August 23, 2025 · 3 min read
How to Build an Email List Through YouTube in 2026
Vladimir Sivenkov · Official RHEI representative 
Working strategies for experts, entrepreneurs and digital teams
Why an Email List Is Still Relevant
Despite the growth of social networks and messengers, email remains a stable channel of communication with your audience:
- It doesn’t depend on algorithms.
- It gives you full control: you own the list instead of renting attention.
- It lets you launch funnels, sell and keep in touch for years.
If you are building a YouTube channel as part of an expert business, an email list is asset number 1.
How YouTube Helps Build a List
YouTube itself isn’t designed for collecting email, but it works great as an entry point into a funnel. The scheme is simple:
- The viewer finds a useful video.
- The description has a link to something valuable (a checklist, a mini-guide, a PDF).
- To get the material, they need to leave their email.
- The contact enters your list → an email sequence starts, warming up, sale.
5 Ways to Convert a Viewer Into a Subscriber
1. A Lead Magnet in the Description Under the Video
Add a link to a material related to the video’s topic in the description:
“Download the checklist ‘7 mistakes when launching a channel’ via the link under the video”
Examples of platforms for collecting email:
- Tilda + Tilda CRM
- SendPulse / MailerLite / GetResponse
- Notion + EmailOctopus
- ConvertKit
2. A Mention in the Video
By voice:
“If you want more detail, the link to the PDF guide is under this video”
Visually:
An intro or animation showing the bonus.
Important: give context and value. The viewer should understand why they need it.
3. A “Free Mini-Funnel” Format
A chain of 2–3 videos, at the end of which you offer:
- a bonus (a checklist, a table, a list of tools),
- a micro-product (a mini-course, a trial lesson),
- an invitation to a closed channel or newsletter.
This kind of integration looks organic and leads to regular growth of your list.
4. Live Streams and Premieres
On streams and premieres it is easier to gain loyalty. Use:
- a banner with a link to the lead magnet;
- mentions at the start and the end of the stream;
- a pinned chat message where you can leave a link to the page with the form.
5. Cards and End Screens
If you have a video with an explanation or a case study, direct the viewer to the video that already has a call and a link built in.
This creates a content funnel where every next step leads to leaving a contact.
What to Give in Exchange for an Email
- A checklist (video structure, mistakes, tools)
- A PDF guide (finding an audience, editing, strategy)
- A table (a content calendar, topic templates)
- A webinar (a recording or an invitation)
- A free consultation or diagnosis
- A secret YouTube playlist
Important: the material must be genuinely useful. Not “a PDF for the sake of a PDF” but something a person will apply right away.
How to Promote Lead Magnets on YouTube
- Through regular videos (in every second video).
- Through pinned comments.
- Through the Community tab.
- Through the channel header: a banner with a call and a link.
- Through annotations and cards.
Tools for Integration
- Tilda + forms → Tilda CRM or SendPulse
- ConvertKit → Smart Forms + email automation
- Notion + Tally + Make → EmailOctopus
- YouTube + Bitly → trackable links to forms
Want to Set Up YouTube as an Entry Point Into a Funnel?
If you feel that running a YouTube channel takes too much of your time and you’d rather focus on your business, take a look at how I work. I help entrepreneurs, experts and teams delegate channel management, with strategy, analytics and growth as the priority.