Free Email List

Beyonce may have just as many hours in a day as you, but building an email list from scratch is no small feat when you’re already busy with building your online store, creating content, and offering customer service. But it is possible to build a free email list without neglecting other tasks.

Building your own email list is one of best things you could do for your business – and we do not mean in an “it builds the character, you’ll thank us later” kind of way.

Building your own list is the best way to guarantee higher quality leads. Plus, there’s so much free stuff you can do to build an email list without spending a cent – there’s no need even to consider purchasing one!

Fast and effortless? Sure. However, you will likely end up with a low-quality list in the end. Still not convinced? Here are 8 reasons why buying an email list should never be done.

In this post, we’re going to show you some fantastic ways to leverage social media and your existing websites to grow the email list for free. With these tips and quality content, your list will be flourishing in less than no time.

How to create an Email List for Free With the help of Social Media.

Social-media is an excellent way to stay connected with customers and generate new leads. Here are some ways you can use social media to build your email list without breaking your budget.

1. Include a CTA in Your Bio
Instead of simply discussing how much you adore the beach in your bio, why not utilize it for an effective call-to-action that will grow your email listing?

Here are a few of examples from Instagram, but this strategy works on any social media platform. Don’t worry; people will likely figure out that you love the beach by how often you post about it.

Instagram Bio with Call-to-Action
Both accounts use emojis for visual appeal while their keywords are highlighted. Notably, both utilize “free” in their CTAs.

2. Utilize Pin Tweets with a Call-to-Action
Twitter allows users to pin an important tweet to the top of their feed, providing an excellent opportunity for calls-to-action. Pinned tweets are usually the first ones visible when someone visits your profile page, so make use of this space wisely by building your email listing.

Here’s example of what a pinned tweet could look like:

Gary Vee pinned Tweet CTA
To add a tweet to your profile page, just click on the gray arrow to the right of it and select ‘Pin to your profile page.

Pin tweet to profile

3. Create one CTA Post in Instagram
Yes, you can now run Instagram ads the same way Facebook ads work; however, they’re free! As of now the most effective way to create an effective call-to-action post for Instagram is by creating an image with text indicating “Link in bio,” or something similar.

These are an excellent option if you create many lead magnets or content upgrades. Daniel DiPiazza was able to significantly grow his email list with this simple post:

Daniel Di Piazza Instagram post CTA
4. Embed a Call To Action on Your Facebook Page
You can include a call-to-action on your FB’s page to encourage the visitors to sign-up for your mailing list like Dollar Shave Club:

Add a signup button on your Facebook page with ease! Here’s how:

Add a “Subscribe” button to your Facebook page
5. Create a Facebook Group Exclusively for Subscribers
Exclusivity is an effective way to grow your list. By starting a group that only accepts verified subscribers, you not only encourage signups but also those from people who are truly interested in what you have to offer.

Facebook Group of OptinMonster
In our Facebook group, we share tips to help people maximize their results with OptinMonster and connect with other OptinMonster users. There are also fun contests and support available for guidance when needed.

Facebook groups can be an excellent vehicle for building community and providing additional value to your subscribers and customers.

6. Pin Your CTA to Pinterest
Pinterest is an incredibly effective visual search engine that’s ideal for marketing. Utilize a free tool like Canva to craft beautiful, pin-worthy images along with your calls-to-action and pin them away!

Elna Cain on Pinterest
Are you interested in learning more about using Pinterest for marketing, be sure to check out our post.

7. Leverage Instagram Stories
Instagram Stories are an excellent tool for engaging your followers. If your business account has 10,000+ or more followers, you can still include links in your stories that visitors can access by swiping up on the image or video you share. This encourages visitors to explore further by engaging with what you have to offer them.

Chalene Johnson on Instagram Stories
For the rest of us, Instagram Stories offer the perfect platform to showcase our call-to-action link in our bios.

Struggling to craft the ideal call-to-action? Get inspired by our comprehensive list of more than 700 power words or, if you might need more guidance, take a look at our post about crafting an effective call to action.

How to Generate Free Email Lists Utilizing Your Existing Site
Remember when everyone thought websites were on their way out? Businesses began shutting down their sites in favor of Facebook Pages? That wasn’t always the case!

Do you still find that websites, even 11 years later, remain essential elements for a strong digital presence?

Your website can be an effective tool for expanding your email list at no cost. Here are some ways to keep it relevant and captivating for all visitors.

