16 Strategies to Grow Your List Authentically and Without Gimmicks
Pros, cons, and how to approach each marketing strategy in a way that feels good to you.
Entrepreneurs that want to build a values-driven online business often struggle with growth. Many of the strategies seem to require doing things that feel uncomfortable and are ethically questionable.
There’s a way to approach all the main growth channels in a way that feels good and is successful in growing your business.
So what exactly should you do to grow your list? And how should you approach it?
Below are 16 marketing channels to consider in growing your community business. I’ve included pros and cons of each, as well as thoughts on how to approach each in a way that feels authentic to you. To me, approaching something authentically means prioritizing our own humanity and connection with others.
It’s possible to lean into authenticity, no matter the growth strategy you chose. Here’s how.
Partner Workshops
For this channel, you focus on partnering with existing communities to present guest workshops or other events for their members.
Pros
Trust transfer from partner to you.
Doesn’t require daily consistency.
Cons
Usually requires speaking and/or teaching for free.
Success depends on the partner and who they’re able to attract.
How to approach it more authentically
Work with the same partners on an ongoing basis.
Customize your presentations to the audience you’re speaking to.
Co-hosting Events
These are events you co-host in partnership with another creator. You both promote and share the attendee list.
Pros
It’s fun collaborating with someone else in designing an event.
Access to an audience who already trust someone else.
Cons
Less control over what happens.
Because there’s more than one presenter, there may be more than one offer/CTA.
How to approach it more authentically
Invest in the partner friendship and talk about it at the event.
Workshops in other communities
For this channel, you focus on partnering with existing communities to present guest workshops or other events for their members.
Pros
Trust transfer from partner to you.
Doesn’t require daily consistency.
Cons
Usually requires speaking and/or teaching for free.
Success depends on the partner and who they’re able to attract.
How to approach it more authentically
Work with the same partners on an ongoing basis.
Customize your presentations to the audience you’re speaking to.
Partner events
These are events you co-host in partnership with another creator. You both promote and share the attendee list.
Pros
It’s fun collaborating with someone else in designing an event.
Access to an audience who already trust someone else.
Cons
Less control over what happens.
Because there’s more than one presenter, there may be more than one offer/CTA.
How to approach it more authentically
Invest in the partner relationship and mention it at the event.
Podcast Guesting
This strategy involves being a guest on others’ podcasts.
Pros
Usually doesn’t require a lot of prep.
The audience gets to know you intimately via conversations.
Cons
Finding the right podcasts requires time to research, outreach and follow up.
Can be hard to know audience size before pitching a podcast.
Approaching it more authentically
Get to know the podcasters before recording.
Before recording, set an intention to connect (with the host and with the audience).
Focusing your audience-building on Instagram as your priority platform. Using it as your growth platform involves creating sharable content and capturing leads.
Pros
Showing up on video builds intimacy.
Builds relationships with other creators.
Cons
Lots of distractions.
Not a platform that invites genuine connection.
Non-Reels posts are receiving limited reach lately.
Approaching it more authentically
Invite replies.
Make a close friends list and invite those who are interested to join.
Meta Ads
Buying ads via Meta’s network which displays on Facebook and Instagram.
Pros
Good for targeting specific profiles of members.
Can start small to test.
Cons
There’s a learning curve for getting to profitability.
Supports a company with questionable morals.
Approaching it more authentically
Point the ad to a live event or other connection opportunity.
Don’t use fake scarcity or other manipulative techniques in the copy.
Google Ads
Buying ads via Google which display on YouTube, and Google.
Pros
Access to a huge audience.
After initial setup, can work long term.
Cons
Hard to set up and get right long term.
Mostly targeted based on searches, usually requires writing relevant content on a website.
Approaching it more authentically
Point ad to content that genuinely adds value.
Be clear about you and your POV in the ad copy and page.
Newsletter Ads
This strategy is about finding relevant newsletters to advertise on.
Pros
Directly transfer trust from the newsletter writer to your offer.
When the audience is a good fit, conversions are high.
Cons
Requires trial and error to find the right audience.
Not as easy to repeat consistently.
