Growing an email list is easier than you think. Learn how I got over 20 subscribers in a week as a brand-new blogger with Quora marketing. This article was originally published in Better Marketing.
I launched my blog on November 1. Although I’m not selling anything yet, I decided I’d start an email list right from the start.
As we all know, the money is in the list.
Since then, my list has grown to 44 subscribers — 21 of which signed up in a single week (December 10 to 15). Here’s a screenshot I took back then:
At first, I was genuinely puzzled by this.
With a DA of zero and just over a dozen blog posts, the traffic was surely not coming from Google.
My LinkedIn and Twitter accounts are on standby.
I’m yet to crack the code to consistent Pinterest traffic.
And I was barely writing on Medium.
The only remaining possibility was Quora. I put my detective coat on and set out to investigate.
So, let’s take a look at my (small) growth on Quora and the anatomy of the one answer that got me 21 email subscribers in a week.
Two Months Marketing My Business on Quora
My first month was a learning experience. I had read a lot about Quora marketing, but nothing beats learning by doing.
I talked about what I learned in my first month in this story.
If you’re new to Quora, that story will be super helpful to you. I went over some basics that I had never seen anyone talk about in the guides I read.
I ended the story with a list of hypotheses I’d test in the following month. Here are the ones that are relevant to this story:
- Will my answers and posts get more engagement if I add images?
- Will I get better results in more engaged Spaces?
- Is repurposing content the key to scaling my reach on Quora without “wasting” as much time? If so, what’s the best strategy to do that?
A month later, I have answers!
1. Do images increase engagement on Quora?
YEEEEES! Hell yes, they do!
My experience on Quora completely changed once I started adding images to all my answers and posts.
The gif below shows how Quora answers/posts look without images vs. with images.
Any answer/post with an image stands out massively. It’s a no-brainer, really.
After capturing readers’ attention, you just need to repay them by providing as much value as you can — and there you have it, I cracked the code to Quora. NEXT!
2. Should you choose highly engaged Spaces over heavily followed ones?
Well, yes and no.
I got mixed results on this one.
In my previous story, I talked about how I chose Spaces based on high follower count and low contributor count.
This was the table I first used to organize the Spaces I wanted to write for:
To answer this question, I looked into each Space and created a new table with new metrics:
The Space in yellow — “SEO & Marketing Tools” — was the only one with high engagement despite being one of the least followed ones.
The Spaces where I’m getting the best results are the two in pink boxes.
One has lots of followers but low engagement; one has much fewer followers but high engagement.
The Spaces “SEO” and “Google SEO” also got me good results. “Writing & Blogging” is dead.
So, as you can see, there’s no correlation between follower count or engagement and positive results.
My advice?
Throw clay at the wall and see if it sticks — the wall being various Quora Spaces.
3. Is repurposing content a viable strategy on Quora?
Yup, 100%!
And there are two ways you can do this:
- Create posts in different Spaces and link to your previous answers/posts.
- Copy and paste previous answers to similar questions — but always change at least a few words!
I had one answer deleted by Quora moderators for spam because I didn’t change anything. I’ve been on my best behavior since!
Now that you have an idea of how I built traction on Quora, let’s take a look at the one answer that tripled my email subscribers.
The Quora Answer That Got Me 20+ Email Subscribers in a Week
First, I need to share that I’ve repurposed that answer four times so far.
Each time, I improved it a little bit. Until the third and fourth times did really well.
- First time: November 18 — I didn’t add an image or a CTA to download my freebie and didn’t post on a Space. (18 views)
- Second time: December 1 — Image? Check! CTA? Check! Space? Check. (106 views)
- Third time: December 7 — I improved my CTA + the question was in a better Space. (640 views)
- Fourth time: December 11 — I added an initial attention-grabbing sentence that also established authority. (1,500 views)
In my answer I started by establishing “authority” — more like “hey buddy, I was where you are not that long ago.”
After grabbing the readers’ attention, I made sure I provided as much value as possible. You can read the full answer here.
Backed up my “authority” and added the magical element — an image!
I continued providing value and finished with a CTA.
Et voilà!
This is the anatomy of my subscriber-magnet Quora answer.
Before you go, I have a couple more quick Quora tips for you.
Bonus Section: Two Dead-Simple Quora Tips
The first tip is to always include a CTA at the end of your answers.
It doesn’t need to be something like “download my freebie” or “check out my website.”
A simple CTA asking readers to upvote or share your answer is enough.
The second one is that, unbeknownst to many, you can add images to your profile description.
I created an image on Canva to showcase my freebie and added it to my description so that anyone who visits my profile immediately sees it.
This, combined with a couple of high-performing Quora answers has allowed me to grow my email list — slowly but steadily.
Growing an Email List Doesn’t Need to Be Complicated
No matter if you mostly rely on affiliate marketing, sponsored content, or selling digital/physical products, an email list is key to making a living online.
Start by creating a couple of simple (but enticing) lead magnets. Then, promote them on your favorite social media platforms.
You’ll be surprised at how rewarding it is to grow your list and connect with your subscribers.
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