When it comes to growing an email list, my dynamic duo is Poptin for lead generation and ActiveCampaign for email nurturing. They work together like peanut butter and jelly—capturing leads and seamlessly transitioning them into targeted personalized email workflows.
Here's how I've used them: I worked with a client in the health and wellness space who wanted to build their email list and increase sales. We started with Poptin to create smart, high-converting pop-ups. We used exit-intent pop-ups to offer a 10% discount for first-time buyers and embedded forms on their blog for a free downloadable "Healthy Living Guide." But here's where it gets good—we integrated Poptin with ActiveCampaign so every new lead was automatically segmented based on the offer they opted into.
For example, someone who downloaded the guide entered a nurture sequence focused on education and product recommendations, while discount seekers got a more sales-focused email flow. With ActiveCampaign's automation and dynamic content capabilities, we personalized every email to match where the lead was in the funnel. The result? A 30% boost in email sign-ups and a 20% increase in first-time sales.
Why do I prefer these tools? Poptin is ridiculously user-friendly, with highly customizable pop-ups and forms that don't annoy visitors. And ActiveCampaign is a powerhouse for segmentation, automation, and personalized messaging. Together, they make lead generation and email nurturing a breeze.
My advice? Use tools that complement each other to create a seamless lead journey. With Poptin and ActiveCampaign, you're not just building a list—you’re building relationships that drive conversions. And always test—what works for one audience might need tweaking for another. The right tools and strategy can take your email game to the next level.
Georgi Petrov, CMO, AIG MARKETER
For growing my email list, ScoreApp has been incredibly effective. It creates engaging and interactive scorecards and quizzes that provide genuine value to the audience. People crave insights into themselves, and ScoreApp delivers this by offering tailored results based on their input. This creates a connection that feels personal and meaningful.
What makes ScoreApp stand out is how it turns lead generation into relationship-building. When someone completes a quiz or scorecard, they are already invested, making them far more likely to engage with follow-up content. The ability to segment the audience instantly based on their responses allows for highly tailored and relevant communication, which keeps them interested and engaged.
For anyone serious about building an email list that really works, ScoreApp is a great choice. It creates opportunities for deeper engagement and builds trust from the very first interaction. Instead of focusing only on collecting contacts, it ensures you attract the right people who are aligned with your message and offerings.
Lilach Bullock, Founder, Lilach Bullock
We use a combination of tools for lead generation, but Apollo.io has been one of our go-to platforms. It's a solid choice because it doesn't just provide contact information, it gives detailed insights about prospects, like company size, recent funding rounds, or specific roles within an organization. That level of detail makes it easier to create highly personalized outreach, which is essential for building trust and engagement.
What makes it stand out for us is how well it integrates with our AI-powered email outreach system. We can pull a list of targeted leads from Apollo, then let our AI craft personalized messages based on the insights we've gathered. During one campaign, we targeted tech startups in growth phases. Apollo gave us updated contact data, and the AI used it to create messages that spoke directly to the challenges of scaling sales teams. The response rate was significantly higher because the emails felt personal, not generic.
We've tried other tools in the past, but many lacked the depth or accuracy Apollo offers. The ability to trust the data and connect it directly to our workflows has made it an essential part of how we grow and maintain our email lists.
V. Frank Sondors, Founder, Salesforge AI
I believe one of the most unique lead generation tools for a digital marketing agency is Typeform. It's a versatile platform that allows you to create highly engaging forms and surveys that feel conversational rather than transactional. Personally, I've found it to be an incredible way to gather email sign-ups because it creates an interactive experience for the user.
For example, we designed a "What's Your Marketing Strength?" quiz using Typeform, which not only attracted leads but also gave users insights into their marketing approach. In my opinion, the smooth design and dynamic question flow make it feel less like filling out a form and more like having a personalized conversation.
For me, the real value of Typeform lies in how it allows you to ask smarter, more tailored questions that help pre-qualify leads. By customizing the flow based on user responses, you can segment your email list from the start, ensuring that follow-ups are relevant and impactful. Personally, I've seen this approach boost engagement rates for our email campaigns because we're sending content that speaks directly to what the user is interested in.
