Email list building is an important practice in 2025 for maintaining a direct line of communication with your prospects and customers.

Why email? For starters, there are around 4.5 billion global email users, and 88% of people check their email daily.

Across all industries, the average email open rate is 32.6%—which means even though people’s inboxes are packed with emails, they’re still getting opened.

And here’s the best stat: The average ROI for email is $36 for every $1 spent.

Email is powerful—but many businesses have issues building and maintaining their contact lists.

In this article, we’ll share specific strategies for email list building in 2025, including the best tools and types of content.

What is email list building?

Email list building is collecting and managing a list of email addresses from those genuinely interested in your services or content.

Email subscribers are most commonly acquired through website signups, social media platforms, or events.

In 2025, personalized, direct communication is more critical than ever in cutting through digital marketing noise.

Your email list gives you complete control over how and when you engage with your audience, making it an effective tool for:

• Building relationships
• Nurturing leads
• Driving conversions

With email, businesses can segment their audiences to send highly personalized messages—and access detailed analytics. This data can help you build stronger, more targeted campaigns.

Building an email list from scratch: The foundations

Are you building an email list from scratch?

The process might seem intimidating, but it’s fairly straightforward: Deliver something valuable, and your audience will flock to you.

Create value-driven offers

People are far more likely to share their email addresses if they see an obvious benefit.

Compelling, value-driven offers include:

• Free resources: Downloadable ebooks, whitepapers, or guides
• Exclusive content: Subscriber-only access to content like research reports or expert interviews
• Webinars: Live or recorded webinars that answer questions or share valuable industry insights
• Offers: Discount codes, free consultations, or service bundles

At Kaleidico, our team created multiple lead magnets—including the 90-Day Mortgage Marketing Plan above—to share our proven strategies in exchange for a prospect’s name and email.

Leverage multiple touchpoints

Don’t unintentionally hide access to your email sign-up forms.

Make sure they are easily accessible wherever your audiences interact with you, including:

• Embedded website forms, pop-ups, or banners on all web pages
• Social media lead gen ads
• Email signature links
• QR codes on business cards or print ads
• Event signups

Keep your sign-ups simple and concise—a name and email address are all you need.

Email list-building strategies that work in 2025

Many people hesitate to hand over their emails and risk cluttering their inboxes with brands that send too many emails with nothing of great importance.

In 2025, email list-building strategies must be compelling enough to draw someone in and keep them happy. What’s the use of building a list if they unsubscribe after one or two emails?

Interactive engagement

Make it fun—interactive content encourages participation and a sense of connection to your brand.

Examples include:

• Contests or giveaways
• Quizzes, such as “How close are you to being mortgage-ready?”
• Surveys that dig into the reader’s challenges or what’s most important to them
• Gamified features like spin-to-win wheels or points for subscribing

Of course, in exchange, you must provide tailored content with quiz results, confirmation of receipt, or personalized tips.

Social proof and user-generated content (UGC)

Testimonials from satisfied customers hold the power of word-of-mouth marketing in 2025.

What others say about your brand matters—and can either build trust or make someone run.

Here are some examples of social proof or UGC:

• Real-life success stories
• Photos or reviews shared by happy customers
• Sharing blurbs about your email content on social media to spark interest

Personalized outreach campaigns

Personalized emails show your audience you understand what they need. It’s not as much about including their name in the emails as it is about giving them the content they care about.

These types of campaigns include:

• Segmented campaigns based on location, interests, or purchase history
• Dynamic content that changes automatically based on user preferences, such as curated recommendations
• Automated follow-up emails that are triggered by specific actions, like downloading a free resource

For example, personalized content in the senior living industry might involve separate email lists for seniors and their adult children.

The best method of building an email list: Combining tools and strategies

Building an email list will be much simpler in 2025 thanks to robust tools and platforms.

Let’s look at some of the best tools and services available today.

Email list-building tools to streamline the process

The correct email list-building tools depend on what you’re looking for.

For example, platforms like HubSpot are all-in-one, including a customer relationship management (CRM) platform with email marketing capabilities.

Tools like OptinMonster specialize in lead capture with customizable forms and pop-ups.

MailChimp is a user-friendly platform with many templates, segmentation capabilities, and automation options.

When choosing your tools, look for the following features:

• Automation
• Analytics
• Segmentation
• Customization

Email list-building services for expert support

Need help building your list? Do you have a team that’s already stretched to capacity?

You can outsource this work to a full-service marketing agency like Kaleidico or hire a contractor through a platform like Fiverr or Upwork.

Avoiding common pitfalls in email list building

Businesses must gain explicit consent from subscribers and include an easy-to-find unsubscribe link.

You also must include your business address and accurate sender information.

These regulations are part of the CAN-SPAM Act, designed to protect consumers. Familiarize yourself with these rules to avoid legal trouble.

Avoid spamming and overloading your subscribers’ inboxes, and regularly remove inactive subscribers and invalid email addresses to keep your list clean and improve deliverability.

How to nurture and retain your email list

An engaged, growing list requires ongoing effort.

Send consistent, high-quality content to establish your brand as a reliable source of information.

Experiment with different formats, such as newsletters or video content, to see which content your subscribers prefer.

Finally, take advantage of your email marketing tools’ metrics to continuously refine your campaigns.

Track the following metrics:

• Open rates
• Click-through rates (CTR)
• Unsubscribe rates
• Engagement by segment

Start building your email list today

Kaleidico’s email marketing services can help you capture valuable leads and deliver tailored campaigns with a custom-branded experience.

Ready to start building your email list? Schedule a discovery call with our team to get started!