Can you build an email list without paying for a service

22 replies
I am trying to do this on a shoe string bidget and if possible I would like to start building a list of subscribers. I know i can use aweber or get response but i would prefer to do it without paying for these services.

If it is possible, could anybody tell me how? Is there a free service that is just as good, or am i going to have to bite the bullet and pay a monthly fee?

Thanks kindly....
#build #email #list #paying #service
  • Profile picture of the author drooblez
    You can do it for free. You can use something like phplist.com : Homepage : home.
    That is free to use, but you will have to host it on your own server.

    Listen, even though you could use phplist.com : Homepage : home, moving that list over to Aweber or GetResponse will be a pain in the ass. There are so many benefits of having Aweber or GetResponse instead of a self-hosted maling list.

    Personally, I would just bite the bullet.
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  • Profile picture of the author thadbong
    Mate, it's only $1 for Aweber for the first month. It's well worth what you pay for it, and if you've got everything set up already, and are just waiting on an autoresponder, I'd encourage you to get Aweber for a dollar, set up your list, convert one customer in the time that it'd take you to either set up something from scratch or use a non-standard tool and that one customer will end up paying for your Aweber subs many times over. Next month same trick: convert 1 customer, that customer basically pays for the service. Rinse, repeat.
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  • Profile picture of the author edmltw
    I am planning to start building my list when December comes. What's the biggest difference between self-hosted auto-responders and corporate ones like Aweber and Getresponse? What sets them apart from the rest?

    Ed
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    • Profile picture of the author DogScout
      Originally Posted by edmltw View Post

      I am planning to start building my list when December comes. What's the biggest difference between self-hosted auto-responders and corporate ones like Aweber and Getresponse? What sets them apart from the rest?

      Ed
      Self hosted ones use your email server. Many have limits on how many emails you can send & how often.

      Also, you need to comply with the 'canned spam' act which a paid AR will handle after consulting lawyers THEY pay for.

      By the time you pay a lawyer in order to be totally compliant, that alone will pay for the AR,

      That doesn't even mention the deliver-ability of a paid AR compared to your own email server. Get your email server blacklisted over a mistake or other reason and you can kiss any emails good-bye without a change of IP and moving everything.

      It just doesn't make sense using your own email servers unless you really know what you are doing and if you are asking questions like this, my take is you NEED a good paid AR service.

      My take on it anyway,
      Mark
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      • Profile picture of the author edmltw
        It's an international law?

        If so, I would Definitely go for a paid PR then..

        Ed

        Originally Posted by DogScout View Post

        Self hosted ones use your email server. Many have limits on how many emails you can send & how often.

        Also, you need to comply with the 'canned spam' act which a paid AR will handle after consulting lawyers THEY pay for.

        By the time you pay a lawyer in order to be totally compliant, that alone will pay for the AR,

        That doesn't even mention the deliver-ability of a paid AR compared to your own email server. Get your email server blacklisted over a mistake or other reason and you can kiss any emails good-bye without a change of IP and moving everything.

        It just doesn't make sense using your own email servers unless you really know what you are doing and if you are asking questions like this, my take is you NEED a good paid AR service.

        My take on it anyway,
        Mark
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  • Profile picture of the author Davioli
    I think Its more of a deliverability issue. When you host the autoresponder on your own server/host you won't get the same "inbox rate" that you would get with Aweber.
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  • Profile picture of the author Bill Corners
    I would go with aweber or getresponse right off the bat. When your list gets into the thousands and you can afford your own dedicated email server, then you can switch to autoresponse plus.

