connection to your work.

Nikki 9:17
Fifth, educational content about your medium or approach. This positions you as an expert and adds value for your subscribers.

Laura 9:25
And finally, personal milestones or updates. Did you get into a show? Move to a new studio, take an inspiring trip, these glimpses into your life as an artist. Build connection.

Nikki 9:36
The key with all of these is authenticity. Write like you’re talking to a friend, not like you’re writing a press release.

Laura 9:42
Yeah, I like that where you can talk to like one person when you’re writing. Just think about that one person that’s a friend that you’re talking to and write from that perspective.

Nikki 9:50
Yeah, for sure.

Laura 9:51
And remember, not every email needs to be trying to sell something. In fact, most shouldn’t be.

Nikki 9:57
Right, the 80/20 rule is a good guideline. 80% value, information and connection, 20% promotion or sales.

Laura 10:05
So let’s talk about some common patterns with artists who build really engaged email list. Nikki, what are some of those?

Nikki 10:12
Well, the most successful artists treat their email subscribers like VIPs. They offer early access to new work, special pricing or exclusive content that isn’t available anywhere else.

Laura 10:24
Yeah, I love being part of email lists that give me, for example, early access to a collection that’s usually available via special password only for their subscribers to get in and look at it. They can do that like the day before the public launch. And in my email marketing journey myself, I definitely like to build trust and rapport through small personal stories. So for example, part of my brand has been my senior dog, Gus, and I love including a pic of him in the front or the back end of my email newsletters. And people look for Gus updates like they love them. And since I’m also a Global Traveler. I might also share an inspirational pick that I just took in Marrakesh. Maybe it’s a big pile of colorful spices. And I’ve also done tips sections in my email newsletter updates in the past to share one cool thing that you can do with Copic Markers, for example. So again, it’s just keeping people engaged and giving them a bit of entertainment, a bit of education, and a little bit of behind the scenes, behind the scenes of your own life and what’s going on. And, you know, a really cute canine face to look at, because…

Nikki 11:31
Of course, Gus is really cute with his snaggletooth.

Laura 11:34
He is. Now, Nikki. Do you have any anything to share about your personal experience with email marketing, and any wins or lessons learned that might help our audience?

Nikki 11:46
Well, I have to admit, I’m a lot better at designing email templates for my clients and setting up their whole email collection and and system for them than I am at following through myself, but I can tell you what not to do, which is, forget you have an email list, like I often do, and then realize, Oh, I’ve got an upcoming show, or, you know, something I want to promote, and then just scrambling at that last minute to try to get people re-engaged, so that they’re interested in what you’re trying to sell. So do as we say, not as we do.

Laura 12:29
So I think, though you’ve done the wallpapers in the past, right? So you took some of your beautiful state flowers and, yeah, and things like that.

Nikki 12:37
When I was doing things the right way, I was sending an email once a month, and I would send out wallpapers of my my state flowers and insects. I would create wallpapers for a desktop, a laptop, a phone, an iPad, and I would send those out once a month, and I was for a while, being really good about remembering to post on social media, like a few days before those were due to go out, to get people to sign up for the list by showing a little, a little sneak peek, a little mock up of what those look like, to get people interested.

Laura 13:15
Oh, that’s a good idea,.

Nikki 13:17
Yeah, I need to get back on that track. I still have plenty of images to use and plenty of updates to share with people. Another thing that I did that worked really well is and I did this during the beginning of the lockdown phase of the pandemic, when a lot of people were trying to scramble to figure out what to do, since we couldn’t go anywhere or have any shows, I created a little, a little downloadable PDF coloring book of some of my images, and I had that as a lead magnet, and that that actually did really well.

Laura 13:52
Oh, that’s cool. So in terms of getting your lead magnet to people every month, you had created these, you know, MailChimp, I assume MailChimp forms or embedded things. So when people sign up, how did, where did you put the file? Did you upload that to MailChimp, or was it through like WordPress or Dropbox? Or how do people get it?

Nikki 14:14
I uploaded mine to my to my WordPress site, to my website, and then just put a link in the email to each of the different file sizes. I’ve also seen some people include all the images in the email so that you know they were right there already. But I like having a the bigger file on my website to download.

Laura 14:36
Yeah, so it’s a link. So one of the things I’ve done, actually, is it’s sort of like having a lead magnet. So through my my Skillshare classes, I have my resources available there through Skillshare. But we were told when I first back when I was originally doing this, it’s good to have a backup for people. So I also gave them an option for a form on my website that they could go to. So. And they they fill that out, and it basically read as soon as they hit Enter, it redirects them to a dropbox folder, and the Dropbox folder has all the resources in it. So I think that’s just another way to do it. So people who you know, if you don’t have a website that’s active yet, right, there are other options for delivering things, either through the service provider itself, you know, or through something like Dropbox, where you can just do a redirect to people, or even Google Drive, or even Google Drive, yeah, yeah. So there’s, there’s a lot of options to be able to deliver those, and each email provider has steps and explanations and FAQs on how to do that for each one.

Nikki 15:42
Yeah, another thing I’ve done in the past that we haven’t mentioned yet in this episode is, if you don’t have a lead magnet yet, but you want to get started, offer a discount on purchases or a discount on a class to sign up for. You could give them a coupon code.

Laura 16:01
Well, some of you may not have an E commerce site yet, but when you have one, for example, on WordPress, I use WooCommerce, you can set up coupon codes inside of that, and they can be like one time coupon codes or forever coupon codes. So I think I have one per it’s like per email address or something, and once you use that coupon code, you can’t use it a second time, right? So you could create one that’s like 10% new customer, you know, whatever the code would be. So even if they gave it to someone else, if they were already a customer, it wouldn’t matter, because they if they used it already, right? It’s pretty cool. Yeah, all right. So to wrap things up, here are key takeaways for building an artist email list.

Nikki 16:40
First, choose a simple email service provider to start with, create a valuable lead magnet and promote it everywhere. Make signing up really simple, send a great welcome email or sequence be consistent, but don’t feel pressured to email too frequently. Focus on quality over quantity, both in terms of subscribers and content, and most importantly, be your authentic self.

Laura 17:05
Yeah, your email is like your art. It will grow and evolve over time, and the key is just a start, even if it’s imperfect.

Nikki 17:11
And remember, every successful artist we know says the same thing, I wish I’d started my email list sooner.

Laura 17:18
Isn’t that the truth? We’ve created a free guide with all of these tips, plus a template for your first email you can download it at startistsociety.com/emaillist

Nikki 17:28
We’d love to hear about your experiences with email marketing. Have you started a list? What’s working for you? What are you struggling with? Join our Startist Society Facebook group and let us know.

Laura 17:39
Next week, we’ll be diving deeper into email marketing with a comparison of three popular platforms, MailChimp, Kit and Flodesk, and we’ll break down the pros and cons of each to help you choose the right one for your needs.

Nikki 17:53
if you’re feeling intimidated by email marketing, that episode will definitely help simplify things. I might need some bourbon to go through all the technical details, though.

Laura 18:02
When do you not need bourbon, Nikki?

Nikki 18:05
That time doesn’t exist. Laura.

Laura 18:09
Thanks for listening, and we’ll see you next time you.