Email is boring. Email is old school. Email is also one of the highest ROI marketing channels you have.
For every dollar spent on email marketing, the average business gets $42 back. Compare that to social media (around $3 return) or content marketing (though content supports email). Email converts.
Here's why: Email is direct. People chose to hear from you. They've given you permission. And they engage with email on their terms, when they're ready.
You can't do email marketing without an email list. Building it should be one of your highest priorities.
Step 1: Choose an Email Platform
You need software to send emails and manage your list. Popular options:
HubSpot: Best for integrated marketing automation
ConvertKit: Best for creators and content creators
ActiveCampaign: Best for automation
Mailchimp: Free tier available, good for small businesses
GetResponse: All-in-one with landing pages and webinars
Klaviyo: Best for e-commerce
Choose one and commit. Switching is painful and you lose momentum.
Step 2: Create a Lead Magnet
The easiest way to grow your list is offering something valuable in exchange for email addresses.
We covered this in the lead generation post, but as reminder: a checklist, template, guide, or calculator that takes someone 5-10 minutes to use. Make it specific and immediately useful.
Step 3: Place Opt-In Forms Everywhere
Where people see your email signup:
The more places people can sign up, the faster your list grows.
Step 4: Promote Your Lead Magnet
Most people don't know your lead magnet exists. Tell them:
A great lead magnet nobody knows about generates zero leads.
Step 5: Warm Up Your Existing Network
Don't start from zero. Email everyone you know (past customers, colleagues, friends):
"Hi, I've been writing about [topic]. I created a free [guide/template] that might be useful. If you want, sign up here: [link]. No pressure, just thought it might help."
You'll be surprised how many people opt-in.
A list of 10,000 unorganized emails is almost useless. A list of 1,000 organized, segmented emails is gold.
Segmentation means dividing your list into groups so you can send relevant content to each group.
Ways to segment:
By where they came from:
Customers vs. prospects
Newsletter subscribers vs. webinar attendees vs. download-only leads
Traffic source (Google, Facebook, direct)
By interest or behavior:
Products they're interested in
Content they've downloaded
Pages they've visited
How engaged they are (opened your last 3 emails, or haven't opened anything in 6 months?)
By demographics/profile:
Company size
Industry
Job title
Location
By stage of buyer journey:
Awareness (new subscriber, early stage)
Consideration (engaged, downloaded multiple resources)
Decision (ready to talk to sales)
Segmented email example:
Instead of sending "March Newsletter" to everyone, you send:
"Content Marketing Tips" to the content marketing segment
"Sales Strategy Updates" to the sales segment
"Product Feature Updates" to existing customers
Much higher engagement. People see content relevant to them, not a one-size-fits-all message.
What actually goes in the emails? Different types serve different purposes.
Welcome Series (Automation)
When someone first joins your list, send them a welcome series over the next 5-7 days. This sets expectations and builds relationships immediately.
Example welcome series:
Email 1 (immediate): "Welcome! Here's your lead magnet"
Email 2 (day 2): Introduction to you/your company
Email 3 (day 4): A valuable piece of content related to their interest
Email 4 (day 6): Gentle intro to your product/service
Email 5 (day 7): Invitation to reply or book a call
Newsletter (Recurring)
A regular email (usually weekly or biweekly) sharing valuable content. This keeps you top-of-mind and builds your audience.
Structure:
Brief opening (2-3 sentences, personal)
Main content (usually links to your latest blog posts or external resources)
One ask (subscribe to blog, download resource, attend webinar)
Keep it short and scannable. Most people skim emails.
Promotional Campaigns
When you have something to promote (new product, sale, webinar), send targeted emails to relevant segments.
Keep these to maybe 10-15% of your emails. Too many promotions and people unsubscribe.
Educational Series
A sequence of emails teaching people about a topic. Usually 3-5 emails over 2-3 weeks.
Example: "5-Day Sales Strategy Course" teaches one lesson per day. By day 5, you naturally mention your product as a solution.
Nurture Sequence
For prospects who aren't ready to buy yet. You send helpful content over weeks/months, gradually moving them toward a buying decision.
Most sophisticated approach but requires planning.
Here's how to write emails that people actually open and click through.
Subject Lines:
Your subject line determines if someone opens. Make it:
Bad: "New blog post!"
Good: "The email mistake costing you $10,000/month"
Email Body:
Start with a hook (why should they keep reading?)
Short paragraphs and lots of white space (scannable on mobile)
One main idea per email
Clear call-to-action (link to blog post, download guide, book a call)
Short sentences, simple language
Personal tone (like you're emailing a friend)
Include a signature with name and company
Example email structure:
Subject: Could your sales team be closing 50% faster?
Hi [Name],
I noticed something: most sales teams are having the same conversation 4-5 times per prospect.
That's why I created a guide on sales email sequences that actually work. We tested it with 30 different companies and cut their sales cycle from 8 weeks to 4.
Free guide: [link]
Hope it helps,
[Your name]
Unsubscribe links
Include them (required by law anyway). Some people will unsubscribe. That's okay. Better to have an engaged smaller list than a huge list where nobody engages.
This is where email gets powerful. Automation means sending the right email to the right person at the right time, without you manually sending it.
Common automations:
Welcome series: Automatic emails when someone signs up
Abandoned cart: If someone adds a product but doesn't buy, remind them (e-commerce)
Re-engagement campaign: If someone hasn't opened an email in 6 months, try to win them back
Segment-based: When someone downloads a guide, automatically send 3-email follow-up series
Behavioral: If someone visits your pricing page, send a "pricing questions" email
Automation saves time, improves timing (doesn't depend on your memory), and increases conversions.
Most email platforms make automation easy. Start simple (just a welcome series) and add more as you get comfortable.
Track these metrics to understand if your emails are working:
Open rate: Percentage of people who opened your email
Click-through rate (CTR): Percentage of people who clicked a link
Conversion rate: Percentage of people who took the action you wanted (downloaded guide, purchased product, booked call)
Unsubscribe rate: Percentage of people who opted out
Bounce rate: Emails that failed to deliver
Revenue per email: Total revenue generated / emails sent
How to improve:
Test subject lines (try 2 versions, see which gets opened more)
Test send times (morning vs. afternoon, weekday vs. weekend)
Clean your list regularly (remove people who haven't engaged in 6 months)
Segment better so you send more relevant content
Improve your offer (is your call-to-action compelling?)
Frequency: Most people do well with 1-3 emails per week. Too many and you get unsubscribes. Too few and people forget who you are.
Consistency: Send on a schedule. Wednesday 10am every week, for example. Your audience begins to expect it.
Mobile-first: 50% of emails are opened on mobile. Make sure it looks good on small screens. Short lines, bigger buttons, simple design.
Personalization: Use their name. Reference something personal about their company or interests. Don't be creepy about it, but small personalization increases engagement.
Give more than you ask: 80% helpful content, 20% promotional. If you only ask for money, people tune you out.
Respect privacy: Only send to people who opted in. Don't rent lists. Delete people who unsubscribe.
Start here:
Don't try to do everything at once. Start simple, then add layers.
Email is one of your most valuable assets. A list of 10,000 engaged subscribers is worth thousands of dollars in potential revenue. But you have to earn that trust by consistently providing value.
Start building your list today. Focus on quality subscribers (people who actually want to hear from you) more than quantity. The ROI will follow.