An important facet of marketing is your email list. This is an essential tool for all yoga teachers (and all small business owners) who want to gain traction and communicate with their people on a personal level.

Your yoga business website can be an excellent place to gather email addresses and begin building your sales funnel, but in a post-pandemic world that thrives on virtual classrooms, there’s an even simpler way to grow your audience. Below is my step-by-step guide to turning your online classes into new email subscribers.

Break through the noise.

There is so much noise on the internet, and this is precisely what makes email lists so valuable. When compared to a new social media post amongst a hundred other new posts, an email is personal, intimate, and more readily acknowledged by the receiver. Even if you’re not interested in sending frequent newsletters or marketing campaigns, emails can be a fun way for students to get to know you better! It’s a direct line of communication between you and your biggest supporters. You’re free to be vulnerable with your thoughts and ideals, and if you strike a chord with a new client, you might just turn them into a lifelong follower.

Choose an email software.

To begin building your email list, you’ll need to choose an email software that’s right for you. MailChimp is a great option for beginners; it’s free up to 2,000 contacts, and it’s super user-friendly. If you already have an email list but would like to upgrade your software, I highly recommend ConvertKit. It has more functionality than MailChimp and is free up to 1,000 subscribers. Other great options include AWeber and Constant Contact, which come highly recommended by friends of mine. I suggest researching each platform to determine which one will serve you and your business best. Consider your current subscriber count, your ideal subscriber count, your business goals, and your budget as you shop.

Alternatively, if your website is built through Wix or OfferingTree, you are set up with integrated email options. This means you can automatically send emails to students who are registering for classes through your site.

Start collecting email addresses.

There are a few ways to start building your email list, depending on your unique situation. Here are some common scenarios and best practices for each:

For the yoga teacher who doesn’t currently have a website and is teaching classes via Facebook and/or Instagram Live: Start by transitioning your online classes from social media to Zoom. This is more legally sound, and you’ll be better able to invest in your students. This is also great for your email list because you’ll need somewhere to send your Zoom link, which will require clients to give you their email addresses.

For the yoga teacher who doesn’t currently have a website and is already using Zoom but has been asking students to DM them for the link: Start by asking students to DM you their email addresses, and let them know that you’ll be emailing the Zoom link. This will make your online classes smoother in addition to growing your list.

For the yoga teacher who has a website: Start by adding an email signup form or button to your site so that your students can easily connect with you. This will encourage others (anyone who visits your website) to subscribe as well. Consider posting your class schedule and email signup on the same page so that new students can easily be added to both your classes and your list.

Note: Each option could be tricky if you’re using separate Zoom links for each class. If this is the case, you can use different email signup forms for each class, or it might be helpful to consider using your personal meeting ID for all classes.

Consider using intermediary software.

An intermediary software program will allow your students to sign up and pay for classes through your website. I use Acuity in my own business, and I highly recommend it. You can integrate Acuity into your site or create a button that sends students to your Acuity page. From there, they can pay for classes, and you can set up Acuity to send out your Zoom link automatically. You can also have Acuity add students to your email list once they’re signed up for classes.

Building your email list this way would enable you to use your list for more personal communications, as opposed to simply sending out Zoom links more efficiently. Maybe you want to send out a few tips for a great yoga practice or a healthy recipe you love. Whatever you’re excited about, intermediary software makes it possible to chat about it with your audience.

This step may sound unnecessarily complicated, but it will actually simplify your life (and the lives of your clients) in the long term. Once your intermediary software is set up, it will be a huge time-saver.

Start sending emails!

Now that you’ve collected email addresses organically through your online offerings, you can begin sending emails to your list. Take a deep breath, dig deep, and have fun!

Pro Tips for Building Your Email List

1. Always let people know when they’ll be added to your email list. If you’re taking someone’s email address for any reason, it’s important that they know what you’ll be doing with it.
2. Give people the option to unsubscribe from your email list. All email software comes with an unsubscribe option, and in the interest of being a kind human being (and running a legally sound business), you’ll want to keep that option readily available for your audience members.
3. Offer a freebie in exchange for an email address. Consider creating a free meditation, yoga video, PDF, or ebook for your audience to enjoy, and attach it to an automated email that sends to all new subscribers.
4. Focus on nurturing your subscribers. Get to know your people. This is one of the main reasons to build an email list, and it’s hugely rewarding to cultivate relationships in this way.
5. Don’t be afraid to invest in your business! If you hit the free subscriber limit and have to start paying a monthly fee for your email software, congratulate yourself. People are signing up for, reading, and recommending your work. This is awesome!
6. If your Zoom link is currently in your bio, replace it with the signup link for your newsletter. If you don’t currently have a website, use your email software to create a landing page where people can subscribe.

Yoga Business OmWork

Let’s start building your email list!

1. Research and choose email software based on your business goals and budget.
2. Start collecting email addresses using one of the three templates above.
3. Send your first email newsletter!

Listen to “How to Build Your Email with Your Online Classes”

Photo by Solen Feyissa on Unsplash