A lot of creators think you need paid ads, fancy automations, or a YouTube channel to grow an email list.
That’s not how I did it.
I grew my email list to over 18,000 subscribers using nothing but free tools, a few lead magnets, and content I was already posting on Twitter and LinkedIn.
No paid funnels. No cold DMs. No spending hours building complicated systems.
Just simple content + a consistent system.
If you’re new here, I’m Sharyph—I help creators, solopreneurs, and digital product builders use AI and content strategy to grow online without burning out.
I’ve grown:
75K+ followers on X
8K+ on LinkedIn
18K+ newsletter subscribers
And made over 700+ sales of a $49 product—all with no ads.(this is one product.)
And today, I’m going to walk you through the exact playbook I used to turn my social media content into a list-building machine.
Let’s get into it.
1. Why You Need an Email List (Even If You’re Just Starting Out)
I didn’t take email seriously in the beginning.
I thought
“Isn’t Twitter enough?”
“I don’t want to spam people.”
“What would I even send them?”
But here’s what I realized after building an audience on social platforms:
You don’t own your followers. But you do own your list.
One algorithm change and your reach drops.
One account ban and you’re gone.
One bad day on the timeline—and no one sees your content.
But with an email list, you can:
Talk directly to people who chose to hear from you
Share ideas, products, and offers without fighting the feed
Launch with confidence (my biggest sales came from emails)
Build leverage—even if your social content flops
If you’ve ever felt like
“People like my content but no one buys.”
“I don’t know who my real audience is.”
“I have no control over what happens to my account…”
An email list solves all of that.
You don’t need a huge audience.
You don’t need to email daily.
You just need to start.
This is what I see on Gumroad Analytics: most of my sales came from direct emails.
2. Promoting the Lead Magnet With Content
This is where most people overcomplicate things.
They build a great free resource… Then bury it in their bio and never talk about it again.
That’s a mistake.
If you want people to join your list, you have to actively promote your lead magnet through content that already gets attention.
Here’s how I do it on the platforms I use every single day:
On Twitter (X):
Value Tweets
I write tweets that teach something specific and end with a CTA to download my free resource or subscribe to the email list.
Example:
I don’t promote this on every tweet. I plug this under a tweet if that tweet gets a certain number of like/shares.
I set this using Typefull, so it is automated.
Pinned Tweet
I keep a high-performing tweet about my lead magnet pinned to my profile.
Anyone visiting my profile sees it first.
I used the pinned tweet as a thread here. In this thread, you can see I have shared this post, as well as invited readers to join my newsletter.
On LinkedIn:
Story-Driven Posts
I’ll share a short story about a lesson, a struggle, or a win, and naturally plug the lead magnet/join the email list at the end.
No hard pitch.
Carousel Posts
This is usually the most engaging content on LinkedIn.
So, why not promote the email list or a related lead magnet here.
Also, I share the lead magnet or the newsletter link in the comment section as well.
On Gumroad:
One of my favorite passive strategies.
I offer my free products through Gumroad.
Anyone who downloads it I add to my email list.
This promotion strategy:
Builds trust through value first
Feels natural, not salesy
Works even when I’m offline
And the best part?
All of it ties back to a system—my funnel, which I’ll break down in a separate post. Stay tuned!
3. Creating a Lead Magnet People Actually Want
Here’s the truth:
Most lead magnets don’t fail because of design or tech issues.
They fail because nobody actually wants them.
When I first started, I made the mistake of creating what I thought was useful.
Now, I only create lead magnets that are:
Simple
Specific
And solve a clear problem my audience is actively talking about
The Formula I Use:
One quick win for one specific problem → connected to one paid product
Let me break that down.
It has to solve a clear, urgent problem
Your audience is busy. They’re overwhelmed.
They don’t want an “ultimate guide to everything.”
They want something they can use right now.
For example:
Instead of “How to grow on Twitter” → I made a 100+ Tweet Templates.
It should be specific and instantly valuable
Your lead magnet should feel like it’s worth paying for.
When someone downloads it, they should think:
“Wait… this was free?”
And when they finish using it, they should think:
“If this is free… I wonder what the paid stuff is like.”
