← PodSubs Blog
How to Get Your First 100 Podcast Email Subscribers
Building a podcast email list from scratch isn't as hard as you think. Here's the exact playbook for getting your first 100 subscribers.
Most podcasters focus on downloads. Downloads are easy to count but impossible to act on — you can't email a download, and you can't build a relationship with a play count. Your first 100 email subscribers are different. Each one is a person who trusted you enough to hand over their email address. Here's how to get them.
Why 100 is the number that matters
You don't need thousands of subscribers before email becomes valuable. A hundred engaged people who open your emails is a real audience. It tells you your show resonates. It gives you a place to test ideas, announce episodes, and ask for feedback — and it's a number most podcasters can reach within six months if they start today.
Step 1 — Set up your subscriber page
PodSubs gives every podcaster a subscriber page at podsubs.com/your-show. Claiming it takes two minutes: find your show, choose your link, verify you own the feed, and your page is live. The page does one thing: it takes an email address. No app, no account, no friction.
Step 2 — Say your URL out loud in every episode
This is the single most effective action you can take, and most podcasters skip it. Say your subscriber page URL twice per episode — once early, once at the end. Make it short enough to type from memory. Your listeners are often driving, running, or cooking. They won't click anything right now. But they'll remember a short, clean URL.
The exact wording that works
"If you want [specific thing you promise], go to podsubs.com/[your-show] and drop your email. I'll send it straight to your inbox — no account, takes ten seconds."
The key word is specific. "Sign up for my newsletter" doesn't convert. "Get the recipe from today's episode" does.
Step 3 — Add the link to every set of show notes
Every episode, every show note, every time — your subscriber page link belongs near the top. Listeners who click through to show notes are your highest-intent audience. Don't bury the link below your sponsor reads and equipment list.
Step 4 — Put it in your podcast biography
Apple Podcasts and Spotify let you write a show description. Most podcasters write something generic about what their show covers. Put your subscriber page link in the first paragraph. Some platforms make it clickable. On others, curious listeners will type it manually. Either way, it works.
Step 5 — Mention it every time you publish
When you post about a new episode on social media, include your subscriber page link. Not just once at launch — every single time you publish. Each post reaches people who haven't subscribed yet. Each post is another chance.
What happens after they subscribe
The moment someone subscribes, they receive the promise you made on air. PodSubs lets you set a custom reward message — a recipe, a template, a PDF, a discount code — that goes out automatically. Your full subscriber list syncs to Kit, Beehiiv, Mailchimp, HubSpot, and thousands of other email tools, so you can send proper campaigns when you're ready.