8. Create Original Content
No matter your industry, creating quality original content will draw people to your brand and keep them engaged with it. Furthermore, search engine optimization (SEO) can be applied throughout all of your site’s pages so that it appears prominently in search engine results.

Please, take a look at our comprehensive SEO guide for practical strategies you can implement to increase traffic, boost authority and generate leads and sales with your site.

Need help getting started with content marketing? Check out our 8-step guide to creating a successful content marketing strategy. Or, take inspiration from these creative examples of content marketing for ideas.

9. Provide Lead Magnets and Content Upgrades
Lead magnets and content upgrades are highly effective for generating leads as they offer something of value in exchange for contact information. You don’t even need to use popups or optins; simply include a link or graphic and your delivery system will do the rest.

OptinMonster utilizes our own optins to generate lead magnets, but has had great success with exit-intent targeting as well.

Lead Magnet Exit Intent Delivery
MonsterLinks(tm):

Lead Magnet Monsterlinks Delivery
10. Upsell Upcoming Products
Upselling products is often associated with increasing sales rather than signups, but that’s exactly the point here – that makes this lead generation technique one of the coolest we’ve seen recently and we think more people should take advantage of it.

How?
FiftyThree would display related products that weren’t yet released and use a call-to-action of “Notify me.”

Fiftythree Notify Me CTTA
Once customers click the “Notify me” button, they are presented with an opt-in form to complete.

fiftythree Upsell Options Available for Order
11. Optimize Your About Us Page
If a visitor to your About Us page, it’s safe to assume they’re interested in learning more about your brand. A brief blurb about the advantages of doing business with you and including an opt-in form are usually enough to generate new subscribers.

Beardbrand places their signup form at the very bottom of a lengthy page about their company:

BONUS TIP: Maximize Your Popups and Exit-Intent Offers
Okay, this isn’t free but if you’re willing to invest some money, OptinMonster could be a wise decision.

We cannot overstate how effective our optin campaigns are at lead generation. And they’re incredibly simple to set up and utilize.

Did you know that in addition to traditional popups, you can also incorporate inline optins into your website content? For instance, adding one at the end of each blog post could dramatically increase signups without disrupting readers with intrusive ads. These optins are unobtrusive:

Learn how to maximize Facebook ads with landing pages using OptinMonster’s responsive optins. Exit-intent offers can be used as visitors are leaving your site to encourage them to signup for updates or take advantage of a special offer.

Exit-intent popup example
So there you have it! Twelve super simple ways to use social media and your existing website to build an email list at no cost. For even more ideas, make sure you take a look at our comprehensive list of how-to get an email list. Or learn how to welcome all new subscribers with some great email subject lines that will surely please them all.

Many email marketing services now offers a free trial or accounts, but many have limited features or provide access for a short period of time. Unfortunately, few genuine free-of-charge plans that could actually help promote your business successfully exist.
When my digital agency clients first start building their email lists, I suggest they start with a free service. But any free platform I suggest must support at least 500 subscribers and boast an impressive deliverability rate close to 100% – otherwise it isn’t worth your time or money – even if it is free!
After testing all the major free email marketing plans available, I’ve determined those which provide reliable service. These tools enable you to access all the most essential features without spending a penny.

What We will Look For in the Best Free Email Marketing Software
When testing out free email marketing plans, one of my top priorities is making sure they don’t come with frustrating limitations. If I’m going to use a platform for free email marketing, it should have features I’d consider paying for – not restrictions that bog down workflows. In this round-up of the best options, all those included met these basic criteria:
Subscriber Capacity: Free email marketing plans may limit the number of subscribers and timing of your email sends. I personally require any free plan I choose to allow at least 500 contacts.
Deliverability: To guarantee my emails reach subscribers’ inboxes, I search for free plans from platforms with deliverability rates close to 100%.
Responsive Email Templates: Designing email campaigns from scratch takes time and expertise that you may not possess. To make everyone’s job simpler, I look for well-crafted templates with mobile-responsive layouts.
Contact List Segmentation: As your list grows, it may not always be necessary to send each email directly to every subscriber – however, some free plans make this difficult. I prefer email marketing platforms with tagging and segmentation capabilities so that I can prioritize sending emails only to certain types of people.
Reliable Customer Support: Some free plans provide limited support options or none at all. I expect my email marketing service to have reliable support at convenient hours.

