Expertise

You’ve heard the saying “work smarter, not harder,” which seems to be the philosophy for the AI frontier. 

Today, digital marketers in countless industries are exploring how AI can make their work more efficient and effective, especially when it comes to email creation.  

How to use AI in emails

AI email assistant can help you help you create emails and optimize their performance. We know that sounds broad, and it is because AI email assistants come in many forms, each serving you in different ways.

Some AI email assistants, for example, are built for email copy while others focus more on managing your email inbox and replies. So, how do you know which AI email assistants are best for you? There are a few things to look for and consider:

• What features does the tool have, and how well does this align with the areas in which you need the most support?  
• Is this tool suitable for your industry and business size?
• What’s the cost?
• What’s the learning curve, and how quickly can you efficiently use the tool? 
• How easily can you add this to your existing processes?
• How does this AI tool protect your business and customer’s privacy?

That might sound like a lot to consider but don’t worry, we’ve done some of the legwork for you. 

These are some of the top AI email assistants and a breakdown of what you need to know to determine if they’re a fit for your business.

What are the best AI email assistants?

Superhuman

Superhuman is an email management app designed for businesses to help their teams manage their inboxes more efficiently. 

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How it works: Superhuman AI helps you navigate and organize your inbox and generate AI-powered email replies. This tool has a simple interface, so there is no real learning curve. 

When you’re replying to an email, you can highlight the text, click the AI button, and select what you want it to do with the text, like rewrite it in your voice, shorten it, lengthen it, and so on.

Notable features:

• Conversational inbox navigation: You can ask questions like, “Did Jennifer approve my draft yet?” or “When is the AI conference I’m going to?” and it will find the information in your inbox to give you the answer.
• Auto-reply to emails: Superhuman AI write responses to emails and saves them as drafts for you to approve and send.

Limitations: You can only choose from Superhuman’s predefined prompts, so you can’t write out custom commands.

Cost: Plans start at $25 per month per user.

Who it’s for: Individuals who need to enhance their productivity and spend less time drafting repetitive emails.  

Semrush AI writing assistant

You might already be familiar with Semrush, a popular digital marketing platform that helps with search engine optimization, advertising, market research, and other marketing functions. Well, now, they also have an AI writing assistant.

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How it works: Semrush’s AI writing assistant is an app that allows you to create marketing content from ads to social posts to blogs and more. Their AI is powered by OpenAI (you know the one). 

Notable features:

• Supports 28 languages, making it great for marketers who need to target across geographical locations. 
• Offer 75 different AI-driven content tools 

Limitations: The tool isn’t specialized for a specific type of content, so for email-specific content it may require some training and experiments with different prompts. Additionally, we wish the tool was integrated with the Semrush platform to ensure that the writing is SEO optimized. 

Cost: Free 7-day free trial of the app, then $25 per month. This is in addition to your Semrush plan, which start at $139 per month. You do not need a Semrush plan to use its writing assistant. 

Who it’s for: Semrush AI Writing Assistant is positioned for marketers who want to build out a large quantity of content quickly. It’s multifunctional so you can use it for nearly any type of mark 

Jasper.ai

Jasper.ai is a fully AI-powered content generator. From integrated marketing campaigns to blog, SEO, and social media marketing Jasper.ai can help do it all.

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How it works: You can use Jasper.ai either as a web-based tool or as an extension on your web browser. The extension is available for either Chrome or Edge which lets you use it within Google Docs, your email platform, or other platforms

Notable features:

• Brand voice to ensure that output sounds like you
• 30+ languages 
• Built-in collaboration tools on their highest tier

Limitations: Due to how advanced the tool is, to get the most out of it, there is a steeper learning curve than other tools on this list. 

Cost: Plans start at $39 per month per user.

Who it’s for: Jasper.ai is a great tool for larger companies and enterprises who need to manage assets all in one place and have fully embraced the realm of AI content creation.

HubSpot’s AI Campaign Assistant

HubSpot needs no introduction. They are a robust CRM and have been added to the long list of tools that have launched an AI email assistant. 

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How it works: Within the Hubspot platform, you can use their AI Campaign Assistant to generate content from a predefined prompt. This includes content for landing pages, emails, and ads. Once you select your content type, HubSpot then prompts you with a list of questions to generate the copy.

Notable features:

• Pre-defined brief makes it easy to prompt HubSpot’s AI to do exactly what you want it to do. 
• Easy to use the same prompt for multiple channels
• HubSpot auto-generated a design based on the copy given. 

Limitations: Once you export the copy into a design, you can’t make edits to the copy using the AI assistant. 

Cost: HubSpot AI assistants are available for use in their Starter Customer Platform plan (15/month) and up. 

Who it’s for: HubSpot is a great tool for digital marketers who need to have Sales, Support, and Marketing all in one place. Due to the limitations on the free and lower-tier plans, we would say this is better suited for mid-market businesses. 

Beefree

We might be biased, but we believe our AI Writing Assistant to be the easiest way to start using AI for emails. If you’re new here – Beefree is a user-friendly email and landing page builder that helps you create beautiful, responsive, and high-converting campaigns with ease. 

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How it works: Our AI Writing Assistant is embedded into our builder making it easy to ask questions to optimize your content headers, text, and CTAs. 

Notable features: 

• Multilingual designs: Create emails in one primary language and use AI to translate to up to three additional languages directly within the builder. 
• AI alt image generator: Use AI to add alternative text to all images within your email to ensure accessibility. 
• Ability to optimize specific sections of your email with AI rather than the entire email. 

