11 Expert-Backed Email Marketing Tips

You might find this hard to believe, but as an email marketing platform, our own email marketing efforts were almost comically non-existent a few years back. Ironic, isn’t it? 

We got so busy building a good product for others to send emails with that we overlooked our own email marketing strategy. It was a messy jumble of inconsistent blasts for a while – the very kind we now advise our customers against. 

But the more we thought about it, the more we realized we were missing a huge opportunity. We decided to practice what we preached. So, we started small – consistent growth of our email list. When it was proven fruitful, we became more ambitious.

From there, we moved on to create promotional holiday email sequences, automated campaigns, and more proactive list-building with lead generation tools.

The results were nothing short of phenomenal. Email soon became one of our main channels for fueling growth and driving sales, proving the real power of well-designed email campaigns. 

I am glad to share now a few email marketing tips and tricks that will help you create similar success with your email marketing efforts.

1. No One Likes Being Just a Number

Personalization within email is an absolute win-win. It delivers a much-enhanced customer experience. Great. But for business, it drives both higher email engagement and revenues. Test it for yourself to see.

– Gavin Sherry, Head of Deliverability at Bloomreach

Who likes receiving mass, impersonal emails? No one? Thought so! No two subscribers on your list are exactly alike, which is why segmenting your subscribers is so important. 

Subscriber segmentation allows you to divide your list into smaller groups based on demographics or user behavior, allowing you to create personalized content that truly resonates.

Instead of generic email blasts, you can tailor email copy, offers, and subject lines to the unique needs of each segment. This means crafting  personalized messages that feel more like a recommendation from a friend than a generic catalog.

For truly impactful personalization, go one step further by using customer data like purchase history and user behavior to recommend products and personalize the image’s content within your emails. 

This level of personalization leads to greater email engagement and helps build relationships with your subscribers,  resulting in more sales, stronger loyalty, and a more meaningful connection with your brand.

For example, realizing that their VIP customers (high or frequent spenders) deserve a little pampering, MODR sent an email inviting them to shop the new collection early.

2. Replace Guessing with Data

Testing helps avoid assumptions and provides data-backed insights. For instance, testing plain-text version versus HTML emails can lead to surprising results that challenge initial instincts.

— Michael Alexis, CEO of Team Building

Stop relying on gut feelings and assumptions when it comes to your email marketing. Instead, make data-driven decisions to propel your campaigns forward. 

One of the more popular ways to do this is A/B testing, and it still remains a viable option for optimizing your efforts.  However, the past few years have shown that its results and data are getting less reliable due to Apple’s privacy changes. 

Your best option is to make data-backed decisions by analyzing your past email campaigns. This is one of the best, but often overlooked, email campaign tips: Dive deep into your data and see what worked and what didn’t. 

Did a particular subject line lead to a significantly higher open rate? Did a certain call-to-action button color result in a better click-through rate? Was there a correlation between email design and conversion rate? Understanding the performance of your past campaigns allows you to replicate successful tactics and avoid repeating what didn’t work.

3. Don’t Leave ‘Em Wondering what to Do Next

You can have the best email campaign in the world, but without a strong call to action, it’s going nowhere. It’s the key to turning interested readers into paying customers.

– Skirmantas Venckus, CMO at Sender

If anyone looks at your email, a good call-to-action (CTA) will help direct them to what you want them to do. Think of your email CTA as that little push they need to swing by your online store, check out a blog post, or grab a special deal.

Here’s how you create a killer CTA:

• Use action-oriented language that tells the reader exactly what you want them to do;
• Use strong verbs. Instead of “Learn More,” opt for specific and enticing verbs like “Shop now,” or “Get started;”
• Create a sense of urgency with phrases like “Don’t miss out!” to encourage immediate action;
• Clearly communicate the benefit the reader will receive by tapping the clickable element;
• Test different CTA variations to figure out which works best for your audience.

Rebel Rabbit did a great job with their CTA. It’s visible. It highlights the benefit. It encourages subscribers to act. And it creates a sense of urgency, too!

4. Let Your Emails Shine through and through

More people tend to open emails on their mobile devices rather than desktops. Emails that work well on mobile devices are more likely to engage recipients.