Benchmark’s free plan provides all the email marketing essentials. With it, you can add unlimited subscribers and send up to 250 emails per month – including both newsletters and simple drip campaigns, which my colleague tested in our Benchmark review. As someone who prefers premade layouts over creating my own, Benchmark’s library of more than 200 responsive email templates came in handy for me.
Benchmark lacks some of the features other platforms provide, such as a customer relationship management (CRM) tool, social ads or SMS marketing. However, this is not an issue since it integrates with over 1,500 third-party marketing apps. That means you could link it to an external CRM or SMS platform for a more robust marketing solution.
What You Get with the Free Version and Limitations
With a Benchmark account, you gain access to almost all the platform’s features at no cost. This includes basic segmentation, automations, and signup forms.
However, the free version does not include behavioral emails, advanced segmentation or pre-built customer journeys. Furthermore, landing pages (which you get for free with AWeber) cannot be included.
What Do You Get If You Pay?
With a paid plan from Benchmark, you can design landing pages for lead generation, send personalized behavior based emails and create an image library with 10 GB storage (the free plan only offers 10 MB). Benchmarks Pro plan also includes list verification which could improve deliverability.
When you should upgrade ?
Consider yourself to upgrading to a paid Benchmark account if you need more email sends than what the free plan allows. Though the free plan allows unlimited contacts, it only allows 250 per month.
Number of Contacts Unlimited
Monthly Email Sends 250
Email Templates 200+
Automated Emails Yes
Benchmark’s Free Plan offers up the option of trying their paid plan out before making any decisions.
2. Sendinblue Offers Free Advanced Automations and Workflows
With Sendinblue’s automation builder, you can design automated processes for new subscribers, anniversaries, or other events. With Sendinblue you won’t have to spend a penny on automations!
Sendinblue is an impressive email marketing platform, and its free plan allows you to send 300 emails daily or approximately 9,000 per month. Though its selection of free templates may be smaller than some other options, the premade designs are responsive and easily customized for your brand – something we tested out during our expert Sendinblue review.
Sendinblue provides a suite of marketing tools in addition to email. You can utilize SMS marketing, sync contacts with a CRM, and create simple chatbots right within Sendinblue without the need to integrate all of the external tools.
What You Get with the Free to use Version + Limitations
With a Sendinblue free plan, you have access to most of the platform’s features. You can create advanced segmentation and customizable signup forms. Plus, with its automated workflow editor, you can put lead generation campaigns on autopilot mode.
Unfortunately, Sendinblue’s free version does come with some limitations. Without a paid plan, you won’t have access to email or phone support or advanced statistics.
What Do You Get If You Pay?
With a Premium plan, you gain access to all Sendinblue marketing tools such as a landing page builder, Facebook ads and retargeting ads. Plus you’ll get A/B testing and send-time optimization which can improve the effectiveness of your e-mail campaigns.