Limitations: Beefree’s AI Assistant only works with Beefree. 

Cost: You can use Beefree’s AI Writing Assistant for as little as $0 with no limitations on the free plan. 

Who it’s for: Anyone designing and creating emails inside of Beefree – this means it’s suitable for anyone from Freelancers to large enterprise organizations. 

Harnessing AI email assistants

Although we pitch these as the “best AI email assistant” the best one for you should be one that makes your life easier. With dozens of new AI solutions launching every day, we encourage you to experiment, play, and try new tools to find the right fit. Finding a tool that will solve every problem will be difficult, so jot down your most prevalent needs as a starting point. 

And if you’re not sure how you can use GenAI for your email copy, yet– join us October 23rd with Kath Pay as we dive into “How to create emails that influence and convert with GenAI.”

RSVP here. 

As the leaves turn gold and the festive season approaches, marketers worldwide brace themselves for the biggest shopping event of the year: Black Friday and Cyber Monday (BFCM). Imagine inboxes filled to the brim, customer expectations through the roof, and every brand vying for attention. It’s an exciting yet challenging time for marketers who need to balance creativity, strategy, and technology in their BFCM campaigns.

But how to really cut through the noise, without squandering hours upon hours of work and creating the same dark-looking emails that everybody else sends? In an exclusive live event, we rallied up an expert panel of email & marketing leaders who shared their decades of expertise with the audience:

• Mike Nelson, Co-founder of Really Good Emails and Head of Growth at Beefree
• Val Geisler, VP of Customer & Lifecycle Marketing at Digioh and ex-Klaviyo
• Gregg Blanchard, Co-founder at SendView

Want to watch the whole live event? Catch it here. 

The BFCM rush: Understanding timing and preparation

Launching a successful Black Friday email campaign isn't just about offering jaw-dropping discounts. Timing is pivotal. As Mike Nelson pointed out, early mentions of BFCM deals might start appearing after Halloween, but the real consumer engagement typically picks up in early November. 

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"Marketers are mentioning the event, but it's not until November 1st that deals start," shared Gregg Blanchard. This data-driven insight allows marketers to mold their promotional calendar without overwhelming their audience prematurely.

Preparation is key for any campaign, particularly for BFCM. Teams must be cohesive and proactive, ensuring messages are aligned and inventory is ready. When discussing preparation, Nelson emphasized, "Plan accordingly. If you're going to be doing something really big, you're going to have to plan even more, probably get those approvals, make sure the stuff's in the warehouse."

Segmenting for success

Segmentation is no longer just an option—it’s essential. As Gregg advised, understanding your customer demographics, purchase history, and engagement levels ensures you speak directly to their individual needs. This can range from differentiating loyal buyers from first-timers to adjusting strategies based on geographic locations.

Val Geisler echoed the importance of segmentation, emphasizing the use of both zero-party and first-party data. "Being able to personalize well beyond email first name is important," she noted. Using data such as customer preferences, browsing behavior, and purchase history can significantly enhance the personalization and relevance of your emails. This tailored approach ensures your messages resonate, resulting in higher open and conversion rates.

Providing value beyond discounts

Are discounts the only way to secure sales during BFCM? Not necessarily. Val Geisler offered alternatives, suggesting brands explore options like bonus loyalty points, exclusive content, or the novel approach of offering an opt-out for BFCM emails. She stated, "Offer an opt-out of BFCM only. It's an incredible LTV (lifetime value) play because you get to keep your customers longer."

The focus should be on delivering value to your customers, ensuring they view your brand as more than just quick savings. This approach not only preserves your brand's integrity but helps in nurturing a long-lasting relationship with your audience.

Designing for impact

In the clutter of the BFCM inbox, creating emails that capture attention is crucial. Nelson shared effective design techniques, such as utilizing an inverted pyramid structure that naturally guides the reader’s eye to the call-to-action (CTA). Additionally, integrating countdown timers can enhance urgency and anticipation among shoppers, reinforcing the limited-time nature of your offers.

"The focus should be on delivering value to your customers," Nelson advised, emphasizing that impactful design doesn’t just involve visuals but clarity and purpose as well. Simplified, yet eye-catching designs, with a strong focus on benefits and engaging copy, ensure that your emails resonate with subscribers and aren't merely glossed over.

Lessons from the trenches

From managing internal expectations, like avoiding the dreaded "email blast" directive from superiors, to intelligently leveraging customer data, there are invaluable lessons to be learned in navigating the BFCM landscape. This multifaceted strategy involves more than just increasing email frequency; it’s about smarter, targeted messaging that aligns with user behaviors and preferences.

As Val put it, marketers should focus on, "offering value beyond the discount." This sentiment is echoed through her recommendations of incorporating non-discount elements such as loyalty points or product bundles, effectively enhancing the value offering during BFCM without necessarily reducing prices.

The road ahead: Crafting a seamless Black Friday & Cyber Monday email strategy

For marketers new to the scene, starting early with list-building strategies and honing in on audience demographics lays a solid foundation. It’s crucial to recognize the intrinsic value of engaging your audience with meaningful content, staying in their minds while remaining relevant as the holiday peak approaches.

The conversation forward anticipates how brands can make each interaction count, and how to foster deeper connections beyond transactional exchanges. As Mike Nelson aptly summarized, “It's not just about being heard above the noise—it's about resonating despite it.”

