HOW TO SAFELY COLLECT EMAILS ON ETSY
Introduction
There are two common questions I get asked about by many Etsy sellers!
1. How do you legally build a mailing list from your Etsy customers, without annoying those customers, or going against Etsy’s rules?
2. Should you even bother with a mailing list if you have an Etsy store?
I can answer the second question immediately – yes you absolutely SHOULD have a mailing list with an Etsy store. In fact it is really, really important to have a mailing list with an Etsy store.
I won’t go into great detail about why that is in this post, but here’s one of my blog posts that covers that subject in more detail: Why You Need A Mailing List With An Etsy Store.
Ok. So assuming you understand the importance of having a mailing list with an Etsy store, the next question is how the heck do you build that mailing list safely and effectively, without putting your Etsy store at risk?
It IS possible to do this, and in this blog I’ll share some great ways you can build a mailing list from your Etsy customers, whilst ensuring your Etsy store stays safe, and your Etsy customers remain happy.
The last thing you want to do is anything shady in Etsy that causes you to lose your store, or create unhappy customers!
So let’s start by looking at some rules you must abide by, when you start to build your mailing list inside Etsy.
What You Cannot Do Inside Etsy To Add Etsy Customers To Your List
You should clearly understand Etsy’s seller policies when it comes to building an email list from your Etsy customers, because there are some strict rules around building a mailing list from your Etsy customers.
Here’s what it says inside Etsy’s policies:
“Without the buyer’s consent, and subject to other applicable Etsy policies and laws, you may not add any Etsy member to your email or physical mailing list.”
And here’s what it says inside Etsy’s Seller Handbook;
“Remember, you should never add customers’ emails to your list without their consent. Not only is it against Etsy’s policies — it’s also illegal in many countries. The goal is to create a list of people who want to hear from you. A solid list of subscribers translates to higher open rates (the percentage of your subscribers who actually open your email) and more click engagement with your content. When building your list, focus on quality over quantity.”
In short, what Etsy is saying here, is that you MUST have the customer’s permission to add them to your mailing list.
This means that if you have any email marketing integration connected to your Etsy store that AUTOMATICALLY adds customer’s emails to your mailing list, without them giving you their permission, you’re not only going against Etsy’s policies, but you’re also doing something that’s illegal in many countries.
However much you may want to take a shortcut and automatically add your Etsy customer’s emails to a mailing list without their consent, you’re taking a really big risk doing this.
I know some Etsy sellers who are being foolhardy, and they are doing this with their Etsy customers.
I would absolutely advise against you going this route to add Etsy customers to your mailing list. It is not worth the risk.
So let’s move on to look at some SAFE ways you can add Etsy customers to your mailing list.
Firstly. You will have to assume 100% responsibility for having good strategy in your Etsy store to encourage your Etsy customers to join your mailing list.
This will take time, planning, and maintaining.
You’ll also need to adopt as many inventive ways as you can, to encourage your Etsy customers to join your list inside Etsy’s platform.
Safe Ways To Get Etsy Customers On To Your Mailing List
1. Shop Banner – you can add a scannable QR code in your shop banner that people can scan to get on to your mailing list.
You should make sure you indicate what that QR code is for, to encourage people to scan it.
Here’s what my shop banner looks like with a scannable QR code on it:
There’s a bonus video below where I show you how to create QR codes in Canva to use them to encourage people to join your mailing list.
You could also, an alternative, put a url on your shop banner – again with a note to let people know what that url is for.
If you add a url to your shop banner, make sure it’s an easy one to remember, so that people can quickly type it into their browser window.
Example – https://www.yourdomain.com/freebie is much easier to remember than https://www.yourdomain.com/gotothislinkforyourfreebie123.
2. Shop Announcement – you can add information inside your shop announcement in Etsy to tell people about your freebie, and give them an easy url they can copy and paste in to their browser window.
You have to promote what your freebie is! There’s no point simply saying “go here to get my freebie”. That doesn’t give people any incentive to take action.
You need to get people excited about your freebie, by telling them what it is, and more importantly how it’s going to help them, and the huge value they’ll get from signing up to your email list to get your freebie.
3. About You – another section in your Etsy store where you can add information about your freebie – in the same way you can in your shop announcement (above).
Remember – you don’t know which areas of your Etsy store your Etsy customers are going to check out – so sharing about your freebie in any SAFE space you can on Etsy is a great way to make sure you’re covering all bases, and giving your freebie the greatest chance of being seen.
4. Etsy Conversations – you have to be careful about this, but you can make reference to your lead magnet (your freebie), in Etsy conversations.
The best way to do this is after a customer has purchased from your Etsy store, you send them a thank you message inside Etsy.
In that message you can gently let them know you would love to help them more by giving them a freebie that they can immediately get access to, if they use the url link that you drop inside that message.
