Why You Need an Email List as a Social Seller

If you're selling products or services through social media, you might think that building an email list isn’t necessary. After all, you already have followers engaging with your posts, right?

But here’s the reality: Relying solely on social media for sales is risky and limiting. Having an email list gives you direct access to your audience, more control over your business, and a way to boost sales without being at the mercy of algorithms.

In this blog, we’ll chat about why an email list is a powerful tool for social sellers.

1. You Own Your Email List (Unlike Social Media Followers)

One of the biggest mistakes social sellers make is building their entire business on rented land—aka social media.

Here’s the problem:
❌ Social media platforms can change their algorithms, reducing your reach.
❌ Your account could get suspended or hacked, cutting you off from your audience.
❌ Platforms can disappear (remember MySpace or Vine?), taking your followers with them.

But when you have an email list, you own it. No one can take it away from you, and you can reach your audience anytime you want.

A few years ago my Instagram account (with 15,000 followers) was hacked in a matter of seconds. I wasn't ever able to get it back. Lesson learned.

2. You’re Not Competing with the Algorithm

On social media, your posts only reach a fraction of your followers unless you pay for ads or crack the algorithm. This means that even if you have 10,000 followers, only a small percentage will actually see your content.

With email, your message lands directly in your subscribers’ inboxes. Even if they don’t open every email, they’ll at least see your name, keeping you top-of-mind.

3. Email Helps You Build Stronger Relationships

Social media is great for attracting new leads, but it’s not always the best for deepening relationships.

With email, you can:
✅ Send personalized content based on interests and past purchases.
✅ Share exclusive deals and updates to make subscribers feel like VIPs.
✅ Automate follow-up sequences to stay in touch with potential buyers.

This level of connection turns casual followers into loyal, repeat customers.

4. Email Lists Convert Better Than Social Media

The goal of social selling is to make sales, and email marketing is one of the most effective ways to do that.

📧 Studies show that email marketing has an average ROI of 4,200%—meaning for every $1 spent, businesses make $42 back!

Why? Because people on your email list are already interested in what you sell. They’ve given you permission to contact them, making them warmer leads than random social media followers.

5. You Can Automate Sales with Email Sequences

One of the biggest advantages of email marketing is automation.

Imagine this:
🔹 A new follower signs up for your email list → they get a welcome email introducing your brand.
🔹 A few days later, they receive an email showcasing your bestselling products.
🔹 If they don’t buy, they get a follow-up email with a special discount.

All of this happens automatically, helping you nurture leads and close sales without extra effort.

6. You Can Use Email to Drive More Social Engagement

Just because you have an email list doesn’t mean you stop using social media. In fact, you can use email to drive more engagement on your social platforms!

Ways to do this:
✔️ Send an email with your latest Instagram post and ask people to comment.
✔️ Share exclusive behind-the-scenes content and invite subscribers to follow you for more.
✔️ Run a giveaway where subscribers must engage with a social post to enter.

This creates a powerful cycle where email and social media work together to grow your business.

I know it can seem daunting to get started, but start where you are, and with whatever capacity you have. If that's one email a month - make it one email/month. If you can manage 1/week - that's even better.

Make sure to add value inside your emails so that people want to open them. And then when you have a sale or a promotion, or something you want to share about your products - your email list is primed and ready.

You've got this!

Want to get started with email marketing? I teach this inside the Level Up Academy - you're ALL IN coaching program for women in social selling.

Learn more HERE.