How to Avoid Falling for Phishing Emails: 6 Tips From Our Cybersecurity Pro

Email is the number one channel scammers use to trick consumers, and it gets phishier during the holidays. If you’re shopping online, here’s how to stay safe – and the first thing to do if you click a phishing link. 

As the holidays draw near, the hustle and excitement aren’t the only things ramping up. Phishing scams peak between September and November, when inboxes overflow with shopping and travel confirmations, charity requests, and marketing emails. 

The consequences can be severe:

  • In 2023, Americans lost $10 billion to fraud, a 14% jump from the previous year, according to the Federal Trade Commission (FTC)
  • One in four people reported losing money to scams, with a median loss of $500 per person. 
  • Shopping fraud and impostor schemes were the most common frauds, and many were carried out through phishing emails. 
  • Email remains the primary contact channel for cyberattacks. 
  • 40% of consumers check email looking for brand discounts, which makes them more susceptible to phishing during the holidays. 

But don’t panic. According to Vlad Cristescu, Head of Cybersecurity at ZeroBounce, there are steps you can take to protect yourself – even if you already clicked on a malicious link. With October being Cybersecurity Awareness Month, it’s a good time to brush up on these precautions and stay alert. 

The holiday season is scammer season

“The holidays are prime time for scammers to strike,” Cristescu explains. “People are shopping like crazy, donating to causes, and spending more time online than usual. Scammers know we’re feeling generous and maybe a little rushed, so they take advantage of that.”

The psychology behind it is simple: we’re distracted. “We’re all looking for last-minute deals, eager to get things done quickly, and that’s when we let our guard down. When you’re juggling a bunch of things, it’s easy to miss those little signs that something’s off.” And that’s exactly what scammers count on.

Top 3 phishing scams to watch out for

There are many types of scams that could land in your inbox, but according to Cristescu, three types stand out during the holidays:

1. Account log-in scams: “You’ll see emails that claim something’s wrong with your account and urge you to log in to fix it. These can be convincing, but they’re just fake pages set up to steal your username and password.”

2. Fake shipping notifications: “With everyone ordering gifts, scammers send emails that look like they’re from Amazon, FedEx, or other big companies. They know you’re waiting for packages, so they trick you into clicking to ‘track your order’ or ‘fix a delivery issue’ — but they’re really just after your passwords.”

3. Bogus eCommerce or “too good to be true” deals: “These phishing emails often impersonate major retailers or brands. They can lead you to fake websites where you’re prompted to put in sensitive information like credit card details or login credentials.”

Last year, more than 1.2 million scams targeted Amazon alone, according to a Bolster AI study. To safeguard your business domain from spoofing attacks, it’s essential to implement email authentication protocols like DMARC, SPF, and DKIM. These measures help prevent hackers from breaching your domain and sending malicious emails on your behalf.

How to spot a phishing email 

Phishing emails can be sophisticated, “especially with AI making them look pretty legit,” Cristescu says. But the cybersecurity expert emphasizes that there are still a few tell-tale signs.

“A big one is when the email starts with something generic like ‘Dear Customer’ instead of using your name. Another red flag is if the message is trying to induce panic by telling you that your account will be locked or that you need to act fast.”

Here are a few more red flags to watch out for, according to Vlad Cristescu:

  1. Weird sender email addresses: Even if the email looks like it’s from a company you know, check the email address closely. Extra letters or random numbers are usually a giveaway.
  2. Strange attachments: If there’s a random file attached, especially something like a .zip or .exe, be careful. Most companies don’t send attachments unless you’re expecting them.
  3. Suspicious links: Before you click any link, hover over it and see where it’s really taking you. If the URL looks sketchy or doesn’t match the website it claims to be from, don’t click.
  4. Bad grammar or awkward wording: Phishing emails often have little spelling mistakes or just sound a bit off. If it feels weird, it may be a phishing decoy.
  5. Asking for personal info: No legitimate company will ask for sensitive info over email. If they do, that’s a big red flag.
  6. Too-good-to-be-true deals: If the email offers something that sounds way too good, it’s probably a scam trying to get you to click.

Already clicked on an email scam? Here’s the first thing you should do

If you’ve already clicked on a malicious link, “don’t freak out,” Cristescu says. “It happens to a lot of people.” But here’s what you should do immediately:

  • Disconnect from the internet: “Disconnecting from Wi-Fi or turning off your data can help stop any malware from spreading further.”
  • Run a malware scan: “After you’re offline, run a full malware or virus scan on your device to check if anything harmful got installed. It’s better to catch it before it can do more damage.”
  • Change your passwords: “If possible, use a different device that you know is safe to change the passwords on any accounts that might be affected. This helps avoid further compromise if the original device is infected. And if you’ve reused the same password on other accounts, change those too.”
  • Contact your bank or credit card company: “If you gave out any payment info, let your bank or credit card provider know right away. They can monitor any suspicious activity or freeze your account if necessary.”
  • Report the scam: “You should report the phishing email to your email provider, and you can also file a report with authorities like the FTC and FBI.”
  • Keep an eye on your accounts: “For a little while, be extra watchful of your bank, email, and social media accounts. Scammers don’t always act immediately, so staying alert can help you catch any issues before they get worse.”

The three months leading up to December account for 20% of all phishing scams for the entire year, according to Bolster AI research. As you rush to check off your holiday to-do list, remember to pause and double-check the emails you receive. “Before you click on a link, take just a few extra seconds to ensure no scam is slipping through,” Vlad Cristescu advises.

About Vlad Cristescu

Vlad Cristescu is the Head of Cybersecurity at ZeroBounce. He has more than 14 years of experience in his field and is passionate about demystifying technology and security for companies and individuals. Previously, Cristescu  provided cybersecurity consultancy services at one of the UKs’ largest cybersecurity distributors.

About ZeroBounce

ZeroBounce is an email validation, deliverability, and email-finding company that helps businesses improve their email marketing performance. A multiple Inc. 5000 honoree, ZeroBounce is the go-to choice for more than 350,000 customers worldwide. 

Ensuring military-grade security, ZeroBounce serves companies of all sizes, from solo business owners to Amazon, Coca-Cola, Disney, Netflix, and Sephora. 

In 2022, ZeroBounce founded Email Day (April 23), now an international holiday honoring email inventor Ray Tomlinson.

For more information, visit https://www.zerobounce.net/

***

Thought Leadership Marketing: How to Nurture Leads With Email

Thought Leadership Marketing: How to Nurture Leads With Email

Thought Leadership Marketing: How to Nurture Leads With Email

Discover how thought leadership can transform your email marketing strategy and nurture leads more effectively, as we’ve gathered insights from top marketing professionals. From understanding the prospects’ jobs to be done to sharing expert insights with email newsletters, explore the ten innovative strategies shared by Marketing Directors, CMOs, and other marketing experts.

  • Understand the Prospects’ Jobs to Be Done
  • Include Industry-Specific Content
  • Host Industry Webinars and Workshops
  • Deliver Perspectives on Industry Trends
  • Tackle Issues With Deep-Dive Content
  • Offer Relevant and Useful Solutions
  • Create Engaging, Problem-Solving Content
  • Educate Leads with Targeted Thought Leadership
  • Measure Thought Leadership Effectiveness
  • Share Expert Insights with Email Newsletters

Understand the Prospects’ Jobs to Be Done

Marketers can utilize thought leadership in email marketing to understand their sales prospects’ “jobs to be done.” What questions do individuals typically ask during the sales process? What challenges are they encountering? What specific issues lead them to seek your services? What reservations might they have?

You can frame these considerations in terms of “jobs to be done.” What I mean is that people don’t simply wake up thinking they need a specific product like an integrated marketing automation system. Instead, they are looking to achieve broader goals such as gaining better insights into their customers, saving time on marketing tasks, or understanding the return on investment. Therefore, your communication should address these underlying needs rather than focusing solely on the features of your products and services.

Patrick BeltranPatrick Beltran
Marketing Director, Ardoz Digital


Include Industry-Specific Content

In email marketing, leveraging thought leadership can be a powerful tool to nurture leads. One effective way to do this is by including insightful, industry-specific content in your email newsletters. This could take the form of white papers, in-depth guides, recent research findings, or expert commentary on current trends relevant to your audience’s interests and challenges.

By providing valuable knowledge that helps your subscribers understand their industry better or solve specific problems, you position your brand as an authoritative voice in your field. This not only adds value for the recipient but also builds trust and credibility for your brand.

Such thought leadership content encourages readers to engage more deeply with your emails, enhancing their perception of your brand as a valuable resource. Over time, this approach can lead to increased open rates, higher engagement, and, ultimately, more conversions as leads are nurtured along the sales funnel toward becoming loyal customers.

Swapnil KumarSwapnil Kumar
Growth & Marketing Manager, Smartlead


Host Industry Webinars and Workshops

One tactic we use involves inviting our email subscribers to webinars and workshops hosted by well-known professionals in the business intelligence sector.

These occasions provide a look into the latest trends and technologies, giving potential customers a chance to interact directly with industry professionals.

This hands-on method enhances their journey and reinforces the credibility of our platform as a trusted source in the field, strengthening our connections with potential clients.

Arkadiy OstrenkoArkadiy Ostrenko
CMO, BI-Box


Deliver Perspectives on Industry Trends

One effective way marketers can use thought leadership in their email marketing strategies to nurture leads is to share insights and opinions on trends in their industry. As an expert in my field, I frequently analyze trends and share my perspective on where the industry is heading and what companies should be focused on to stay ahead of the curve. For example, if there are new technologies emerging that will impact how businesses operate, I will draft an email with my key takeaways on these technologies, how I foresee them evolving, and recommendations for how readers can benefit from and implement them.

Sharing forward-looking insights and calls to action in this way helps to build trust and establish your brand as a leader that audiences can turn to for guidance. It also gives readers valuable information they can act on immediately to improve their businesses. Over time, consistently providing this type of thought leadership through email helps to nurture relationships with readers and position your company as a trusted partner.

Matthew SmithMatthew Smith
Marketing Director, Right Hook Studio


Tackle Issues With Deep-Dive Content

Using thought leadership in email marketing can be a game-changer for nurturing leads. It’s all about building trust and showcasing your know-how. I’ve found that sharing deep-dive content that tackles the real issues and questions in our industry helps me stand out. Instead of just pushing sales, I aim to be seen as a helpful expert.

My go-to move is to send emails packed with things like insightful whitepapers, success stories, or invites to knowledge-sharing webinars, all geared specifically to what my audience cares about. This approach has worked wonders for us, boosting our interactions and conversions. Essentially, by giving out genuinely useful information, I’ve seen firsthand how a once unresponsive lead can become a dedicated customer.

Valentin RaduValentin Radu
CEO & Founder, Blogger, Speaker, Podcaster, Omniconvert


Offer Relevant and Useful Solutions

In my years of experience as a marketer, I have learned that when it comes to nurturing leads, it is never enough to offer your audience insights alone. The fact is, in order to sustain their attention and win them over to becoming customers of your business’s offerings, you must engage them with relevant and useful solutions.

However, it is important to note that the measure of value an audience credits to an insight is determined by how much of a solution it is for their immediate needs. Therefore, one way that marketers can effectively incorporate thought leadership into email marketing strategies and nurture their leads is by making sure that their email content offers solutions.

Indeed, it may be difficult to navigate the lines between promoting a brand and maintaining credibility as a thought leader through email marketing. However, the truth remains that potential customers are always attracted to brands that offer the solutions they seek.

One of the most distinguishing factors about thought leaders is that they offer solutions, and I have learned that providing solutions is one way that thought leadership can be incorporated into email marketing strategies to ensure that leads are effectively nurtured.

Edmafe EclaveaEdmafe Eclavea
Marketing Manager, Couponsnake


Create Engaging, Problem-Solving Content

Marketers have a smart idea to attract leads in email marketing. They create helpful content that solves the problems of their audience. For example, they can send a few emails with expert writings like articles or white papers. These emails prove their knowledge and make people trust them.

But the emails must also engage readers to join more insights, webinars, or get guides. This builds relationships and moves leads closer to making a purchase. However, the writings cannot be too complex. They should be simple and clear, with short sentences and everyday words that a student can comprehend.

Khurram MirKhurram Mir
Founder and Chief Marketing Officer, Kualitee


Educate Leads with Targeted Thought Leadership

Thought leadership content provides an excellent opportunity to educate leads and demonstrate your expertise. Using targeted content according to the user persona, you can set up email campaigns that offer additional educational information about product specifications or technical considerations through in-house or external content.

It’s important to note that instead of sharing promotional material, focus on providing tangible value and knowledge to your leads. This can develop a sense of trust and position you as an expert, allowing you to guide the lead down the sales funnel. Staying on top of industry trends and curating content for different user personas is essential to using thought leadership content effectively for this purpose.

Rob CleggRob Clegg
Senior Content Manager, Exclaimer


Measure Thought Leadership Effectiveness

If you’ve set up your email marketing and thought-leadership strategy, it’s crucial to start measuring your efforts seriously. The great thing about integrating thought leadership into your strategy is the abundance of metrics available.

Gone are the days of focusing solely on advertising equivalencies and media impressions. Now, we’re concentrating on lead generation through email marketing, improving domain authority, boosting search engine rankings, and examining our sales funnel at each stage.

There’s no point in investing significant time and effort into a thought-leadership program based on content marketing if you’re not going to track its effectiveness. The C-suite is driven by numbers, and fortunately, there are plenty to provide when needed. Ultimately, in the digital era, it’s essential to engage people with valuable content that prompts them to take action. The real magic of thought leadership lies in strategic, consistent thought-leadership content marketing.

Lydia ValentineLydia Valentine
Co-Founder and Chief Marketing Officer, Cohort XIII LLC


Share Expert Insights with Email Newsletters

As an experienced digital marketer, I’ve found that sharing thoughtful insights through email newsletters is one powerful way to nurture leads with thought leadership. By positioning yourself as an expert guide in your subscribers’ inboxes, you demonstrate knowledge and build trust. This helps move prospects down the funnel by showing you understand their problems and can provide solutions.

For instance, a B2B tech company could nurture leads by sending a monthly newsletter with their CTO’s perspectives on industry trends and challenges. This gives subscribers valuable insider tips from a credible source. The CTO can provide analysis on topics the target audience cares about, establishing the company as a trusted advisor. An email newsletter allows leads to regularly receive this high-level thought leadership, nurturing them toward becoming customers.

