The Most Overlooked Way to Grow Your Email List (Even in 2025)
Last month I sat down with John Eades, the energetic founder of LearnLoft, for an episode of The Growth Playbook podcast. Five minutes into our conversation I realized we were not going to spend much time on hacks or headline formulas. John wanted to talk about something far more durable: building a direct relationship with your audience, one email address at a time.
If you prefer to watch the entire conversation, you can catch the full video on YouTube right here. Trust me, it is worth every minute.
From Failure to 150,000 Emails
John’s leadership journey began with a painful flop. He was promoted, assumed genetics would carry him, and promptly crashed. Letting a team member go forced him to ask a brutal question: Was the real problem my employee… or me? That sting lit a fire. He devoured books, launched a podcast, interviewed experts, and eventually shaped LearnLoft into a company that helps managers turn into leaders.
Along the way he noticed a pattern. Every time the algorithm on a social platform shifted, reach tanked. Meanwhile his newsletter metrics hardly budged. He and his team now send a Thursday message to roughly 25,000 active subscribers and have collected more than 150,000 addresses in total. That list fuels speaking invitations, consulting contracts, and software sales.
How did they get so many people to hand over an email? By making it fun.
The Quiz That Wouldn’t Quit
John’s “Aha!” moment arrived when he launched a free leadership-style quiz. Eight rapid-fire questions, an instant result, and a personalized name badge later, the reader felt understood. Nearly 70,000 people have taken that quiz. Every single one landed inside LearnLoft’s CRM, ready for value-packed follow-ups.
Quizzes work because they center on the reader, not the brand. We are all a little curious about ourselves. A tight set of questions plus a useful takeaway feels like a gift, not a trade.
Why Email Still Wins in 2025
During the interview John pulled out a stat that floored me. For many law firms, an email address on their list is worth about fifty dollars in eventual revenue. Compare that to the unpredictable reach of a social post. Email is a straight line. Inbox to revenue. No middleman.
I tested the theory on my own business. Whenever I nurture subscribers with real stories and useful tools, sales calls appear in my calendar. When I neglect them in favor of another social sprint, revenue slows. The inbox remains undefeated.
A Warm-Towel Epiphany
At one point John told a story about sitting on a delayed flight, wishing he could grab a warm towel the way first-class passengers do. There were vending machines for snacks and chargers in every direction, yet not a single spot to pick up a simple towel. He started sketching out a “warm-towel kiosk” idea right there in his seat.
That moment captures the mindset behind his email strategy. Find a gap no one else is serving, meet the need quickly, and make the experience feel personal. A good quiz, a helpful template, or even a short optimistic note in a parent’s inbox can be the warm towel someone did not know they needed.
Your Turn
If you are a founder, coach, or creator still chasing the next viral reel, let John’s story challenge you. Draft a quiz. Offer a downloadable checklist. Promise something specific and deliver it the moment a new subscriber presses “submit.” Then show up in their inbox every single week with genuine help. Competence, care, and character—John’s three legs of the trust stool—will do the rest.
Want to learn more about John’s work? Visit LearnLoft and explore his leadership resources.
And if you believe your own growth story could inspire our audience, I want to hear from you. Email [email protected] with a brief introduction and why you think you would be a fit for The Growth Playbook. Let’s see if we can turn your lessons into someone else’s warm-towel moment.
Watch the full conversation with John Eades here, soak up the details, and start turning strangers into subscribers today.
