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Stop Chasing Subscribers: Build a Great Email List
Before you dig in, why don't you get access to RE:markable
RE:markable is the weekly email about emails. Dropping the latest email marketing news, updates, insights, free resources, upcoming masterclasses, webinars, and of course, a little inbox mischief.
Let’s dive right in with a hard truth — you don’t need more subscribers, you need better ones.
When we say stop chasing email subscribers (and build a great email list), it’s because the odds are that your current email list is a chaotic blend of ghost subscribers, dead data, and people who signed up for a one-time freebie and never returned.
Building an email list that actually works in 2025 isn’t about flashy pop-ups or ‘spin to win’ discount wheels.
It’s about trust, transparency, and creating value before you even think of hitting that ‘send’ button.
Let’s break down how to grow a strategic, high-performing email list in a world of fake emails, privacy paranoia, and inbox fatigue.
It’s time to stop chasing subscribers and build a great email list instead!
Email list building in 2025: What’s changed?
Well, for starters, a cheeky 10% discount incentive to sign up isn’t going to cut it anymore.
Consumers are savvy, and they know that the 10% discount tends to come with the caveat of a bucketload of emails (kind of not worth the trade-off, really, is it?).
If you don’t offer something relevant and/or valuable, they’ll give you a fake address or ghost after the first click.
Oh, and if you’re buying email lists? We need to have a separate, very serious conversation.
What a GOOD email list looks like
The short version of a good email list is one full of engaged, segmented people that has been grown organically through value-driven content.That means your email list has been:
- Built with real people who want to hear from you
- Segmented by interest or behaviour consistently
- Organically grown through lead magnets, referrals, content, and smart strategy
- Delivering ROI through nurture, not nagging
What a BAD email list looks like (AKA the ‘nope list’)
This is exactly where you don’t want to be when it comes to your email list, because it tends to mean a list with a UK festival-level of poor hygiene, bad data, and very agitated recipients.You want to avoid:
- Bought email lists (please stop, you’re making us cry!)
- Pop-ups with no real value exchange
- Complex sign-up journeys
- Vague promises like “Get updates!”
- Collecting data you don’t use or need
So, how do you move from the nope list to the ‘hell yeah’ email list?
Step one: Set a real goal (not just “Grow the list”)
All great marketing strategies require great goals, and the best goals are specific and intentional (we could dive into SMART goals but we’d rather not bore you to tears).The reality of building a great email list is that you need to know why you’re building it before you do anything, otherwise you’re not shouting from the rooftops so much as shouting into the abyss.
There are a multitude of goals you could kick off your email list with, each requiring its own approach, content, and way of measuring its success.
Are you:
- Driving new leads?
- Raising brand awareness?
- Nurturing existing prospects?
- Building a community?
Nailing the ‘why’ is the best way to drive towards the ‘how’!
Step two: Attract quality subscribers (not just anyone)
If you’re just putting out any old content in your emails, you’ll just be getting any old subscriber. That approach is usually a recipe for a disengaged, dissatisfied audience that’ll send your emails straight to spam!The best way to attract quality subscribers is to give them quality incentives, and we don’t just mean a discount code.
Whether it’s B2B or B2C, there are plenty of ways to engage your audience:
- A juicy piece of content they can’t get elsewhere
- A quick-win checklist or tool
- A quiz that gives them instant, personalised insight
- A members-only guide or training
The key here is to avoid picking an incentive out of thin air — what is it that your audience actually wants, and how can your incentive match their intent?
You also have to be honest about what your audience is signing up for. Nothing creates animosity and dissatisfaction like poor communication and feeling lied to!
Step three: Understand the data behind your list
What is email marketing life without great quality data, eh?
But that’s the important distinction — there’s data, then there’s useful data.
Building a great email list in 2025 means understanding:
- Zero-party data: Given directly by the user (preferences, quiz answers, etc.)
- First-party data: Collected from interaction (site activity, purchase history)
- Second-party data: Someone else’s first-party data, shared through a partnership
- Third-party data: Bought or aggregated data (which is becoming increasingly risky!)
Zero- and first-party data are your goldmine, and we’d recommend building your strategies around them.
Oh, and avoid third-party data like the plague.
Step four: Audit, clean, repeat
Whatever you do, don’t build a list and forget it!
You want to make sure that you’re:
- Tracking where your best subscribers are coming from
- Cleaning your list regularly (dead data = dead performance)
- Segment based on behaviour, interests, and engagement
- Update your sign-up journey based on feedback and results
Your email list is an evolving ecosystem, which means it requires ongoing maintenance to thrive.
It’s not a one-and-done job!
Bonus: B2B vs B2C - The tactics that matter
There are a few small differences between B2B and B2C that impact the way you should be approaching your email list in 2025.
- Long sales cycles
The longer sales cycles in B2B marketing tend to mean that it’s all about actionable value.
That means lead magnets, webinars, and value-packed nurture emails!
- Personalisation is key
Though you might think that B2C is more personalisation-focused, there’s plenty of room for greater specificity in B2B, too.
You want to nail down that ‘right email at the right time’ mentality, and for B2B, that means personalising for elements like job roles to be as effective as possible in your messaging.
- Build trust
Trust is the backbone of B2B email marketing, really — it’s not just about your audience buying into your business, it’s about your audience buying into you.
Content like whitepapers, industry insights, and targeted content is essential in building trust and giving that peace of mind that you deliver what you’ve promised.
- Fast action
Taking too much time can often mean wasting too much time in B2C.
Your audience wants fast action (and that fast dopamine rush from engaging with something convenient!). Think quizzes, incentives, pop-ups.
- Emotional appeal
This is the B2C version of trust, in many ways — you want to tap into something deeper than simply a drive to open an email (that quickly turns into a ‘drive to send this email to spam’ instead).
That means focusing on FOMO, generating exclusivity, and creating a sense of community.
- The holy trinity
Design, tone, and frequency are the name of the game for a great B2C email list in 2025.
You can’t rely simply on the content alone, you need to make sure you’re speaking your audience’s language in the way they like to receive it.
Though B2B and B2C audiences require different email marketing strategies, the same rule applies: attract the right people with the right message, not everyone with anything.
Final word: Build with intent, not panic
Your email list is a long-term asset.
It’s your community, your pipeline, and your best-performing channel when it’s done right.
Instead of chasing vanity metrics that could cost you heavily in the future, start building the kind of email list that grows your business and fulfils your audience, too.
Want help building a high-performing, healthy email list that drives real results? Schedule a call with Beth
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RE:markable is the weekly email about emails. Dropping the latest email marketing news, updates, insights, free resources, upcoming masterclasses, webinars, and of course, a little inbox mischief.