The key is crafting content directly from internal experts, tailored to what your audience wants to learn. This thought leadership helps prospects see you as an authority worth listening to. Email newsletters give you an owned channel to consistently distribute that expertise. So, leverage your thought leaders—their knowledge demonstrates your value. This is a proven way to nurture leads by positioning your brand as an insightful industry resource.

Dmitriy BobriakovDmitriy Bobriakov
Marketing Manager, RealEstateU


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21 Email Marketing Myths You Should Ignore

21 Email Marketing Myths You Should Ignore

21 Email Marketing Myths You Should Ignore

Exploring the vast world of email marketing, we’ve gathered insights from CEOs and Marketing Directors to debunk common misconceptions. From the myth that more emails always mean better results to the power of balancing images in email campaigns, here are the top 21 email marketing myths that experts insist you should ignore.

  • You Can Never Send Too Many Marketing Emails
  • You Need A Huge List To Succeed
  • Emails Must Be Highly Customized To Be Effective
  • Email Marketing Is Dead
  • Don’t Send Emails To Inactive Users
  • Email Is An Outdated, Ineffective Marketing Channel
  • Email Is Solely A Broad Marketing Tool
  • Increase Brand Awareness By Sending Lots Of Emails
  • All Emails Need To Be Short To Keep The Reader’s Attention
  • Non-Reader Style Emails Are Always More Effective
  • Advertising And Promotion Only
  • Sending Emails At A Specific Time Fixes Everything
  • Email Marketing Isn’t Worth The Investment
  • Customers Only Want Basic Order Confirmations
  • Bombard Your Customer With Any And Every Type Of Email
  • Email Marketing Benefits Only B2B Companies
  • It’s Not A Good Fit For The Weekends
  • Cliff-Hangers Or Gimmicks Are A Sure Way To Draw People In
  • Email Marketing is Expensive
  • Using Many Images Is The Key To Engagement And Conversions
  • All Unsubscribers Are Bad

You Can Never Send Too Many Marketing Emails

Annoying your subscribers with too many emails will work against you; you won’t build lifetime fans or trusted relationships when you over-send.

Always prioritize quality over quantity when sending marketing emails. Respect your readers’ inboxes. Be strategic about what emails you send and how often you send them. Every audience is different, so there’s not a magic number that’s *right,* but daily emails are usually too often for most brands. The only way to know for sure is to test and optimize to find your marketing sweet spot.

Lindsay HopeLindsay Hope
Owner and CEO, Lindsay Hope Creative


You Need A Huge List To Succeed

One email marketing myth to ignore? That you need a huge list to succeed. Quality over quantity, always. Engaged subscribers who want to hear from you—that’s what matters. Nurture relationships, provide value, and build trust over time. The rest will follow.

Casey JonesCasey Jones
Founder, Head of Marketing, CJ&CO


Emails Must Be Highly Customized To Be Effective

Our strategy defies the common belief that emails must be highly customized to be effective. Instead, we’ve found tremendous success with simple, one-liner emails sent to the right person at the right moment. This minimalist approach emphasizes the power of timing and relevance over detailed personalization, proving that sometimes, less really is more.

Justin SilvermanJustin Silverman
Founder & CEO, Merchynt


Email Marketing Is Dead

Email marketing is not dead! It’s actually one of the best ways to reach and connect with your audience. The secret? Personalize your emails with valuable content that helps your subscribers. Avoid generic promotional spam and focus on building relationships. This turns email into a powerful tool in your marketing toolbox.

Tom JaunceyTom Jauncey
Head Nerd at Nautilus Marketing, Nautilus Marketing


Don’t Send Emails To Inactive Users

In my experience, email marketers should disregard the myth that you should not send emails to inactive users. From our own email campaigns, I’ve observed that for subscribers who have not been active for four to five months, you should continue sending them emails. You should ideally wait for six to seven months before removing those users from your email lists. There’s a chance they haven’t been checking their emails because they are on a vacation trip, and they might look at your emails after they return.

Even with a slim chance of increasing conversions, you shouldn’t exclude people from your email list prematurely. It can definitely boost sales for your business, but to fully tap into its potential, keep engaging with your inactive subscribers.

Patrick BeltranPatrick Beltran
Marketing Director, Ardoz Digital


Email Is An Outdated, Ineffective Marketing Channel

One prevalent myth in email marketing that people should dismiss is the notion that ‘Email is an outdated, ineffective marketing channel.’ This belief is not only misleading but drastically overlooks the evolving nature of how email can be utilized to forge strong, direct connections with customers. In reality, when leveraged correctly through personalization and segmentation, email marketing remains one of the most powerful tools in a marketer’s arsenal. It provides unmatched ROI and enables businesses to deliver tailored content that resonates with their audience at scale. My years of experience have shown me time and again that ignoring email as a vital part of your marketing mix is like leaving money on the table.

Valentin RaduValentin Radu
CEO & Founder, Blogger, Speaker, Podcaster, Omniconvert


Email Is Solely A Broad Marketing Tool

At Connective Web Design, we advocate for a fresh perspective on email marketing. Rather than viewing it solely as a broad marketing tool, we encourage clients to see it as a platform for enhancing customer support and retention. The most effective emails are those enriched with exclusive insider insights or tailored closely to subscribers’ interests. These emails often outperform many social media posts because they aren’t subject to constantly shifting algorithms or fleeting trends. Instead, they focus on delivering direct value to your audience’s inbox.

However, the key is to avoid reverting to outdated email tactics that resemble sales pitches rather than value-added content. It’s crucial to strike a balance; keep your subscribers informed without overwhelming them with irrelevant content that risks landing in spam folders or prompts them to hit the unsubscribe button. The goal is to maintain relevance, personalize interactions, and above all, provide tangible value to your audience.

Rodney WarnerRodney Warner
CEO & Founder, Connective Web Design


Increase Brand Awareness By Sending Lots Of Emails

To increase brand awareness, I need to send out a lot of email marketing campaigns—which is one of the biggest myths you should ignore. Many businesses think that the only way their clients will remember them is if they send daily promotional emails. They believe that sending out more emails is beneficial; however, this is just another misconception. Think for a moment: Sending out as many emails to your contacts as you can will have you reported quickly, and your campaigns labeled as SPAM sooner or later. One of the main reasons readers report your online campaign is the high dispatch frequency coupled with irrelevant or unsuitable information. Having excellent content that is both interesting and pertinent to the recipients, along with the appropriate delivery frequency, is the best option.

Kartik AhujaKartik Ahuja
Digital Marketer, kartikahuja.com


All Emails Need To Be Short To Keep The Reader’s Attention

A common myth within email marketing that deserves to be debunked is the idea that “All emails need to be short to keep the reader’s attention.” Throughout my tenure as a Fractional Chief Marketing Officer and leading numerous campaigns in the digital sphere, I’ve found this to be a limiting belief. The key isn’t in the length, but in the relevance and value the email offers. For instance, in a comprehensive campaign for a SaaS client, we utilized longer, content-rich emails to educate our audience about complex product functionalities and industry insights. This approach not only increased our engagement rates but also bolstered our authority and trust within the niche.

Significantly, this longer-form email content was segmented to target specific user groups with tailored information that directly addressed their interests and pain points. By doing this, we transformed mere emails into valuable resources, resulting in a marked improvement in our campaign’s open and click-through rates—demonstrating that when there is substantial value, length becomes a secondary consideration.

Furthermore, engagement metrics from these campaigns provided concrete data to guide our future strategies. By analyzing the behavior of our audience—such as which sections they spent more time on and the links they clicked—we refined our approach, optimizing content length and structure to better serve our audience’s preferences. This iterative approach highlights the importance of not just adhering to conventional wisdom but instead focusing on delivering genuine value in a format that resonates with your audience, regardless of length.

Haiko de PoelHaiko de Poel
Owner, Mass Impact


Non-Reader Style Emails Are Always More Effective

The myth of the ‘non-reader’ has infiltrated marketing strategies. Most of the emails my competitors send are a few lines, at most. Some are little more than a single sentence with a button, and the worst are nothing more than an infographic or an overlaid stock image.

Personally, I feel a little patronized when I receive such an email.

Perhaps in the Gen Z retail sphere, this sort of brevity is worthwhile, but in recruiting, people still appreciate well-written copy that speaks to a valuable issue.

In fact, I’ve noticed that my longer email marketing messages get more traction and follow-up. The key is writing about an interesting topic and then tying it back to your company. Timely events are often a good start: people like to monitor changes in their industry, and if you have good insight, they’ll come back for more.

Linn AtiyehLinn Atiyeh
CEO, Bemana


Advertising And Promotion Only

That it’s just advertising and promotions.

It’s essentially the entire psychology and identity of the company or brand and often transcends mere sales pitches.

Each email sent is an opportunity to reinforce or redefine a company’s personality, to stand out in a crowded inbox by offering genuine value beyond the standard sales spiel. It’s about building a narrative that resonates with your target audience, turning subscribers into loyal customers, and, more importantly, into advocates for your brand in the long term.

Understanding this can transform your email marketing strategy from a sales-centric approach to a value-driven model, which is what more brands should focus on, in my opinion.

To make it short: It’s creating value and differentiation, a personality, and ultimately an identity for your brand.

Janis ThiesJanis Thies
Founder, SEOlutions GmbH


Sending Emails At A Specific Time Fixes Everything

One email marketing myth that people should ignore is the belief that sending emails at a specific time will magically increase results and solve all their marketing woes. While timing can play a role in email open rates, it’s just one piece of the puzzle. Success in email marketing depends on various factors, such as the quality of content, relevance to the audience, segmentation, and consistency. Rather than obsessing over the perfect time to hit send, businesses should focus on crafting compelling, personalized content that resonates with their subscribers. Building strong relationships with your audience through valuable and engaging content is ultimately what drives success in email marketing, not just the timing of delivery.

Ryan KellyRyan Kelly
Chief Marketing Officer, Easy Ice


Email Marketing Isn’t Worth The Investment

In my role of managing marketing strategies for a range of business-intelligence courses, I’ve found that some doubters claim email marketing isn’t worth the investment. However, based on my experience, this couldn’t be more wrong. Email marketing continues to be an efficient tool for us, delivering a strong return on investment. It enables us to track our progress and tweak our approaches on the fly, helping us optimize our marketing budget effectively.

Arkadiy OstrenkoArkadiy Ostrenko
CMO, BI-Box


Customers Only Want Basic Order Confirmations

A big myth I often hear is that customers only want basic order confirmations. While that’s important, it overlooks the power of targeted email communication.

Think about it. Navigating healthcare needs can be overwhelming, and targeted emails allow us to provide educational content, product recommendations based on past purchases, and timely reminders about important health screenings.

After all, it’s all about building trust and keeping our customers informed! By offering relevant, valuable content, we can become a trusted partner in their health journey, not just a place to order supplies.

Russell NogaRussell Noga
CEO, Medisupps.com


Bombard Your Customer With Any And Every Type Of Email

Many businesses worry that bombarding customers with emails will hurt their chances of success. But the truth is, it’s all about relevance! People unsubscribe from boring emails, not frequent ones.

Focus on sending valuable content your audience actually wants, like helpful tips or exclusive offers. By providing engaging emails at the right pace, you’ll build stronger customer relationships and keep your inbox welcome.

Aqsa TabassamAqsa Tabassam
Co-Founder & Chief Marketing Officer, EvolveDash Inc.


Email Marketing Benefits Only B2B Companies

One myth about email marketing is that it’s exclusively beneficial for B2C (business-to-consumer) companies. Ignore this! Many people assume that B2B (business-to-business) companies cannot gain from email marketing, which is completely incorrect. In reality, B2B companies often derive even greater benefits from email marketing than B2C companies.

B2B companies can utilize email marketing to connect with potential clients and foster durable relationships. They can also employ it to advertise their products and services and keep their clients informed about the latest updates and developments.

Additionally, B2B companies can leverage email marketing to educate their clients about their offerings. By providing essential information, they can assist their clients in making well-informed decisions and establishing trust.

Lydia ValentineLydia Valentine
Co-Founder and Chief Marketing Officer, Cohort XIII LLC


It’s Not A Good Fit For The Weekends

Email marketing is not a good fit for the weekends:

It is assumed that most people with 9–5 employment spend their weekends away from electronics. Although this might have been the case in the early years of the internet, it is not the case now. The number of individuals carrying around personal digital assistants (PDAs) is rising. In light of this, you should feel free to step up your email marketing strategy at any time of day or event. To keep subscribers, you should ensure that every email you send is mobile-responsive to make sure it can be viewed by everybody.

Cameron HollandCameron Holland
Marketing Director, GB Foam


Cliff-Hangers Or Gimmicks Are A Sure Way To Draw People In

It’s a prevalent marketing myth that you must have a cliff-hanger or other silly gimmick in your subject line to draw people in. The truth is, people don’t fall for those so easily these days (they’ve seen them all) and are more likely to be annoyed if they do click through.

So skip the misleading lures and instead, craft a subject line that succinctly describes the reason for the email.

A boring but accurate and concise subject line will resonate with the people you really want to reach and reduce superficial click-throughs that don’t pay off.

Rob ReevesRob Reeves
CEO and President, Redfish Technology


Email Marketing is Expensive

One email marketing myth that definitely needs to be ignored is that it’s expensive. Contrary to this belief, email marketing can be incredibly cost-effective, especially when compared to other forms of advertising, like print or television. With the right tools and strategies, you can reach a wide audience at a fraction of the cost. Plus, the return on investment (ROI) for email marketing can be quite substantial, which makes it a smart investment for businesses of all sizes.

Johannes LarssonJohannes Larsson
Founder and CEO, Financer.com


Using Many Images Is The Key To Engagement And Conversions

One big email marketing myth that I often observe and hear is that cramming your email with many images is the key to engagement and conversions. Many believe that the more images, the better. But here’s the deal: while visuals are definitely important, bombarding your audience with too many images can actually backfire.

It can make your email bulky, slow to load, and worse, it might even trigger spam filters. Plus, not everyone has images enabled by default, so your message might miss its mark entirely. Remember, in marketing, it’s always quality over quantity every time.

Daniel WillmottDaniel Willmott
Founder, Shortformvideo.co


All Unsubscribers Are Bad

Unsubscribers in email marketing often evoke a sense of disappointment, but they offer valuable insights that can enhance your strategies. While seeing a list of unsubscribers may initially feel demotivating, it’s important to recognize the positive side.