In conclusion

Navigating the BFCM season successfully combines the art of creativity with the science of data-driven decision-making. Time your messages wisely, segment judiciously, and aim to deliver value that's truly meaningful. Remember, while the noise of BFCM can be deafening, thoughtful strategies and personalized engagements ensure your brand’s voice is not just heard, but remembered.

Whether you're a small business carving your niche or a global titan amplifying your reach, BFCM is your platform to shine brightly. Use the insights shared to refine your strategies and approach this holiday season with confidence and clarity. Because in the realm of marketing, creating impact is as much about innovating as it is about sharing a story that echoes well beyond.

If you are looking for inspiration for your next BFCM email campaigns, make sure to check out the comprehensive Black Friday email collection on Really Good Emails, or start designing your own with a ready-to-use template from Beefree!

Unlike social media or other channels, emails allow you to craft personalized messages that connect with various unique audiences. When rebranding, this direct method of communication allows you to be transparent about your story and share how the changes will impact them, strengthening your connection with your audience during this transition.

The role of email in rebranding

When it comes to rebranding, communication is key. A successful rebranding is not simply changing the logo design or tweaking the brand’s tagline. It is about changing consumers' perceptions of the brand. You do this by sharing the reasons for the rebranding,the changes that will accompany it, and the benefits it brings to your audience. 

Email is especially effective for sharing your story because it allows you to segment and tailor your message to different groups. Whether you are addressing loyal customers, new subscribers, or dormant users, email allows you to send highly targeted messages that resonate with each segment. This ensures that your rebranding message is communicated effectively across your entire customer base.

Emails can also be configured to deliver consistent updates, thus reinforcing the new brand identity over a period of time while building trust and transparency. Because the nature of email is measurable, you can assess the interaction levels and fine-tune your approach to ensure that your rebrand communication is always relevant and impactful.

After you share your story, your audience should appreciate the rationale behind the decision to rebrand and understand how it will impact them.

Best practices for successfully rebranding your emails

To execute a successful email rebrand campaign, you need to thoroughly plan and execute it carefully. Here are the three essential aspects to help your email campaign fit in with your new brand image.

#1. Craft a compelling company rebrand storyline

It is essential to create a compelling story of rebranding that will help your audience understand and resonate with your new brand identity. You should explain why the rebranding was necessary, show the steps the company has taken in terms of development, and define what the rebrand means for the company and its customers. 

Besides informing your audience, a well-told story will make each of them feel they have contributed to your brand evolution. When crafting a compelling story, consider the following: 

• Describe clearly in your emails why you are rebranding - whether in response to market changes or growth of your company or for a change in values.
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• Use graphics to illustrate timeframes in which significant events led to rebranding and how these milestones influenced the new brand.
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• Create an account that unifies the past, present, and future of your company such that rebranding becomes a natural evolution.
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• Include gamification and interactive components, such as questionnaires or quizzes, in your emails to further engage your audience in the rebrand and get immediate feedback. 

Throughout your story, there should be no confusion or feeling of being ‘out of the loop.’  The most important thing here is a smooth transition that will keep your subscribers informed and encourage them to accept and embrace these changes.

#2. Write using your new voice 

Your email content should reflect your new brand's tone, voice, and messaging. This means the language and style of your email copy should evolve as your brand voice does. You can use this as an opportunity to introduce any new value propositions or communicate any changes to your audience. 

Here are a few best practices to keep in mind when writing emails:

• Rewrite your email content to match the tone and style of your new brand. Ensure that this content is clear and concise.
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• Focus on making your email messages easy to understand. From subject lines to body content, your messaging must reflect your new brand identity via engaging language.
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• Convey the changes and developments using simple language. Avoid jargon or overly complex explanations.
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• Tailor your messages using personalization to address different audience segments. 

#3. Revamp your email design

Email design is the first thing subscribers notice, so it should immediately reflect your rebrand. You should update all visual elements, such as brand logos, color schemes, fonts, and more, to match your new branding guidelines. 

Here are some best practices when revamping your email design:

• Replace old logos, color themes, fonts, and images with new ones.
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• Redesign your email structure with modern layouts. Ensure that these new layouts are clean, user-friendly, and responsive.
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• Conduct A/B testing on these design elements to identify which design best resonates with your audience. 

Launching your rebrand email campaign

Building and implementing a rebranding campaign successfully involves several key steps to ensure that your new brand identity is communicated effectively to your audience. Here is a short guide you can follow.

Audit your existing email program

It is important to audit your existing email program thoroughly. This includes evaluating your existing email templates, content, and subscriber lists to identify what needs updating. 

For example, just as you would regularly review your checking account to ensure everything is in order, it's essential to audit your email program to ensure it aligns with your new branding strategy.

If your business name has changed, ensure that your new business email address is on brand. Using business email makes your company look professional and strengthens your already strong bond with your customers.

Small edits may go unnoticed during a rebrand. Make sure to schedule time to review each touchpoint, from the footer to the links.

Explore multiple channels

The next step is to create a comprehensive rebrand campaign. The main goal of the campaign is to introduce your new brand identity to your audience. You may do this by launching a teaser video on social media with a landing page that leads your audience to subscribe and learn more about the rebrand via email. You can follow up with detailed announcements and updates in future phases.

Leverage email automation

Email automation plays a significant role in managing your rebrand communication efficiently. When rebranding, it is important to keep your audience engaged and informed throughout the entire process. By setting up automated workflows, you can consistently send out your rebrand messages to your subscribers at optimal times. This helps you keep your audience in the loop at every stage of the transition.

