I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again—email is king.

Email is your direct connection to your prospects and one of the best ways to engage your existing customers. It’s critical for building loyalty and brand voice. It’s also very important for nurturing your audience so they become loyal, repeat customers.

Therefore, it only makes sense to invest in building your email list. Trust me, it’s one of the best things you can do for your business. If you have the budget to invest in building your email list quickly, by all means, do so. Fortunately, it is entirely possible to build an email list for free. Here are some of my top methods:

1. Always add a call-to-action (CTA) in your bio

You often share a personal, interesting tidbit about your life on your social media bios, but adding a CTA as well can help drive people to your sign-up page and help you get more prospects. It doesn’t have to be long or complicated—even bullets or phrases will do the trick. Give it a try. Edit your top social media page bios today to include something like “Sign up for FREE content marketing tips here <add link>” and see how many new email signups you get.

2. Create a subscribers-only Facebook group

Exclusivity has always been a great draw for prospects. A great way to enhance the perceived value of your content is by starting a Facebook group that only verified subscribers can access. Of course, this means you also have to give them valuable, relevant content that only they can access via the page. You will have to invest a bit of time and effort into developing content to maintain it, but starting the page is free and easy. Plus, Facebook groups are really great for building a solid community of followers that help build brand loyalty.

3. Create original content

Creating original content is important for getting people interested in your business. Make it a point to develop new material to publish, whether on your blog, your social media pages, or your newsletters. If your audience knows you can be counted on to deliver great, relevant content, they’re more likely to sign up for exclusive access to your posts.

4. Offer lead magnets

Lead magnets help generate leads because they offer value in exchange for your prospects’ contact information. No need to use pop-ups or opt-ins. You can simply include a link or graphic that presents your offer where they can exchange their email address for access—simple, straightforward, and effective.

These are by far the most effective tools I’ve used to build my own email lists. I suggest you do these consistently to see a marked difference in your sign-up numbers. Give it a try and let me know how well it works for you in the comment section below. If you have any questions, feel free to join the conversation on our Twitter or LinkedIn.