How creators combine the power of social media and email marketing to grow their audience

Social media and email marketing are essential to every creator’s toolkit.

Social media helps you reach and engage your audience, and email lets you connect more deeply and sell your offers.

Although email marketing and social media work well on their own, the real magic happens when you combine them together.

Why creators should use social media marketing

Social media helps you connect with and grow your audience. Each social platform has its own advantages, and the platform you choose to invest your time towards depends on which type of creator you are.

Here’s a rundown of the popular social media platforms and how they suit a creator business:

• YouTube: YouTube is ideal for creators who teach or entertain with short and long-form videos. Audiences prefer videos under 60 seconds or between five and 30 minutes long, making YouTube a valuable platform to hit both preferences.
• X/Twitter: 53% of users head to X/Twitter to get news-related content. Making X/Twitter a useful platform to share news and other industry-related insights. This can be valuable for creators in a B2B niche or ones who are (or want to be) positioned as thought leaders.
• Instagram: Instagram lets you share stories, images, videos, Reels, and go live. With so many content-sharing options, creators of all kinds can thrive.
• TikTok: TikTok specializes in short-form video content. Considering videos under 60 seconds are popular, TikTok can be a great platform to entertain and educate through short snippets.
• Facebook: Facebook has 3 billion monthly users and is the world’s most popular social media platform. With so many users, Facebook is the best platform for creators who want to build a community (like a private group).
• LinkedIn: LinkedIn isn’t just for finding jobs. It’s also an idea hub for creators who want to connect with other businesses. If you’re a consultant or a freelancer, consider adding LinkedIn to your social media strategy.
• Pinterest: Pinterest is a hybrid between a search engine and a social platform. Users can discover blog posts and products and interact with one another by commenting and sharing Pins. And it can be a great platform to promote your products since 55% of Pinterest users use Pinterest with the intent to buy.

Why creators need email marketing

Email marketing is an effective channel to connect with your audience. And even though social media puts you in touch with your audience, it doesn’t put you in direct touch with them.

Think of it this way: Social media is like shouting in the middle of a busy mall. Some people will hear you. But not everyone will.

Whereas email puts you in direct contact with your audience. So, instead of sharing your message (and hoping your audience hears it), you can be sure your message will be sent to them directly.

But beyond direct communication, here are a few other reasons why you need email marketing:

• Email marketing is reliable: Social media can change in the blink of an eye (think Twitter’s rebrand, the rise and fall of Clubhouse, and horror stories of creators who’ve lost access to their social accounts overnight, like YouTuber Alex Beadon). But email is stable, and you own the email addresses. And with that, you’ll never have to worry about losing what you’ve worked so hard to build.
• Email marketing is strategic, predictable, and scalable: Social media is great for connecting, but it’s not enough to sell on its own. Take the example of Billie Eilish, one of the most famous musicians today, whose 100+ million followers weren’t enough to sell more than 64,000 copies of her book. However, creators report converting between 2% and 5% of their total subscribers into customers every time they launch a product. This makes email marketing strategic and scalable.
• Email marketing is sustainable: Our research shows that 61% of creators are burnt out (pictured below), largely from the pressure to post content everywhere. But email is a sustainable way to show up online without feeling run down, thanks to technology like segmenting, automations, and smart triggers.

Email marketing vs. social media: They work together, not against each other

Instead of asking yourself if you should choose social media over an email list (or vice versa), ask yourself this:

How can I combine the benefits of social media and email to help my business scale?

Here’s a quick refresher if you’re not familiar with the differences between email marketing vs. social media:

Social media benefits

• Wide reach: Social media allows you to reach a wide amount of people if you land on a curated content page (like the For You Page on TikTok).
• Cross-communication: People use 6.7 social media platforms each month, and reaching your audience across multiple platforms is easy with social media.
• Community: Building communities is intuitive on social media, where you and your audience can interact with one another via private communities, comment threads, and forums. That community aspect isn’t available through email alone.
• Feedback and insights: If you post frequently on social media, you can gather a large amount of insight from how users interact with all your posts (i.e., likes and comments). Use this to find what your audience likes and dislikes.