When shall You Upgrade?
Consider yourself upgrading to a paid Sendinblue plan if you require team access or additional support options. Paid plans offer email and phone support as well as access for 10 or more users.
Number of Contacts Unlimited
Monthly Email Sends 9,000
Email Templates 60+
Automated Emails Yes
Try Sendinblue’s Free Plan Today
3. ConvertKit Offers Unlimited Email Sends and Landing Pages
With ConvertKit’s landing page builder, you can create any page you need!
ConvertKit’s landing page builder features a user-friendly content editor. With this platform, you get all the essentials for email marketing – broadcasts, sequences and funnels included. Plus you can tag and score subscribers – perfect for identifying highly engaged audiences to target with future campaigns.
ConvertKit provides email marketing as well as landing pages, signup forms, and a customizable domain. Although there are no limits to landing page traffic or email sends for free accounts, the platform does cap subscribers at 1,000.
What You Get with the Free of cost Version + Limitations
A free ConvertKit account entitles you to send email newsletters and segment subscribers. Furthermore, you can create unlimited landing pages and signup forms – perfect for generating leads and growing your email list!
However, the free ConvertKit plan does not include automations or drip campaigns – an issue we discuss in our ConvertKit review. Moreover, there are no app integrations (unlike Benchmark’s free plan which allows you to connect marketing apps without charge).
What Advantages Will You Receive by Paying?
With a paid plan, you can expand your list beyond 1,000 subscribers and gain access to time-saving automation tools like drip-campaigns and funnels. Plus, with premium support instead of basic ticket-based support, you’ll enjoy exclusive benefits.
When it is must for You to Upgrade?
Consider yourself upgrading to the paid ConvertKit account when you are ready to automate your email marketing. With either the Creator or Creator Pro plan, you can set up automated workflows and sales funnels with unlimited contacts, monthly email sends up to 1,000, email templates unlimited with 7 templates included, automated emails no. or try ConvertKit’s Free Plan today!
4. AWeber Offers Free Plans With Multiple Users and Premium Support
AWeber app integrations also available.
AWeber integrates with e-commerce, social media, blogging and other apps to give you all the necessary tools for email marketing success. On its free plan you can add upto 500 of subscribers and send upto 3,000 emails monthly; plus it has newsletters, automations segmentation and an expansive stock photo library. Plus it boasts one of the largest selections of very responsive email templates with more than 200 options available.
AWeber provides email marketing, unlimited landing pages, an e-commerce solution and over 1,000 app integrations. Unfortunately, you only get access to basic subscriber and message analytics with their free of cost plan.
What You Get with the Free to use version + Limitations
AWeber’s free account allows users to build newsletter, automated-emails and landing pages using templates and the drag-and-drop editor. Plus, they can add as many users as needed – ideal for larger teams! Furthermore, AWeber provides 24/7 phone, email and chat support – something uncommon among free accounts. Our review of AWeber gave them high marks for customer support quality as well.
However, sending just 3K emails per month may not be sufficient. If you are sending email campaigns to the maximum of 500 subscribers, that only leaves six campaigns available per month with AWeber branding included. If your list is larger or if you wish to remove this branding entirely, Benchmark’s free plan might be worth exploring instead.
What Are The Benefits of Paying?
With AWeber’s Pro plan, you get additional features like split-testing, behavior-based emails and advanced reporting. Plus with a paid account you can optimize your e-commerce setups with the sales tracking & purchase the tagging.

When you should upgrade ?
Consider yourself upgrading to a paid account if you might want to split-test your emails or set up behavioral automations. With the Pro plan, you can take care of both tasks and build landing pages without the AWeber logo.
Number of Contacts 500
Monthly Email Sends 3,000
Email Templates 200+
Automated Emails Yes
Try AWeber’s Free Plan
5. MailChimp – Best Free Marketing Suite
MailChimp creative assistant is included as part of every paid plan offering an easy marketing platform that’s user friendly!
MailChimp’s creative assistant helps you to save time on design with over 100 responsive templates, email newsletters and signup forms. Plus the free plan includes about a dozen premade automations as well as an automated builder to nurture leads and drive sales – as we discovered in our Mailchimp review.
MailChimp not only offers email tools, but it also includes landing pages, website builders, social ads and a design assistant – creating what amounts to an all-in-one marketing suite. If you need assistance using these features, the free plan offers 30-days of e-mail support.
What You Get with the Free Version + Limitations
MailChimp’s free plan allows users to send up to 10,000 emails a month, including standard broadcasts, behavioral targeting and single-step automations. Plus it includes a marketing CRM with tagging and basic segmentation for better organization of subscribers.
The free version of MailChimp also enables you to build a website and create Facebook and Instagram ads. However, be aware that their free plan does not support teams while Aweber’s free plan provides support for an unlimited number of users.
What Are The Advantages of Paying?
With a paid MailChimp plan, you get more sends, features and 24/7 support. The Essentials plan allows 500,000 email sends per month compared to 10,000 on free plans. Furthermore, Standard plans offer retargeting ads and more complex conversion funnels which could be ideal for sales campaign.
When you should upgrade ?