Matthew Goulart, Founder, Ignite Digital
I prefer using ConvertKit for growing email lists because it's intuitive and designed for audience engagement. Its customizable forms and landing pages make it easy to attract subscribers, while automation features nurture leads effectively. For example, I've used ConvertKit to offer a free guide, automatically tagging and segmenting users based on interests. This targeted approach ensures personalized follow-ups, improving conversion rates. I recommend ConvertKit for its simplicity, powerful automation, and focus on building meaningful subscriber relationships.
Brenton Thomas, Founder, Twibi
We use LinkedIn as a key lead generation tool to grow our email list while showcasing the value of global talent. By creating targeted content—such as insights on hiring international teams—and running LinkedIn ads focused on industries like tech and eCommerce, we attract decision makers who can benefit from global workforce solutions. We use LinkedIn's lead generation forms to collect contact information, offering valuable resources like guides on managing global talent or streamlining international compliance.
What sets LinkedIn apart is its ability to pinpoint leads by job title, company size, and region, ensuring we connect with those most likely to need global hiring solutions. Through integrations with Zapier, these leads are routed into our CRM for automated follow-ups and nurturing campaigns, helping us grow an email list filled with engaged professionals who value global talent as part of their business strategy.
Nick Esquivel, CEO, Globaltize
I've had the opportunity to work with a variety of lead generation tools over the years, but two standouts are HubSpot and Mailchimp. Both have distinct strengths and work well in different scenarios, depending on the team's objectives and resources.
HubSpot is particularly effective for its robust automation capabilities. It's excellent for mapping out and optimizing user journeys, creating detailed email workflows, and managing a well-structured funnel. Its scalability makes it a strong choice for larger campaigns or businesses with more complex marketing strategies.
Mailchimp, on the other hand, is a highly intuitive tool that's easy to adopt. It's ideal for quickly setting up email campaigns without requiring a steep learning curve, making it a great option for smaller-scale projects or teams that need something straightforward and efficient.
Having used both tools in different scenarios and stages of a company's growth, I'd recommend either depending on where your organization is. If you're looking to streamline and automate detailed processes as your company scales, HubSpot is a great fit. If you're starting out or need a tool that's easy for a team to quickly adopt, Mailchimp can be an excellent choice.
Ashwin Thapliyal, Head of Marketing, Exemplifi
I use a combination of Instantly, LinkedIn, and Apollo to grow my email list, each for its unique strengths. Instantly is my go-to for automating cold outreach and follow-ups, making it easy to scale personalized email campaigns. LinkedIn is perfect for finding and connecting with highly targeted prospects, leveraging its network-driven approach to build authentic relationships before moving to email. Apollo rounds out the stack with its robust database of contacts and powerful enrichment features, helping me quickly identify and qualify leads. This combination allows me to streamline lead generation, target the right audience, and maintain an efficient, high-quality email list.
Rizala Carrington, CEO, MyGrowthAgent.com
Hey, I've been using OptinMonster to grow my email list, and it's been a game-changer. Its user-friendly interface and customizable opt-in forms make it super easy to capture leads. I particularly love the exit-intent pop-ups; they've helped me retain visitors who were about to leave my site. Plus, the seamless integration with my email marketing platform ensures that new contacts are automatically added to my campaigns.
Sandra Stoughton, Director, Marketing Operations, TruBridge
I believe one of the most unique lead generation tools is Privy. It's an intuitive platform that allows you to create pop-ups and banners specifically designed to engage eco-conscious shoppers while they're browsing. Personally, I've found Privy's features like spin-to-win wheels or timed discount offers to be incredibly effective in capturing attention without disrupting the shopping experience.
For example, offering a discount on a first purchase in exchange for an email during a campaign for our beeswax wraps led to a 25% increase in sign-ups over just a few weeks. In my opinion, it works so well because it aligns perfectly with the kind of thoughtful and intentional interactions we strive to create with our audience.
Antoinette Jackson, Creative Director & Founder, SuperBee
One unique and highly effective approach I've implemented to grow our email list leverages our team's out-of-office (OOO) email templates during holidays or vacations. Instead of a standard OOO message, we include a simple invitation for the sender to stay connected. The template states the individual is unavailable but offers a link to subscribe for updates on our latest news, industry insights, and expertise.
This method is subtle yet powerful—it transforms routine OOO communications into an opportunity to build engagement and expand our audience, all while maintaining a professional and approachable tone. It's an effortless way to keep our network growing, even when we're out of the office.
Kelly Nuckolls, CMO, Jeskell Systems
I have found email marketing to be an essential tool for generating leads and nurturing relationships with potential clients. In order to effectively grow my email list, I use a lead generation tool called Leadpages.
