Does list size matter? [the truth about email lists]

A lot of business owners focus on (and brag about) vanity metrics.

One of the vanity metrics that online business owners most like to talk about is email list size.

Here's the thing about that...

As is true with bumping bellies, it's not the size of your list that matters, it's what you do with it that counts.

Of course, there's a "minimum acceptable size." But, beyond that, it's all about the results.

That's why you can be assured that most of the braggers, while talking a big game, can't get it up consistently.

If they were able to work da magic, they wouldn't rely on size talk, you know what I'm sayin'?

The people who know what they're doing with their list prefer to keep it tighter and more agile.

For example, I have an email list for my other company that has around 10,000 people on it. Except, it could easily have 50,000 people on it if I treated it differently.

The reason it doesn't have double or triple the subscribers is because I go in every quarter and delete close to 2500 people who aren't opening or clicking. I've been doing that for years.

I also email very often. I started with once a week and then moved to three times a week. Now, I email almost daily (just like I do with this list).

Upping the frequency encourages people who aren't thirsty for what I have to offer, to unsubscribe.

For most email lists, a "good" return is to earn $1 per subscriber per month directly from your email list (not counting any other channels).

I earn significantly more than $1 per subscriber.

That's what I mean when I talk about performance.

List size doesn't matter if your open rates suck. List size doesn't matter if your CTR (click-through rate) sucks. List size doesn't matter if your subscribers don't want what you sell. And none of that stuff matters if you can't generate sales.

Do you need to be actively working on growing your email list? Absolutely. Without question.

But you should also be actively working on your technique and keeping your bidness from going limp.

Ain't nobody getting with Gumby, okay?