You cannot be overly spammy about this.
Do it once, and then leave the customer alone, unless that Etsy customer decides to share multiple messages with you through the platform.
Then you may be able to make reference to your lead magnet freebie more than once.
5. Product Description – you can make reference to your freebie inside your product descriptions.
Be careful not to make this confusing to your audience.
I generally tend to add information about my freebies at the end of the product listing.
I make it very clear that I’m now talking about something that is not the product.
I have a title in capitals that says something along the lines of “YOU MAY FIND THIS FREE X USEFUL”.
Under that heading I then go on to explain what the freebie is, how great it is, the value it has for the customer, and how they get it through the url link I add in that space.
6. Etsy Shop Product Preview Photos – if you can’t use all 10 listing images for your products on Etsy, then save one, and make that product image about your lead magnet.
This gives you the chance to showcase that freebie visually.
Again, you can add the url or a QR code to the image, with some information telling your Etsy customers what the freebie is, and how much value it will give them.
Make sure they recognise that on that image it’s a separate message/visual to the rest of the images that are about your product.
You need to make things as clear and as simple as possible for people visiting your store, and checking out your products.
7. Inside Digital Products – I do this with all the digital products I have for sale on Etsy.
Somewhere inside that digital download is a scannable QR code, a clickable url (if the downloadable is in pdf format), and a typed out url that can be copied and pasted into a browser window.
I typically take up an entire page promoting my freebies inside my digital files.
This has worked well for me.
When some of my Etsy customers have purchased those digital files, they have then gone on to join my email list through the information I provide about my freebies inside those digital files.
This is well worth doing if you sell digital products on Etsy. You’ll see an example of how I do this in the bonus video training below.
8. In Products You Send – whilst this is not technically inside Etsy, it still counts.
Any product you ship to any Etsy customer should contain information inside that promotes the freebie you offer, to get people on to your mailing list.
There’s simply no reason to skip doing this.
You can add QR codes to your packaging, you can have cards or leaflets you pop in your product boxes that have scannable QR codes on them.
Your goal is to get your freebies visible in as many places as possible, so that your Etsy customers have a greater chance of seeing the freebie you offer.
Free Video Training – How To Use Canva To Create QR Codes For Etsy Customer Email Sign Ups
BONUS TIP: You can use Canva to create as many QR codes as you want for your small business, it’s easy to do this! If you’d like to see a quick video that shows you how, check it out below.
You Can’t Just Expect All Your Etsy Customers To Jump On Board!
When you start to promote your mailing list to your Etsy customers, you can’t just expect everyone to jump on board.
You have to have some sort of incentive you’re willing to give to your Etsy customers in order to encourage them to join your mailing list.
A popular way to do this is to have a higher discount code or coupon code for use in Etsy that you let people have through a welcome email, that you send out when they join your list.
This incentive not only encourages sign-ups, but also helps boost your Etsy sales at the same time.
Discount codes are not the only incentives you can offer though.
There are lots of different ways you can encourage your Etsy customers to join your email marketing list.
Here’s a list of the most popular options small businesses use:-
- Exclusive Discounts: Provide special discounts or early access to sales for your subscribers that they can only get by joining your list.
This allows you to create exclusive discounts and sales for those people on your list, that can be used inside Etsy. This can make people feel special, and that is important for community and list building. - Freebies: Offer free digital downloads, mini training courses, ebooks, checklists, or templates that will be of value to your customer, that will make them want to become one of your email subscribers.
You don’t have to do all of these things! But choose the one(s) that you know your customers will get most value from. - Educational Content: Share valuable tips, tutorials, or guides related to your products or niche inside your emails, and let your Etsy customers know this is the kind of content they get with your emails that you don’t share anywhere else.
This is a little like giving away freebies (2. above), except you’re keeping this information inside your emails as part of your email marketing strategy.
The great thing about doing this, is it encourages your mailing list subscribers to keep opening your emails for the next nugget of wisdom you’re showing up to share. - Contests or Giveaways: You can host contests or giveaways with entry contingent on subscribing to your mailing list.
I ran a giveaway where I encouraged my Etsy customers to join my list, and the giveway was a £225 coaching session with me for one lucky person drawn from my list every month. - VIP Access: Grant subscribers access to limited edition products. This may well be products or services you do not share on Etsy – making it really exclusive just to those on your mailing list.
You can promote this to your Etsy customers through the all the safe spaces inside Etsy that I have covered above.
When you look at these options, you have to make sure you choose the freebies that are most relevant to your customer base on Etsy.
It’s not going to be of any value to you to create educational content for your Etsy audience, if they have zero interest in this, and would in fact prefer an exclusive discount.
So make sure you take the time to consider who the customer is that purchases from you, to know their wants and needs, and to think about an incentive you can offer them to join your mailing list that is something that will be of such great value to them, that they would struggle to say no.
