The Easiest Way To Grow Your Email List Without A Website

Most creators delay building an email list because they think they need a website.

You don’t.

Tools like ConvertKit (now called Kit) and Manychat let you collect subscribers, nurture them, and even sell digital products without ever touching WordPress or Webflow.

Here’s how you can grow a list and start making sales without a website.

Why Creators Don’t Necessarily Need A Website

A website is a good thing to have and builders like Squarespace make it easier than ever before. But they’re not essential.

Plenty of modern creators and influencers run huge media empires without ever launching a dedicated website.

They use social media to collect leads and a mailing list platform to nurture and sell to them.

I’ve used ConvertKit since about 2018 because it is designed specifically with content creators in mind which means it ships with everything you need right out the box:

• Hosted signup pages: ConvertKit creates landing pages for you. Share the link anywhere and start collecting emails today.
• Social-first growth: Your audience is already on Instagram, TikTok, or Twitter. Use those platforms as your funnel.
• Direct monetization: ConvertKit lets you sell digital products and paid newsletters from your email list. No checkout pages or sites required.
• Automation: With Manychat (a separate tool that’s well worth checking out), followers can join your list straight from Instagram DMs or Facebook comments.

Step 1: Set Up ConvertKit, Build Your First Landing Page

1. Get yourself a ConvertKit account; prices start from as little as $15 per month.
2. Use the free landing page builder to create a signup page. You don’t need design skills. Choose a template, add your text, upload an image, and publish.
3. Copy your unique link. This is now your “website.”

You don’t have to use ConvertKit (now called Kit, by the way). But it’s what I use, so I’m sticking with it for the sake of simplicity in this guide.

Other options include Octopus Email, Mailer Lite, and ActiveCampaign.

Just don’t use MailChimp; it sucks and the platform itself is run like a North Korean prison.

Kit comes with a built-in landing page builder and if your design chops aren’t up to scratch you can use the included templates.

There’s about 30 or so, and they all look professional.

I tend to just use the templates and then just change the colors and copy.

Once you have your landing page built and it looks good, you’re basically done.

Just hit publish, get the share link, and you now have an online page for collecting emails.

Simple, right?

Step 2: Create a Lead Magnet

Nobody is going to just sign-up to your mailing list just because you ask them to. You need to give them a reason.

This is where lead magnets come into the mix.

A lead magnet is a freebie, something you give away in exchange for a person’s email address.

It could be anything you like but the usual suspects include:

• A checklist or cheat sheet
• A free PDF guide
• A video training or mini-course
• An exclusive discount or bonus

You’ll need to add it as a download when you’re setting up your landing page.

Again, this is simple: go to the settings tab > select incentive and then attach your lead magnet.

In the example above (which is the current lead magnet I’m using on this site) it’s a link to a Google Sheet.

You might have a PDF or a link to a private YouTube video.

The format doesn’t matter, so long as you attach it correctly. Kit will ensure the user sees it as soon as they confirm their email address.

Step 3: Getting People To Sign-Up To Your Mailing List Using Social Media

It doesn’t matter what social media platform you’re using.

With automation tools, you can hit all the major ones with a single update using tools like N8N or ActivePieces.

The key is to standout and deliver value.

This means your lead magnet has to solve a problem or help with something specific.

Generic stuff doesn’t work; you need to go hard on value and usefulness.

Spend time on this, ruminate on what your audience struggles with and then position your lead magnet as the solution.

I know a lot of beginner creators don’t have loads of cash, for instance, so the lead magnet we’re running at moment taps into that; it’s a breakdown of 24 free creator tools.

It’s not the best lead magnet in the world but it’s got a conversion rate of 8% which isn’t too bad.

Once you have your lead magnet designed and published, add the link to your social media accounts inside the bio.

Then promote it often.

• End posts and Stories with a clear CTA: “Grab the free guide, link in bio.”
• Use carousels or short videos to tease the lead magnet.
• Pin posts that promote your email list.
• Share results from your content and invite followers to learn more inside your newsletter.

Step 4: Want To Speed Up Lead Acquisition? Use Automation Tools Like Manychat

How do top creators add hundreds of new subscribers every week? They use Manychat.

If you’re not familiar with Manychat, read my guide on how to use Manychat and best practices. It covers everything you need to know.

Manychat automates the process of collecting emails directly from Instagram DMs.

If you’ve got a rock-solid lead magnet and you already have a decent-sized audience, you could be looking at potentially hundreds of new email subscribers a week.

