It’s the classic email list vs social media debate. And most business owners are backing the wrong horse.
You’ve spent months, maybe years, building your social media following. You’ve posted consistently. You’ve done the videos. You’ve done the hashtag dance (use them, don’t use them, use 30, use 4 🙄). You’ve engaged with other people’s content until your thumbs went numb.
And you’ve got a decent following to show for it. A few thousand, maybe more.
But here’s the uncomfortable question: how many of those followers have actually bought from you?
If the answer makes you wince, you’re not alone.
Because while it’s true that some businesses experience direct sales from their social media followers, for most, follower counts do not necessarily translate into meaningful conversions or sustained business growth.
Just last year (or maybe 2024), a popular Instagrammer with over 3 million followers launched a t-shirt line. How many t-shirts do you believe she sold with over 3 million followers? I’ll wait… the answer was less than 50! Because whilst she had a huge number of followers, the majority of those followers weren’t engaged.
The problem with followers
Social media followers are rented. Every single one of them. And social media, in general, is becoming increasingly pay-to-play.
You don’t own your Instagram account. You don’t own your LinkedIn profile. You don’t control who sees your posts, when they see them, or whether they see them at all.
One algorithm change and your reach drops off a cliff. One platform update, and the content you’ve been creating suddenly doesn’t get shown to anyone. One dodgy report from a bot account and your whole profile could disappear overnight.
It happens. More often than people like to admit.
And when it does? All those followers you worked so hard to build? Gone. Just like that.
Your email list, on the other hand, is yours. Properly yours. Nobody can take it away from you. No algorithm decides who gets to see your emails. No platform can throttle your reach because you didn’t pay for a boost.
When you hit send, it lands. Simple as that.
But nobody talks about email lists because they’re not sexy
I get it. Growing an email list isn’t as glamorous as watching your follower count tick up. There’s no dopamine hit from a well-performing email the way there is from a Facebook post that gets 200 likes.
But here’s what email does have: money.
People on your email list have actively said, “Yes, I want to hear from you.” They’ve handed over their email address, which, let’s be honest, people guard more carefully than their Netflix password these days.
That’s a level of intent that a casual Instagram follow doesn’t come close to.
A follower might scroll past your post while they’re half-watching telly. A subscriber opened your email on purpose. Big difference.
Small list, big results
There’s a myth that you need thousands of subscribers before email marketing is “worth it.” Absolute rubbish.
A list of 200 people who actually give a shit will outperform a list of 5,000 who signed up for a freebie three years ago and have since forgotten you exist.
I’ve helped businesses with a list of barely 1000 generate a £50k launch, or a list of 200 generate consistent enquiries every single month. Not because they had massive numbers, but because the people on their list were the right people. And they were actually emailing them regularly with stuff worth reading.
That’s the bit most people get wrong. They spend ages building their list and then never actually email anyone. Or they send a “monthly newsletter” that’s about as exciting as a terms and conditions update.
Your list doesn’t need to be big, but it does need to be engaged. And people need to hear from you more than once a month.
So what should you actually do about it?
If you’ve been neglecting your email list (or you haven’t even started one yet), here’s where to focus:
Build it with intention
Stop trying to get everyone onto your list and start attracting the right people. A lead magnet that speaks directly to your ideal client will always beat a generic freebie that attracts anyone with a pulse. Think about what your best clients actually need help with and create something around that. Create something that solves the first step towards their bigger problem.
Email them regularly
Once a week is a good rhythm for most businesses. And no, you’re not “bothering” them. They signed up. They want to hear from you, and they’re the ones closest to buying from you. The ones who don’t will unsubscribe, and that’s great. Better a small list of people who read every email than a bloated one full of ghosts.
Sound like yourself
This is where most business emails fall flat. They read like they were written by any random person. Your subscribers want to hear from YOU. Write as you’d talk. If you wouldn’t say “I hope this email finds you well” to someone’s face, don’t write it. (This is what I call the pub test: if you wouldn’t say it to a mate down the pub, it doesn’t belong in your marketing.)
Have a point
Every email should do something. Tell a story that leads somewhere. Share a lesson that connects to what you do. Give them a reason to reply, click, or book a call. “Just checking in” isn’t a reason. Give them something worth opening.
Don’t forget the call to action
You’d be amazed at how many business owners send emails with no actual ask in them. What do you want the reader to do? Book a call? Visit your site? Reply? Tell them. Clearly. Once. Don’t be weird about it.
Email list vs social media debate – the bottom line
Your social media following is a nice-to-have and helps build your visibility at the top of funnel. But your email list is where the actual business happens.
Followers are borrowed. Subscribers are yours.
Followers scroll past. Subscribers chose to be there.
Followers might see your content if the algorithm decides to. Subscribers get it delivered straight to their inbox.
If you’re spending hours on social media but haven’t sent an email to your list in weeks, your priorities are backwards. I say that with love. And a tiny bit of judgment 😂
Start treating your email list like the asset it actually is. Grow it intentionally. Email it consistently. Make it sound like a human wrote it.
That’s where your next clients are hiding.
Hey, I’m Em…
I’m a marketing strategist who escaped the soul-crushing world of corporate to build a business on my own terms. After rage-quitting 6 years ago with no plan (and somehow making it work), I now help established service-based businesses attract more qualified leads without the corporate bullshit.
Ready to stop getting ghosted and start converting?
If you’re tired of prospects going silent and want marketing that actually generates enquiries, let’s talk. My done-for-you services handle your entire marketing strategy so you can focus on running your business, doing what you’re great at.
Book a call, and let’s get your marketing making you more money.