For example, you can configure your email platform to send out a series of emails that gradually introduce your new brand identity, starting with short teasers and then the official announcement. This will build anticipation and ensure that your messages reaches your subscribers at the right moment.

Further, automation helps you deliver personalized content based on subscriber behavior and interactions, ensuring better engagement and successful email campaigns. 

Incorporating tools like geofencing into your email automation strategy can further enhance personalization by delivering location-specific offers or messages when subscribers enter certain geographic areas, making your rebranding efforts even more targeted and effective. 

Moreover, contact data tools like ZoomInfo can help you enrich your subscribers’ profiles and provide additional data for personalization. No wonder automated emails have reportedly generated 320% more revenue than non-automated emails.

Monitor email performance

Throughout your rebrand, it is important to monitor the performance of your email campaigns to evaluate their effectiveness. Some key metrics to track include open rates, click-through rates, and engagement levels. This will provide you valuable insights into how well your audience is responding to the rebrand. 

Analyzing this data allows you to make informed adjustments to your email strategy, ensuring that your rebrand continues to resonate with your subscribers and achieve its intended impact.

Wrapping up

Email is an excellent medium for communicating a rebrand while offering direct and personalized ways to connect with your audience. Its ability to build trust, address concerns, and maintain engagement makes it an ideal channel for guiding your customers through the transition to your new brand identity.

The first step to leveraging email for rebranding is by investing in the best email design. A well-crafted email design not only reflects your new brand identity but also enhances the overall user experience, making your communications more impactful and memorable. Good design ensures consistency across all your emails, reinforces brand recognition, and keeps your audience engaged. 

To achieve this, you need a reliable tool that offers flexibility and ease of use—like Beefree. With Beefree, you can create stunning, responsive email designs that perfectly align with your rebrand, ensuring that every email you send out leaves a lasting impression on your audience.

Sign up for a free Beefree account to create attractive email designs in no time.

If you run a quick Google search on the factors that impact your email deliverability, you'll likely see the same common elements pop up: email list quality, ESP, sender reputation, and email content.

Wait—what is an email sender reputation? How do you check your reputation in the first place? Are there any practices to maintain a good sender reputation?

These are the questions we'll answer together in this article without overwhelming you with irrelevant technical jargon.

Okay, we can already tell this is going to be a long one, so you might want to grab a bowl of pineapple 🍍 slices before diving in.

Happy reading! 🗞️

What is an email sender reputation?

Email sender reputation, which you might also hear referred to as sender score, is the rating that email sending providers assign to your email sending IP address. This rating measures how likely your emails are to land in recipients' inboxes and directly impacts your overall email deliverability.

It goes without saying that a good sender reputation means ESPs (email service providers) trust your emails and are more likely to be delivered to their customers' inboxes, and on the flip side, a poor reputation means your emails could end up in the spam folder because ESPs simply don't want their customers flooded with spammy emails.

Which metrics determine sender score?

Now, you're probably thinking things like “what are the metrics that determine sender reputation?” Well, there are many. Let's get into them one by one.

Bounce rates

If your emails frequently fail to be delivered and often bounce back because you're sending them to invalid addresses (which might suggest you're buying email lists), it can seriously damage your sender reputation.

Engagement rates

This metric refers to the performance of your email marketing campaigns. High open, click-through and reply rates indicate that your emails are relevant and wanted and will boost your reputation, while low open rates suggest your emails aren't engaging enough, which can lead ESPs to mark your emails as spam. 

Sender history

Sender history is basically your email activity over time, so if you're sending a lot of emails each day, it can be perceived as a warning sign by ESPs, and your emails might not reach inboxes. Because, after all, ESPs want to keep their customers' inboxes spam-free.

Spam complaints

You don't need to be a seasoned marketer to know that recipients can mark any email as spam, and as you'd expect, each time someone sends your emails to the spam folder, your sender reputation will take a significant hit.

High unsubscribe rate

When a high number of individuals unsubscribe from your emails, ESPs might see it as a red flag, and they could assume you've bought email lists or you're simply not offering much value to your subscribers.

How can you check your sender reputation? 

You may think: "Okay, everything is clear so far, but how do I check my sender reputation?" Well, to understand how mailbox providers (MBPs) view you as a sender and check your domain reputation, your best option is to use tools designed specifically for that purpose:

Gmail Postmaster: this tool is built by Google, it offers insights into your domain's reputation with Gmail, and allows you to keep track of any issues like spam complaints and delivery errors.

‍Microsoft SNDS: this Microsoft service offers data on your sending IP's reputation and delivery performance with Outlook and other Microsoft email services.

‍Sender Score: This tool rates your IP reputation on a scale from 0 to 100. Needless to say, the higher your score, the better your domain's reputation with MBPs.

How can a good email sender reputation improve email deliverability? 

Now that we have established what an email sender reputation is and what determines its score, let's get to know its impact on email deliverability.

We hate to sound like a broken record, but we'll say this one more time, when you maintain a good sender score, there's a higher chance that ISPs (Internet Service Providers) and ESPs will deliver your emails because they trust that your content is valuable to their subscribers.

Even better, when you maintain a good sender reputation, your email marketing campaigns are less likely to be flagged by spam filters across different ISPs and will seamlessly reach your subscribers. 