Unsubscribers help improve ‘list hygiene,’ allowing you to focus on active and potential customers. This process will let you analyze customer preferences more effectively and refine your email marketing strategy accordingly.

For example, analyzing the reasons for unsubscribes can reveal patterns or areas for improvement in your content, frequency of emails, or targeting strategies. This data-driven approach will increase engagement with leads who are more likely to convert.

By embracing unsubscribers as a means to enhance email list quality and optimize targeting, you can ultimately drive better results and foster stronger relationships with your audience.

Nurlan SuleymanovNurlan Suleymanov
Content Strategist, On-Site Optimization Expert, aqua cloud


Submit Your Answer

Would you like to submit an alternate answer to the question, “What is one email marketing myth that people should ignore and why?”

Submit your answer here.

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9 Ways to Show Your Email Subscribers Appreciation

9 Ways to Show Your Email Subscribers Appreciation

In the digital age, showing appreciation to your email subscribers can significantly enhance engagement and loyalty. We’ve gathered insights from digital marketers to CEOs, detailing their top tips for making subscribers feel valued. From offering beta-testing privileges to personalizing communications, discover the diverse strategies used by nine experts and the impactful outcomes they achieved.

  • Offer Beta-Testing Privileges
  • Implement A/B Testing for Engagement
  • Provide VIP Sneak Peeks
  • Give Exclusive Content or Discounts
  • Extend Special Subscriber Promotions
  • Integrate Interactive Subscriber Polls
  • Incentivize with a Reward Program
  • Express Genuine Subscriber Gratitude
  • Personalize Subscriber Communications

Offer Beta-Testing Privileges

I firmly believe in providing my readers with an advanced look at our upcoming projects. Everyone, in my opinion, appreciates the times when they have first choice over a brand-new good, service, or design. They get a sense of superiority from it, as well as a sense that you respect their viewpoint. I utilize this emotion to express my gratitude to our email subscribers. I offer them the privilege of participating in our upcoming major release as beta-testers.

They are devoted customers who purchase our services, so they can provide priceless input. I can make adjustments based on these comments regarding the design, functionality, usability, etc. It’s a fantastic way to reward them for sticking with our brand.

By using this strategy, I was able to increase engagement rates among my subscribers. I also noticed an increase in open and click-through rates compared to regular newsletters.

Kartik AhujaKartik Ahuja
Digital Marketer, kartikahuja.com


Implement A/B Testing for Engagement

In leveraging my background in both digital marketing with my first venture and software development in subsequent startups, one technique I’ve found incredibly effective for enhancing the display of applications to email subscribers is the strategic use of A/B testing within the email content itself. From a specific instance, we were launching a new feature for our marketing analytics software and decided to implement A/B testing for our email campaign. By creating two versions of the email, each highlighting different aspects and benefits of the new feature, we could directly measure which messaging resonated more with our audience.

The A/B testing approach allowed us to gather actionable data on subscriber preferences, leading to a 20% increase in engagement with our emails and a 10% higher conversion rate for the feature trial sign-up. This immediate feedback loop was invaluable, not only for improving our email campaigns but also for gaining insights into our subscriber base’s interests and needs, enabling us to tailor future communications more effectively.

Incorporating user feedback into the refinement of the application display within the emails was another crucial factor in our success. Following the initial A/B test, we conducted a short survey among those who interacted with the emails, asking for feedback on the clarity and appeal of the presented information. The insights gained from this direct subscriber input were used to fine-tune our messaging and presentation, further enhancing the effectiveness of subsequent campaigns.

This practice of integrating A/B testing with direct user feedback created a powerful combination that significantly boosted the performance of our email marketing efforts and, by extension, the adoption rates of our new software feature.

Joe AmaralJoe Amaral
Founder & COO, Anthem Software


Provide VIP Sneak Peeks

As TP-Link’s Marketing Head, I’m excited to share an excellent tip for showing off apps to your email list. One of the best ways to do this is by sending out emails with sneak peeks of new features or products.

Here’s the thing: By providing your subscribers with a VIP ticket to experience your newest products before anyone else does, you’re making your subscribers feel special and building loyalty and enthusiasm around your brand.

At TP-Link, we’ve found this to be a very effective strategy. For example, we were preparing to launch our newest smart-home device. We sent out a pre-release email to all our subscribers, asking them to be one of the first to try it out.

The response was terrific! We saw increased engagement and great feedback from some of our most loyal users, which helped us improve the product before its launch.

So, the next time you want to show off your app or product to your newsletter subscribers, why not roll out the red carpet and give them a VIP backstage pass?

Laviet JoaquinLaviet Joaquin
Marketing Head, TP-Link


Give Exclusive Content or Discounts

Offering exclusive content or discounts to your email subscribers is a great way to show them appreciation. This can be in the form of an e-book, free guide, or even a discount code for your products or services. I have personally used this tip by offering my email subscribers a free downloadable guide filled with useful tips and tricks related to my niche. Not only did this show my subscribers that I value them, but it also helped to increase engagement and loyalty among my email list.

The outcome was a higher open rate for my future emails and an increase in conversions from my subscribers. By offering something exclusive or valuable, you are showing your email subscribers that their support is appreciated and valued. This can help strengthen the relationship between you and your subscribers, leading to better long-term results for your email marketing efforts. So, it’s a win-win situation for both you and your subscribers.

Alex TaylorAlex Taylor
Head of Marketing, CrownTV


Extend Special Subscriber Promotions

One effective tip for showcasing your application to email subscribers is to offer incentives or special promotions exclusively for subscribers. This could include discounts, free trials, or access to premium features for a limited time.

At Toggl, we’ve utilized this strategy by periodically offering special promotions to our email subscribers, such as discounted subscription plans or extended free trials. By providing these exclusive benefits, we not only incentivize subscribers to engage with our emails and explore our applications, but also encourage them to take action and become paying customers.

This approach has proven to be highly effective in driving conversions and increasing revenue, as subscribers are motivated to take advantage of the limited-time offers and experience the value of our applications firsthand.

Alari AhoAlari Aho
CEO and Founder, Toggl Inc


Integrate Interactive Subscriber Polls

One tip I’ve found incredibly effective for showing appreciation to our email subscribers is integrating interactive polls. This approach not only engages them but also makes them feel valued by giving them a voice in our product development and content direction.

Last summer, we ran a poll asking for feedback on our new outdoor equipment range before its official launch. The response was overwhelming. It fostered a sense of community and involvement among our subscribers.

As a result, we tailored our launch based on the feedback, leading to one of our most successful product introductions to date. This strategy has strengthened our relationship with subscribers, making them feel more connected to our brand.

Lucas RiphagenLucas Riphagen
Co-Owner, TriActiveUSA


Incentivize with a Reward Program

Reward your email subscribers to keep them engaged. As an owner of a moving company, I’ve always known that many customers love rewards to feel connected and recognized by the business.

Who does not love rewards? You can structure the rewards in a way that encourages them to read your emails. For example, my company has a reward program that allocates points to email subscribers when they open the email and visit our website. This program has increased our emails’ open rate and engagement significantly in the last two months.

Our cost of acquiring customers and conversion rate has improved by nearly 50%, driven by our email subscribers. I realized that many people checking our emails are prospective customers and only need a small incentive to bring them into the fold. Find a way to reward them for their engagement with your brand, and your sales revenue will grow massively.

Ryan CarriganRyan Carrigan
CEO & Founder, moveBuddha


Express Genuine Subscriber Gratitude

In my experience, one of the best ways to show your email subscribers appreciation is to genuinely thank them for their support. A little gratitude can go a long way in building loyalty and engagement.

I like to send an occasional “thank you” email that has no call to action or ask—just a sincere note of appreciation for being a subscriber. Tell them how much you value their readership. Share a few of your favorite highlights or milestones from the past few newsletters. And let them know that their interest helps fuel your passion for the work.

Subscribers want to feel seen and know they matter. A simple ‘we appreciate you’ email reminds them of that, while also making them feel good about being a part of your community.

Gauri ManglikGauri Manglik
CEO and Co-Founder, Instrumentl


Personalize Subscriber Communications

One effective way to show appreciation to email subscribers is by personalizing communication. Addressing subscribers by their first name and tailoring content based on their preferences fosters a sense of value and recognition. We segmented our email list by factors like purchase history and interests, crafting personalized campaigns for each segment. We regularly send thank-you emails, often including exclusive offers.

This approach led to increased engagement and loyalty, with higher open rates, click-through rates, and conversions. Subscribers were more likely to remain engaged with our brand over time. Personalizing email communication proved effective in showing appreciation and nurturing stronger subscriber relationships.

Travis WillisTravis Willis
Director of Customer Success, Aspire


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9 Gen Z-Friendly Email Marketing Tips

9 Gen Z-Friendly Email Marketing Tips

9 Gen Z-Friendly Email Marketing Tips

In the quest to captivate the Gen-Z audience with email marketing, we’ve gathered insights from nine marketing experts, including content strategists and CEOs. From creating clear, concise, and visual content to sending infrequent, high-quality emails, discover how to make your email campaigns resonate with the youngest, digitally-savvy generation.

  • Create Clear, Concise, Visual Content
  • Embrace Authenticity and Relatability
  • Highlight Social Responsibility
  • Incorporate Visual Storytelling
  • Optimize for Mobile
  • Include Peer Reviews and User Content
  • Personalize with Interactivity and Relevance
  • Showcase Diversity and Inclusivity
  • Send Infrequent, High-Quality Emails

Create Clear, Concise, Visual Content

My top tip for making your email marketing Gen-Z-friendly would be to write clear and concise copy. It has to convey your message clearly, swiftly, and in a straightforward manner. Given their short attention spans, the key is to hook them immediately. What’s more, I have found visual elements, like images, videos, and even emojis, to be incredibly helpful when creating content for Gen-Z.

Ahsan RazaAhsan Raza
Content Strategist and Copywriter, Qureos


Embrace Authenticity and Relatability

Keep it authentic. Gen-Z values genuine connection and transparency. Ditch the corporate jargon and speak their language. Share stories, behind-the-scenes content, and make it relatable. They’ll engage with brands that feel like a friend, not a faceless entity.

Casey JonesCasey Jones
Founder, Head of Marketing, CJ&CO


Highlight Social Responsibility

One of the most important things you can do to make your email marketing as Gen-Z-friendly as possible is to emphasize authenticity and corporate social responsibility. Gen-Z loves authentic connections and brands that stand up for social causes.

From our work at Messente, we’ve found that sending messages demonstrating your brand’s commitment to causes that matter to Gen-Z consumers can dramatically boost engagement rates. In addition, research shows that Gen-Z shoppers are 60% more likely to buy from companies that stand up for the causes they care about.

Personal stories are one of the most important ways to connect with Gen-Z. For example, when we ran a campaign highlighting our sustainability initiatives, younger audiences responded positively to the message and the transparency and narrative behind our efforts.

Communicating with Gen-Z is about more than just transactions. It’s about building trust, communicating your values, and telling a story that aligns with them. When you do this, you’ll not only capture their attention, but you’ll also build a long-term customer base.

Uku TomikasUku Tomikas
CEO, Messente


Incorporate Visual Storytelling

Focus on visual storytelling and interactivity when engaging Gen-Z in your email marketing.

Growing up in a digital-first era, immersive experiences and engaging visuals capture and retain the attention of this generation. Incorporate rich media, when you can, from GIFs, videos, and interactive elements, such as polls or quizzes, into your email marketing.

Aside from being engaging, this also makes your email content shareable to their friends and followers, thereby expanding your reach. By leveraging these dynamic elements, you are creating memorable experiences that resonate well with your Gen-Z market and, at the same time, opening up an opportunity to develop a relationship and build a community through conversations that they look forward to in their inbox.

Tristan HarrisTristan Harris
Demand Generation Senior Marketing Manager, Thrive Digital Marketing Agency


Optimize for Mobile

As the founder and CEO of Cleartail Marketing, I’ve spearheaded several campaigns that successfully engaged the Gen-Z audience, learning vital strategies along the way. Our approach has always been to blend data-driven insights with creative content to capture this vibrant demographic’s attention.

For instance, we achieved a 5,000% ROI on a Google AdWords campaign by tailoring our messaging to resonate with Gen-Z’s values and digital behaviors, demonstrating the power of aligning content with audience preferences.

One tip I’d emphasize for making your email marketing more Gen-Z friendly is to prioritize mobile optimization and visual content. Gen-Z is predominantly mobile-first, meaning they’re more likely to engage with your email if it’s easy to navigate on their smartphones. We’ve found significant success by incorporating visually appealing elements like GIFs, short videos, and high-quality images that align with the message’s essence, making the email content not only more attractive but also more digestible.

For example, integrating an interactive infographic in an email campaign increased our click-through rate by integrating engagement directly within the content, catering to Gen-Z’s preference for interactive and visually stimulating media.

Moreover, authenticity and personalization are key. In our LinkedIn outreach and Google listing campaigns, we personalized our messages to reflect the recipient’s interests and behaviors, which dramatically increased engagement rates. We learned that Gen-Z appreciates when brands take the time to understand them and tailor content accordingly. This demographic values transparency and relatability, so sharing real stories behind your brand or showcasing user-generated content can significantly enhance the authenticity of your communication, making your email marketing efforts more effective with Gen-Z.

Magee CleggMagee Clegg
CEO, Cleartail Marketing


Include Peer Reviews and User Content

Marketing to Gen Z effectively requires connecting with them on a deeper level. They need to feel like they can relate—so they rely more on peer reviews than on brand advertising, especially in email marketing.

Peer reviews are central to 82% of Gen Z’s buying decisions, making it a good strategy to include client testimonials and reviews in email marketing, as well as any relevant user-generated content from customers in this age category. At Marketized, we have adapted to this, and we highlight UGC (user-generated content) whenever fitting.

Ioana MarinIoana Marin
Co-Founder, Marketized


Personalize with Interactivity and Relevance

To make your email marketing resonate with Gen-Z, it’s essential to tailor your messages to their interests and communication preferences. My top tip centers on interactivity and personalization. Gen-Z values authenticity and meaningful engagement. Therefore, incorporate interactive elements like quizzes or polls that not only entertain but also provide value by understanding their preferences.

