Starting an email list from basically zero

At first I just had a sign-up sheet in my booth. There are several templates you can use for the sign-up sheet, or you can make your own. I just collect their names and email addresses, but you can get their addresses or city and state. Now I offer a small free print with every sign-up in person. You can also offer a discount on purchases or some other freebie. I run an occasional sign-up on social media, but it does not get much sign-ups.

There are a lot of great ideas in the responses here. One note of caution. I started with a giveaway and I got a lot of people signing up for my newsletter but many of them were only in it for the giveaway opportunity and not quality subscribers if they even stay subscribing. The best signups are people who you have engaged with some how. Definitely have a sign up list where ever you show your art. I think what "Arty at ArtHelper" said is a good list. And definitely ask all of your friends, family and new contacts to sign up. Tell your starting 15 that you would love for them to help you to grow your list. Maybe they know of people who they can forward your email(s) to. It can be a slow process but you will get there. Its just another business avenue you need to work. Good luck.

I have been trying to raise my whopping number of 38 on my email list after two years of trial and errors, I am trying to hone in and get one or two per day if I can land my message to people who are not already on my email list. I have been an artist and art educator for over 30 years, I retired from teaching art full time to focus on and build my art business. I have been very successful as an artist, I've been in local and state shows, I have a pretty good online set up I think, I am continually building my presence. The one thing I always feel like I am bringing up short is my sales, and income. I am trying to build a 10K per month art business. Which is a ton of work.

My website is www.williamjpalm.com if you'd like to check it out.

I am still in my "early days" of being a professional artist, or at least, trying to be. Anyway, I have been selling a few older paintings on Facebook marketplace for a really low price. It pains me to do that, but I need to decrease inventory and make room for some new paintings. What I have been doing is giving the buyer's a business card and asking for their email so we can "keep in touch."I have been calling these paintings "get to know me" paintings. So far, I have gathered an extra 5 emails in about a month. Perhaps you could offer some digital demos on social media at a discounted price to lure people in. You can tell people it's a "get to know me" offer. I don't have all the answers either but me selling a few paintings for extremely low prices has netted me more emails in a one-month period versus several years of trying to get emails. Hope this helps! :)

I am still working on my email list. What I have done so far is offer a drawing for a free painting or print for signing up for my art email list. They had the option to just sign up for the free art. Got several sign-ups that way.

Fifteen is a real number, and honestly every one of those people chose to be there, which matters more than a big count full of strangers. What helped me early on was being clear about why someone would want to sign up. I started mentioning my list in social posts and explaining what subscribers actually get, things like first look at new paintings before I post them anywhere else, or a small discount on their first purchase. That gave people a reason beyond just "support me." I also ran a simple giveaway once where folks entered with their email. It brought in more genuine subscribers in a week than I'd gotten in a month of just having a sign up form sitting on my site. One thing I've been careful about is only adding people who actually opted in themselves. Even when I could find emails elsewhere, forcing someone onto a list never felt right, and it can cause real problems. The slow grind is part of it, but giving people a clear reason to join made the biggest difference for me.

I have had my photography business now for 11 years. In the beginning I didn't know about collecting emails. When I got with ASF I started with the giveaways. Then at the shows I would offer a print giveaway and got sign ups that. I got my list to 5,750. Recently I archived my unengaged subscribers and my list is down to 3,040. These are folks that are interested and may want to buy. I don't do the giveaways anymore because I don't find that they are people that are truly interested or want to buy.

I am thinking about creating a free guide of some sort or something about photography to gain emails in the future. It does take time.

certainly just asking for their email on IG is NOT the way (I know..) - even offering a freebie without asking for their email has not been that successful either! Reading the comments with great interest!

If you find tips for subscribers, let me know. I've connected.

Hey! 15 real people who actually signed up because they care about your character and environment work is a better starting point than most artists think. Those aren't vanity numbers. Every one of them chose to hand over their email, which means they want to hear from you.

The guides that assume hundreds of subscribers skip the part that actually matters, which is how you get from 15 to 150. A few moves that work at exactly your stage:

- Send a personal message (DM, text, email) to every artist friend and collector-curious person you already know. Not a mass blast. One by one, tell them you started a list, what you'll be sharing, and ask if they'd like in. That personal ask converts at a wildly higher rate than a sign-up form sitting on a website.

- Run a simple giveaway. One free print or a digital wallpaper pack of your environment work. Entry = email address. Promote it on every social channel you're on. The giveaway isn't about the prize, it's about giving people a reason to sign up RIGHT NOW instead of "maybe later."

- Put a sign-up link in your social bio, your Linktree (or your ArtHelper profile if you have one), your email signature, and every DM conversation where someone compliments your work. That last one is the most underused. When someone says "love this piece," reply with thanks and "I send process breakdowns and new work to my email list if you want first look" with the link.

- Post process content (WIPs, before/after, color studies, environment breakdowns) on social and end every post with a soft nudge to the list. Not "sign up for my newsletter" but "I go deeper on this stuff in my emails, link in bio if you want in." Framing it as exclusive deeper content makes the list feel like a VIP room, not a mailing list.

At 15 subscribers, send your first email THIS WEEK. Don't wait until the list "feels big enough." The people on it right now are your most engaged fans and they'll reply, share, and tell you what they want to see. That feedback loop is worth more than 500 passive subscribers.

Want help writing that first email to your list? I can draft one for you based on your work

Other resources you might find helpful:

- Growing an email list as a painter, giveaways or straight value? — Experienced painters share specific strategies for growing an email list from scratch, weighing giveaways versus value-based approaches with concrete tactics.

- Beyond Galleries: Pooling Our Reach for Direct-to-Collector Art Sales — Learn how to grow an email list through newsletter swaps and cross-promotions with other artists to reach actual collectors rather than just fellow artists.

- Personal emails to inactive subscribers, did it actually work? — Learn how personal outreach to inactive subscribers can re-engage your list and build meaningful connections with your audience.

Arty is our artist super-assistant. Trained on all things related to art business & marketing. use @arty in a post or comment to ask Arty directly. upvote & downvote to provide feedback.