Email Marketing Do’s & Don’ts

Reputation Matters.

Email providers score your domain and IP over time based on complaints, bounces, and engagement. A poor reputation lands you in spam.

Respect the Inbox

Email works when it’s invited, expected, and useful. Focus on permission-based lists, clear value, and straightforward opt-outs. That’s how you protect deliverability and trust.

Quality Beats Quantity

A smaller, well‑segmented list outperforms a massive "spray‑and‑pray" audience. Send fewer, more targeted messages instead of more frequent, generic blasts.

Questions for Success.

Before you hit send, answer these quick questions to shape the right email for the right people at the right time.

Who exactly is this for?

> Segment for Relevance.

Segment by behavior (purchases, pages viewed), lifecycle stage (new lead vs. customer), and preferences. Tailored subject lines and content lift opens and clicks while lowering spam complaints.

Create separate tracks for new subscribers, repeat customers, and churn‑risk contacts.

Use browse/abandon data (e.g., viewed category X) to send timely, specific follow‑ups.

Exclude recent purchasers from generic promos; send care tips or onboarding instead.

Why should they care right now?

> Lead with a clear Benefit.

People don't read marketing emails. At most, they scan. Make the value obvious in the first screen: a problem solved, a deal, or a quick win. Use short paragraphs, bullets, and a single primary call‑to‑action.

Front‑load the benefit in the subject and preheader; echo it in the H1.

Use a single, descriptive CTA (e.g., “Get the guide”), not three competing buttons — no one reads them.

Compress images and include alt text so the message still works with images off.

Are we following good sending hygiene?

> Protect Deliverability.

Authenticate your domain (SPF, DKIM, DMARC), warm up new sending domains, prune inactive contacts, and avoid deceptive subject lines. Send at a steady cadence and test before scaling.

Monitor bounce, complaint, and blocklist status; fix root causes before ramping up.

Use double opt‑in for sensitive lists; always include a one‑click unsubscribe.

Use compressed web-friendly images, alt tags, and more text than images.

Throttle volume after list growth spikes or major content changes.

What will we measure to learn and improve?

> Test, then Iterate.

Track delivery, opens, clicks, and conversions—then A/B test subject lines, send times, and content blocks. Tie results to revenue, not just vanity metrics.

Run A/B tests with one variable at a time; keep holdout groups for true lift.

Map funnel metrics (send → open → click → purchase) to find the real bottleneck.

Feed learnings into segments and content blocks for continuous gains.