This approach creates a two-way conversation, making them feel heard and connected. Personalize your content by weaving in topics they care about, based on their past interactions with your brand. By adopting this strategy, you make every email an opportunity for Gen-Z to connect with your brand on a deeper level, based on their terms and needs.

Valentin RaduValentin Radu
CEO & Founder, Blogger, Speaker, Podcaster, Omniconvert


Showcase Diversity and Inclusivity

Gen-Z highly values diversity and inclusivity, wanting to see themselves and their peers reflected in the marketing content they consume. Incorporate images, stories, and testimonials from a diverse range of customers in your email marketing.

Showcasing real people of different backgrounds, identities, and lifestyles not only resonates more deeply with this generation but also strengthens your brand’s commitment to inclusivity. This approach fosters a sense of community and connection, making your campaigns more relatable and appealing to a Gen-Z audience.

Alex TaylorAlex Taylor
Head of Marketing, SEO Specialists, CrownTV


Send Infrequent, High-Quality Emails

People, especially young people, don’t love email marketing. Frankly, a lot of email marketing is indistinguishable from spam. The rub is that email is one of the easiest ways for organizations to get in front of potential customers.

And Gen Z is a prime market segment. But they don’t want to be nagged. The key is to make your emails infrequent but good. Think highlight reel, not a congressional hearing. Gen Z wants snappy and to-the-point. That’s what your email marketing should be.

Temmo KinoshitaTemmo Kinoshita
Co-Founder, Lindenwood Marketing


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8 Tips for Dark Mode in Email Design

8 Tips for Dark Mode in Email Design

8 Tips for Dark Mode in Email Design

In the evolving world of email marketing, adapting to dark mode can be a game-changer, so we’ve gathered eight tips from top designers and marketing experts. From embracing contrast without simple inversion to designing with dynamic backgrounds and adjusting imagery, these professionals, including a senior graphic designer and a marketing director, provide their best advice for crafting emails that shine in any theme.

  • Embrace Contrast, Avoid Simple Inversion
  • Outline Graphics, Use Creative Shapes
  • Utilize Transparent PNGs, Muted Colors
  • Select Soft Colors, Test Extensively
  • Test Brand Colors Across Modes
  • Understand Client-Specific Dark Mode Rendering
  • Avoid Vibrant Colors, Use Subdued Tones
  • Design with Dynamic Backgrounds, Adjust Imagery

Embrace Contrast, Avoid Simple Inversion

Make contrast your guiding star in dark mode, but remember that simple color inversion isn’t the only solution—carefully consider how each element in your design (text, colors, images) will translate to a dark background to ensure readability and avoid harsh, eye-straining combinations.

Think light text on dark backgrounds. But it’s more nuanced than just inverting everything. If you have colored elements or images within your email, carefully evaluate whether light-on-dark or dark-on-light works best for that particular item. Selective inversion is key.

Ihor KirpichnikovIhor Kirpichnikov
Senior Graphic Designer, Ikagency.com


Outline Graphics, Use Creative Shapes

Ensuring your email graphics stand out in both light and dark modes requires careful consideration and creative solutions. When designing for dark mode, one key technique is to outline any dark and transparent elements with a white stroke. This contrast ensures that your graphics remain visible and impactful, regardless of the background.

However, to truly enhance the visual appeal and maintain the fun element in your campaigns, consider incorporating white backgrounds into your graphics—but with a twist. Instead of settling for plain, rectangular backgrounds, frame your graphics with interesting, unique shapes. This strategy not only makes your content pop in dark mode but also adds an element of surprise and creativity that can captivate your audience.

Experiment with different shapes and designs like arches, rounded corners, or other unexpected forms to give your graphics a distinctive look. The key is to select shapes that complement your overall design while ensuring they remain invisible in light mode for a seamless experience. This approach not only addresses the visibility issue in dark mode but also elevates the aesthetic appeal of your emails, making them more engaging for your subscribers.

Remember, the objective is to balance functionality with creativity. By implementing these strategies, you can create email campaigns that are not only accessible in both light and dark modes but also memorable and engaging for your audience.

Amber AndrewsAmber Andrews
CEO and Digital Artist, Andrews Artistry


Utilize Transparent PNGs, Muted Colors

One critical tip for creating email designs that are dark mode-friendly is to use transparent PNGs for your images. This ensures that your logos, icons, and other graphical elements seamlessly adapt to both light and dark backgrounds without the need for alternative versions. In one of our recent projects, we found that emails incorporating transparent PNG images significantly increased engagement rates in dark mode settings, as they retained their visual integrity and allure without appearing out of place or jarring against the dark background.

Another aspect we’ve focused on is the adaptation of colors. In emails designed for dark mode, it’s crucial to select colors that are muted yet distinguishable in a dark setting. For instance, using pastel shades or softer tones of primary colors can enhance readability without causing eye strain. We’ve applied this approach in designing email templates for a campaign, resulting in a 15% higher open rate in dark mode users compared to previous campaigns. The key was in meticulous A/B testing, where we tweaked color schemes and measured user engagement across both modes, honing in on a palette that works harmoniously in both light and dark settings.

Lastly, it’s not just about the visual elements; textual content must also be optimized for dark mode. We use lighter font colors that are not stark white but rather off-white or light gray, which reduces glare and makes reading more comfortable. Our experience showed that this subtle shift in font color can significantly reduce bounce rates from emails viewed in dark mode.

In sum, designing for dark mode in email campaigns is a nuanced process that requires a careful balance of visuals and text, alongside rigorous testing to perfect. Through transparent imagery application, muted color selection, and font color adjustments, we’ve been able to craft emails that resonate well with users irrespective of their display preferences.

Dylan CleppeDylan Cleppe
Co-Founder & CEO, OneStop Northwest LLC


Select Soft Colors, Test Extensively

A significant part of creating an engaging customer experience is ensuring emails look great across all viewing modes, including dark mode, which has gained popularity among users for its aesthetics and reduced eye strain.

One strategy that has proven effective is the careful selection and use of colors that perform well in both light and dark modes. For instance, we avoid using absolute blacks or whites for backgrounds and text. Instead, opting for softer shades of gray as backgrounds and off-white for text can significantly improve readability and visual appeal in dark mode. This nuanced approach helped us enhance the open and engagement rates of our email campaigns since it preserves the email’s aesthetic integrity across different user preferences.

Furthermore, we’ve emphasized the importance of testing emails in various environments. This includes using email design tools that offer previews in both light and dark modes. Testing isn’t just about ensuring the email doesn’t break; it’s also about fine-tuning the visual experience to ensure that elements like logos, images, and buttons are clearly visible and attractive in dark mode. This level of attention to detail has been crucial in driving desired actions from our subscribers, regardless of their default viewing mode.

Incorporating dynamic content in our emails has also added a layer of personalization that resonates well in any mode. For example, by using dynamic content blocks, we ensure that product images and personalized recommendations look great against both light and dark backgrounds, creating a seamless experience that boosts engagement and drives conversion.

In conclusion, mastering email designs for dark mode isn’t just about flipping a switch on color schemes; it involves thoughtful design, extensive testing, and leveraging the right tools to ensure your emails engage and convert, no matter the user’s preference. Through meticulous attention to detail and an understanding of user environments, we’ve been able to create email campaigns that stand out.

Steve PogsonSteve Pogson
Founder, First Pier


Test Brand Colors Across Modes

If your brand has specific colors, ensure they are adaptable to both light and dark modes. Test your brand colors in different modes to make sure they remain visually appealing and maintain brand consistency.

Dark mode typically reduces the brightness of colors, so it helps to adjust the brightness and saturation of them to ensure they maintain their vibrancy and visibility in a dark environment. You may need to slightly lighten or modify the colors for optimal visibility and consider different shades that are adaptable in both modes.

Dark mode implementations can vary across different platforms, operating systems, and devices. Therefore, I find it vital to test your brand colors in various environments to ensure they are well-represented regardless of the specific dark mode implementation.

Ray WangRay Wang
Principal, RW Digital


Understand Client-Specific Dark Mode Rendering

Familiarize yourself with the differences between email clients first. Each email client is unique, with its own set of features, capabilities, and programming. This issue even affects how dark mode appears in different email clients, whether on mobile, desktop, or other platforms.

Every client has its own way of showing dark mode, based on its rendering engine. This leads to a lack of a uniform standard for how dark mode should appear across devices. The way dark mode is rendered can vary, creating inconsistencies in the user experience.

In some situations, even when a user switches their device to dark mode, the email might still be shown in the regular, light mode. This mismatch between light and dark modes can be uncomfortable for some readers’ eyes. However, doing partial color inversions, like reversing a light background to dark and dark text to light, tends to work well for most people as it strikes a balance.

To make sure your emails look right and are easy to read, it’s important to keep up with the latest on email clients. Know which ones have dark mode. Keep an eye on their software updates and changes in features. Then, use this information to create the best possible emails for dark mode.

Precious AbacanPrecious Abacan
Marketing Director, Softlist


Avoid Vibrant Colors, Use Subdued Tones

Avoid using pure white in your color scheme if you can; I’d recommend going for something off-white or light gray where a lighter touch is needed. It makes a pretty significant difference for dark-mode emails while maintaining a relatively bright look and feel if that is part of your branding.

Generally speaking, you want to stay away from vibrant colors when planning content for dark mode, because they will appear overly bright and harsh against most dark backgrounds. Stick with using them for backgrounds, which works best as a little pop, in my experience.

Dragos BadeaDragos Badea
CEO, Yarooms


Design with Dynamic Backgrounds, Adjust Imagery

One actionable tip we’ve implemented with success is designing emails with a dynamic background. Instead of selecting a solid color background, we utilize a CSS trick that allows the background to automatically switch between light and dark themes based on the user’s preference. This ensures that the email’s background never clashes with devices set to dark mode, enhancing readability and overall visual comfort.

This approach not only elevates the user experience but also subtly underlines our brand’s attention to detail and responsiveness to user preferences. Another key aspect is the careful selection and adjustment of imagery to suit both modes. We’ve found that adding a white border around dark images or logos significantly improves their visibility in dark mode. This simple yet effective trick prevents images from blending into the background, ensuring they remain eye-catching and effective regardless of the user’s theme settings.

In our experience, this minor adjustment has led to higher engagement rates, as visuals continue to play a pivotal role in email marketing effectiveness. Furthermore, in our email designs for dark mode, we prioritize the use of softer, neutral tones for text to minimize eye strain. This adjustment aims to cater to the increasing screen time and the resultant user fatigue, ensuring that our messages remain engaging and accessible. Our A/B testing has shown that emails optimized for readability in both light and dark modes have a higher open rate and prolonged engagement, underlining the significance of thoughtful, inclusive design practices.

The journey to optimizing emails for dark mode is iterative, relying on continuous testing and adaptation to refine the user experience. Through these practices, we’ve managed to stay responsive to user preferences, ensuring our digital communication remains effective, inclusive, and considerate of our diverse audience’s needs.

Rex LiuRex Liu
Chief Revenue Officer, GoSite


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12 Email Marketing Tips for One-Person Teams

12 Email Marketing Tips for One-Person Teams

12 Email Marketing Tips for One-Person Teams

Solo email marketers, brace yourselves for a treasure trove of wisdom directly from the minds of founders and marketing managers. From focusing on quality over volume to balancing customization with volume, discover the top twelve strategies and resources they recommend to elevate your email marketing game.

  • Focus on Quality Over Volume
  • Leverage Email Automation Tools
  • Quantify Revenue Contribution
  • Utilize AI for Refined Messaging
  • Integrate SEO in Email Content
  • Consider Outsourcing Tasks
  • Use AI-Powered Writing Tools
  • Maintain a Clean Email List
  • Maximize Efficiency with Templates
  • Avoid Over-Customizing Emails
  • Embrace Scale in Email Marketing
  • Balance Customization with Volume

Focus on Quality Over Volume

Simple. Focus on quality, not volume. Results, not campaigns sent. Spend your time wisely understanding the target demographic, creating an irresistible offer, and positioning the product or service in the right way, and you can outperform larger teams tenfold—every damn day of the week.

Casey JonesCasey Jones
Founder, Head of Marketing, CJ&CO


Leverage Email Automation Tools

My top tip for a one-person email marketing team is to leverage automation. Email marketing automation tools can help you manage your time and resources efficiently, allowing you to schedule campaigns, segment your audience, and personalize your messages with ease. This not only increases your productivity but also enhances the effectiveness of your campaigns.

Ours is one such too, which offers robust features for managing and automating your email marketing efforts. It allows you to create automated sequences based on specific triggers, ensuring your emails are timely and relevant.

Additionally, continuously educate yourself about the latest trends and best practices in email marketing. Resources like the blogs of HubSpot, Litmus, and Smartlead offer valuable insights.

Remember, the key is not to do everything manually but to work smarter by leveraging the right tools and staying updated with industry trends.

Alka GuptaAlka Gupta
Content Marketing Lead, Smartlead.ai


Quantify Revenue Contribution

As a one-person email marketing team, I highly suggest quantifying how much revenue you generate through your email marketing campaigns and asking for a percentage as commission.

For example, if your goal is to generate email leads, find out what percentage of leads buy and what their CLV (Customer Lifetime Value) is. From here, you can say, “I generated 10,000 email subscribers, and because 1 out of 20 email subscribers end up buying and the average CLV is $300, I made $150,000 for this company.”

Even if your bosses aren’t willing to give you a commission on the revenue you generated, you can use this calculation to stand out when applying for jobs in the future.

Scott LiebermanScott Lieberman
Owner, Touchdown Money


Utilize AI for Refined Messaging

For a one-person email marketing team, my top tip is to harness the power of AI, like ChatGPT, to refine your messaging. It’s crucial to get feedback, and in the absence of a team, AI can provide valuable insights and suggestions to enhance your email campaigns. This approach allows you to continuously improve your content, making it more engaging and effective. Embrace AI as your virtual teammate to elevate your email marketing strategy.

Justin SilvermanJustin Silverman
Founder & CEO, Merchynt


Integrate SEO in Email Content

One essential tip I’d offer to a one-person email marketing team is to prioritize the integration of SEO best practices within your email content. By ensuring your newsletters are rich in relevant keywords and valuable content, you’re not only engaging your subscribers but also increasing the odds of your emails being shared and potentially featured in online content, amplifying your reach.

To aid in this endeavor, tools like Ahrefs for keyword research and Google Analytics for tracking engagement can be invaluable. Consider crafting a comprehensive content calendar that aligns with your SEO strategy to maintain consistency and relevance in your communication.