And this will create some sort of snowball effect: because when the emails land in the inbox, they are more likely to be opened, and a higher open rate signals to ISPs that your emails are relevant and engaging to recipients. The end result of all this? An even stronger sender reputation.  

And with a stronger sender reputation comes higher response rates. And with higher response rates, more chances of attracting customers.

Five practices to improve your email sender reputation

You've learned the factors that determine your sender score and the way to check it. Congratulations, but you're not done yet! 

Now, let's move on to the more complicated part. How to improve your email sender reputation. 

Let's start the hands-on work!

1. Maintain a clean email list 

Running email marketing campaigns in the dark without knowing who your recipients are or what interests they have is like flying blind, and that's why buying email lists is a huge red flag 🚩 for ESPs and ISPs that will result in high bounce and unsubscription rates. 

And just a friendly little tip here: regularly check for invalid email addresses and remove inactive subscribers because corporate emails keep changing all the time, and not having an updated contact list can end up affecting your reputation.

2. Authenticate your emails

If you're facing some challenges with deliverability, starting with email authentification might be your best bet! For those out of context, authentication involves using specific protocols to prove that your emails are genuinely coming from you and not from someone pretending to be you.

Pick one of the industry-standard authentication protocols, like SPF, a DKIM checker, or DMARC, to verify your emails and help ISPs confirm that your messages are legitimate and trustworthy.

3. Avoid spam triggers

This one is a big piece of the puzzle that probably gets talked about less than it should: spam triggers. ESPs actually have a list of words that trigger spam filters. 

Using words like "Free," "Earn money," or "Guaranteed" can get your emails sent to the spam folder—or worse, not delivered at all. These terms are often associated with salesy or even fraudulent emails. 

But don't get us wrong—ESPs and mailbox providers are smart enough to analyze the context. If your email genuinely includes offers or valuable digital services or products, it's totally okay to use the word "free" (or even all three). 

4. Segment your audience

People love personalization, so instead of sending the same content for everyone on your list, go the extra mile by segmenting your audience based on things like subscriber behavior and preferences. And it's not as tough as you think; there are plenty of tools out there that can do the heavy lifting for you, like HubSpot or ConvertKit. 

When you segment your audience, you'll see how your subscribers get excited to hit that reply button and engage with the content you shared with them, which ends up boosting your reputation—bringing us to our next point 👇

5. Add engagement elements

You could say that there are email marketing campaigns that can succeed without a 

visually appealing email design, and sometimes they do—but that's definitely the exception, not the rule.

Beefree is one tool that can help you design eye-catching email templates with simple drag-and-drop actions in seconds and get your open and click-through rates through the roof. No steep learning curve 🎢 or endless onboarding videos needed. Go ahead, give it a go! 

Final thoughts

That's all for now. Appreciate you sticking with us till the end!

We think by now, one thing is clear for you. Having a strong email sender reputation is powerful enough to improve your email deliverability and ensure your marketing campaigns hit your subscribers' inboxes and convert them! 

We hope this article helps improve your email sending reputation — we'd love to hear what you implement!

Oh, and while you're at it, why not explore Beefree’s email templates 🐝? It's just a click away!

Wish you good luck, a strong sender reputation, higher engagement, and more customers! 😉

Despite the digital revolution, PR professionals still prefer emails when pitching news stories to relevant journalists.

However, journalists receive tons of emails daily, making it hard to stand out. Reports show that 47.5% of journalists get 100 emails daily, with more than a third of journalists getting 200 emails every day! 

So unless you have an ace up your sleeve, your pitch will likely go unnoticed. 

Writing a successful PR pitch email is tough but not impossible.

After leading an award-winning PR agency for over a decade, I have developed a process for writing PR pitch emails that get results. Let's get into it.

1. Research

The foundation of a successful media pitch lies in its relevance to the recipient. Hence, your first step when writing a PR pitch email is to research and generate a list of relevant media contacts.

You can use tools like Prowly or Muck Rack’s media database, shown below, to easily find journalists who cover topics that align with your story.

Once you have your list of journalists in your niche, dig deep into their recent articles and general topics of interest. Again, a tool like Muck Rack can help you easily find their most recent articles or beats since each journalist has a profile on the platform.

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2. Write a personalized email pitch

According to a 2020 Muck Rack survey, “33% of the 1000 journalists surveyed reported rejecting a PR pitch due to its lack of personalization.” 

Personalization doesn’t just mean writing pitches to journalists who cover your specific niche. It also means adding some elements to each individual pitch to show that it was created with that specific media personality in mind. 

For instance, the pitch could offer a fresh perspective or angle on a topic the journalist covered previously. Or it could mention that time you met them at an industry event. You could even mention the fact that you have a common acquaintance.

How long should an email pitch be?

The 2020 State of Journalism survey found that “61% of journalists prefer pitches that are around two or three paragraphs.” This length allows you to provide enough information while still keeping your pitch brief and personalized.

You don’t have to write your email pitch from scratch. You can use an AI tool as a starting point. AI will generate a PR email pitch instantly based on the press release’s contents. However, ensure you have a solid AI policy template to set clear guidelines and standards for using AI within your organization.

3. Use a clear, compelling call to action

Do not leave it up to the journalist to decide the next steps after reading your pitch. End your pitch with a clear and compelling call to action. What do you want the journalist to do after reading it? Do you want them to request more information? Are you inviting them to attend an event? 

Your call to action should be explicit and easy to act upon. Avoid generic phrases and verbs like "please consider” or “avail of.”