Email marketing benefits

• Ownership: You own your email list and don’t need to worry about losing your account.
• No algorithms: You don’t need to “hack” any algorithm to reach your email subscribers. You can land in their inbox each time you hit send.
• Personalization: Email lets you personalize every touchpoint in your sequences. Social media is less personal since your content is shown to a broad audience.
• Conversions: Converting an audience on social media to buyers can be harder than through email. That’s because 34% of people say that too much promotion on social media turns them away from a brand. Save the promotion for your email where it’s most effective.

3 ideas to nudge your email subscribers to follow you on social media

Social media is great for connecting, learning about your audience, and building relationships.

So it makes sense that you’d want your email subscribers to also follow you on social media, where you can further your connection with them.

Here are a few ways to encourage subscribers to join you on social media.

1. Add social media links to your emails’ footers

Subtly promote your social channels with each email you send by adding social media links in the footer of your emails, like Spanish Mama:

2. Embed posts from X/Twitter in your emails

Encourage your email subscribers to follow and engage with you on X/Twitter by embedding posts in your newsletters.

For your CTA, ask them to reply to your post on X/Twitter and share their thoughts. Creator Jay Clouse embeds a post in his newsletter to promote one of his offers:

3. Embed videos in your emails

Embedding videos into your emails gives each video you make more life and helps you break up written content with something visual and auditory. Use the videos you create for TikTok, YouTube, Instagram, and more.

Coach Abbey with The Virtual Savvy dedicates a spot in her newsletter to feature new YouTube videos:

12 tips to turn your social media followers into email subscribers

You’re probably wondering how to grow your email list with social media.

To divert social media followers to your email list, you need to do two things: First, consistently share valuable content with your audience.

Second, encourage your audience to sign up for your email list by adding sign-up links to all your social profiles.

As you continually provide value, your audience will seek out more ways to stay connected with you.

Here are some ideas:

1. Use lead magnets to promote subscribing to your list

A lead magnet is something you give someone (for free) in exchange for signing up for your email list.

YouTuber Nick True has grown his email list to over 10,000 subscribers by advertising his lead magnets in his YouTube videos.

Here’s how you can do something similar:

Create a lead magnet related to your content

The best lead magnets are the ones that quickly solve a problem for your audience.

People will want to sign up for your email list if you can help them achieve something as soon as they hand over their email address.

Create something that your audience wants. Your lead magnet can be as simple as a checklist for busy moms or an ebook to teach your audience how to perform a task.

Set up a newsletter landing page to deliver your incentive

Your newsletter landing page is where you’ll send all your traffic from social media.

This page outlines what someone gets in return for signing up for your email list and has an opt-in form where they can enter their email.

Here’s a landing page from food blogger Recipe Tin Eats:

Their landing page outlines what the subscriber gets and features a simple opt-in form where users can enter their first names and email addresses.

Promote your incentive on social media

Now, leverage your social media followers to grow your email subscribers for free. Here are different places to promote your incentive:

• YouTube: Add a link to your landing page in the video description, YouTube cards at the end of the video, and mention it in the video.
• X/Twitter: Add a link in your bio, pin a post that shares your newsletter, change your display name to promote your newsletter, and create a post and ask people to repost it.
• Instagram: Create a Story series discussing your email and add the series as a highlight to your profile, add a link in your bio, and include a Story with a link for people to swipe up.
• TikTok: Add a link to your profile bio, create engaging content around your incentive, and use duets to collaborate with others who can help promote your newsletter.
• Facebook: Share posts about your incentive on your business page, pin a post to the top of your page, use the call-to-action button to link directly to your landing page, and join relevant groups to promote your incentive (if allowed).
• LinkedIn: Write articles or posts discussing your newsletter, share your link in relevant LinkedIn groups, and update your LinkedIn headline to highlight your email list.
• Pinterest: Design compelling pins that showcase your incentive and link them to your landing page, create a dedicated board for your newsletter, and add the link to your landing page in your bio with a CTA that encourages people to sign up.