Alex TaylorAlex Taylor
Head of Marketing, SEO Specialists, Digital Signage


Consider Outsourcing Tasks

Don’t hesitate to outsource. Being the only person on a marketing team doesn’t mean you must handle everything alone. I’ve been in that position, and trying to do it all just stretches you too thin. Honestly, there are times when you need additional assistance.

For instance, if you’re particularly good at something critical to your business, like writing or graphic design, then continue doing it. But for other tasks, it might be smart to bring in specialists.

In such situations, I recommend hiring freelancers or virtual assistants (VAs). There are many VAs available online who can handle repetitive tasks (like posting content on various platforms) efficiently and quickly. This approach can be cost-effective, as these individuals work independently, meaning you don’t incur office-related expenses!

Lucas OchoaLucas Ochoa
Founder & CEO, Automat


Use AI-Powered Writing Tools

For solo email marketers, my best tip is to take advantage of AI-powered tools instead of spending hours writing everything from scratch. Services like HoppyCopy can generate email sequences, newsletters, and various email campaigns really quickly with minimum guidance.

With everything that goes into marketing, this is the only way a solo marketer can compete with large teams and established brands. AI tools also allow you to A/B test your marketing messages to see what converts best.

Juliet DreamhunterJuliet Dreamhunter
Founder & AI Strategist, Juliety


Maintain a Clean Email List

Building and maintaining a clean email list is crucial for the success of your email marketing efforts, especially for a one-person email marketing team! A clean email list helps improve deliverability, and when you regularly remove inactive or invalid email addresses, it reduces the chances of your emails being marked as spam, ultimately ensuring that your messages reach the intended recipients’ inboxes.

Cleaning your email list also helps reduce bounce rates. Bounces can occur when you send emails to invalid or non-existent addresses, so keeping your list up-to-date minimizes these bounces, contributing to better email deliverability.

It helps to dedicate some time each week to maintain your lists and to simplify some processes to make it easier when there is only one person monitoring. Implement an email verification process for new subscribers to ensure that the provided email addresses are valid. This can prevent issues with bouncing and improve deliverability. Also, provide opportunities for subscribers to update their preferences, including email frequency and content preferences. This helps you tailor your emails and retain engaged subscribers.

Lastly, providing opportunities for subscribers to update their preferences, including email frequency and content preferences, helps you tailor your emails and retain engaged subscribers.

Ray WangRay Wang
Principal, RW Digital


Maximize Efficiency with Templates

One key tip I’d offer to a solo email marketing team is to leverage tools and templates to maximize efficiency. With limited resources, automation and pre-designed templates can be lifesavers. They should utilize email marketing platforms like Mailchimp or HubSpot for automation and A/B testing. This can save them time and help improve campaign effectiveness.

Additionally, they should also explore pre-made templates offered by these platforms or design resources like Canva to maintain a professional look without spending excessive time on design. By streamlining the processes, they can free up more time to focus on creating compelling content and nurturing customer relationships.

Johannes LarssonJohannes Larsson
Founder and CEO, JohannesLarsson.com


Avoid Over-Customizing Emails

Don’t over-customize the emails. While personalization and customization are the keys to grabbing your target customer’s attention, taking them too far might lead you to the spam folder. Knowing too much about the reader might make them feel uncomfortable, leading to a negative perception of the brand. This can raise privacy concerns, which can lead to less trust.

There is a possibility that instead of clicking and being impressed by the email, they might mark you as spam. Create a thin line between customization and over-customization and know where to stop. This will help you take better advantage of customizing while making sure you convert your readers into customers.

Len GaugerLen Gauger
Owner, Connect Space


Embrace Scale in Email Marketing

If you’re a one-person email marketing team, my biggest tip would be to re-evaluate your perception of scale and volume in your email marketing effort. Typically, the success of an email program has quite a bit to do with scale—things like the number of customers you have, how frequently you mail, the size of your email list, and so forth. The number you likely have in your head that you think is “big enough” to have results is probably one or two orders of magnitude too small.

Therefore, do not be afraid to aggressively grow your list or send out emails more frequently. While keeping quality high is really important, subscribers are not always as sensitive to volume as marketers fear. The lack of instantaneous feedback also means that it can take a while for everything to shake out and for you to learn what works and what doesn’t.

Focus on building and nurturing your list, experiment with your campaigns, and always be prepared to scale your efforts. By doing so, you’ll not only meet but potentially exceed the results you’re aiming for.

Blake SmithBlake Smith
Marketing Manager, ClockOn


Balance Customization with Volume

If you’re solo-nailing it, by far your scarcest resource is time. Always give your hour an arbitrary number, and never do anything manually if there is a paid alternative that costs less. It’s a numbers game: If you hand-write perfect emails with a 95% open rate, it’s still not effective if you can only churn out a handful a day.

On the flip side, completely lackluster and generic campaigns that yield a 5% open rate burn through leads without squeezing enough value out of them. The sweet spot, obviously, is in the middle: Customize just enough to have an as-high-as-possible rate of contacts with as-high-as-possible open rates.

Instead of very few huge campaigns, run a lot more smaller campaigns where you experiment until you’ve found the right threshold for your audience.

Thomas StroblThomas Strobl
Founder, Fugoya


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Related Articles

13 Ways Email Marketing Can Boost Your SEO Results

13 Ways Email Marketing Can Boost Your SEO Results

13 Ways Email Marketing Can Boost Your SEO Results

Discover how savvy SEO professionals and digital marketers integrate email marketing to amplify their SEO efforts. From using email insights to inform SEO strategies to adding email content to your website, explore these 13 expert tips that can give your search engine rankings a significant lift.

  • Identify User Behaviors Via Email Insights
  • Storytelling Enhances Brand and SEO
  • Leverage Email Sharing Buttons for Quality Backlinks
  • Turn Email Subscribers Into Active Participants
  • Create Share-Worthy Email Content
  • Repurpose Newsletters for SEO Benefits
  • Spotlight Content via Email Marketing
  • View Email as a Traffic Channel
  • Share Data-Driven Content in Emails
  • Monthly Newsletters Boost Site Interactions
  • Include “Read More” Links and Content Snippets
  • Create Scannable Content That Stands Out
  • Add Email Content to Your Website

Identify User Behaviors Via Email Insights

Through strategic email marketing, we’ve experienced a tangible boost in our SEO performance. The careful curation of content tailored to our specific audience has not only increased user engagement but has also translated into extended time spent on our web pages and a reduced bounce rate. These positive signals are instrumental in enhancing our overall search engine ranking.

One of the most impactful strategies we’ve employed is using email insights to inform our SEO efforts. Understanding our users’ preferences and behaviors allows us to fine-tune various elements such as content, calls to action (CTAs), headings, and subject lines. By repurposing these insights, we not only create more targeted email campaigns but also optimize our web pages effectively. It’s a symbiotic relationship where the lessons learned from email engagement directly contribute to refining our online presence.

My top tip for others looking to boost SEO through email marketing is to view these channels as interconnected platforms. The data gleaned from email campaigns should be a guiding force in shaping and refining your broader online strategy, resulting in a more cohesive and impactful digital presence.

Sajin K JohnSajin K John
SEO & Digital Marketing Expert


Storytelling Enhances Brand and SEO

Our email marketing campaigns have greatly increased brand recognition and supported our SEO strategy. We have increased website traffic and organic search engine ranks by strategically integrating relevant links and targeted keywords into our email campaigns.

Storytelling, however, is our most effective email marketing strategy for increasing brand awareness and SEO. Create engaging stories in your email content that speak to your readers rather than just advertising goods or services. Share industry insights, behind-the-scenes photos, or customer success stories that exemplify the character and values of your company.

In addition to encouraging higher email open and click-through rates, you can develop brand advocacy and loyalty by building genuine connections and engaging your audience deeply. Because search engines prioritize user engagement metrics, resulting in higher website visits, longer dwell times, and better SEO success.

Simply put, pay attention to the effectiveness of storytelling in your email marketing campaigns to increase brand awareness. Making deep connections with your audience that stick in their minds is as important as selling; this will help boost your brand’s visibility and position in search engine rankings.

Najeeb Ur RehmanNajeeb Ur Rehman
SEO Analyst, Digital Auxilius


Leverage Email Sharing Buttons for Quality Backlinks

Email marketing can substantially improve SEO in various ways. One helpful strategy is using email campaigns to create high-quality backlinks to your website. By integrating social media sharing buttons and producing worthwhile content that inevitably generates links, you may encourage readers to spread the word about your content.

In addition, incorporate pertinent keywords into your email content optimization plan. To increase search engine visibility, incorporate these keywords into your headers, body text, and subject lines. You may improve your website’s authority and exposure in search engine results pages by regularly sending relevant, high-quality emails to interested subscribers.

In conclusion, my top recommendation for improving SEO with email marketing is to build high-quality backlinks and use pertinent keywords in your email content. By including these tactics in your email marketing, you can increase organic traffic to your website and improve its search engine ranking.

Bilal IqbalBilal Iqbal
SEO Executive, Digital Auxilius


Turn Email Subscribers Into Active Participants

Email marketing, often seen as a separate entity, can actually be a secret weapon in boosting SEO. Here’s a personal story that illustrates this well. I focused on creating high-quality, informative newsletters that my subscribers found valuable. By including links to well-crafted blog posts and pages on my website, I encouraged readers to visit and engage with my site’s content.

The magic happened when these readers found the content useful and shared it across their networks, including social media and their own blogs. This generated organic backlinks, a key factor in SEO. It’s like starting a ripple effect; the initial wave begins with the email, and it spreads out, reaching farther shores in the form of backlinks and social shares.

For anyone looking to boost their SEO with email marketing, my top tip is to focus on creating content that is truly valuable and share-worthy. Encourage your readers to engage with it beyond just reading—ask them to share their thoughts, provide feedback, or share it on their platforms if they found it useful. This approach not only fosters a deeper connection with your audience but also turns your email subscribers into active participants in your SEO efforts.

Anup KayasthaAnup Kayastha
Founder, Serpnest


Create Share-Worthy Email Content

Directing traffic to an article is a great signal to Google that it’s quality content readers want to enjoy. Not only that, but you are sending vital data to Google about on-page metrics like time on page, bounce rates, and exit rates.

I usually create an RSS feed to go out in a monthly designed email so all of my readers can jump to my latest blog posts and kick them up in the rankings by helping them get indexed faster by being on the site and the page.

More traffic means boosted rankings and a higher crawl budget.

George PanayidesGeorge Panayides
Digital Marketing Specialist, The Digital xx


Repurpose Newsletters for SEO Benefits

I have a weekly growth-hacking newsletter that goes out to tens of thousands of marketers, creators, and entrepreneurs.

All of my newsletters are turned into articles on my website.

It’s not infrequent that one of my readers will have a blog or website of their own—and link to one of the newsletters I republished as an article.

Content repurposing is one of the most powerful methods there is, especially when you repurpose a well-performing piece of content.

In my case, by repurposing my newsletters as articles, I get backlinks. These backlinks increase my domain authority and page authority, and my website gains more market share within search engines as a result.

I don’t believe in content gating. I choose to use all my content as acquisition tools to get more visibility and more top-of-mind awareness. Aside from my weekly newsletter, I have a daily podcast and make daily TikToks and Instagram Reels. All these pieces of media are repurposed as assets on my website—which attracts more links and further fuels my SEO.

My best tip for others to boost SEO with email marketing is to turn emails into articles. When possible, look for relevant keywords to insert into the article page title, meta description, alt text, H1, and opening sentence.

This way, a newsletter serves not just as a linkable asset but as an SEO landing page of its own.

Edward SturmEdward Sturm
SEO and Marketing Expert, Edwardsturm.com


Spotlight Content via Email Marketing

Our email marketing has been a secret weapon for boosting our SEO, especially with a little help from our AI-powered productivity tools, templates, and dynamic content. Here’s a fun tip: Spotlight your coolest content in your emails. We love to give our subscribers a heads-up on our latest blog posts, killer tutorials, and super helpful resources.

This does a couple of awesome things. First off, it gets our subscribers clicking through to our site, bumping up those page views. But even cooler, it shows search engines that we’re the go-to spot for valuable content, nudging our rankings up.

And here’s the cherry on top: We sprinkle in social share buttons and make it super easy to spread the love for our content. When we drop a newsletter about our latest product updates, it’s not just an update—it’s a nudge for our fans to share our stuff on social media. This organic sharing action is like SEO gold, bringing in more eyes and creating a buzz around our brand.

So, the big secret? Make your email marketing a loop that feeds and is fed by your content and SEO efforts. It’s a fun ride seeing where it can take your brand!

John XieJohn Xie
Co-Founder and CEO, Taskade


View Email as a Traffic Channel

Email marketing is an underrated way of getting your content to rank faster. A ranking factor is that your content receives traffic from sources other than just Google, and email marketing can easily be one of them.

I ran a test once where I published two articles; the criteria were the same, but for one of the articles, I added a link in a newsletter I sent out, and for the other, I didn’t. It resulted in the article that was in the newsletter starting to rank immediately, whereas the other article didn’t rank until a bit later.

And once you get them on your page, the more they click around and read your content, the more positive signals your website sends to Google.

In summary, see email marketing as a traffic channel, just as you see Google. Once you do that, you’ll start to benefit from it tremendously. So, even though you might not see the correlation at first, it’s there and incredibly powerful when used correctly.

Phillip StemannPhillip Stemann
SEO Consultant, Phillip Stemann


Share Data-Driven Content in Emails

One powerful method we’ve used is to share intriguing, data-driven content that engages our readers. For example, we might send out an email that begins with a compelling statistic, like: “Did you know that 70% of…” Naturally, the recipient is likely to be curious about the rest of the information. So, we include a link to the full article on our blog or website. This not only drives traffic to our site, but it also encourages longer site visits, both of which positively affect our SEO.

But it’s important to remember that email marketing isn’t just about driving traffic. It’s also about building a relationship with your audience and providing value. By creating high-quality, relevant content that resonates with your subscribers, you’re not only boosting SEO but also increasing brand loyalty and trust.

