How to Build an Email List Exponentially with Bundles

Do you want to learn how to build an email list? One of my 2024 goals was to grow my email list to over 3K. Great goal, but zero plans to implement this. So I finished out the 2025 year with still only 699 email subscribers. However, from January to April 2026, I increased my email subscriber list to 1898 subscribers. If you want to know how to build an email list more effectively, keep reading!

The thing is, you don’t need a huge audience to grow you email list. I was able to grow mine by intentionally working to increase the number of leads coming in. And I did this by participating in bundle giveaways.

In this blog post, I will explain my exact process for how to build an email list with bundles, so you can steal it and grow your own the same way. I explain what bundles are, how you can find bundles to participate in to grow your own email list, and how to get accepted to bundles, even as a newbie.

Disclaimer: This post may contain affiliate links. If you click on them, I may earn a commission, at no additional cost to you.  See my disclaimer page for more information.

Why Building an Email List Matters to Bloggers and Small Business Owners

You’ve probably heard the cliche “the money is in the list”, but it’s true. So, first of all, you don’t own your following on social media. Your social media account or the platform itself could close down at any time and all of your followers would be lost. But your email list, now that you own. Second of all, the ROI (Return on investment) is about $36 for every $1 spent (Forbes, 2026). That profit margin is so high, that you can’t afford NOT to market through emails. So let’s learn about my favorite method of how to build an email list effectively so I can sell to my list: bundles.

What is a Bundle?

A bundle is a curated collection of high-quality, complimentary digital products from several contributors, offered at a single rate (often significantly lower than the bundle’s collective worth), or for free, for a limited amount of time. Bundles usually have a theme, and set out to solve a problem for its customers. Common digital products found in bundles can include checklists, planners, PDFs, templates, guides, ebooks, workbooks, and whatever else you can think of to help the audience, really.

Some people might argue that an online course wouldn’t be a good bundle contribution because it takes time to consume and therefore delays a quick win for your audience, but in my experience, this doesn’t matter. I have offered online courses in bundles and have gotten significant signups for them.

How it works: A host organizes a bundle and promotes it to people to contribute to. Accepted contributors submit a free or paid digital product to the bundle host. Each bundle contributor promotes the bundle to their own audience, creating new exposure for all bundle members. Participants sign up for access to the bundle and when someone signs up for your product, they are added to your email list (READ: to be nurtured and sold to in the future).

Bundle giveaways are commonly used as a collaborative list-building strategy because contributors can get in front of a shared, niche audience instead of relying only on paid ads or social media reach (Kylie Kelly, 2024). More on that in the next section.

How to Build an Email List with Bundles

Bundles work so well for bloggers because instead of waiting for organic traffic to slowly build, bundles create a concentrated window of visibility. Each contributor promotes to their own audience, and the combined promotional effort creates more reach, collectively. Your freebie gets seen by people who may not have found you otherwise. Additionally, bundles are good to:

1. Get you your product and your brand in front of a warm audience. The audience is already interested in the bundle topic, they are actively looking for resources and so they are more likely to opt-in over a cold website visitor.
2. Borrow trust from the bundle host. The host has already built some credibility with the audience, and when your resource is included in the bundle, you can benefit from that trust. This is especially helpful if you are just starting out and have a small audience.
3. Grow your email list without paid ads. I don’t recommend running ads as a beginner, because you don’t have the profits yet to cover the costs of ads. And honestly, you need to learn how to market before you go wasting money on them. Furthermore, bundles allow you to grow your list through relationships and collaboration, instead of generic, cold ads.
4. Attract subscribers that are already interested in your niche. Listen here, getting a bunch of freebie collectors to sign up for your product in the bundle doesn’t pay the bills. You need to get the RIGHT people to sign up for it, so you can promote your related paid offer to them later. So quality of subscriber is going to be KEY, rather than the quantity of people that sign up for your product.

Benefits of Contributing to a Bundle

• Email list building more quickly than other methods
• Reach large, new audience (Bundle host’s audience, contributor’s audience, and affiliate partner’s audience)
• Earn affiliate commissions if bundle has an affiliate program
• Drive future sales (people buy from those that they know, like and trust)
• Earn from upsells/tripwires (if bundle allows)
• Free method of obtaining new subscribers
• Social Media account growth
• Future collaboration opportunities
• Brand recognition
• Sense of urgency: bundles are only available for a finite amount of time and after they are done, the products in the bundle go back to full price. This limited availability creates a sense of urgency.
• Higher perceived value: the perceived value feels higher and the price feels lower, adding to the sense of urgency mentioned above

How to Create a Bundle Contribution

01. // Audit What You Already Have

Odds are, you probably already have a valuable digital product that you can contribute to a bundle. You just need to dig it up out of the dust. Audit your existing digital products, freebies and templates. For me, Canva was a treasure trove of possible bundle gifts that I had already made and forgotten about.

02. // Brainstorm Product Ideas and Create

If you don’t have any digital products yet, that’s okay. Listen, a digital product doesn’t have to be this 47-module course or some ridiculous thing that you spend months creating.  It just needs to be just one great product related to the bundle theme and genuinely VALUABLE to the user. And ideally related to your paid offer, so you can seamlessly lead people through a funnel from bundle freebie to paying customer. A good bundle contribution solves a specific problem for a specific person, provides a quick win for the user (this means it is quickly consumable, like a PDF or a checklist), and has a compelling title that stands out in a sea of other free products.

03. // Assess If the Product Fits Bundle Audience and Attracts Right Audience

You want to make sure the product you contribute fits the bundle audience so they will actually want to sign up for it. You also want to make sure that it attracts the right audience for YOU, so that they will be interested in your paid offer, since it is related to the freebie. Ask yourself the following questions about your digital product that you want to contribute to the bundle:

• Does this product match the topic of the bundle?
• Would the bundle audience actually want this?
• Does it solve a problem they know they have?
• Is it beginner-friendly enough for this audience?
• Does it feel aligned with what the bundle host promised?
• Would someone see the title and immediately understand why they need it?
• Would someone who downloads this be interested in my paid offers?
• Does this resource attract beginners, intermediate users, or advanced users?
• Is that the audience I want on my list?
• Does this topic connect to what I email about regularly?
• Can I follow up with useful content after they download it?
• Does this resource lead naturally to something I sell?

04. // Build a Landing Page that Converts

I just use the simple landing page in Thrivecart for my bundle freebie products, but I make it enticing for the reader to sign up for by listing out benefits and features of the digital product that they will get when they sign up. I have my Thrivecart connected to my Flodesk email marketing platform, so when users sign up for my product, it is delivered to their inbox automatically (and they are added to my email subscriber list, of course).

05. // Add a Clear Next Step to your Contribution

The number one rule of your bundle contribution is it must lead somewhere. Otherwise, what are you doing this all for? Do you want to direct users to a related blog post? Browse your digital product shop? Book a service? Lead them to where you want them to go.

Immediately After the Bundle

It is so important that you don’t just get people to sign up for your email list via the bundle, and then just ghost them. A good starting point for communication with them is to email your new subscriber a list of specific emails, so they feel nurtured right away and don’t forget who you are (they are going to be signing up for several products in the bundle. Make yourself memorable in their inbox.) You don’t have to follow this exact list, but it has worked well for me, so you might want to give it a try.

1. Email #1: Deliver the Freebie. Give them what they signed up for, introduce yourself briefly and set expectations for future communications with them (like “you can expect to hear from me at least once a week with tips and tricks on [your niche]”).
2. Email #2: Make them feel seen. Speak to the problem that brought them to bundle, show that you understand where they are, and explain how your freebie can help solve their problem for them. Share a short personal story or relatable moment to prove that you see them and further connect with them.
3. Email #3: Teach them something helpful. Provide another quick win (different from the quick win your original freebie provided). Build trust with your new subscriber and lead them into a bigger strategy related to your paid offer, as it relates to the freebie.
4. Email #4: Introduce your unique framework or method. Share your unique approach to their problem and make your expertise memorable.
5. Email #5: Soft sell your paid offer. Invite them to checkout your paid offer or service. Explain who it is for and make the next step clear.
6. Email #6: Personal check-in. Ask your audience to reply with what they are working on or having trouble with. I think this is so important to build a relationship.

Listen, it doesn’t end here either. This is just an example of an email welcome sequence so you can warm up your new subscriber. You need to nurture all of your email subscribers long-term with consistent email newsletters, so that when you go to launch a new offer or have a flash sale, they aren’t thinking “who the f*** is this?”. Keep in touch with your subscribers regularly and authentically so you can stay top of mind and sales emails don’t seem like they came out of nowhere.

Getting Accepted to a Bundle as a Newbie

Some bundle hosts require you to have a certain number of email subscribers already, to be able to participate in the bundle. I have been denied from contributing to my fair share of bundles, because I wasn’t advanced enough in my business. I don’t agree with this tactic, but whatever. The point is, there are ways you can still get accepted to bundles, even if you don’t meet the email subscriber requirements. They include:

• Promoting your email engagement rate: you may not have as many subscribers as most people, but if your current email open rate and reader engagement percentages are high, then tell the host these exact percentages.
• Emphasizing the quality of your product: hosts want to make sure they are offering high-quality products to their customers, and if you can prove this ahead of time (as in, its a good idea to have some bundle contribution items already made), you can make yourself standout as a good contributor candidate.
• Being prepared: whether its the situation mentioned above, or a host has a participant drop out at the last minute and needs to fill that spot, its a good idea to already have your product, your sales page, and coupon up and working when you approach the host. Having all of this prepared makes it easy to accept you into the bundle, because you are already prepared to be in it.

How to Find Bundles to Contribute to

• Check your inbox. Hosts will often reach out to their email subscriber list and see if anyone is interested in a bundle collaboration. You just have to make sure to open your emails so you don’t miss them! But don’t just stop there.
• Join more mailing lists. Especially if that person has already hosted a bundle you were interested in before. That way you will know when they are open for collaborations again. Also join mailing lists of other business owners in your niche. You never know when they will be ready to host a bundle.
• Create a Bundle Calendar: Some bundles are done on an annual (or more) basis. Record bundle dates of bundles you are interested in on a calendar, so you will know when to look for collaboration opportunities next year (and make sure you are on their mailing list too!)
• Join Bundle Affiliate Programs: Affiliates are some of the first to know before a product goes live, so they can prepare accordingly to promote. If bundles you are interested in have an affiliate program, sign up for it so you will know when new bundles are going to drop.
• Join Facebook Groups: Both Niche-Specific Facebook groups and collaboration-specific Facebook groups. One of my favorites to follow is ‘Bundles of Bundles x Bree Boucher’ She has created her own bundle calendar that she is willing to share with you and you can add it straight to your own Google calendar. Other group members also post information about bundles they are hosting. Other Facebook groups include: ‘Bundle Bash for List Builders’ by Val Selby, ‘Collaboration Clubhouse’ by Cat Griffin, ‘Collab Collective with Faith Mariah’ by Faith Mariah, and ‘Collab Cafe with Becky Beach: Find Summits, Bundles & Podcast Guests’ by Beck Beach. I participated in 13 bundles last month and I found them all in these Facebook groups, so check them out.

Random Legal Note

This is not legal advice. I am not a lawyer. I am not responsible for your legal compliance or lack thereof, but you need to be aware of this. Just because someone signs up for your freebie in the bundle (or any freebie even if it isn’t in a bundle), doesn’t mean they are automatically agreeing to be added to your email marketing list. Adding someone to your email marketing list requires a separate, specific and informed consent, specifically spelling out what they are consenting to.

A blanket consent or assumed consent just because people are signing up for your product is not good enough. This is important to note because according to the GDPR, (UK General Data Protection Regulation), failing to do this is illegal. 😬 Now, whether you live in the UK or not, you have to conform to this regulation because you may have subscribers from the UK. Yes, I agree this is a pain in the ass, but ignorance is not bliss in this situation. You could get in some deep shit for not complying.

By law, you have to get separate consent to add people to your email list and having a checkbox that is pre-checked on your opt-in form doesn’t count as adequate consent. Look at my example on the form below (and hell, sign up for the freebies vault if you want to). I have an unchecked box that specifies that by checking the box, you agree to receive marketing emails from me. It is separate from the email address field that you fill out to get access to my freebies vault.

You have to have record of this consent for all subscribers incase you are ever audited by the powers that be. Elizabeth Stapleton does a great job explaining all the in’s and out’s of GDPR compliance far better than I can, in her freebie, “GDPR For Bloggers: A Definitive Guide“. You should check that out.

Contributing to bundle giveaways gives you a smarter way to get your free resources in front of people who are already looking for help. Instead of trying to build visibility from absolute scratch, you get to collaborate with other creators, borrow a little trust, and invite aligned people into your world.

The key is to be intentional.

And once people join your list? Don’t disappear.

Send the welcome emails. Share helpful tips. Tell your story. Show them how your freebie connects to the bigger transformation you help them create. Because the goal is not just to collect email addresses like tiny digital trophies.

The goal is to build real relationships with people who want what you offer.

Bundle giveaways are not magic. They will not fix a weak freebie, a random audience, or a missing follow-up plan. But when you use them strategically, they can help you grow your list faster, reach new people, and turn your existing digital products into powerful list-building tools.