Here’s how it works:

1. Set up a keyword trigger. When someone comments a word like “Guide” or “List,” Manychat instantly replies with your ConvertKit signup link.
2. Build simple flows. Manychat can capture emails inside Instagram or Messenger chats, no forms required.
3. Send subscribers straight to ConvertKit. Every new contact goes directly into your list.
4. The result: casual followers become email subscribers automatically, without websites, landing pages, or extra clicks.

The benefit of doing this this way is that it works round the clock, 24/7. There’s no manual work involved, save for setting up the initial settings.

Then you just post content, add the CTA, and let Manychat do the rest.

I use Manychat, both on my own sites and projects and when I’m working with clients.

It’s one of the simplest methods for converting social media followers into email subscribers.

And it ain’t just me that loves it:

Manychat has taken my consultancy business into the stratosphere. We’ve been using it for 4 months and not only have grown our follower base (which we weren’t even trying to do) we’ve started converting like crazy.

I was at a decent 5% already and now we’re at 20%. Even better is that it’s helping us drive peple to our blog, which never got any love before.

Highly recommend it to anybody looking to drive people off the IG platform. Never going back to usin link in bio.

TrustPilot Review

Step 5: Nurture, Be Useful, Be Available & Sell

Getting people onto your email list is hard. But keeping them happy and engaged? That’s when the real work starts.

If you’re covering lots of different topics, you’ll want to segment your subscribers by interest or topic.

Kit makes this easy with automations and tags.

If someone signs up because they’re interested in social media, they probably don’t want to know about link building.

Keep your subscribers nice and organized.

The Importance of The Welcome Email.

I’d recommend sending a welcome email as soon as someone subscribes.

Keep it light and introduce yourself, explain what happens now they’re part of your community, and what they can expect.

Ask your new subscribers to add your email address to their VIPs or contacts.

For an extra boost, encourage them to reply to your welcome email.

Both actions tell Gmail and Apple Mail that your messages are important.

This increases the chance that future emails land in the inbox instead of promotions or spam.

Use Sequences, They Save Time…

I like using sequences in ConvertKit because they let me create a full series of high-value newsletters and schedule them in advance.

Once the sequence is set, every new subscriber who’s tagged for it starts receiving the emails automatically.

For example, you could load 10 emails into a sequence and set them to send every Friday. That’s 10 weeks of content handled in one sitting, and every subscriber gets the same journey no matter when they join.

Here’s a simple 10-email sequence example, so you can see what one might look like:

1. Welcome Email – Introduce yourself, set expectations, and thank them for joining.
2. Your Story – Share your background and why you create content. Build connection.
3. Quick Win #1 – Deliver a small, actionable tip they can use right away.
4. Quick Win #2 – Another short tip, ideally with a resource or tool recommendation.
5. Deeper Dive – A longer tutorial, guide, or how-to that showcases your expertise.
6. Case Study – Show how you or someone else solved a problem using your methods.
7. Behind the Scenes – Pull back the curtain on your workflow or process.
8. Engagement Email – Ask readers to hit reply with a question or experience. Boost deliverability.
9. Product/Offer Intro – Soft pitch for your digital product, course, or paid newsletter.
10. Strong CTA – A direct offer with a bonus or limited-time incentive.

By mapping it out this way, you turn a single batch of writing into a structured system that builds trust, delivers value, and drives sales over time.

And the best part? If you have a steady flow of people joining your mailing list, you’ll constantly have people moving through the sequence which means more conversions, more calls, more whatever your key metrics are.

Do You Need A Mailing List? You’d Be Insane Not To Have One. Here’s Why…

• Email open rates average 19–21%, compared to 1–3% organic reach on social.
• Email ROI is $36–$42 per $1 spent, the highest of any channel.
• 60% of consumers prefer email for brand updates, not social.
• Creators have scaled lists by 2,000% in a year using Instagram + ConvertKit without running websites.

You don’t need a website to grow an email list; that’s the bottom line here. But you shouldn’t write-off having a website, they can be incredibly useful.

To get started, however, all you need is an email marketing platform (I use Kit; it’s well priced and great for creators) and, if you wanna grow in a hurry, Manychat.

And that’s literally it. You can do landing pages, sell digital products, and nurture your audience all from inside Kit.

Your list is your most valuable asset. Don’t wait to set up a website. Start building it now. You can thank me later!

Recommended Tools From This Post:

• ConvertKit (Now Called Kit)
• Manychat
• View all recommended creator tools.