Tristan HarrisTristan Harris
Demand Generation Senior Marketing Manager, Thrive Digital Marketing Agency


Monthly Newsletters Boost Site Interactions

As a digital marketing agency, we send out one newsletter a month to our subscribers, including a variety of different things: office updates, blog articles, social posts, company achievements, and more. Although these emails are not getting crawled or indexed, the content within them is impacting our website ranking and SEO efforts as it encourages visitors to read our content, like our posts, follow our accounts, and explore our different landing pages. These positive behaviors and interactions are therefore improving our ranking on Google search results while also interpreting our keywords and key phrases.

Annie EverillAnnie Everill
Digital Marketing Executive, Imaginaire


Include “Read More” Links and Content Snippets

Certainly, my email marketing efforts have significantly complemented my SEO strategy, primarily by driving more targeted traffic to my website. The best tip I can offer is to effectively leverage your email content to encourage user engagement with your website.

Here’s a specific strategy: Include well-crafted snippets of your latest blog posts or web content in your emails with ‘Read More’ links directing readers to your website. This not only increases website traffic but also enhances user engagement with your content. The trick is to make these snippets compelling and relevant to your audience’s interests.

Additionally, by analyzing which content in your emails gets the most clicks, you can gain insights into what your audience finds most valuable. This information can guide your content creation strategy for both your website and future email campaigns, ensuring that you’re consistently delivering content that resonates with your audience.

Remember, while direct SEO benefits from email marketing are not as straightforward as other strategies, the indirect benefits like increased site engagement and content relevancy can significantly boost your SEO efforts. This approach has been a key part of my digital marketing strategy, driving both traffic and engagement.

Joe DaviesJoe Davies
Co-Founder and CEO, FATJOE


Create Scannable Content That Stands Out

Email is a powerful channel for driving traffic back to our site and content. We regularly promote new blogs, e-books, and case studies in our email newsletters with catchy subject lines and compelling preview copy. This boosts clicks and website visits, which then improves our search rankings. My top tip is to make email content snippets scannable with bold headings and bulleted lists so readers can quickly grasp the value.

Karin ConroyKarin Conroy
Founder and Creative Director, Conroy Creative Counsel


Add Email Content to Your Website

One easy way to repurpose your email content is by adding it to your website. This has two benefits: more fresh content on your website and more opportunities to rank for more keywords.

Brennen SmithBrennen Smith
CEO, Lazarus Design Team


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Related Articles

6 Reasons Why Readers Unsubscribe (and What to Do About It)

6 Reasons Why Readers Unsubscribe (and What to Do About It)

6 Reasons Why Readers Unsubscribe (and What to Do About It)

Understanding why readers might hit “unsubscribe” can be crucial for maintaining a strong email list, so we’ve gathered insights from content marketers and digital strategists to help. From managing email frequency and being authentic to avoiding email spam triggers, explore six expert strategies to keep your subscribers engaged and prevent them from leaving.

  • Manage Email Frequency and Be Authentic
  • Provide Value-Driven Content
  • Nurture Kindred Spirits, Avoid Sales Pitch Overload
  • Personalize Beyond First Names
  • Optimize Emails for Mobile Devices
  • Avoid Email Spam Triggers

Manage Email Frequency and Be Authentic

One prevalent cause for email unsubscribes revolves around the sheer volume of messages bombarding inboxes. Surprisingly, 78% of users opt out when they feel inundated by emails, as per a recent study.

Businesses can avert this by meticulously managing their email frequency, allowing users the autonomy to select their preferred communication cadence. Moreover, a lack of authenticity in content can also lead to disengagement. This is where leveraging user-generated content (UGC) comes into play. Incorporating genuine content from users not only adds authenticity but also enhances the overall email experience.

Striking a delicate balance in communication frequency and integrating authentic content ensures not only subscriber retention but also establishes a more meaningful connection with the audience.

Adrija MilanAdrija Milan
Content Marketer, Tagbox


Provide Value-Driven Content

People unsubscribe because they don’t see value in your content. Always try to think of your audience first and what they’ll find valuable. It can be tempting to want to focus on your new product and all the fancy bells and whistles, but if you don’t relate it back to your audience and why they should care, you’ll lose them. Instead of ‘our product does X,’ reframe it as ‘we just solved your pain point.’

Liz KelleyLiz Kelley
Content Marketing Manager, Focus Lab


Nurture Kindred Spirits, Avoid Sales Pitch Overload

An unpopular truth is that not every lead is worth keeping. In chasing broad appeal, we water down our vision and strain to contort it for the wrong fits. Readers sense when our message rings hollow and tune out.

Rather than bend over backward trying to retain each subscriber, we should nurture only kindred spirits who resonate with our core ethos. This allows us to create truer connections and deepen engagement within that tribe.

Beyond that, readers flee from relentless selling. They seek enrichment, not conversion with each email. We prevent unsubscribes by leading with value, not pitches. Share what inspires you and brings more light to readers’ lives.

If your editorial calendar revolves around product launches, promos, and profit, expect bounces. Instead, cultivate engagement through impact and meaning.

Organizations so often obsess over scale when niche focus breeds truer success. Our tribe may be smaller, but engagement runs far deeper. And isn’t that what we’re all truly chasing?

Mona Kirstein, Ph.D.Mona Kirstein, Ph.D.
Digital Strategist, Holistic Coach & Consultant, The Wholehearted Path


Personalize Beyond First Names

A lack of personalization within the email is a huge reason why readers unsubscribe. While having their first name is a great start, software makes it quite easy nowadays to customize an email further, for example, to include content narrowed down to a topic of interest.

For our e-commerce websites and clients, for example, we ask the subscriber for the types of products they’re interested in and email them only about these products rather than a larger email with less personalization.

Germaine MullerGermaine Muller
Founder & Managing Director, Futuretheory


Optimize Emails for Mobile Devices

Not optimizing email correspondence for the requirements of mobile phones is one reason many internet users decide to unsubscribe.

Society, dependent on smartphones, values clear, immediate, and user-friendly communication. An individual has no time for second-guessing. So, if the message does not adhere to the specifications needed for display on mobile devices, one can be sure their recipients will lose interest in their content.

The market is saturated with businesses that want to captivate the audience’s attention. If you don’t want to lag behind due to unsuitable technicalities, consider hiring a professional. An experienced UX designer will optimize your content to meet the expectations of mobile users. They will ensure the message you want to share is legible and plausible at first glance.

Losing subscribers is the worst scenario for any marketer. Time is money, so make sure your correspondence does not require further deciphering.

Martyna SzczesniakMartyna Szczesniak
Community Expert, MyPerfectResume


Avoid Email Spam Triggers

One main reason readers unsubscribe is when the email content triggers spam filters, making the whole email look like spam. To prevent this, focus on avoiding spam triggers in your email campaigns. Create concise and relevant subject lines, use a balanced mix of text and images, and avoid excessive use of all caps or exclamation points.

By being mindful of spam filters and delivering valuable, non-intrusive content, you can increase the chances of keeping your audience engaged and reducing unsubscribes.

Johannes LarssonJohannes Larsson
Founder and CEO, JohannesLarsson.com


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Related Articles

9 Millennial-Friendly Email Marketing Tips

9 Millennial-Friendly Email Marketing Tips

9 Millennial-Friendly Email Marketing Tips

To engage the millennial audience effectively through email marketing, we’ve gathered insights from industry experts, including growth strategists and marketing managers. From incorporating visuals and transparency to ensuring your emails come with a name, explore the nine savvy tips these professionals recommend for making your email marketing resonate with millennials.

  • Incorporate Visuals and Transparency
  • Leverage the P.S. Statement
  • Keep Emails Short and to the Point
  • Personalize Content and Optimize for Mobile
  • Emphasize Cultural Sensitivity in Content
  • Craft Irresistible Subject Lines
  • Embrace Visual Storytelling
  • Highlight Sustainability Efforts
  • Ensure Emails Have a Name Attached

Incorporate Visuals and Transparency

Studies indicate that 64% of millennials find email newsletters effective for brand connections. Notably, email is a potent channel, influencing the purchase decisions of 50.7% of millennial customers. So, here are three elements that you can implement to make your email more millennial-friendly.

First and foremost, visuals are crucial for marketing, no matter your audience, so here’s where we’ll start. Focus on visually engaging content that both grabs attention and is authentic. Millennials care about a business’s values, so keep consistent and transparent.

Also, ensure that your emails are mobile-friendly. The majority of millennials tend to check their emails before their workday and much prefer email marketing compared to other channels. Optimize the design for smaller screens.

Finally, create a strong call to action that prompts millennials to take immediate and clear steps. Whether it’s making a purchase, signing up for an event, or sharing content on social media, a compelling CTA enhances engagement and encourages action.

Michaella MastersMichaella Masters
Growth Strategist, Codific


Leverage the P.S. Statement

One tip for making your email marketing more millennial-friendly is to creatively utilize the P.S. statement. Millennials, known for their quick consumption of content, often skim emails. A compelling postscript at the end of your emails can catch their attention and deliver a punchy, memorable message.

Use this space for your most important call to action, a special discount code, or an intriguing piece of information. This not only revives interest but also adds a personal touch, making it more likely for millennials to engage with your content and take the desired action.

Jaya IyerJaya Iyer
Marketing Manager, Teranga Digital Marketing LTD


Keep Emails Short and to the Point

Do you want to appeal to millennials with your email marketing? Here’s a great piece of advice: Make sure it’s brief, sharp, and visually appealing!

Emails should be concise and effective because millennials value material that is short and to the point. Create compelling subject lines that will make readers curious and want to click through. Remember to include visually stimulating content in your emails, such as pictures or videos, to increase reader engagement and sharing. These pointers can help you draw in millennials and increase the exposure and interaction of your business.

Simon BriskSimon Brisk
Founder and SEO Strategist, Click Intelligence


Personalize Content and Optimize for Mobile

One tip I can offer is to personalize your content and make it relevant to their interests and preferences. Millennials value authenticity and personalized experiences, so tailoring your email campaigns to their specific needs can significantly improve engagement. Segment your email list based on demographics, behaviors, or preferences, and create targeted content that resonates with each segment.

Incorporate dynamic content, such as personalized recommendations or exclusive offers, to make the emails feel more personalized and relevant. Another thing to keep in mind is to make sure that your emails are mobile-friendly, as millennials heavily rely on mobile devices for email consumption.

By personalizing your content and optimizing for mobile, you can make your email marketing more appealing and effective for millennial audiences.

Travis WillisTravis Willis
Director of Customer Success, Aspire


Emphasize Cultural Sensitivity in Content

Don’t be a tone-deaf brand. Millennials care about societal issues, so do your best to be culturally sensitive. This is just one of the steps needed to make them loyal customers. You may not be particularly memorable to them at first, but accidentally rolling out controversial content may prove to be detrimental to all future marketing efforts, even beyond their inbox.

Kristel KongasKristel Kongas
CMO, Inboxy OÜ


Craft Irresistible Subject Lines

Crafting irresistible subject lines is pivotal for effective, millennial-friendly email marketing. Engaging headlines capture attention instantly, ensuring your message stands out in cluttered inboxes.

Create subject lines that resonate with the millennial mindset, offering value and relevance. Tailor them to spark curiosity, driving recipients to open emails eagerly. This approach aligns with millennials’ preference for succinct, compelling content that adds immediate value to their lives.

By adopting this strategy, your emails become more than just messages; they become invitations to discover valuable insights, promotions, or opportunities. This straightforward and results-oriented technique enhances the likelihood of your emails being noticed and acted upon in the fast-paced digital landscape, aligning with millennials’ desire for efficiency and meaningful interactions.

Kate ChervenKate Cherven
Marketing Specialist, United Site Services


Embrace Visual Storytelling

The number-one way I make my email marketing content truly millennial-friendly is by embracing visual storytelling through dynamic mediums versus long blocks of text.

Our generation consumes information faster on mobile with limited attention spans. Though I love writing comprehensive side-hustle guides, cramming that much heavy copy into inboxes simply doesn’t compel or retain millennials.

Instead, I focus my subscriber communications on punchy money stats paired with vibrant graphics, optimizing for small screens. I also thread bite-sized side-hustle advice across mini-series emails, building anticipation rather than overloaded one-offs.

The key is conveying financial education visually through easily “skimmable” formats, relying more on strong imagery versus dense paragraphs. Striking graphics, minimalist formatting, and transparency are essentials.

Since tailoring my newsletters for millennial consumption habits, click-through rates have doubled. Remember, writing less while spotlighting visuals makes all the difference for modern audiences. Putting legibility and creativity first resonates much stronger!

Brian MeiggsBrian Meiggs
Founder, My Millennial Guide


Highlight Sustainability Efforts

Millennials are socially conscious consumers who frequently choose brands that are committed to sustainability and social responsibility. In your email campaigns, highlight your brand’s environmentally-friendly methods, ethical sourcing, and community involvement. Share stories about your activities and relationships that help make the world a better place.

By demonstrating your commitment to making a positive difference, you’re more likely to connect with millennials, who actively seek brands that share their beliefs.

Adam CrosslingAdam Crossling
Marketing and New Business Director, Zenzero


Ensure Emails Have a Name Attached

We have to consider that many millennials have encountered an array of spam- and virus-laden emails during the internet’s heyday. They’re more cautious when it comes to opening emails, particularly from senders they’re unfamiliar with.

One vital tip for making your email marketing friendly for millennials is to ensure your email campaign appears genuine and personal. This can be achieved by using a legitimate email with a domain name, preferably one that includes the name of an employee.

For example, company emails starting with ‘info@’ often appear impersonal and are therefore more likely to be dismissed or even flagged as spam. By incorporating a personal touch to your email campaigns, you can build trust and rapport among millennial customers.

David Rubie-ToddDavid Rubie-Todd
Co-Founder and Marketing Head, Sticker It


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Related Articles

Emily’s Email Resource Library


PDF Presentations

Effective Email Marketing (PDF Presentation)

6 Email Hacks for Email That Convert (PDF Presentation)

49 Mailchimp Design Tips (free PDF download) (so many of our best-kept secrets in this!).


VIDEOS

Below you’ll find some of my favorite 2-minute Mailchimp video tips. Enjoy!

VIDEO: Our Best Button/CTA Design Secrets

VIDEO: Mailchimp’s email editor lets you resize images right in your Mailchimp account.

VIDEO: Mailchimp’s nice PDF reports (great for sending to clients)

VIDEO: View this email online.

