How to Build an Email List on Etsy

If you’re new to Etsy, or selling digital products as a whole – there is something you will hear constantly as you research ways to grow your business. ‘Build an Email list’. I’ll admit it, I took way too long to start building my email list.

In fact, I had already sold around 20,000 products on my Planprintland Etsy shop before I even looked into creating an email list. This was 20,000 missed opportunities to grow my mailing list.

Learning how to build an email list on Etsy is one of the first things new sellers should learn, and is one of the reasons why Etsy is my most profitable platform to sell digital products on.

Now, with each new business or platform I start selling on, I build an email list from day one. The benefits far outweigh the time and costs spent. Etsy email marketing is also one of the ways I am able to grow my digital product shops so quickly.

Why do I need an email list as an Etsy seller?

Being an Etsy seller can be scary. Etsy has the power to shut your business on a whim, with little remorse. It happens all too often. Every day in Facebook groups and on Reddit, you hear stories of seller’s shops being shut down. Some deservedly, but many for silly reasons (such as logging into public wifi).

If you are building an email list on the side, you at least have the comfort of knowing that you have built an audience. Should anything go wrong in your Etsy shop – you have a certain percentage of your customer base willing to follow you. It is always a good idea to have a backup plan, which is why I have so many digital product income streams.

Furthermore, it goes without saying that Email marketing is especially lucrative for digital product sellers. Each email I send will bring in an easy $300-500+. I definitely do not overuse or over send emails, but even one email a month helps to raise my bottom line, inform my customers of sales and special events, and let them know about new product launches.

Before you start: selecting your email service provider.

The first step in building an email listing for your Etsy shop, is to choose an Email service provider. You cannot just send emails from your personal email address. To build an email list, you will need email marketing software. Without it, your emails will not be legally compliant which can land you in a very hot water.

Thats right, all marketing emails must contain an ‘unsubscribe’ button, which will require email marketing software or high level technical knowledge. Even if it was legal to use your own email address, you would soon see your emails having deliverability issues (I.e. end up in the ‘spam folder’)

I have used a number of email marketing softwares in my time selling digital products, but have settled on Convertkit. Convertkit not only offers a free account for up to 300 subscribers, but has everything you need as a beginner to build and grow your email list.

By the time you have 300 subscribers, the mailing list will more than pay for itself. More importantly, it allows you to set up a landing page for your offer, which is vital to building your email list on Etsy. Not only that, it is definitely the easiest and most intuitive email service provider software I have ever used.

If you need help creating a landing page with Convertkit, I have written a guide on how to do so.

How not collect Emails on Etsy

As a digital product seller on Etsy, you will have access to the emails of your customers. Does this mean you can simply add these emails to your mailing list? No! It may be tempting, but it is  not just Etsy speaking. It is illegal in most countries to add email addresses to your list without the consent of the customer, under various email spam laws.

If that’s not enough to deter you, Etsy also has policies to prevent you from adding customer emails to your mailing list. Even if you get away with it illegally, you still are at risk of permanent suspension if you add customers to your mailing list without consent.

How to get Etsy customer emails

To legally Build your email list on Etsy, you must first have your customer opt in. This can again be done using a landing page on Convertkit. You must also provide an incentive for your customer to sign up for your list. Sure, you may have some die-hard customers willing to sign up to your marketing emails for free – but most people will only do it if they are getting something in return.

Incentivise customers to join your mailing list

There are a number of ways to incentivise a customer to sign up to an email list, including:

• Offer a Etsy discount code: The simplest way to convince customers to join your email list is to offer a discount code. As a digital product seller, you can offer higher percentage savings, as you have no manufacturing costs. It also has the added bonus of encouraging repeat purchases. However, if you set up and customized your Etsy store correctly, you may already be offering this discount code for free.
• Offer a freebie: This is how I do it in my shops. Freebies definitely have the best conversion rate, as long as the freebie is relevant to the purchase. If your range of products is wide in your store, you may have to create different freebies for different categories. It also has the added benefit of getting more reviews in your Etsy shop.
• Offer relevant information or guides: This may come in the form of a downloadable PDF ebook, or as an email sequence. For example, if you were to sell a printable homeschool planner, you may include a 5 email sequence offering tips about how to plan a lesson, where to find interactive content, and how to test skills and knowledge of the given topic.

Sending customers to your email sign-up landing page through Etsy

Once you have set up your email landing page, it is time to send customers to your landing page. On Etsy, there are a number of places for you to place your email sign-up form. You may decide that you only want past customers on your mailing list, or you can leave it out publicly in an attempt to convert browsers into customers. If you only want past customers to sign up, you should may include your link:

• In a separate PDF or TXT file included with your downloads: I include my link on a well designed PDF file that outlines the free product they will be getting, with a link to the landing page. This has a very impressive conversion rate.
• In your automatic message to buyers: Your automatic message to buyers is a great place to contain your link. Most customers will read this message as Etsy shows it automatically when customers are most engaged.

Below is an Example PDF which I add to some of my listings. This PDF takes the customer directly to my Convertkit landing page. From there, the customer signs up for my Email list, and is automatically sent the free notes pack in return.

Sending potential customers to your email sign-up landing page through Etsy

On the odd change a customer is scrolling through your shop before purchase, you may like to entice them to join your mailing list BEFORE they have purchased. This is a great way to increase your conversion rate when using a discount code as your incentive.

• As a link on your About me Page: Your about page is contained at the very bottom of your shop. It allows you to include links to social media and your website. You can put the landing page link there. 
• In your shop announcements section: This will appear at the TOP of your shop and is even more likely to be seen
• In your listing images: Place on the 9th or 10th listing image for customers who are already interested (and thus have scrolled through all your images)
• On your shop banner: If a customer clicks through to your store, chances are they will see your shop’s banner.
• On your businesses social media platforms: You can have links to your email sign-up page on your Instagram, TikTok or Facebook Bio.

Putting the pieces into action

The benefits of having your own customer email list should now be crystal clear. Furthermore, It should be quite easy to build an email List on Etsy, if you are already making sales, or if you have a product that customers are going to love.

Now, it’s time to take action. There should be no excuses in getting your list up and running at the same time as your Etsy shop. First step is signing up for Convertkits free plan, and build your first landing page. From there it up to you to decide on how to build your list. From there, you should be placing your link in all the relevant places. Your mailing list will start building in no time!