2. Add a link page to your TikTok, X/Twitter, Pinterest, or Instagram bio

Make it easy for people to find your subscription forms and help them get there in as few clicks as possible.

Creating a link page is one way to make it easy for people to find your opt-in forms. A link page is a page that has useful links to different areas of your business. Like this one from branding coach Hollie Arnett:

Use Kit to make a creator link page (similar to what you’d make with Linktree, but with more features).

Tip: Your social media followers want to hear from you, know what you’re up to daily, and are genuinely interested in what you have to say.

As such, they might want different types of email content than your other subscribers. Use email tags to segment subscribers so you can send specialized content specifically to those who follow you on social media.

3. Show followers your other social media accounts

Cross-promote your social media accounts and encourage people to follow you in multiple places.

By spreading your audience across multiple platforms, you also create another place for them to connect with you and learn more about who you are as a creator—which is a great way to nurture your relationship with your fans.

4. Start conversations or join existing ones and share your insights

Platforms like X/Twitter, LinkedIn, and Facebook are ideal for starting conversations and sharing insight. You can join existing conversations by commenting on people’s content and creating your own discussions by regularly posting your expertise.

5. Write and schedule social media content promoting your newsletter

You want your newsletter to be top-of-mind for your audience. So don’t forget to share content that directly discusses your newsletter (and why people should sign up).

Some ideas for promoting your newsletter through scheduled posts:

• An “in case you missed it (ICYMI)” post on X/Twitter that tells followers what they missed in this week’s newsletter
• A screenshot of your newsletter on Instagram or Facebook, along with a quote directly from it
• Pins on Pinterest promoting your lead magnet
• Testimonials of your newsletter for added social proof
• Repurposed newsletter content for an Instagram carousel
• Behind-the-scenes of how you write your newsletter
• User-generated content from people using your lead magnet

6. Encourage your email subscribers to share a portion of your newsletter on social media

Your subscribers are a great source of referrals (after all, they’re on your list because they want to hear from you), so why not encourage them to post about your newsletter?

When they do, you can reach even more like-minded people who want to hear what you have to say.

ClickToTweet is a free tool that lets you pre-write a post that people can share with their followers.

All your followers have to do is click the link, and a pre-made post will open on their X/Twitter account.

You can also share your opt-in landing page with your subscribers and ask them to share it across any social platforms they’re active on.

7. Host live sessions

People like to experience content differently. Some people love seeing photos, and others want to connect with you in real time (these are your most dedicated followers).

To get these dedicated followers to raise their hands and show you how interested they are in your content, go live on various platforms like Instagram, Facebook, YouTube, LinkedIn, Pinterest, and X/Twitter.

The key to live sessions is having a plan to promote your newsletter.

For example, if a follower asks a question you answered in a previous newsletter, answer their question but tell them that you recently covered this in your newsletter. Then, tell them where they can sign up for your newsletter so they get future questions answered.

8. Use short-form videos

Shortform videos are all the rage on Instagram, Facebook, YouTube, and TikTok. And they offer endless opportunities to promote your newsletter:

1. Pull topics from your newsletter and tease them in a short video. Tell viewers how to sign up for your email list if they want the full scoop.
2. Find trending audios that you can relate to your newsletter and create an entertaining (or informative) video that encourages people to sign up.
3. Create content that digs into the pain point your lead magnet solves. Point viewers to your landing page so they can subscribe to access your freebie.
4. Share subscriber testimonials.

9. Create and host a group, space, or community

22.2% of people use social media to meet new people. Your audience is seeking out places to connect with other like-minded folks—why not be the one to give them that space?