Approaching it more authentically
Build long-term relationship with newsletter writer.
Let the newsletter writer write the copy introducing your offer.
Referrals
Referrals are about capturing new leads through recommendations usually from your existing members or previous clients.
Pros
Likely to attract more likeminded people by starting with existing members.
Builds affinity with existing members.
Cons
Requires a larger community in order to be effective as a main strategy.
Can sometimes produce a lack diversity in the community.
Approaching it more authentically
Offer referral rewards that connect them to the community (1:1 sessions, bonus time, etc).
Affiliates
Affiliates are people who agree to recommend your community or product in exchange for a fee. The transaction is usually tracked via unique links.
Pros
Once affiliate relationships are up and running, they can last with minimal maintenance.
Access to a much larger audience.
Cons
Monetary rewards can lead to reaching members that aren’t the right fit.
Incentives can be misaligned.
Approaching it more authentically
Only recruit affiliates that are a perfect fit in values and audience for your ideal members.
Build long-term relationships, checking in regularly and supporting your partners.
LinkedIn is a professional platform that includes a feed to share content via text, images and video.
Pros
Very effective and seems to be growing as a channel.
Works well with a professional audience.
There’s so much cringey content, that non-formulaic stuff stands out.
Cons
Not a platform that invites a lot of authenticity.
Very work-centric. Not a good fit for other audiences.
Approaching it more authentically
Write like yourself and don’t fall into formulas.
Connect with people who interest you, send non-spammy messages.
X or Threads
Threads and X (Twitter) are both short-form text social media platforms. At the moment, Threads is growing and X is shrinking, but they’re both a good place for content with a strong POV.
Pros
Conversational and casual.
Great for sharing ideas and connecting in the comments.
Cons
X is still relatively small.
Twitter is toxic and uncertain.
Approaching it more authentically
DM people you admire to continue the conversation.
Follow only those who you genuinely enjoy.
YouTube
A video platform with long-form and short-form videos. They’re known for pioneering revenue-share agreements with creators.
Pros
Large audience and effective algorithm in growing without running ads.
You can get paid for posting once your channel is monetized.
Cons
Video production is much more time consuming than other social media.
Approaching it more authentically
Choose long form videos over shorts to form deeper connection with audience.
Engage with viewers in the comments of yours and others’ videos.
PR
Public Relations is about building relationships with journalists and others who cover your niche.
Pros
Great for credibility.
Potential access to large audiences.
Cons
It is a much slower way to grow a list and business. Often doesn’t have direct ROI.
Low success rate.
Approaching it more authentically
Build relationships with writers.
Find a buddy to cowork with while you pitch PR opportunities.
Guest Blogging
Guest blogging involves pitching your writing to be featured on someone else’s website. For websites with a lot of traffic, it’s an opportunity to reach a new audience with your content.
Pros
Sometimes doesn’t require new work being created.
Exposure to a loyal audience in your niche.
Cons
Results are unpredictable.
Hard to find the right outlets.
Approaching it more authentically
Build relationships with other writers (again!)
Participate in writer communities where you can meet others with complementary blog audiences.
Facebook is a legacy social media platform. It still has a lot of daily users, though its audience skews a bit older.
Pros
Huge platform with not as much competition lately.
Great for older target audiences.
It has a homey vibe for the right member.
Cons
Many people have strong negative feelings towards the platform.
Because they have a free community product, paid communities are a harder sell there.
Approaching it more authentically
Have real conversations within existing free communities.
Use the DMs a lot.
TikTok
A video-based short-form content website known for its algorithm.
Pros
Huge audience.
Ability to grow fast.
Cons
Often content that does well doesn’t result in conversions. People tend to stay on the platform.
Could be rotting our brains.
Approaching it more authentically
Work with other creators of your size.
Don’t follow too many trends, make longer videos!
As you look at these options, consider:
Which of these is your primary channel?
Is the way you’re approaching it in line with building community?
Are there any you’d like to test as future marketing channels?
To build an expansive, repeatable growth system that is values-driven and authentic to your community, check out Community Growth Lab →
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