VIDEO: A cool way to use Mailchimp’s “Image + Text” Block

Don’t End Up in the Spam Folder: 10 Subject Line Mistakes to Avoid

Don't End Up in the Spam Folder: 10 Subject Line Mistakes to Avoid

Don’t End Up in the Spam Folder: 10 Subject Line Mistakes to Avoid

Navigating the treacherous waters of email marketing requires knowing what not to do, especially for crafting that critical subject line. We’ve gathered insights from copywriters and content marketing managers, among others, to pinpoint the top ten subject line missteps that could doom your emails to the spam folder. From avoiding salesy language to skipping dollar signs or mentions of cost, here’s what the experts have to say.

  • Leading with Salesy Words
  • Utilizing All-Caps Text
  • Writing with Spammy Words
  • Adding Exclamation Marks
  • Using Vague, Irrelevant Language
  • Leaving Your Subject Line Incomplete
  • Misleading with the “RE” Prefix
  • Not Naming the Recipient
  • Aggravating with False Urgency
  • Including Dollar Signs or Cost

Leading with Salesy Words

Since teaming up with Michelle Paulhus, our E-Commerce & Retention Director (aka guru of all things e-commerce and email), we agreed to ditch the salesy subject lines.

We keep them short, sweet, and just plain fun—sometimes riffing on a joke that pays off in the newsletter, asking a ridiculous question, or something that seems random but sparks curiosity in the email. Keep them fresh, fun, and full of surprises!

Madeline Soules
Copywriter, OLIPOP


Utilizing All-Caps Text

I’ve written thousands of content pieces online since 2011, and one of several things that has helped me stand out from the rest is avoiding capital letters and exclamation marks. I’m guilty of it too. I used to add exclamation marks to look cool.

The same applies to email subject lines as well. People have short attention spans, and when they see capital letters in subject lines, it sure gets them to pay attention, but it also raises red flags. I’ve never opened an email with all-caps subject lines.

Imagine me writing this in all caps or title case with an exclamation mark!

Shubham DaveyShubham Davey
SEO Copywriter Growing Blogs Organically, Prachar Max


Writing with Spammy Words

A critical mistake is using spammy words in subject lines. These words can trigger spam filters, causing your emails to be missed by your audience and harming your sender reputation.

Words like “free,” “guarantee,” and “limited-time offer” are common culprits. Steering clear of these terms not only helps your emails reach inboxes but also maintains your brand’s credibility. Crafting engaging yet straightforward subject lines without these triggers is key to successful email deliverability and maintaining a positive relationship with your audience.

Marco Genaro PalmaMarco Genaro Palma
Content Marketing Manager, PRLab


Adding Exclamation Marks

I know you might be excited to tell us some news, but anything with all caps tends to push emails directly into the spam folder, rendering your excitement null and void. In addition, emails that break through the spam filter with an all-caps subject line receive a reply 30% less often than those that do not.

Tied together is the use of exclamation points. Digital marketers like to create a sense of urgency so users feel the urge to open their emails, but the combination of all caps and exclamation points will send your emails directly to the spam filter.

Garrett CarlsonGarrett Carlson
Content Marketing Manager, The Loop Marketing


Using Vague, Irrelevant Language

I receive this a lot: “Sorry I missed your email,” says the person who responded three weeks later.

One email subject line mistake that could send an email directly to the spam folder is using vague or irrelevant subject lines, such as “Sorry I missed your email” or “Following Up.” These subject lines may not catch the recipient’s attention and could easily be mistaken for spam, causing the email to be deleted or sent directly to the junk folder.

For me, this is one of the most frustrating email mistakes. Not only does it waste my time and clutter my inbox, but it also shows a lack of professionalism and consideration for others’ time. If a marketer thinks that “Sorry I missed your email” is a suitable subject line, they may not have taken the time to understand their audience and tailor their message accordingly.

If you want to be successful in email marketing, put yourself in your recipient’s shoes. Would you open an email with such a vague and uninteresting subject line? Probably not.

Eric EngEric Eng
Founder and CEO, Private College Admissions Consultant, AdmissionSight


Leaving Your Subject Line Incomplete

An empty or incomplete subject line may be considered suspicious by spam filters. Sometimes the subject line gets missed, or is sent only half-completed when you’re busy and trying to do multiple things at once.

Always provide a clear and concise subject that reflects the content of your email. I also recommend leaning into automation to help you when it comes to having emails prepared and ready to go, and to always proofread and double-check your email before sending it out.

Aaron Davis, CEO and Co-Founder, Exploration

Misleading with the “RE” Prefix

I was clearing my spam box a couple of weeks ago and noticed at least five email subject lines beginning with “RE.” The sender was probably trying to trick me into thinking this was an ongoing conversation, so I would click on their email.

This triggered my curiosity. Does Gmail’s spam filter automatically filter out email subject lines that start with “RE?”

When I looked at their guidelines, it says that the spam filter will get rid of misleading emails. This means that using “RE” in subject lines shows spam filters that you’re trying to trick the recipient.

Scott LiebermanScott Lieberman
Owner, Touchdown Money


Not Naming the Recipient

One surefire way to get your emails caught by the most basic spam filter is not customizing your subject lines at all. If you have your contact’s name or business name, include them in the email subject to make your emails more unique and look less like spam.

Justin SilvermanJustin Silverman
Founder and CEO, Merchynt


Aggravating with False Urgency

There’s a long list of words and phrases that will sweep your message into the spam folder before your reader ever gets to view it. These phrases typically have to do with creating false urgency (act now!) or false promises (100% free). Spam filters are imperfect, and sometimes they can bury legitimate offers out of caution, but they reduce the risk of fraud or harm to the reader. So, consider your word choice before you hit send. You don’t want your business to get lumped in with any shady activity.

Even if your email isn’t automatically sorted into spam, your subject line could earn you a one-way ticket out of your reader’s inbox if you’re not careful. With so many people feeling overwhelmed by the sheer volume of messages they receive, a little empathy can go a long way. Instead of writing subject lines that ask your reader to spend or take action, consider how your email can help solve a problem they’re facing. Demonstrating that you understand your audience can make your emails more relevant and less expendable.

Ashley LaabsAshley Laabs
Thought Leadership Coach and LinkedIn Ghostwriter, Composure Digital


Including Dollars Signs or Cost

As an Enterprise SaaS sales rep, I’m well-versed in bypassing spam filters after sending tens of thousands of automated cold emails, and hundreds of personalized cold emails over the past several years.

Google will flag anything that mentions price or cost as going directly to spam. Dollar signs ($$$), “FREE” in capital letters, “Act now,” “Buy Now!!!,” “100% discount,” or anything with excessive punctuation and/or urgency will send you straight to email jail.

How do I know? I’ve A/B tested all the above phrases, and similar variations, in different cadences, from different email domains. And any time I’ve tested any subject line with even a hint of urgency, the open rates are abysmal.

My advice is to keep your subject line low-friction and low-pressure, and relevant to whatever email it is that you’re sending. At one company I worked for, out of all the different subject lines we tested and tried, the best-performing one was “Intro.” Sometimes simplicity is best!

Adam PurvisAdam Purvis
Founder, AdamJohnPurvis.com


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12 Email Marketing Terms Every Marketer Should Know

12 Email Marketing Terms Every Marketer Should Know

12 Email Marketing Terms Every Marketer Should Know

In the ever-evolving world of email marketing, twelve industry leaders, including CMOs and founders, share their insights on terms that can make a significant difference in your campaigns. From the strategic use of A/B testing for email success to the importance of email list hygiene practices, this article unveils the less-common email marketing knowledge that can set you apart. Discover why these terms matter and how they can enhance your marketing strategy.

  • A/B Testing
  • CAN-SPAM Act
  • Graymail
  • Honeypots
  • Personalization Tokens
  • List Churn
  • Parasite Emails
  • Cost per Mile
  • Bacn
  • Permission Marketing
  • Throttling
  • Email List Hygiene

A/B Testing

A/B testing, or split testing, is becoming a less-used and more obscure email marketing term, given the rise and incorporation of AI, but I believe it’s one more marketers need to know and utilize.

It’s a vital tool for improving and optimizing your email marketing results. Whether you’re testing list segmentation responsiveness, subject line strength, or click-through button text, it’s an excellent tool to test the strength of arguably every part of your email marketing strategy and increase your chances of success.

Robert FoneyRobert Foney
CMO, Healthmetryx , Inc.


CAN-SPAM Act

The CAN-SPAM Act is a less commonly known yet vital piece of legislation for every marketer to understand. Standing for “Controlling the Assault of Non-Solicited Pornography And Marketing Act,” this U.S. law sets rules for commercial emails, establishing requirements for commercial messages and giving recipients the right to stop any emails from being sent to them.

Understanding this law isn’t just about legal compliance; it’s about respect for your audience’s boundaries and earning their trust. Ignorance of CAN-SPAM can lead to costly fines, but more importantly, it can damage your brand’s reputation.

Understanding CAN-SPAM also allows for more effective email marketing strategies. The law requires all commercial emails to include a clear and noticeable unsubscribe link, allowing recipients to easily opt out of future emails. By giving your audience this choice, you are showing respect for their time and preferences, resulting in a more engaged and loyal subscriber base.

Tristan HarrisTristan Harris
Demand Generation Senior Marketing Manager, Thrive Digital Marketing Agency


Graymail

One less common email marketing term that warrants more attention is graymail. Not to be confused with spam, graymail refers to legitimate emails that a recipient has opted to receive but doesn’t engage with, either due to lack of interest or overwhelming volume. Graymail can hurt a campaign’s overall performance metrics and deliverability because email providers may begin to categorize these messages as low-value or spammy.

By monitoring and managing graymail, marketers can improve their email performance and ensure their content reaches the inboxes of engaged and interested recipients.

Justin ColeJustin Cole
President and SEO Strategist, Tested Media


Honeypots

A term not many email marketers talk about, but should know, is honeypot. Think of it like a decoy email address that anti-spam groups set up. When a spammer finds and emails this address, they get tagged as a spammer. This is important because if you’re not careful about where you get your email addresses from, you could be at risk. Maybe you got a fake email from a bot, swapped lists with someone, or grabbed emails from websites. That’s where you might accidentally hit a honeypot.

Though honeypots are mainly for catching spammers, they can be used for other stuff too. Sometimes they’re old email accounts that aren’t active anymore. If a spammer sends to these, they get flagged. But honeypots aren’t all about trapping bad guys. They can actually help with security. They’re like lookouts, spotting troublemakers on networks.

Honeypots give email marketers information they can use and act like an early alert system. They come in various types, all aiming to spot and stop problems before your network or systems get hit.

Alan RedondoAlan Redondo
Founder, Ardoz Digital


Personalization Tokens

From my perspective, personalization tokens are a lesser-known email marketing term that deserves more attention. These are dynamic placeholders in emails that automatically insert individualized information, like the recipient’s name or location.

Personalization tokens make emails feel more tailored and engaging. Marketers should use them creatively to boost open rates and click-through rates. When subscribers see their name in the subject line or content, it grabs their attention, fostering a sense of connection and relevance.

Danielle RobertsDanielle Roberts
Co Founder, Boomer Benefits


List Churn

We send emails (as newsletters) to our audience, and the less-common term that most marketers don’t know is List Churn. List churn measures the rate at which subscribers join and leave your email list over time.

This term is important because it highlights the need to maintain a healthy email list by continually adding engaged subscribers and removing inactive or disinterested ones. High list churn can negatively impact email engagement and deliverability.

Bhavik SarkhediBhavik Sarkhedi
Growth Head and CMO, Content Whale


Parasite Emails

I have been using this term as it relates to parasite SEO. It is when a business pays another, larger company with a bigger subscriber list to include them as part of their email campaign. Normally, you would go with a similar industry so that the business’s offering fits the rest of the email content they are sending.

Jeff MichaelJeff Michael
Ecommerce Business Owner, Supplement Warehouse


Cost per Mile

Cost per Mile (CPM) doesn’t involve the expense of transporting goods or people over a distance—well, not in the email marketing realm, at least. Here, the term refers to the cost of sending a thousand emails. Or, in marketing generally, it stands for the cost of one thousand impressions or views of a particular advertisement.

CPM empowers email marketers to evaluate the cost efficiency of their campaigns on a per-thousand-email basis, providing insights into the overall cost structure. This, in turn, enhances the precision of budget planning and cost estimation, helping allocate resources in a well-informed way.

Moreover, CPM can also be useful for comparing the cost of email campaigns with other advertising channels that use CPM as a pricing model. And these are good reasons for email marketers to know the term and use it as a metric in evaluating their campaigns.

Nina PaczkaNina Paczka
Community Manager, Resume Now


Bacn

Bacn (pronounced like “bacon”) is a less common but important email marketing term. It refers to non-spam emails that, while not entirely unsolicited, can flood a user’s inbox. The term highlights the challenge of finding the right balance between email frequency and relevance.

Marketers need to understand that such emails are often the result of user interactions with websites, subscriptions, or services. It’s crucial for marketers to focus on delivering content that is not only expected but also relevant and valuable to enhance engagement and prevent irritation among recipients.

By recognizing and addressing Bacn, marketers can refine their strategies, improve audience segmentation, and ensure their emails are seen as welcome content in inboxes, thus building positive relationships and boosting email engagement and deliverability.

Brad FilliponiBrad Filliponi
Co-Founder, BoxBrownie.com


Permission Marketing

The term permission marketing is one that more marketers need to know.

I’ve seen a lot of other terms like “inbound marketing,” “content marketing,” and “social media marketing.” Those are all great terms, but they aren’t the ones that can help you get more conversions out of your email campaigns.

While those other types of marketing might be great for getting more people to your website or social media pages, they don’t necessarily help you convert those visitors into paying customers.

Permission marketing is different because it focuses on giving people who have already expressed interest in your product something they want—and then asking them if they want more.

Looking to increase engagement with your email campaigns? I recommend using permission marketing. It’s easier than ever today because there are so many tools available that make it easy for anyone to set up their own permission-based email list with little effort and even less cost!

Mac SteerMac Steer
Owner and Director, Simify


Throttling

Throttling is a term in email marketing that’s really important for all email marketers to understand. It’s when you send out emails in large batches, not all at once. This helps ensure more emails actually reach people.

When I use throttling, I send emails in groups over time. This way, it doesn’t overwhelm email servers, and it reduces the chance of emails being marked as spam. It’s important because it helps make sure more people actually see our emails. Sending too many emails at once can cause problems, like bouncing back or getting blocked.