Instead, opt for a direct approach. A “Please respond to this email if you want more details,” is a great call to action. 

One look and the journalist will know exactly what you’re asking of them. They won’t have a hard time acting on your request either, so it increases the likelihood of them doing just that.

4. Sign off

When signing off, use a courteous farewell. For instance, end your pitch with “Thanks for your time” or “Thanks in advance.” 

Include your name and contact details, such as your email and phone number. For a professional look create a digital business card and add the details. Be sure to include your social media handles as well. This ensures the journalist can reach out to you on their preferred channel for additional information. 

Before you send your pitch, remember to proofread your email to ensure it has no grammatical or spelling errors. This shows professionalism, increasing the likelihood of a positive response.

5. Craft a compelling subject line

Most journalists are busy and genuinely lack the time to sift through lengthy email pitches to decide if your story merits further investigation. Therefore, you must use your subject line to get their attention and entice them to open your email in the first place. 

Think of your subject line as your pitch’s headline. 

A killer subject line should be engaging and reflective of what your pitch is. It should be a hook that piques the journalist's interest and sets clear expectations about what the email contains.

For instance, if you plan to pitch a story about the benefits of hosted phones for small businesses, a subject line like 'Revolutionize Communication: How Hosted Phones Are Transforming Small Business Operations' could grab their attention.

Additionally, you can connect your email subject line to a trending story. Around 77% of journalists surveyed for The State of Journalism report believed this is one of the top practices that make a story more shareable.

Avoid using vague or salesy words that are spam triggers, like now or limited time, in your PR pitch email subject lines. Instead, use words like pitch or launch to show that your email is legit. This will prevent your email pitch from going to the spam folder, which could affect your sender reputation and email deliverability.  

Your email subject line should also be short. A Backlinko study found long subject lines (36-50 characters) yield a higher successful pitch rate than shorter subject lines.

Bonus tip: Follow up

After sending your pitch, mark your calendar for a follow-up. If you haven’t heard back in a week or so, it’s acceptable to send a polite follow-up email. 

Following up shows your commitment and interest. A single follow-up message enhances outreach conversion rates, potentially increasing replies by as much as 65.8%.

Follow-up email best practices:

• Follow up within three to seven days after sending your original pitch.
• Keep the email short. It’s simply a brief and polite reiteration of your key message and an expression of why the story would interest their readers.
• Provide any additional information that may be helpful.
• Alternatively, change your approach to the story. For instance, you could suggest a different news angle or offer a different, more relevant finding.

Examples of PR emails done well

Example #1

This example shows how you can offer value by offering an original report on a topic that is newsworthy at the time.

Notice that touch of personalization? The writer used the journalist’s first name to make it appear the email was written especially for them.

The subject line is also compelling. It mentions a key finding of a study that hasn’t been done before. As for the call to action, "Let me know if this is something you can use for a story," is pretty straightforward and easy to act on.

Example #2

In this example, the pitch points out an interesting study to intrigue the journalist and prompt them to consider the story for publication or mention.

The writer, Remy, also personalizes by referencing the journalist’s recent post on romance scams and by mentioning his first name. Remy also signs off courteously with a brief “Cheers” and her name.

Wrap-up

Creating a successful media pitch largely hinges on its relevance and alignment with the interests of the targeted journalist. Therefore, ensure you understand the journalist's background, recent articles, and publication style before you craft a resonating pitch. That requires extensive research on your part.

Once you have all the information you need, you can start creating a compelling subject line and writing your pitch. Make sure your content is personalized. It demonstrates to the individual journalists that you are genuinely interested in collaborating with them. 

Then, include a clear CTA and conclude your email with a courteous farewell. 

Now go and write a great PR pitch email that will get you media coverage. Don’t forget to send follow-up emails for the best results.

All the best!

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Branding is for more than just companies and organizations. It is for everyone with a professional career aiming to stand out and succeed in their industries. 

Personal branding is the public-facing identity you create for yourself. It is a reflection of your identity. It tells your story - who you are, what you stand for, what your strengths are, and how you can utilize those strengths to contribute to your community. 

Strong and effective branding helps you connect with like-minded industry experts and professionals and allows you to stand out in a competitive market. Email marketing is one of the most commonly used ways to amplify your personal brand. 

In this post, we will learn why email marketing is among the best mediums for building a personal brand. We will also share a detailed step-by-step guide on building a personal brand with email marketing. 

Building a personal brand with email marketing

Email marketing allows direct and personalized communication with your audience. You can use it to share engaging content, expert insights, anecdotes, and more to foster a deeper connection with your readers. You can also tailor your messages to your subscriber's preferences, interests, and engagement history. 

A step-by-step guide on building a personal brand with email marketing

First and foremost, define your goals.This will help you track what you want to achieve with your email marketing efforts. For example, driving traffic to your blog, growing your email list, etc. 

Next, set measurable targets for your email campaigns. For instance, if you wish to grow your email lists, the target would be the number of subscribers.

#1. Know yourself first

Personal branding is all about you. That is why you need to understand who you are and evaluate your professional persona. This will help you build an authentic personal brand for yourself, which will then reflect in your email marketing campaigns. It will give your email messages a unique voice. 

Interview yourself and get to know yourself better. Ask yourself the following questions:

• Who are you, and what are you all about? 
• What adjectives describe you? And what adjectives can you never associate yourself with?
• What is one thing that is unique about you regarding your professional life?
• What are your strengths and weaknesses?
• What are your short-term and long-term goals?
• Who or what is your inspiration?
• What impact do you want to make with your personal brand?