— Eunice Asuncion, Content Marketing Specialist at Web.com

If your email recipient is reading your newsletter on the go, you need to make sure those emails pop up on their mobile device. A clumsy email that is a pain to read on a small screen will end up in the trash faster than you can say “unsubscribe”. 

Does this mean that you need to create different designs for the email now? Or worse, a mobile screen-size email? Not at all!

5. Let the Automation Do the Heavy Lifting

Email automation is a powerful tool that allows businesses to communicate at scale, always responding with the right message at the right time, making sure it’s relevant to each recipient.

– Dave Hitchins, Senior Content Marketing Specialist at Infobip

Ever wish you could send personalized welcome emails to every new subscriber or a targeted discount code to someone who left something in their cart without lifting a finger? Well, good news – automated email can do just that!

By setting up triggered email based on specific actions or behaviors, you can nurture your audience, boost engagement, and drive sales like a pro.

Trigger email automatically when something specific happens so you can deliver timely and relevant messages that your subscribers will actually care about.

For example, Cymbiotika, ensures they greet its new subscribers right with a warm automated welcome email. A first-purchase discount and the origin story included!

6. Cut Off the Uninterested Ones

A clean email list is vital for avoiding spam complaints and improving deliverability and engagement. Regularly remove inactive subscribers to keep your list optimized.

– Andrus Purde, Co-Founder of Outfunnel

Don’t make my mistake, and clean your email list regularly. Mine was once filled with unengaged subscribers who never opened my emails. What I’ve got is hurt deliverability rates because the spam filter thought my emails were unwanted. They used to end up in the dreaded spam folder instead of the subscriber inbox.

But once I started regularly removing unengaged or bounced subscribers and ensuring my list was full of people who wanted to hear from me, I boosted my sender reputation to unseen heights.

Here’s how you keep your email list healthy:

• Use double opt-in to confirm that people really want to subscribe and prevent those pesky fake sign-ups;
• Keep an eye on user behavior and identify any unengaged subscriber (who haven’t opened or clicked your emails in a while);
• Send out some fun re-engagement campaigns to try and win back those inactive subscribers;
• Make it super easy for people to unsubscribe if they’re not interested anymore.

7. Grab their Attention from the Get-Go

Treat your email subject line like the title of a book. You want to grab attention, but also make sure it aligns with the content.

– Beau Bawab, Director of Marketing at Beau B Content

You can often predict the success of email marketing campaigns with a single glance at how it looks in the inbox. The sender name and subject line determine whether your message gets opened or languishes unread.

A recognizable sender name builds trust and encourages opens, while a compelling subject line piques curiosity and entices recipients to click.

So, how do you make your ‘From Name’ and email subject lines work harder for you?

• Stick to your brand name or a consistent individual within your company.  Avoid generic or no-reply addresses that scream “mass marketing”;
• Keep your subject lines concise – aim for up to 50 characters to ensure they display correctly on various devices;
• Create a sense of urgency or exclusivity with words like “limited-time offer,” “exclusive access,” or “don’t miss out”;
• Use subscriber data to personalize your subject lines.

The preheader is another great example of how so little can make such a huge impact, especially regarding email marketing campaigns. It’s that short snippet of text that follows your subject line in many email clients, and if you don’t write one yourself, your recipients might see something generic like “View this email in your browser” – not exactly enticing, right?

Instead, you can use the preheader to create a compelling preview of your email’s content, enticing readers to open up and explore further.

Here’s how:

• Use the preheader to build on your subject line and provide more context;
• Don’t repeat what you’ve already said in the subject line;
• Clearly communicate the benefit the recipient will receive by opening the email;
• Aim for around 50-130 characters.

By mastering these elements – sender name, email subject lines, and preheader – you can dramatically increase your email open rates and set the stage for successful campaigns.

Just like Aura Bora did. I always notice its name even in a crowded inbox due to its recognizability; the subject line is clear and compelling, while the preheader creates a sense of FOMO (Fear of missing out).

8. Treat them with Valuable Content

Email marketing is not about sending emails. It’s about sending valuable emails.

