Hit Subscribe: Your 4-Step Approach to Growing and Leveraging a Wine Email List

Is your wine email list not where you want it to be, numbers-wise? I hear you. It’s frustrating when you create an incredible offering… only to discover that (seemingly) no one is interested in it. 

Here’s the thing: growing an email list is not an overnight job. While it can happen fairly quickly, there is a bit of strategy involved. 

It’s not as simple as just telling people to sign up for a newsletter. Because let’s be real, who wants to keep throwing their email around to businesses and getting their inbox flooded with more offers?

Your customers aren’t stupid. They know a good deal and a bad deal when they see one. If you’re asking them to sign up without showing there’s something in it for them, you can kiss them and their email address goodbye. 

But, if you can prove that you’re exactly what they’re looking for — say hello to the audience you’ve been dreaming about. 

How do you do that? Well, it’s not an overnight sensation, but it’s not actually that hard. Here are my four simple steps in an email growth funnel for wine brands: 

Step 1: Offer a wine focused “lead magnet” which incentivizes people to sign up.

You need to serve before you sell. Give them a reason to get curious and start engaging with you. Offering something that is super cool, very valuable, and highly relevant to your specific audience will take you far. Bonus: this automatically builds the perfect opted-in audience based on relevant interests. 

What do you give them as a lead magnet? It can be monetary, like a discount or free shipping. Or it can be content-based, like an ebook or a short video. 

What kind of content? It can be literally anything of value! If your audience loves experimenting with wine, try a wine cocktail recipe book. If they are real super nerds, try a guide to lesser-known wine regions. 

It doesn’t have to be crazy or complex. It does have to be something that they will truly enjoy and value — and, most importantly, be willing to exchange their email address for. 

Step 2: Promote the offer everywhere you can.

Once you’ve created an awesome lead magnet, it’s time to get the word out. How will people know about it otherwise? 

Leverage any channels you have at your disposal. Create a popup on your website to capture the attention of new visitors. Add a banner on your website or a special dropdown on your navigation. 

Post regular Instagram Stories with a link to the offer. Pin it as an Instagram post and save it to your highlights. Add it to your bio and mention it in relevant post captions. 

Got a budget? Create paid social and web ads that tease the offer and link to it. 

Got influencer collabs? Tell them about it and get them to spread the word. 

You don’t have to do all of these. But just a handful will go far!  

Step 3: Nurture those fresh relationships like a budding vine. 

Woohoo! You did it! Your lead magnet successfully caught someone’s attention and they signed up to receive it! Now what? 

First, deliver on your promise. Send them the offer/content/etc right away, delivered via email. And make sure you add them to your email list. 

Now comes the fun part. 

Now we can start to build a relationship and show them what you really offer. Why you’re the best choice. 

We do this by creating your Welcome Email sequence to introduce you to the new subscriber. Who is your brand? What makes you different? How will you change their life? What do other customers have to say about you? 

Then, we wrap them into the fold of your regular emails. These are the ongoing, monthly communications with your customers. They’re designed to build your community, show your value, and show how you can help them. 

Whether you email them once a week or every other day, you’re growing the connection and building trust by showing up for them consistently. Remember, people signed up for your list because you offer something they care about. Don’t ghost them!  

Step 4: Sell when it’s time to sell.

So, you’ve managed to demonstrate you’re not a sleazy marketer just trying to make a quick buck! Good! Now your subscribers can trust you — and you’re in a strong place to offer them your real value. 

Work your wine offer into your emails where it fits without being forced. Maybe that’s in the PS section, or maybe it’s relevant to a newsletter subject. 

Or, send a special sales series just focused on your wine product or services. Maybe include some testimonials to show them how it’s worked for other people. Show them the goods. 

Or, use the opportunity to promote something new and exciting. Maybe it’s a new release, or a limited-availability offer, or an add-on they can get.

While the steps are consistent, the meat of it isn’t one-size-fits-all. But that’s the beauty of it, because your brand is unlike the rest.

When we build your content, we’ll highlight what makes you special and why you’re better than the competition. The power of email lies in the ability to carry out that extended conversation and show your customers why you’re awesome. So let’s do this!