    There are plus and minuses to using either one, but for beginning, using a service is better.
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  • Profile picture of the author Work At Home
    You hosting account may have autoresponder but normally they will set a limit of outgoing email for day to avoid spamming form their user. I am using a free autoresponder with unlimited optin list, but I'm not sure whether I can put the link here. PM me if you really want the link.
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  • Profile picture of the author stefanjames
    If you want to do this right and build your list the right way and have your emails delivered I would use Aweber. You get a 30 day free trial for $1 so I don't how much more shoestring you can get. This will pay off for you down the line.
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    • Profile picture of the author Avdo
      Originally Posted by stefanjames View Post

      If you want to do this right and build your list the right way and have your emails delivered I would use Aweber. You get a 30 day free trial for $1 so I don't how much more shoestring you can get. This will pay off for you down the line.
      I agree..be serious and go with a pro from the start, this will push you to make some money in your first month, and return your next investments
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  • Profile picture of the author jazbo
    CanSpam is an American law, so not applicable elsewhere, but if you are hosted in the USA or the service you use in hosted in the USA then yes you fall under it.
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    • Profile picture of the author warriorkevin
      Yahoo is probably #1 problem you will have.
      Send the same message more than 5 times (estimating) and Yahoo auto dumps you. You can record what you get back from yahoo and it will be an auto generated message that says blocked as spam or something like that.

      Use EzineDirector - they are completely free for the first 250 people on your list. I have used them in the past and they are decent.

      I always get a response from support - which may actually still be the original creator and they are whitelisted with yahoo and others.

      It is easy to use yuor own, but in the long run you lose a lot.
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  • Profile picture of the author Glenn Leader
    If you haven't got the cash, might I suggest an alternate idea? Why not use
    Twitter to reach your niche, and when you start to see an income, you can
    consider your options. Lots of people bypass using autoresponders, preferring
    Twitter instead.

    I've had experience with some free AR's.. I suggest you avoid them like the
    plague... Unless of course you want them to send their messages to your lists.

    HTH

    Glenn
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  • Profile picture of the author Kanga
    i would appreciate very much if someone can tell me if Traffic Exchange is really Usefull or not? If so what is the technique to use to make it productive?
    It is so time consuming. I am trying to use all the traffic services avaible to drive traffic to my site, it is a wrong technique?
    Thanks in advance for your support.
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  • Profile picture of the author JohnMcCabe
    Originally Posted by Spiderpig View Post

    I am trying to do this on a shoe string bidget and if possible I would like to start building a list of subscribers. I know i can use aweber or get response but i would prefer to do it without paying for these services.

    If it is possible, could anybody tell me how? Is there a free service that is just as good, or am i going to have to bite the bullet and pay a monthly fee?

    Thanks kindly....
    If you truly need to bootstrap this, and you have a hosting account with cPanel and Fantastico, you have a couple of options.

    phpList is available through Fantastico, and it's free.

    You could also set up an old fashioned mailing list through cPanel. Again, it's free with your account.

    I know the conventional wisdom is to use an autoresponder service. I have a hunch the notion became conventional wisdom when aweber announced one fo the first affiliate programs that paid residual commission. As I recall, that's when most of the info that came out harped on aweber as the only real alternative.

    I'm not knocking aweber; in fact, I am an affiliate. I just don't use their service, as I prefer to keep more control.

    The only time you actually need the functionality of an autoresponder, self-hosted or third-party, is if you intend to set up a sequence of follow-up messages that go out automatically to every new subscriber at the same intervals.

    If all you ever intend to do is send one-off messages, an old-fashioned mailing list might do you fine until you have the experience and the means to make another decision.
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  • Profile picture of the author CodrutTurcanu
    It seems the user is not interested anymore in the topic?

    P.S. I highly recommend AWEBER even to people who are on a shoestring budget [and since I love the service, I made sure to offer all my clients some hot bonus gifts to help them quick-start their autoresponder campaign]
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  • Profile picture of the author michellegreen
    A great man once told me that you should always go in with your exit strategy in mind and I totally agree. Importing your list to a new service is not only a waste of your valuable time, but you can lose many subscribers if you have the double opt in issue.

    Many hosting providers limit the amount of emails you can send too, so it's important to consider this.

    Just remember - how serious are you and how big do you want to grow? If you're paying money each month, you have more incentive to succeed and make that expense worth it!

    $19 a month (aweber) is really not a lot to pay either - just over 60c a day!
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