By spreading out the sending, we can monitor how well the emails are performing and make adjustments if needed. This strategy really helps improve the chances of our emails being read, which is key in email marketing.

Precious AbacanPrecious Abacan
Marketing Director, Softlist


Email List Hygiene

Email List Hygiene is a less common but crucial term in email marketing. It refers to regularly cleaning and maintaining your email subscriber list by removing invalid or disengaged addresses. This practice is vital for several reasons.

Keeping a clean list enhances your sender reputation and ensures your emails reach the inbox.

Removing inactive contacts saves money on email marketing services. Cleaning your list leads to higher engagement and open rates as you target a more responsive audience, and it also helps meet GDPR and CAN-SPAM Act requirements by respecting user preferences.

Remember, clean lists provide accurate data for better targeting and content relevance.

Lenna ZitterLenna Zitter
Founder, Magellanic Digital


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How Email Marketing Can Drive Traffic to Your Blog

How Email Marketing Can Drive Traffic to Your Blog

How Email Marketing Can Drive Traffic to Your Blog

Twelve industry leaders, from founders to CEOs, have shared their exclusive tips on using email marketing to drive blog traffic. From curating weekly roundup emails to gaining insights from competitors’ emails, discover a spectrum of proven strategies that can transform your email campaigns into traffic-generating machines.

  • Curate Weekly Roundup Emails
  • Leverage Trending Topics
  • Intrigue with Teaser Snippets
  • Segment Audience for Festive Promos
  • Craft Relevant Conversational Emails
  • Share Unique Content Snippets
  • Feature Blog Content with Direct Links
  • Optimize Newsletter Timing
  • Engage with Email Series
  • Offer Helpful Advice, Avoid Sales Pitches
  • Personalize for Clear Email Messages
  • Gain Insights from Competitors’ Emails

Curate Weekly Roundup Emails

One highly effective email marketing strategy I’ve used for my personal finance blog is to send a weekly roundup email that summarizes and links to my best content from the past week.

The key is to make the email valuable to subscribers by curating only my most useful articles and insights. I craft attention-grabbing yet informative subject lines to get readers to open the email. Within the email, I include 3-5 brief summaries of blog posts, each with an eye-catching title and 1-2 sentences summarizing the key takeaways.

This works well because it provides readers with a convenient way to catch up on my latest content in one place. According to my email metrics, the weekly roundup has one of the highest open and click-through rates of any email I send. Many readers have told me they look forward to receiving it in their inbox each week. This email strategy has been a core part of growing my audience and traffic over the past year.

Brian MeiggsBrian Meiggs
Founder, My Millennial Guide


Leverage Trending Topics

Capitalizing on trending topics related to your niche is an effective strategy. For instance, if you run a tech blog and there’s a buzz about the latest iPhone, writing a comprehensive review or a related article and promoting it in your newsletter can be beneficial.

This strategy works because people are actively searching for that topic, and when they see an email related to it, they’re more likely to click through to read. I’ve used this tactic many times, and it consistently drives high traffic to my blog. The key here is relevance—your topic must resonate with your audience’s current interests.

David Rubie-ToddDavid Rubie-Todd
Co-Founder and Marketing Head, Sticker It


Intrigue with Teaser Snippets

One effective tactic I use is including “teaser” snippets of my latest blog content in email newsletters. For example, I’ll take an interesting excerpt from a new post—two to three sentences maximum—and feature it in a prominent callout box. This piques readers’ interest without giving everything away.

I’ll include a strong CTA, like “Finish reading this post on our blog,” with a link to drive clicks to the full article. Segmenting my list allows me to tailor content previews to subscriber interests for higher engagement. Using this teaser copy in dedicated blog promo emails, as well as in my regular newsletters, boosts traffic.

Over time, I’ve discovered my most compelling hook sentences that spur readers to click through. This strategy has become a reliable channel for driving newsletter subscribers to visit and share my blog posts. Dialing in on intriguing content previews helps turn email followers into blog readers.

Vikrant ShauryaVikrant Shaurya
CEO, Authors On Mission


Segment Audience for Festive Promos

At Connect Vending, we use audience segmentation to share curated, conversational, and bite-sized information through email marketing for maximum impact. The goal is to impress the reader adequately and encourage them to find more information about the topic with a clear CTA that takes them to the blog.

For example, as the festive season sets in, we initiate email campaigns giving a sneak peek into the best snacks and drinks to add to the workplace and invite readers to view our top picks on our website blogs. This approach has helped us build sustained interest in many festival season offerings and products.

Sam RobertsSam Roberts
Digital Marketing Manager, Connect Vending


Craft Relevant Conversational Emails

Emails and newsletters are an essential part of my content distribution strategy. I have seen the most engaged traffic coming to the blog via email. Therefore, when planning the content schedule and topics, I keep relevance at the top of my mind. This way, I can discuss these topics in the email content and make it conversational, not forced.

When creating blog content, I ensure that some of the blog articles are in-depth, comprehensive, and evergreen. I can redirect traffic to these blog posts even months or years after publishing. The frequent visitors of the blog can use these as guides, and new users are immediately directed to the most popular and insightful posts.

Another part of the blog content is extremely timely—must-read at that point. Users know to expect these types of posts and look forward to the emails to read the latest ones.

Merilyn UudmaeMerilyn Uudmae
Content Manager, Teamdash


Share Unique Content Snippets

Whenever I publish a new blog post, I send a short snippet to my email subscribers. In this snippet, I tell them what we’re discussing in our article, how our article is unique, and what they can take away from it. Think of it as a 50-word blog post.

This plays out in two ways: The reader either wants to learn more, so they view our full blog post, or they read our email snippet, gain some knowledge from it, and we build a reputation in the reader’s mind as an authority.

This only works if the content you’re publishing is truly unique and helpful, but personally, I drove over 5,000 unique visitors to my blog with this email marketing approach.

Scott LiebermanScott Lieberman
Owner, Touchdown Money


Feature Blog Content with Direct Links

Highlighting blog content can be a powerful way to drive traffic to our blog via email marketing. We try to regularly feature our blog content in our emails by using teasers or summaries to pique interest and include prominent links that direct readers to the full blog posts on our website. Direct links are key, as they encourage our customers to click on them and explore.

Adding social sharing buttons in the emails makes it easy for subscribers to share our blog content on their social networks. This extends the reach of our blog beyond our email list, which means more eyes on your content.

Renan FerreiraRenan Ferreira
Head of Communications and Director of Sales, RealCraft


Optimize Newsletter Timing

Sending newsletters at the right time is very important in email marketing and is key to effectively driving traffic to your blog. I’ve learned that when and how often you send emails really matters for your newsletter’s success. You don’t want to fill up your subscribers’ inboxes too much—they’re already busy. If you send too many newsletters, people might start unsubscribing fast.

With the “right timing,” ‌sending emails between 10:00 a.m. and 11:00 a.m. usually gets the most people opening them. But the best time can be different for different audiences. So, I recommend monitoring how your newsletter is doing. This means checking when people open your emails and click on links in them.

Keep track of these rates and adjust your sending times as your audience gets bigger. This helps make sure more people are reading and clicking even as you get more subscribers.

Alan RedondoAlan Redondo
Founder, Ardoz Digital


Engage with Email Series

Break up your emails into different parts or series, each with different information. The first part can be a quick introduction to the blog; the second can detail what they will gain from the blog; the third part can explain why they should read it; and so on. Three to four parts should be sufficient.

This strategy has worked wonderfully for us in increasing the number of visitors to our blogs. Customers might ignore a standalone email, but with a series of emails, there’s a higher chance they’ll open them to see what they’re about. Sending each email at a certain interval ensures they’re not forgotten. Just make sure the title is intriguing and generates curiosity about what they will receive and why, so they know it’s to their benefit, and include the link to the blog.

Ravi SharmaRavi Sharma
Founder and CEO, Webomaze


Offer Helpful Advice, Avoid Sales Pitches

When sending emails, provide helpful advice and avoid focusing on sales pitches. On your blog, share DIY tips and a wealth of information about your niche to attract traffic. Optimize your blog content for SEO to attract more traffic, shares, reposts, and backlinks.

Tammy SonsTammy Sons
CEO, TN Nursery


Personalize for Clear Email Messages

My pro tip for effective email marketing is to ensure the clarity of the message within a personalized framework.

We must understand that our customers have limited time, so our message should be concise and impactful. In reinventing our partners’ email campaigns, we blend interactive elements, such as countdowns, with brand-aligned graphic designs, ensuring responsiveness across various platforms.

We have also integrated multilingual adaptations, respecting language variations, including reading directions, characters, and more. This strategy has proven itself by providing a more personal experience, engaging customers in their next discovery on our partners’ websites.

Gabriel KaamGabriel Kaam
CEO, KNR Agency


Gain Insights from Competitors’ Emails

Subscribing to your competitors’ emails is a specific tip for using email marketing to drive traffic to your blog. At TechNews, this strategy has provided incredible insights. By tracking their topics, frequency, automation strategies, and other features, you get a clear picture of what works in your industry. It’s akin to being a friendly spy, allowing you to see firsthand what engages their audience and then adapt those strategies to fit your unique style and content.

This approach has proven quite successful. Observing our competitors has allowed us to refine our email content, making it more relevant and engaging. We’ve adjusted our sending frequency based on what resonates with similar audiences, which has increased our email open rates and significantly boosted traffic to our blog. It’s a simple yet effective way to stay competitive and ensure your email marketing is as effective as possible.

Neil Hodgson-CoyleNeil Hodgson-Coyle
COO, TechNews180


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7 Things You Didn’t Know Email Marketing Automation Could Do for You

7 Things You Didn’t Know Email Marketing Automation Could Do for You

7 Things You Didn’t Know Email Marketing Automation Could Do for You

To shed light on the unexpected benefits of email marketing automation, we’ve gathered insights from seven industry professionals, including CEOs and Digital Marketing Managers. From the enhancement of communication through sentiment analysis to the improvement of conversions with a “warm leads” list, discover the surprising capabilities of email marketing automation.

  • Effective Tagging Helps Segment Subscribers
  • Sentiment Analysis Enhances Communication
  • Personalization Boosts Engagement and Conversions
  • Monitoring Customer Preferences Increases Sales
  • Reminders Reduce Cart Abandonment
  • Cross-Selling Campaigns Skyrocket Profits
  • “Warm Leads” List Improves Conversions

Effective Tagging Helps Segment Subscribers

I discovered how to use “tags” to exclude some subscribers from certain messaging, which made my email campaigns much more effective and easier to keep track of. Before implementing tags, there were a few times where I sent new subscribers random broadcasts that weren’t very relevant to them, likely resulting in a few unsubscribes.

Now, I automatejust tagging subscribers after they’ve completed the welcome sequence, and I only send new broadcasts to the segment of people who’ve completed the entire sequence. I understand the annoyance of receiving too many emails from the same sender, especially with no real context, so I was pleased to see how easy it was to set up the automation.

Chloe BrittainChloe Brittain
Creator, Monday Roadmap


Sentiment Analysis Enhances Communication

Adding sentiment analysis to our email marketing and editing tools has enhanced our interaction with our audience. It helps us understand the nuances of their responses to better tailor the follow-up messages. In this way, we do our part in bridging the gap between automated efficiency and mindful communication, and elevate our members’ online experience.

Nataly Abousaleh, Marketing Manager


Personalization Boosts Engagement and Conversions

One aspect of email marketing automation that I initially underestimated was its potential for personalization. When I incorporated email marketing automation into our strategies at CodeDesign, I discovered how remarkably it could enhance personalization and its subsequent impact.

Email marketing automation allowed us to segment our audience based on their behavior, interests, and demographics. This enabled us to send highly targeted and relevant content to each segment. The result was a substantial increase in engagement, click-through rates, and ultimately, conversions. By tailoring our messages to individual preferences and behaviors, we achieved a level of personalization that significantly boosted the effectiveness of our email marketing campaigns.

The power of email marketing automation in personalization cannot be overstated. It has not only improved our campaign performance but also fostered stronger customer relationships and loyalty.

Bruno GavinoBruno Gavino
Founder, CEO, CodeDesign


Monitoring Customer Preferences Increases Sales

I didn’t know email-marketing automation could monitor what products my customers are most attracted to. When I did this, I found out that these same customers who opened my “Tech Gadgets” emails clicked more smartphone-related links than others.

Therefore, I began writing more letters on smartphones, and my sales for these products really grew. Understanding more about a customer’s preferences enabled me to tailor my emails towards each interest and resulted in more sales of certain products, which made my marketing strategy efficient.

Fahad KhanFahad Khan
Digital Marketing Manager, Ubuy India


Reminders Reduce Cart Abandonment

It’s no secret that most people who visit your website for the first time buy nothing. AI can help you get more people to your site with keyword analysis, but that doesn’t help with conversion rates. I had much more trouble with the fact that 80% of customers almost bought something.

Customers go as far as putting things in the shopping cart but don’t complete the checkout process. AI can track user activity on your website to see what customers browsed, what they bought, what they put in the shopping cart, and what they abandoned. Leverage this data by setting up a clever email campaign for cart abandoners! AI will send out an automated email reminding them to complete the purchase.

Research shows a single email can boost conversion by 10%, and three reminders can boost those numbers by 79%!

Brandon RubinshteinBrandon Rubinshtein
Founder, Howdy


Cross-Selling Campaigns Skyrocket Profits

We were not using email marketing automation for cross-sell campaigns. Our entire focus was on lead nurturing and win-back campaigns. Cross-selling skyrocketed our profits and retention rates.

We could use the emails to let our customers know about our other services and products. Although we had to spend some time on data analysis, it was worth it. It allowed us to personalize content for cross-sell campaigns based on customer preferences.

Perry ZhengPerry Zheng
Founder and CEO, Pallas


“Warm Leads” List Improves Conversions

Before delving deep into email marketing automation, I wasn’t aware that I could efficiently segment and nurture my audience by automatically placing them in a “warm leads” list.

This feature was transformative. Instead of manually sifting through subscribers, automation did the heavy lifting, ensuring those showing purchase intent were appropriately engaged.

This not only streamlined our communication efforts but also enhanced the user experience, leading to a noticeable uptick in conversions. For budding entrepreneurs, harnessing such subtle yet impactful tools can significantly elevate your marketing game.

The text provided did not contain any email-like introductions or sign-offs, so no changes were necessary.

Tobias LiebschTobias Liebsch
Co-Founder, Fintalent.io


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