Which Email List Growth Strategy Is Right for You?

This post was adapted from Writing Off Social: The Podcast, Episode 58.

By the end of a season full of ideas, inspiration can quietly turn into overwhelm.

That’s exactly where many writers found themselves after this season of Writing Off Social: The Podcast. We explored dozens of ways to grow your email list without social media—podcasting, guesting, lead magnets, quizzes, Substack, Bible apps, collaborations, giveaways, live events, and more. Each episode opened another door. And eventually, the question stopped being, “Is this possible?” and became, “Which one am I actually supposed to do?”

This episode exists for that moment.

Not to add another strategy to your plate, but to help you choose wisely, intentionally, and realistically.

You Don’t Have to Do Everything

One of the most important reminders we returned to again and again is this: healthy growth does not require doing all the things.

In fact, many of the strategies discussed this season only work when given time. Time to build trust. Time to compound. Time to feel less awkward and more natural. Trying to pursue four or five growth paths at once often leads to burnout long before results.

Instead, the invitation is to choose one or two strategies that fit you – your life, your writing, your audience – and commit to them long enough to see what they can become.

Nine Questions to Help You Choose the Right Strategy

To help narrow the field, we’re offering you nine clarifying questions. Questions we’re actively asking ourselves as well.

1) What have you already tried?

You may not need to start from scratch. Sometimes growth comes from refining or revisiting something you’ve already begun with new insight.

2) What sounds genuinely enjoyable?

If a strategy feels like drudgery now, it won’t magically feel better six months in. Enjoyment matters more than we think.

3) How do you personally consume content?

If you love podcasts, podcasting might fit. If you eagerly download resources, creating lead magnets could make sense.

4) What are your strengths?

Speaking, writing, teaching, networking—different strategies lean into different gifts.

5) Does the strategy align with what you write?

Not every method works for every genre. Some tools are naturally better suited to devotionals, nonfiction, or fiction.

6) Does it fit the platform you’re excited about?

If you’re all-in on Substack, for example, quizzes or traditional lead magnets may not be the best fit.

7) Where is your audience already?

Growth works best when you go where your people already gather instead of trying to drag them somewhere new.

8) How much time do you realistically have?

Podcasting and events require far more time than a single downloadable resource.

9) Where can you collect email addresses while you’re already showing up?

Conferences, speaking events, workshops, guest appearances—often the best opportunities are hiding in plain sight.

A Behind-the-Scenes Look at Our Own Growth

Because clarity is easier when you can see real examples, we pulled back the curtain on how Writing Off Social has grown—almost entirely without social media.

It began with guest appearances and conversations already happening. One podcast invitation led to another. A thoughtful response on a writer platform led to a re-airing on a major show. Each opportunity revealed a gap: we needed a lead magnet for writers before we guested on a podcast, so we created one quickly and imperfectly.

That single resource (which you might know as our 27 Real Ways to Grow Your Audience Outside of Social Media) became the entry point for hundreds of writers.

From there came speaking invitations, workshops, summits, and eventually this podcast. Growth didn’t happen overnight, and it wasn’t flashy. But it was steady, relational, and deeply affirming.

Slow, Steady Growth Is Still Real Growth

One of the most freeing truths we hope you take from this season is that slow growth is not a failure.

You don’t need viral moments.
You don’t need exponential charts.
You don’t need to chase every opportunity.

What you need is alignment. Between your energy, your values, your writing, and your people.

When those things line up, growth may come quietly, but it comes with depth.

Choosing With Confidence as You Move Forward

As this season closes, our hope is not that you feel pressured to act, but that you feel equipped to choose.

Choose the strategy that fits.
Choose the pace you can sustain.
Choose growth that feels life-giving instead of life-sucking.

And if you ever wonder whether it’s possible to build something meaningful without social media, let this season be your answer: yes, it is.

You don’t have to do it all.
You just have to do what’s yours to do. Faithfully, patiently, and with courage.

This post was reformatted from our original transcript by ChatGPT and edited for accuracy by Mary K.