It should directly lead to your product
Here’s a big mistake I see:
People give away a freebie that has nothing to do with what they sell.
Every lead magnet I create is intentionally designed to:
Build trust around a specific pain point
And bridge into the paid product I plan to sell later
Example from my funnel:
Freebie: 100+ Tweet Templates.
Paid offer: Twitter Success Mastery course ($49)
There’s no confusion. The path is clear.
Tools I use to create lead magnets:
Notion (for templates)
Canva (for PDFs and checklists)
Google Docs (simple and easy)
Gumroad (to deliver for $0 and collect emails)
The best part?
You don’t need 10 different freebies.
Just one great lead magnet, deeply tied to your product, promoted consistently, can grow your list and sales every single day.
If you want leads to your product or service, you may want to check this one.
4. Lessons I Learned From Growing My List
Growing an email list through free content sounds simple.
But simple doesn’t mean easy.
Here are the lessons I’ve learned after testing dozens of lead magnets, rewriting hundreds of posts, and figuring out what actually moves the needle:
a. People don’t sign up for “newsletters”—they sign up for solutions
When I promoted my newsletter directly, I got low conversions.
When did I promote a specific freebie that solved a problem?
Signups went through the roof.
The lead magnet gets them in.
The newsletter keeps them coming back.
b. The best lead magnets feel like products, not freebies
The more polished and specific your freebie is, the more valuable it feels.
That is my goal when I create any lead magnet.
When someone joins your list and gets a win within a day… you’ve built instant trust.
c. Repetition isn’t annoying—it’s necessary
You need to post your free resource more than you think.
Most people don’t see your post the first time.
Or the second.
Or the third.
The lead magnet that changed everything for me?
I promoted it dozens of times. With different angles, hooks, and formats.
If you believe it’s valuable, don’t be afraid to share it again and again.
d. Growth compounds when your offer, your audience, and your content are aligned
When your lead magnet solves a real pain point for the right audience—and your content constantly reinforces that solution—it creates a feedback loop.
People start tagging others.
You get shared more.
And your email list starts growing even on days you don’t post.
5. Biggest Mistakes I See People Making
You don’t need fancy tools or paid ads to grow your list.
But you do need to avoid these common mistakes I see over and over again:
a. Creating a “nice” lead magnet instead of a necessary one
This is the #1 trap.
People make checklists, PDFs, or guides that look good but don’t solve a burning problem.
Here’s the filter I use:
If your ideal audience saw your freebie, would they pause scrolling to get it?
If the answer is “maybe”… back to the drawing board.
b. Burying the lead magnet in their bio
A lot of creators treat their lead magnet like a museum artifact:
Buried in their link-in-bio… never mentioned again.
If you’re not talking about your resources, how can people know about them?
Remember this:
Your content should promote your lead magnet the way your lead magnet promotes your product.
c. Talking about features, not outcomes
Nobody wants “10 AI tools to write newsletters.”
They want: “How I Use AI to Create 20 Substack Notes from One Newsletter.”
Always sell the outcome, not the format.
d. Making it too hard to get
This one’s subtle.
Some creators put too many steps in the way:
A landing page with 5 paragraphs
A form that asks for your first name, last name, phone number, job title…
No instant access
Keep it smooth:
Value → One-click download → Instant win
That’s it.
e. Creating something disconnected from their content or paid offer
Your lead magnet should feel like the first step of a journey your content already started.
If your audience knows you for Email Marketing, don’t give away a free guide on “Pinterest SEO strategies.”
Confused people don’t convert—and they definitely don’t stick around.
If you can avoid these five mistakes, you're already ahead of 90% of creators trying to grow their list.
Don’t Let Your Best Content Go Unseen
You can create the perfect lead magnet.
You can offer massive value.
But if your content doesn’t reach enough people…
Your email list stays small. Your sales stay stuck.
Growing my list to 18,000+ subscribers didn’t happen because I got lucky.
It happened because I learned how to share content in a way that made people stop scrolling—especially on X and LinkedIn.
And that’s the exact reason I created my course Viral X Thread Blueprint. (you can get 50% off if you are a paid subsriber)