Email marketing is a form of digital marketing that uses email to send storytelling, conversion-focused emails to people who actually want to hear more from you outside of your social media.
Imagine it like a cozy coffee chat with your audience, where you can share new products, helpful tips, quick updates, or even just say, hey.
✉️ Here are some common types of emails you can send:
And you don’t even have to send all of these. Just start with one and build from there.
Why email matters (especially for online sellers):
✅ You Own Your List: Social platforms can come and go. (remember the TikTok ban. Twice👀) Your email list? That’s yours. You can always stay connected with your audience even when the lights go out.
✅ More Sales, Less Pressure: Email feels more personal. It builds trust and people buy from people they trust.
✅ Better Launches, Fewer Posts: You can launch your next product with one email instead of trying to come up with 10 new Instagram posts.
✅ Passive Income, Activated: Set up automated emails that work while you sleep. Add links to your shop or affiliate products once and let the emails do the rest.
Selling became easier when I started marketing with email
I used to hate marketing and selling. Every time I wanted to make a sale, it felt like I had to start from scratch:
→ Create a new post
→ Film a story
→ Drum up urgency out of thin air
It was exhausting.
So I put my love for writing and telling stories with the skills and experience I developed to give me a way to sell by sharing, not performing.
Now I send newsletters that stick and leads to sales. Now I sell from a system.
No algorithm pressure. No performative energy. Just connection that converts.
Here’s what my setup looks like now:
📨 My 5-day welcome sequence introduces my most helpful products
📌 My weekly newsletters aligns with 1 simple theme - connect
💬 I mention my offers naturally in each email I send. (no only hard selling)
⚙️ And ConvertKit (Kit) handles the rest: reminders, follow-ups, upsells, automations
Key Email Terms You’ll See Often
Email marketing can have a language of its own.
Sequences, automations, lead magnets, segments, click-throughs…
So I broke it down below with a few terms that comes up a lot. This way, when you start setting up your list, you actually know what you’re working with and not needing to Google every other word like I did🙃).
You don’t need to memorize any of this.
I just want you to feel confident knowing what you’re looking at.
📩 Subscriber: A person who signs up to receive your emails. Think of them as your VIP guests and not random strangers.
🗂 List / Audience / Group / Segment: These are different words for how your subscribers are organized.
> List: Your email subscribers. Everyone who has subscribed no matter the tag.
> Tags are little labels you attach to subscribers in your email platform to keep track of what action they’ve done, and what they’re interested in. Think of tags as sticky notes you attach to your audience so your emails feel personal and intentional instead of generic and messy.
> Segments are like filters. They're based on conditions. You use segments to send the right email to the right people which = more clicks and less unsubscribes.
Example: "freebie subscribers” or “customers” or "course waitlist attendees"
Segments auto-update when someone meets the criteria.
📝 Form / Opt-In Form: The form people fill out to join your email list.
Example: a signup form on your website or link in bio that says “Get my free guide today!”
🎁 Lead Magnet: A free resource you give in exchange for someone’s email address.
Examples: checklists, templates, mini-courses, guides, etc
🚀 Welcome Email: The first email sent after someone subscribes. It's your chance to say hello, build trust, and share what they can expect from your newsletter.
🔁 Automations are like flowcharts of what happens after someone opts in, clicks something, buys something, or triggers an action.
When they do X → Add 'welcome' tag → Send them Y
If they click A → Show them B
Sequences: A series of emails that send automatically after someone signs up or takes an action.
Example: A 3-part welcome series that sends over 3 days.
The most common sequences are:
- Welcome Sequence
- Nurture Sequence
- Launch Sequence
- Promo or Sales Sequence
- Post-Purchase
- Delivery Sequence, Upsell Sequence
Note that a sequence can live inside of an automation.
>Subscriber signs up via opt in form
>They get added to the: “Welcome Sequence” (3 emails)
>Welcome sequence sends to new sub over 3 days
💬 Broadcast: One-time emails/newsletters you send to your list. It can be all of your subs or to a particular tag/segment.
Example: “Enjoy the kit? Then you'll definitely like this!” or “Here’s what’s new this month for me.”
A/B Testing Also known as split testing is when you compare two versions of something like a subject line, email layout, or call-to-action to see which one performs better with your subs.
It helps you learn what your audience actually responds to so you’re not just guessing and can create emails you know people will open and buy from.
It works like this:
You send Version A to one group of your list and Version B to another group. Then you check which one got more opens, clicks, or sales.
Example:
Let's say you send two different newsletters.
Subject A: “Your free guide is here!”
Subject B: “I created this to help me organize my week”
→ Subject B came back with the higher open rate and clicks = the winner
You can now use this information to create similar subject lines, newsletter layouts, CTAs, etc.
Most email platforms (like Kit, Mailchimp, MailerLite, Systeme io) have A/B testing already built in especially for subject lines and layout.
Email Signatures shows who you are (especially if your sender name is a brand)
It gives people a soft reminder of what you do and adds a quick link back to your shop, main offer, or content. It doesn't have to be fancy either. Just add your name, business name, title, and a link to your website or offers.
📬 Open Rate: The percentage of people who opened your email.
If you send to 100 people and 50 open it, your open rate is 50%.
💡 Tip: Subject lines, preview text, and the time you send your emails can affect this.
🔗 Click Rate / Click-Through Rate (CTR): The percentage of people who clicked a link inside your email. If 10 out of 100 clicked, your CTR is 10%. This helps you determine CTA placement - too many, too pushy, none at all, etc.
🚫 Unsubscribe Rate: The percentage of people who decided to leave your list after getting your newsletters and that's okay. Unsubscribes are normal. It leaves more room for the people who actually want to be there. 🥰
🔄 Conversion Rate: The percentage of people who took an action within your newsletters. Like they bought another product or signed up for another offer after clicking a link in your email.
🔒 Double Opt-In is when someone signs up to your newsletter and then has to confirm their email address by clicking a link in a confirmation email. It adds an extra step to prevent spam, and keeps your list high quality.
💡 Call-To-Action (CTA): We should all know this
The action you want your reader to take.
Examples: “Click here to join the waitlist,” “Download my digital planner today,” “Check out the latest t-shirts and pants in my online store”
🧠 Cold List: A list of subscribers you haven’t emailed in a while.
If you ghosted your list for weeks or months, it’s considered “cold.”
💡 You can warm it up again with a re-engagement email!
CAN-SPAM (and why this matters)
The CAN-SPAM Act is a law in the U.S. that sets rules for sending marketing emails.
Here’s what it means for you:
- You must include a clear and simple way for people to unsubscribe (your email platform should offer this automatically)
- You must have a physical address in every email you send, normally located at the bottom of your newsletters .It can be a PO Box or a virtual business address. It is recommended to not use your home address.
- Your opt in form and ongoing newsletters should clearly state who the email is from and their purpose (use your name or brand name, real products/services you offer)
- You can’t use misleading subject lines (be honest about what’s inside.)
That's it for now. Be sure to keep an eye on this page every now and then as I will keep this updated as things change. I'll also be spilling more BTS email marketing goodies in my weekly newsletter, so be sure you subscribe! 🩵