As with pretty much any business, building an email list is probably one of the most important pillars of your author platform.
One of the basic mistakes many authors make in their marketing is not creating an email list from the start. Many successful online entrepreneurs have stated that waiting to build their email lists was the biggest mistake they have ever made in their early careers. That applies to authors, too, because whichever way you look at it, writing and publishing books is a business.
Here are some points as to why email marketing is the most powerful communication tool:
Email is personal. Messages and content can be based on the subscribers’ preferences and buying patterns.
Complete Automation. You can set up an email sequence to run while you sleep.
Instant Response. With automation technology, your customers can receive your newsletter or offers as soon as they sign-up for your list,
Using automated autoresponders, you can build a relationship with your audience. A sequence of emails, say a week apart, where you can introduce yourself, have an offer or poll your audience are all good starting points. All of these platforms below have automation features, although some hold that back on the free/trial offers.
Email Marketing Platforms
AWeber:
AWeber is one of the popular email marketing tools with more than 120,000 users and could be considered the Daddy of Autoresponder services, having been around since 1998. Experience counts for a lot and shouldn’t be underestimated. Just to be transparent Aweber is our preferred platform for all our author and publisher newsletters.
The core functionality of AWeber is focused on its autoresponder setup. Once you create your AWeber account, you will be greeted with a video welcoming you and guiding you to set up an account. The home dashboard is quite intuitive and easy to navigate. AWeber provides several features like automation rules, segmentation, advanced integration options, and split testing.
Pricing:
Currently, you’re looking at prices starting at $19 per month, although there is a free option for up to 500 subs.
https://www.aweber.com/pricing.htm
Convertkit:
Convertkit is a full-featured email service provider formed by Nathan Barry. It is a fast-growing email marketing campaign with an easy automation feature. It also provides landing pages and sign-up forms to help bring in more subscribers.
Pricing
Free for up to 1k subs with limited features (and no automation)
One main difference between Maillite and ConvertKit/Aweber is they do not offer drag-and-drop templates. ConvertKit would argue rightly, that this produces a cleaner, less bulky template that helps deliverability.
They also offer direct integrations with e-commerce, webinar, and course creation platforms, including Gumroad, Patreon, Wishlist and many, many more.
Convertkit is powerful, easy to use, and designed for one type of targeted audience.
Starting from $29 P/M inc automation
MailerLite:
MailerLite is an email marketing tool with ultimate features like a pop-up customizer and landing page builder, a drag-and-drop email builder, a built-in photo editor and a rich text editor to create stunning emails. Other features include In-email quizzes, surveys and other interactive elements, as well as pop-up variations.
You can run split tests of your emails and MailerLite also provides comprehensive tools, including different stats like unsubscribe rate, click rate, open rate, and more.
Pricing:
From Free (for up to 1k subs but with limited features) to $100 p/m if you need a dedicated manager to help you get set up and priority support.
Sign up with this link for a 30-day trial with premium features:
