Building an email list is one major way some influencers are communicating directly with fans and earning money beyond social media.
Having access to a fan's personal email is a more direct way to promote something as an influencer and sell a product or service to followers.
Erika Kullberg, an attorney who runs a personal-finance YouTube channel with 76,000 subscribers, told Insider that an email list is the most valuable asset a creator can have since it gives the creator a direct line of access to their audience.
"I think of other platforms, like YouTube, as rented land," Kullberg said. "The YouTube algorithm controls the reach. Over the past six months or so, I've put much more focus on growing my email list and have now grown it to over 20,000."
Kullberg used her email list to promote and sell a course on mastering YouTube. Over 100 people have enrolled in the course since she launched it late last year, and she has earned over $36,000 in sales, she said.
To grow her email list, she created a free 12-page PDF with some tips related to YouTube. Followers can download the guide on her website, and after they do, she will send them a series of emails with additional YouTube tips and promote the course within the emails.
"I found that this results in higher conversions rather than trying to sell the course directly," she said.