It is a user-friendly platform that allows me to create high-converting landing pages and opt-in forms for my website. These landing pages are specifically designed to capture the attention of visitors and entice them to provide their contact information in exchange for valuable resources such as e-books or webinars.
One of the main reasons I prefer Leadpages over other lead generation tools is its seamless integration with my email marketing software, Mailchimp. This allows me to easily transfer new leads from Leadpages directly into my email list, saving me time and effort.
Additionally, Leadpages offers a variety of customizable templates and A/B testing options, allowing me to continually improve the effectiveness of my landing pages and opt-in forms. This has greatly helped me in increasing the conversion rate of my email list.
Evan Tunis, President, Florida Healthcare Insurance
Lead generation is a crucial aspect of any successful business strategy, and choosing the right tool can make a significant difference in your email list growth. One tool that stands out is MoEngage, a powerful customer engagement platform that offers a comprehensive suite of features for lead generation, email marketing, and customer analytics.
Its lead generation capabilities are exceptional, allowing you to create personalized and targeted campaigns across multiple channels, including email, push notifications, in-app messaging, and web push. With its advanced segmentation and targeting options, you can ensure that your messages reach the right audience at the right time, increasing the likelihood of conversion.
One unique feature of MoEngage that sets it apart is its ability to track user behavior and preferences across multiple touchpoints. By leveraging this data, you can create highly personalized lead generation campaigns that resonate with your target audience. Additionally, MoEngage's AI-powered recommendation engine can suggest the most effective messaging and timing for each user, further enhancing the effectiveness of your lead generation efforts.
MoEngage's robust analytics and reporting tools provide valuable insights into campaign performance, allowing you to continuously optimize and refine your lead generation strategies. With its user-friendly interface and seamless integration with various platforms, MoEngage is an excellent choice for businesses seeking to grow their email list effectively and efficiently.
Anupreet Kaur, Content And Digital Marketing Manager, Mitt Arv
We use Interact Quiz as our lead generation tool to grow our email list. It's an interactive and fun way to engage with our audience while helping them with one of their biggest questions: 'Where should we elope?' Our quiz guides readers through a few easy questions to suggest their ideal elopement location, offering them inspiration and direction for their big day.
What we love about this tool is how seamlessly it integrates with our email marketing efforts. Not only does it help us grow our list by capturing emails at the end of the quiz, but it also provides valuable insights into what locations and styles resonate most with our audience. This helps us tailor our marketing strategies and focus on areas with the highest interest. For us, it's not just about growing our list—it's about creating meaningful connections with couples who are planning the adventure of a lifetime.
Brian Holstein, Photographer & Business Owner, Scenic Vows
As an e-commerce brand active since 2019, we've tried and tested several lead generation tools, but the one we currently use, and find incredibly effective is a gamified email collection tool called "Spin-a-Sale." This tool offers our site visitors the chance to win special prizes or discounts in exchange for entering their email addresses.
This approach works well because it adds an element of fun and excitement to the sign-up process. Instead of simply asking for an email, we're giving potential customers an interactive experience that feels like a game. The prospect of receiving an immediate reward or discount creates a sense of anticipation and urgency, increasing the likelihood that they'll participate.
Additionally, gamification appeals to a broader audience and makes the process more memorable, which helps in building positive associations with our brand. Not only does this strategy boost email sign-ups, but it also drives conversions, as many customers are eager to use their prize or discount right away.
Overall, "Spin-a-Sale" allows us to grow our list while enhancing customer engagement and driving immediate sales—a win-win for both our brand and our customers.
David Mathews, Company Director, Fitstraps UK
I believe a really effective lead generator is Podium. It is unique I think because it is a real-time, text-based communication, and this is extremely important for a law firm because you will have prospective clients who want to be connected right now. For instance, Podium's web chat service allows visitors to ask questions through the site and turns casual browsers into interested prospects because they can immediately resolve their issues.
Personally, I've seen the increase in response rates from implementing text lead capture for leads go from a small number because most people are more comfortable texting than calling, especially when they are having a difficult time. The real value for me is that Podium will facilitate and orchestrate communication across all channels, from SMS to Google My Business. This allows for easy follow-up with leads and customer retention, whether they referred you via the website or by way of a local search.
Nate Baber, Partner and Lawyer, InjuredCT
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