#2. Define your brand identity and values

Now that you have answers to these questions, it is time to define your brand identity and values.

Your values truly represent what matters to you and form the foundation of your brand identity. For example, if you value innovation, this may mean that you consistently seek new ideas or novel approaches in your professional career. Similarly, if you value empathy, you represent yourself as compassionate and focused on understanding others and their needs. 

Your values set you apart from others.  

Ensure that your values are conveyed correctly in your email messaging. You may also design visual elements like different types of logos, unique typography, and a color theme to make it more impactful and relatable.

#3. Determine your target audience

The next step is to define your target audience. Ask yourself why you are building your personal brand. Is it to grow your business and secure business partnerships or funding? Is it to advertise your existing business?

This will help you identify your target audience and guide you with your future steps.

Find a way to talk to your target audience and build a professional relationship with them. To connect with them on a more personal level, you need to understand their needs, challenges, interests, and more. Create personas to gain deeper insights into your target audience. This will help you personalize your branding strategy according to their expectations. 

#4. Build your email list

Now that you know your target audience, it is time to build an email list to communicate your personal brand. Email lists are important for developing a successful email marketing strategy. They give you complete control over your communication by helping you tailor your messages according to your recipients' preferences. 

Segment your audience into different categories. Understand your audience's demographics, behaviors, and interests and categorize them into various groups. This will help you send personalized content that meets the needs and preferences of different audience groups.

Here are a few tactics you can follow to build your email lists.

• Create email newsletter sign-up forms and place them on your website, especially the homepage, blog, and important landing pages.
• Design pop-ups and slide-in forms that can be displayed to visitors once they spend a certain amount of time on your website or during exit.
• Include the sign-up link in your email signature to collect email addresses. Do not forget to highlight the same in your signature using appealing content and design.
• Utilize your social media pages to run contests or giveaways, asking participants to sign up with their email addresses.
• Write guest posts on other websites sharing your expert knowledge with a CTA to join your email list.
• Create downloadable resources like ebooks, templates, checklists, and more, and provide access to these exclusive resources in exchange for email addresses.
• Host meetups, workshops, or other training events in a coworking space to connect with your subscribers and share your knowledge. Most coworking spaces use meeting space booking systems that allow non-members to reserve conference rooms and other spaces on demand.

#5. Write compelling content and invest in good design

Create high-quality content that offers value to your audience. For example, sharing tips, advice, or industry insights will help enhance their knowledge or provide answers to their queries. 

Develop a solid content plan. Create an email content calendar that outlines the topics you will cover, how often you will send your emails and their timings.Offer a healthy mix of different types of content, like newsletters, personal stories, blog updates, and so on, to keep your audience engaged. Introduce some interactive elements like polls, quizzes, or surveys. Share ready-to-download templates, checklists, posters, and more that subscribers can take away from you.

The best way to grab your audience's attention is by telling your story.

Support your story with a few visual elements - images or videos. Share personal anecdotes, stories, experiences, and more to humanize your brand. Your subscribers will be able to relate to you better.

Write engaging email copy and attractive subject lines to entice subscribers into opening your messages. Leverage personalization to share highly tailored content with your subscribers.

Invest in good design to make your emails look visually appealing. Add branding elements like your logo, consistent color scheme, standard design layout, and more. Make sure your emails are mobile-friendly, as 50-60% of emails are opened on mobile devices. You can also use free, visually appealing, and mobile-friendly HTML email templates.

#6. Develop your email marketing program 

Creating and sending emails manually is tedious and time-consuming. Utilizing email marketing software is the best way to send emails to your subscribers without breaking a sweat. Get a branded email address before you invest in email marketing software. Instead of sending emails from johndoe@gmail.com, create a custom email address - hello@johndoe.com to send your emails. This will work wonders for your reputation. 

Invest in an easy-to-use email builder, like Beefree, that offers a robust suite of design tools to create beautiful and high-performing emails without any hassles. Beefree provides an extensive library of over 1,700 free email templates and landing page templates that can be easily customized for your email campaigns. Additionally, Beefree integrates seamlessly with leading email marketing software with a few clicks.

Next, choose an all-in-one email marketing software with excellent features, high deliverability, and cost-effective pricing structures. Some of the key features to consider include:

• Email automation - Automation helps you communicate with your audience at the right time to ensure that you always stay on top of their minds, thus boosting your brand image.
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• Behavioral targeting—Behavioral targeting enables you to monitor your subscriber's past behavior, such as purchase history, abandoned carts, email interactions, and so on. This helps you devise a personalized strategy for individual subscribers based on their preferences, positioning you as a brand that cares about its subscribers.
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• A/B testing - A/B testing helps you test different versions of your emails to monitor their performance and optimize your campaigns for higher engagement. Thereby, helping you create engaging emails that subscribers love to read. 
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• Subscriber scoring - As the name suggests, subscriber scoring helps you rate subscribers based on their engagement levels to prioritize the most active ones. This enables targeted communication and fosters personalized interactions with your subscribers, thus enhancing audience connection and brand reputation. 
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• Advanced reporting - Advanced reporting boosts a personal brand by providing insights into engagement metrics, audience behavior, and campaign performance. This data helps you create personalized content, targeted strategies, and improved communication to build stronger connections with subscribers and enhance the brand's reputation.
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• Email ticketing systems—An email ticketing system boosts a personal brand by streamlining customer support and ensuring timely and efficient responses. Resolving issues quickly and effectively builds trust, reinforces a positive brand image, and fosters loyalty among subscribers.