Consider upgrading to the paid MailChimp plan if you really want more support or optimization tools. With the Essentials plan, you get round-the-clock support while with Standard plan you get behavior-based automated emails and more contacts (2,000).
Monthly Email Sends 10,000
Email Templates 100+
Automated Emails Yes
6. GetResponse – Discover an Outstanding Platform
GetResponse offers one of the most comprehensive email marketing experiences available, boasting 100+ fully customizable templates, thousands of integrations, advanced automation and segmentation features as well as plenty of ecommerce tools. Plus, they are cloud-based so you can access all your data anytime.
Unfortunately, GetResponse’s free plan does not grant access to all its premium features that make it stand out. Nonetheless, I believe it to be a suitable option for new marketers and small businesses looking to begin email marketing. The interface is user-friendly, while the email editor provides straightforward functionality.
If you want to try out all that GetResponse has to offer you without committing to a premium plan, the 30-day trial will grant more features – depending on which plan you select.
What You Get with the Free Version and Limitations
GetResponse’s free plan allows you to send an unlimited number of emails to up to 500 contacts, giving you access to all their stunning templates as well as one of the top email editors available. With GetResponse, creating beautiful newsletters has never been easier!
With this free plan, you can set up sign-up forms and popups, landing pages, even create and host a website. However, you will lack support, segmentation, autoresponders, and automation – features other service providers such as Aweber provide with their free plans.
GetResponse’s free plan is more of an introduction to their platform than a full email marketing solution. I view it as an opportunity to learn the intricacies and explore some core features before upgrading to a premium plan.
What Do You Get If You Pay?
To truly maximize GetResponse’s potential, you need to upgrade to one of its premium plans. With a paid plan, you can import more contacts and access advanced features that will take your e-mail marketing strategy to the next level.
The Basic plan, for instance, unlocked A/B testing and allowed users to create an unlimited number of landing pages and conversion funnels (excluding webinar funnels). Furthermore, 24/7 support, integrations, segmentation, autoresponders, and basic automation templates were all part of the deal as well.
When Should You Upgrade?
Consider GetResponse’s free plan as a convenient way to experience all that the platform has to offer. However, if your email marketing goals are serious, we recommend upgrading to a premium plan as soon as it is possible. Read our experts GetResponse review for more details.
Contacts 500
Monthly Email Sends Unlimited
Email Templates 100+
Automated Emails No
Try GetResponse’s Free Plan Outright
Which Free Email Marketing Solution Should You Select?
For those looking to get started with email marketing at no cost, there are now several viable options to consider. While each platform provides basic functionality, each offers its own advantages. My top picks:
For seamless email platform integration with all other marketing tools, Benchmark is your go-to. Their free plan offers the widest range of app integrations available anywhere.
If you’re searching for a free automation tool, Sendinblue is your ideal option. With their customizable workflow builder, there’s no cost to create custom automations without paying an account.
On the other hand, ConvertKit’s free version includes unlimited landing pages, forms, and traffic – perfect if your promotion list includes many offers and downloads!
For a free introduction to one of the top email marketing platforms, GetResponse is your best bet. However, be aware that their limited free version requires you to upgrade sooner rather than later.
When you’re ready to expand your subscriber list or increase automation in your marketing campaigns, all of these platforms offer viable upgrade options. Check out our list of the top email marketing services for 2023 for more in-depth insights that can help you transition into the next stage of growing your business.
GetResponse
Benchmark Unlimited 250 200 +
Yes
See Deals >> Sendinblue Unlimited 9650 65 plus
Oui See Deals
ConvertKit 1,000 Unlimited No
See Deals. AWeber 500 3 200+ Yes
MailChimp 2 1000 100 plus Yes
GetResponse 500 Unlimited 100 Plus No
FAQ’s.

What are the Best Free of cost Email Marketing Services?
Ultimately, what works for you depends on your priorities. I recommend starting by exploring our roundup of the Top Email Marketing Services to see which ones offer free plans. For sending large volumes of emails, consider ConvertKit; for more template options and functionality, Benchmark or AWeber could be better alternatives. GetResponse’s free plan leaves much to be desired but at least you get to try one of the top platforms out there – Sendinblue for advanced segmentation and automation features not found elsewhere.
If the free option donest quite meet your requirements, consider upgrading to a paid plan and take advantage of one of our coupons to reduce the cost.
Which email marketing service is the Best?
Overall, Sendinblue is the premier email marketing platform – whether you need a free or a paid plan. A free Sendinblue account, supports unlimited contacts which includes its sales CRM; with a paid account however, you’ll gain access to A/B testing, advanced reporting capabilities, social ads management tools and more.

What are the best free of cost email marketing templates?
For a wide selection of free templates, look no further than Sendinblue and AWeber. AWeber’s email template library boasts hundreds to choose from, while Sendinblue provides numerous choices in categories like e-commerce, blogging and more.
Which service provides the most cost-effective email marketing automation?
Sendinblue offers the most cost-effective options. With their free plan, you can create automated emails and design workflows that make running your business smoother.