– Joanna Wiebe, Conversion copywriter at Copyhackers

You won’t get far if your email marketing strategy involves sending one promotional email after another. Bombarding your subscribers with constant sales pitches is a surefire way to drive them straight to the unsubscribe button.

Instead, focus on providing valuable content that educates, entertains, or informs your audience. This builds trust, establishes your expertise, and positions you as a helpful resource, making subscribers more receptive to your promotional messages when they arrive.

Here are some content tips to make your emails shine:

• Understand your audience. What are their pain points? What are they interested in? Tailor your content to their specific needs and preferences;
• Provide solutions and insights. Offer helpful advice, actionable tips, or exclusive information valuable to your subscribers;
• Experiment with different formats, such as videos, infographics, or curated content lists, to keep your emails fresh and engaging.
• Use storytelling. Connect with your audience emotionally by sharing relatable stories or case studies.
• Track your engagement metric. Pay attention to key metrics to understand what content resonates best with your audience and learn from it.

Everlywell is great at providing valuable content to its audience, going as far as inviting a doctor to collaborate on their newsletter.

9. Speak with, not at Your Audience

Spending time getting to know your customers is the make-or-break factor for successful marketing… If the message isn’t relevant to them, they won’t be interested.

– Gessica Lomonte, EMEA e-tail marketing manager at Western Digital

I’ve seen many email marketing strategies fall flat; more often than not, they lacked connection with the audience. You wouldn’t talk to a teenager as you would to a CEO, right? The same is true for email.

Only when you understand your subscribers—their needs, pain points, and aspirations—can you create messages that reach them at a personal level.

Here’s how you get to know your audience:

• Analyze your existing data. Examine your website analytics, social media insights, and past email campaign performance to see what interests and engages your audience;
• Create detailed buyer personas. Create fictional representations of your ideal customers, including their demographics, job titles, goals, and challenges;
• Segment your email list. Divide your subscribers into smaller groups based on shared characteristics and send them targeted content;
• Pay attention to email engagement. Track key metrics like open rates, click-through rates, and unsubscribe rates to understand how effective your campaigns are;
• Use surveys and polls. Gather direct feedback from your subscribers on their wants and needs;
• Don’t forget about accessibility. Always include alt text for images in your emails to ensure accessibility for everyone.

10. Go Beyond Email Marketing

If social media is the cocktail party, then email marketing is the ‘meet up for coffee.’ The original 1-to-1 channel.

– Erik Harbison, Chief Marketing Officer at AWeber

One of the more underestimated tips for email marketing? Don’t do email marketing alone! As powerful as email is, it’s not a solo actor.

Think about your own brand experiences. You know and love many brands, and you interact with them on their websites, on social media, and maybe even through ads or live events. 

To truly connect with your audience and drive the results you’re looking for in your marketing, you have to think multi-channel.

Take these ideas:

• Mention your email list on your social media channels and share an excerpt from the email, inviting followers to subscribe;
• Include social sharing buttons in your emails to let your subscribers grow your reach organically;
• Run omnichannel contests and giveaways. For example, promote your social media contest via email;
• Repurpose your email content across other channels. For instance, convert your newsletters into blog posts or social media status updates.

11. Don’t Stop at One Campaign

Investments in greater email marketing sophistication often lead to even higher returns, not diminishing returns.

– Chad White, author of Email Marketing Rules

Last but not least, in my basket of tips for email marketing –don’t forget the big picture. Too many people treat email marketing like a sprint. They blast out a campaign, and then… crickets.  

Yet, successful email marketing campaigns are more like a marathon. It’s about building relationships, nurturing leads, and consistently providing value over time.  

Think long-term. Don’t just focus on the immediate conversion. Focus on building a loyal audience that will stick with you for the long haul through a sustained, strategic approach.

Don’t stop here! More valuable content at your service:

• Newsletter Best Practices for Creating Effective Newsletters
• How To Do Email Marketing: A Beginner’s Guide
• 15 Best Practices for Email Marketing Lead Generation

About author

Emily Austin

Author

Sender

Emily is a content manager who has dipped her toes in almost all fields of marketing, including PR, social media, email, and ecommerce. She loves perfecting digital content, ensuring everything is polished and ready to go live.

Writer - Vesta Oldenburg