You can create your own communities across a variety of social platforms:

1. Bring together people in a private Facebook or LinkedIn group
2. Have an audio conversation in an X/Twitter space
3. Create a private group chat on Instagram DMs (you can have up to 250 people)
4. Hang out with your YouTube followers in your Community tab

Then, promote your newsletter organically in your group by answering questions people have with a brief answer and link that points them to your newsletter if they want to learn more about the topic.

10. Run social media ads

Paid ads on social media can help you fill your email list with relevant folks by advertising your freebie and driving traffic to your opt-in landing page.

Although doing this isn’t free (like organic social media is), you can often grow your list faster than if you were to focus on organic growth.

And it can be a good option if you have an upcoming product launch where you want a large list with warm leads prior to your launch.

Each social media platform has a different way to build audiences and run ads, so make sure you pick platforms where you can easily reach your audience.

11. Kick off a contest or challenge on your social channels

Hosting a contest or an email challenge taps into your audience’s competitiveness. Whether they’re competing against others for a prize (contest) or against themselves to improve a skill (challenge).

To make sure people sign up for your email list, make one of the requirements that they have to be on your email list to participate in your contest/challenge.

12. Partner with social media influencers

69% of people are likely to trust a recommendation from an influencer, according to research by Matter Communications.

Harness that trust by partnering with established influencers who serve the same audience you do.

Here are some partnership ideas:

• Run a contest on Facebook
• Host joint Lives on Instagram
• Takeover their social media account for a day
• Host a challenge and promote it across social media

No matter which option you choose, build your email list into the campaign. For example, if you take over someone’s social media account, tell followers to sign up for your email list to stay connected with you post-live.

Examples of how top creators use social media to grow their email list

Here are five inspiring creators who’ve incorporated social media and email marketing to build a strong audience flywheel.

1. Author David Burkus uses YouTube to boost his list growth

Bestselling author David Burkus posts videos to his YouTube channel. At the end of each video, he pitches a three-day email course.

The reason he leaves his pitch until the end of the video “Those who watched a video all the way to the end and then sign-up for a three day free course are much more likely to stick around on my list and read my emails.” He notes.

2. Strategist Michelle Pontvert uses Facebook to grow her list

Michelle Pontvert’s private Facebook community and Facebook page fuel her email list growth.

And in the past 60 days, she’s gained 200 new subscribers from Facebook alone.

Michelle posts a snippet from her latest blog posts to either her business Facebook page or her private group.

And each blog post has an email opt-in form so people can sign up for her list:

3. Author Ryan Holiday uses Instagram to get more subscribers

Ryan Holiday is another author who’s had success pairing social media and email marketing.
He often posts informative videos and uses his caption to encourage followers to hop onto his email list (via the link in his bio) to learn more.

4. Writer David Perell uses X/Twitter to increase his list

Writer and coach David Perell prefers using X/Twitter to grow his email list. He notes that writing X/Twitter threads works best for him.

If I have a good one, it will get more than a million impressions. I know that if I link to one of my courses in them, with a 1-2% conversion rate, that can lead to thousands of new subscribers. – David Perell

Then, at the end of the thread, he adds a link to this newsletter:

5. Coach Cara Chase uses Pinterest to grow her list

Business coach Cara Chase uses Pinterest to get more subscribers. She says that everything she pins on Pinterest leads to a blog post or a landing page with an opt-in. Like this Pin:

When users click the pin, they land on a blog post that has this banner advertising Cara’s email list:

Social media + email = multiplied marketing power

Your social media followers want to read your emails. And your email subscribers want to see what you’re up to on social.

But neither camp will know how to find you in different places unless you make it easy.

Start simple: Add your social links to your emails and add links to opt-ins to your social profiles.

Then, cross-promote content across your various channels and encourage your audience to follow along in multiple places.

Ready to see how many of your followers are eager to join your email list? Try Kit for free and see for yourself!