The Best Way To Build Your Email List
Tier Rankings from Best to Worst...
I found this Email Listing Building tier ranking on the interwebs a while back and took a screenshot.
I 100% agree with the rankings on one condition...
...that you are a Power Seller author.
Power Seller
Books Published: 5+ (often 10-20)
Sales per Day: 50+ (many over 100/day)
Revenue: $2,000+/month (many at $5K–$20K+/mo)
Main Focus: Scaling, advanced marketing, brand-building, direct sales
As a power seller, you have a large enough volume of readers who will sign up via the back matter of your book.
And those are the readers you want on your email list.
But if you are not a Power Seller, then growing your email list with a back matter QR code or link just isn’t going to cut it.
So, I’ve revised the rankings:
Tier Breakdown:
F Tier — Podcasts, Book Blogs, In-Person Book Fairs
Why it's the worst: These are slow, low-conversion methods for email list building.
D Tier — Paid Ads w/ CTA to Reader Magnet
Why it’s here: Paid ads can work, but they’re expensive, inconsistent, and hard to dial in if your magnet isn’t hyper-targeted.
C Tier — Social Media w/ CTA to Reader Magnet
Why it’s mid-tier: Organic social reach is unpredictable and engagement can be low, especially if your audience isn't already warmed up.
B Tier — Back-of-Book w/ CTA to Reader Magnet
Why it’s better: This is free, passive, and scalable — once it’s set up, it works 24/7. Definitely include it in your list building strategy.
A Tier — Newsletter Swaps & Group Promos (with Reader Magnet)
Why it works well: These strategies leverage other authors’ audiences who are already conditioned to engage with books and reader magnets in your genre.
S Tier — Email List Building Giveaways
Why it’s king: Nothing beats giveaways targeted at your genre for rapid list growth at scale. Actually, I probably should have put Patience in the S Tier, too. Building your email list and author business takes time. Don’t worry if things start off slow. Just keep going :)
Author Resources
More Readers --> Join an Email List Building Giveaway
Sell Audiobook --> How to Sell Audiobooks
AI Narration News --> Audible Expands Catalog with AI Narration