How Your Mailing List Sign Up Works
When you know what incentive you’ll offer to encourage Etsy customers to join your list, you need to make sure you have all the bells and whistles in place to make this a seamless journey for your customers.
So when someone decides they want your freebie, and they sign up through any of the places you have advertised that sign up in your Etsy store, they should be able to easily get to your sign-up form.
That sign-up form should be hosted on a landing page that really showcases the freebie you are offering.
When anyone fills out your sign-up form to be added to your list, they should be re-directed to a thank you page that tells them what happens next.
As soon as they have been added to your mailing list, you should have a welcome email automation in place that goes straight out to them and thanks them for joining your list.
That welcome email should let the subscriber know that you have their best interests at heart and you are there to serve them well.
That welcome email should also deliver their freebie to them.
This means your email marketing provider will automatically fire off your welcome email, saving you the worry of having to do this subscriber by subscriber.
Having that welcome email as an automation gives you peace of mind that your customer is going to get an email with the freebie inside immediately after they join your list.
- Bonus tip – on the thank you page that your Etsy customers are directed to after they have filled in your mailing list opt in form, you should tell them to check their mailbox for their freebie AND you should also tell them to check their SPAM folder if they don’t see your welcome email in their inbox. In addition you should provide an email address where they can reach out to you in the event they can’t find their freebie in their mailbox. This is a way to immediately start giving great customer service to your subscribers.
I have a blog that can help you with create a welcome email nurture sequence you can use when someone joins your list. You can check that blog post out here.
It’s easy to set up email automation on any email marketing platform.
Whichever platform you choose, you may not be able to use automations on the free plan for that platform.
You may have to start to pay for the email platform, and be prepared to pay that extra cost, in order to build out automations, that over the longer term will save you time, and help you engage more effectively with your list.
When an Etsy customer has joined your list and you’ve fired off that first automated welcome email with their freebie inside, don’t just leave it there.
As soon as you have ANYONE on your list, it is your responsibility to maintain constant contact with those list subscribers.
Every one of those people are potential customers who can, and will buy from you again and again, if you commit to building great relationships with them through your email list.
A lot of people are really lazy about their mailing list, failing to understand how powerful that list can be for building deep relationships with the list subcribers, and ultimately selling many more products to that list when they have good, consistent email marketing strategy in place.
Your email subscriber list is like gold.
Treat the people on it well.
Make them feel they are valued by providing them with exclusive content, early access to products, VIP discounts they won’t get anywhere else, and watch those people become more loyal customers of your brand.
It’s difficult to create good community inside of Etsy.
That’s why your mailing list is so important to your Etsy store.
That’s why you need strategy to get an opt-in in place across your Etsy store, and then promote that opt-in in as many safe places as you can inside Etsy.
Conclusion
Building a mailing list from your Etsy customers is not only a valuable marketing strategy, but also a way to build community and safeguard your business.
By adhering to Etsy’s policies and respecting your customers’ consent, you can cultivate a loyal subscriber base on your mailing list, who eagerly engages with your email content and offerings.
Remember, the key to mailing list success lies in providing compelling incentives, maintaining transparency, and fostering genuine connections with your audience.
Whether it’s exclusive discounts, educational content, or community engagement, your goal is to offer value and build trust with your subscribers so that they stay on your list longer term, and purchase your products through your email content, time and time again.
As you embark on your journey to grow your mailing list from your Etsy store, approach it with creativity, integrity, and a genuine desire to serve your customers.
Know that the more you focus on your list building strategy, encouraging as many of your Etsy customers to join your list as you can, you will see greater success in your small business.
Are You Struggling To Make Your Small Business A Success?
If you’re putting in all the hard work inside your business, but you’re failing to see the results you really need, I’m here for you.
If you would love to start to achieve life-changing 40k results in your business, let’s take that journey together.
Your first step to 40k results is to come and join my free 40k Club Facebook group for female small business owners.
Inside that group are ladies who are right now working to achieve 40k goals across their businesses.
– 40k revenue goals,
– 40k Etsy sales
– 40k mailing list subcribers
– 40k likes, follows, shares, downloads, and more.
40k is completely achievable, and could be life changing for your small business.
I’m here to help you with that journey, and to help you make your 40k goals a reality.
Time to get excited about reaching your 40k goals – whatever those goals may be!
Here’s the link to join my 40k Club on Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/groups/your40kclub
Resources
I have some great blogs you might find useful!
HOW TO PROMOTE YOUR ETSY STORE ON PINTEREST
TEN ETSY LISTING MISTAKES TO AVOID
WHY YOU NEED TO HAVE A MAILING LIST WITH AN ETSY STORE
Freebies
More free resources from me, to help you take your small business to the next level:
FREE PINTEREST WEBINAR TO HELP YOU DRIVE ORGANIC TRAFFIC TO ETSY