1. Give Them Value
Are you giving discounts, critical information, special offers? No matter what you promise your recipients you need to give them the value you promised. If you stray from that you'll lose them and spend your time patching your list instead of building it.
One more thing: place a registration form prominently on your website and promote your value. It doesn't cost you anything to put it there and you can start driving traffic to it.

2. Don't Ask for Too Much Information
Don't scare away prospects with prying questions. Collect the information you need for registration and basic analysis and leave it at that until you’ve developed a relationship with your members. Requesting sensitive information such as age and phone numbers can deter people from completing the sign up process.

3. Guarantee Privacy
These days, people live in fear of Internet piracy. Assure prospects that you're not one of the predators stalking the Web and harvesting email addresses for unscrupulous purposes. Broadcasting your commitment to privacy and refusal to trade or sell information will help establish a level of trust and result in more registrations.

4. Leverage the Web
Once you've highlighted the newsletter on your corner of the Web, search for other places on the Internet where you can advertise your service. Identify web sites, pop-up windows after a purchase or when someone enters or leaves your site, search engines, newsletters and other online spaces where you can promote your mailings.

5. Don't Forget the Real World
Do you have an offline business, a retail shop, a spa, salon or doctor's office? Brainstorm on offline methods of growing your list. Place a fishbowl on the counter with a sign up form, or ask your customers as they're checking out if they want to be included on your list.

Building a mailing list is like growing a plant, it requires time and care, but the results are priceless. If you employ these techniques, you,ll be reaping the benefits for years.