Growing Your List? Don’t Skip This Step.

Hey there, inbox warrior! 💪

Just got back from a quick Easter break in the land of monuments and mildly organized chaos—Washington, D.C.

Took the fam on the grand tour:

Monuments? ✅ 

Museums? ✅

A peek at the ol’ White House? ✅

Even let the kids see the other swamp… You know, the one with suits and subpoenas.

But now I’m back—well, for a hot minute—before I head off to the Newsletter Conference in NYC in just a week.

If you’re going too, hit reply! I’d love to meet some fellow inbox nerds IRL.

Coffee, strategy chats, or just swapping war stories from the email trenches—let’s make it happen.

Okay, enough about my jet-setting.

Let’s get into it: the #1 factor that drives serious list growth (and no, it’s not just more opt-ins).

Actually, let’s clear something up first: growing your email list isn’t just about collecting addresses like rare trading cards.

If people aren’t opening, clicking, or caring, your list isn’t growing—it’s bloating.

Want a bigger list that actually performs? Focus on engagement first.

Let’s dive in.

Why Engagement Is The Key To Your Growth

Here’s the deal: high engagement signals to inbox providers (Gmail, Yahoo, Outlook, etc.) that you’re the real deal—a trusted sender worthy of that sweet, sweet inbox placement.

And here’s where it really gets good:

When your list is highly engaged, it builds a strong sender reputation. That means when new subscribers join your list, they’re way more likely to see your welcome email in the inbox—not buried in spam.

Great Engagement = Better Reputation = Increased Activation = More Growth.

It’s the flywheel that keeps on spinning.

How to Make Engagement Your Growth Strategy

✅ Send To Your Engaged Subscribers Only

Send using your Base Sending Segment to send to people who actually want your content.

✅ Get Subscribers To Whitelist You

Ask your subscribers to add you to their address book and give you a little star or "safe sender" tag. It only takes a second, and it helps ensure they never miss the good stuff you’ve got coming their way!

✅ Get Clicky

Ask questions. Drop polls. Link to fun stuff. When people click, email providers cheer—and so do your deliverability stats.

✅ Encourage Forwarding & Sharing

Your current fans are your best promoters. Drop a line like “Know someone who’d love this? Forward it their way!”—and watch your list grow organically.

✅ Ask For Replies

Replies are like gold for your email deliverability—they signal to inbox providers that your messages are wanted and trusted. Even a simple “Got it!” can help boost your sender reputation and keep you landing in the inbox.

✅ Be Irresistibly Relevant

This final one is obvious, but you always need to add it as a disclaimer just in case. Please send content that people actually want. If your book nerds get protein bar promos, you’re gonna lose them.

Engaged Lists = Activated Subscribers

Here’s the kicker: a healthy list doesn't just perform better—it makes your new subscribers more valuable, too.

With better inbox placement, those fresh sign-ups are more likely to see your emails, click through, and stay active.

But if your sender reputation is in the tank?

Those shiny new subscribers might never see your emails at all—because they’re stuck in spam.

If you want to grow your list, don’t just chase more subscribers—nurture the ones you’ve got.

Keep them curious. Keep them clicking. Keep them coming back.

Because when you build a high-engagement list, you're not just increasing opens and clicks—you're building the kind of sender reputation that helps activate new subscribers faster and more reliably.

That’s real growth!!!

BEFORE YOU GO

Struggling to Keep Your List Growing?

I talk to a lot of people who struggle to keep a steady flow of new subscribers. If that sounds familiar, you’re not alone.

The good news? There’s a way to bring in engaged, high-intent subscribers consistently—without the uncertainty of traditional media buys.

Keep the flywheel spinning,

Chris Miquel

PS: Want to turn your list into an engagement powerhouse that fuels growth on autopilot? Hit reply—I’ve got playbooks for days.