Alex Hormozi, founder of Acquisition.com, shared an email marketing strategy that generated $2.4 million in additional profit over five days using a targeted email campaign. His success story is a great example of how businesses with a large, untapped email list can drive significant revenue, even if that list hasn’t been nurtured for a while.
However, Hormozi’s campaign was based on a list of 3.3 million emails, built over several years. For those with smaller lists or none at all, there are still practical steps you can take to leverage the same principles. Let’s first break down Hormozi’s strategy and then explore ways to apply these tactics to a smaller or starting list.
Hormozi’s Email Campaign Strategy (For Large Lists)
- Context of the Business: Hormozi’s portfolio company primarily relied on paid ads for customer acquisition and had a large email list of 3.3 million subscribers. When ad performance dipped, they turned to email to hit revenue goals.
- Campaign Details:
- A 7-day challenge served as a lead magnet, creating a clear, actionable goal for prospects.
- 10,000 people registered for the challenge from the email campaign, with 800 people purchasing a $2,000 product, generating $1.6 million.
- Another 20% of those buyers upgraded to an $8,000 product, adding another $800,000 to the campaign’s revenue.
- Quarterly Cleanup: Hormozi emphasizes doing a similar email push once a quarter to continually re-engage the list and generate additional income.
Applying This to Smaller or No Lists
If you have a small email list or none at all, you can still apply the principles from Hormozi’s strategy to grow your list and generate revenue. Here’s how:
1. Building a List From Scratch
- Leverage Lead Magnets: Offer a high-value freebie like a checklist, guide, or mini-course in exchange for email addresses. Even though you may not have a large list yet, you can start small by delivering something valuable and tailored to your ideal audience’s needs.
- Collaborate for Cross-Promotion: If you’re starting with zero subscribers, partner with someone who already has an audience in your niche. Joint ventures or guest webinars where you offer your lead magnet can help build your list faster.
- Use Social Media: Drive traffic to a landing page with your lead magnet from social media platforms. Paid ads on Facebook, Instagram, or LinkedIn can also be affordable options for building an email list from scratch.
2. Re-Engaging a Small List
- Quality Over Quantity: With a smaller list, focus on creating highly personalized content. Segment your list based on user behavior or preferences to ensure every email feels personal and relevant.
- Engage with Valuable Content: Regularly share educational, entertaining, or useful content to build trust. You might not send as many offers, but creating goodwill with your audience ensures they’re ready to convert when you do make an offer.
- Nurture Through Automation: Use automation tools to set up a welcome sequence that introduces new subscribers to your brand and gradually builds trust before leading them to an offer.
3. Running a Campaign with a Small List
- Test Smaller Segments: Like Hormozi, you don’t need to target your entire list at once. Even if your list is small, run test campaigns with different offers or messaging to see what resonates best.
- Focus on High Conversion Rates: A smaller list requires a higher conversion rate to match larger-list campaigns. Invest in crafting compelling offers, clear calls-to-action, and strong lead magnets that deeply resonate with your audience’s pain points.
- Use Challenges or Events: Even with a small list, you can replicate Hormozi’s challenge idea. A 7-day challenge or live event provides immense value upfront and can drive conversions afterward by building trust and creating a sense of urgency.
4. Growing Engagement Over Time
- Consistency is Key: Engage your audience regularly with useful content to ensure they remain active and engaged. This could be through weekly newsletters, blog updates, or sharing industry insights.
- Use Referrals: Create incentives for your existing subscribers to refer friends or colleagues to join your email list. Offering exclusive content or discounts for referrals can quickly expand your reach.
- Run Smaller, Quarterly Cleanups: You don’t need millions of subscribers to run a quarterly email campaign. Even if you only have 500 people on your list, engaging them with valuable offers every quarter can yield significant results.
Final Thoughts
While Alex Hormozi’s example showcases the potential of a large email list, his strategy can be adapted for businesses with smaller or no lists. Whether you’re just starting or growing slowly, focus on delivering value, building trust, and being consistent with your efforts. Over time, these small steps will accumulate, and as your list grows, you’ll be in a stronger position to run impactful campaigns like the one Hormozi described.
The key takeaway here is that email marketing remains one of the most cost-effective and profitable channels for businesses of all sizes. Whether you have 100 or 100,000 subscribers, a well-crafted campaign can still yield high returns.