Email marketing,
step by step.

Everything starts with people who asked to hear from you. A list you grew yourself, from your website, your shop or your events, reads your email far more than any list you could buy or borrow. Bought lists also tend to bounce and complain, which harms the delivery of every email you send afterwards.

Make signing up easy and honest. Say what people will receive and how often, ask only for what you need, and confirm the address before you start sending.

• Put a signup form where people already are: your homepage, your blog and your checkout.
• Say what they get, for example "one email a week with new arrivals".
• Use double opt-in so every address on your list is real and wants your email.
• Never add people who did not sign up.

Not every subscriber wants every email. A customer who just bought from you, a member who registered for an event and a reader who only wants your newsletter are interested in different things. Sending each group what it cares about keeps people reading and lowers unsubscribes.

Use lists for audiences that are truly separate, and tags and segments for groups inside a list.

• Lists: separate audiences, such as newsletter readers, customers or staff.
• Tags: labels you add as you learn more, such as an event, an interest or a chapter.
• Segments: groups built from rules, such as location, a custom field or what people did with past emails.
• Custom fields: the details that matter to your business, used to segment and to personalize.

In the inbox, people decide in a moment whether to open. They see your sender name, the subject line and the preheader, the short preview text shown after the subject. Together they should tell readers what is inside and why it is worth their time.

Write for a person, not for a filter. Clear beats clever, and a subject that promises something the email does not deliver costs trust the next time.

• Use a sender name people recognize, such as your brand or a person at your company.
• Say what is inside: "Your October picks are here" works better than "Newsletter #42".
• Keep the most important words at the start; phones cut long subjects short.
• Use the preheader to add a second reason to open, rather than repeating the subject.
• Avoid all capitals, rows of exclamation marks and misleading "Re:" or "Fwd:".

Many people read email on their phone, often in a few seconds. A simple layout with one clear purpose is easier to read on a small screen than a crowded one.

Start from a layout that already works, then change only the content. Reusing a proven design also keeps your emails recognizable from one send to the next.

• One main message and one main button per email.
• A single column, large enough text and buttons that are easy to tap.
• Short paragraphs and descriptive link text, not "click here".
• Alt text on images, because some readers have images turned off.
• Send a test to yourself and check it on a phone before every send.

The moment someone subscribes is when they are most interested. A welcome email sent right away, while you are still on their mind, sets expectations and starts the relationship.

A short series can then do the introductions for you, with a pause between each email, so every new subscriber gets the same good start without any manual work.

• Email 1, right away: thank them, and say what they will receive and how often.
• Email 2, a few days later: something useful, such as a tip, a guide or your most popular content.
• Email 3, later: an offer or a clear next step.
• Tag people by what they click, so later emails can follow their interests.

Opinions about what works are easy to find; your own audience is the better judge. A simple test, two versions sent to two groups, shows which one your readers actually prefer.

Test one thing at a time, so you know what made the difference, and keep notes of what you learn for the next campaign.

• Subject lines: different wording, length or tone.
• Content: a different layout, offer or main button.
• Send times: a different day or hour.
• Use the result in your next campaigns, then test something new.

Every send tells you something. Opens show whether the sender name, subject and preheader worked. Clicks show whether the content and the button did. Unsubscribes and spam reports tell you when the email, or how often you send, is not what people expected.

Look at trends across several campaigns rather than one number from one send, and act on what you see.

• Few opens: work on the subject line, the preheader and the send time.
• Opens but few clicks: make the main message and the button clearer.
• Rising unsubscribes: check whether you send too often or to the wrong group.
• Spam reports or bounces: review where those addresses came from, and read the Deliverability Guide.