#7. Figure out what is working

Building your personal brand is an ongoing process, not a one-time activity. To ensure you are on the right track, regularly monitor your list health and email performance. Track your email list for its growth and monitor the rate at which your subscribers opt-out. This will help you understand if the recipients are loving your content or are tired of your messages.

In other words, you will know what percentage of subscribers no longer wish to receive your messages.

Also, measure the percentage of subscribers who have opened your emails and clicked on any links within your email messages. This will offer you invaluable insights into how engaging your emails are to the audience and, thus, the effectiveness of your strategy.

Best personal branding examples to derive inspiration from

Jay Clouse

Jay Clouse is a content creator who has mastered the art of content creation and ventured into teaching others how to become one. He has created multiple courses to share his knowledge and guide people to become professional creators. Email newsletters are one of the ways through which Jay has built his brand (and then his company, Creator Science). He also runs a personal blog sharing anecdotes of his life to connect with his audience personally.

Noah Kagan

Noah Kagan, the CEO of AppSumo, is a successful entrepreneur and content creator. He has consistently built his brand via a newsletter with over 200000+ readers. His newsletter “Noah's Nuggets” talks about business tips, product recommendations, productivity hacks, and so much more. This weekly marketing newsletter from Noah Kagan is one of his personal branding strategies and has directly contributed to his growth.

Sade Kelly

Sade Kelly is a time management coach who has mentored ambitious individuals on how to manage their time to peacefully balance work and personal life. She offers coaching services to help individuals learn how to leverage time and organize their lives. Her newsletter, Join the Fire Insiders, shares exclusive time management tips, lessons on personal growth, and more.

Wrapping up

Personal branding is an invaluable tool for carving your unique identity in today's competitive market. It helps you attract new opportunities and advance your career. Leveraging email marketing to boost your brand is an effective way to connect with your audience.

Utilize our guide on building a personal brand with email marketing to kickstart your personal branding efforts and build a loyal following.

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What is lifecycle email marketing?

Lifecycle email marketing is the act of segmenting your email subscribers based on where they are in the customer lifecycle. 

The customer lifecycle is the set of stages your customers go through, from when they first hear about your brand to making a purchase and everything in between. 

The stages of  the customer lifecycle are typically known as:

• Awareness
• Consideration
• Conversion
• Retention

A survey conducted by Econsultancy found that 74% of marketers experienced an increase in their overall customer engagement rates when using targeted emails. While there are many ways of segmenting your audience, lifecycle email marketing stands out as one of the most effective strategies allowing businesses to send highly relevant content that moves readers to the next stage in the customer lifecycle ending in ideally, unbound brand loyalty. 

Mapping Out Your Lifecycle Email Marketing Key Stages

Lifecycle email marketing is all about customizing emails for each customer’s depending on their familiarity with your brand. Before you can jump in, you’ll need to map out your customer lifecycle stages. The stages are similar for most businesses but they can vary based on the type of product or service you offer or your industry. 

The most common stages within lifecycle email marketing are:

• Awareness: In email marketing, this is when someone first signs up for your email newsletter. 
• Consideration: This subscriber has become highly engaged in your welcome series emails and has a desire to learn more. 
• Conversion: This is when the subscriber has completed the desired action. 
• Retention: Once a customer has completed the desired action, it’s important to keep them engaged in your brand to encourage a repeat conversion. 
• Advocacy or referral: In this stage, you want to encourage them to share their experience with the brand through word of mouth of leaving testimonials. 
• Re-engagement: After a while, subscribers may experience email fatigue and stop engaging with your brand altogether.
  

As mentioned, these are some of the most common stages of lifecycle email marketing and this might look differently for you. We suggest diving into user behavior, patterns, and data to better understand your customer base and how they move through the lifecycle. 

Getting started with lifecycle email marketing

As mentioned above, your lifecycle email marketing stages may differ depending on your business and industry. Here are some key considerations that will help shape what your cycle looks like. 

Step 1: Understanding your customer lifecycle

We suggest diving deep into user behavior, patterns, and data to better understand your customer base and how they move through the lifecycle. Start by analyzing how your customers first discover your brand, what keeps them engaged, and the touchpoints that lead to conversion.

Look at the entire journey, from initial awareness to post-purchase behavior, and identify key stages where customers might drop off or need extra engagement.

By understanding these nuances, you can tailor your email campaigns to meet your customers' needs at each stage, ensuring a more personalized and effective approach.

Step 2: Audit your existing email karketing

Take a look at your recent email marketing and take stock of what stages you’re nurturing most and which ones may not be targeted as well. You might find that you’ve been sending plenty of emails for the conversion stage but not enough for retention, or maybe you haven’t sent any emails directly for the advocacy and referral stages. 

Identifying gaps like these can show you where to be more focused and strategic in your email marketing moving forward.

Building out your lifecycle emails

Awareness

Customers in the awareness stage are just learning about and getting familiar with your brand. Your goal in this stage is to build a relationship with the customer, introduce them to your products or services, and tell them what you’re all about. 

This is when customers decide whether your brand is a good fit for them (think of it as a first date between your brand and the customer), so it’s important that you make a positive and authentic first impression.

A welcome email to those signing up for your mailing list is an excellent opportunity to make a strong impression and build familiarity. It’s also a great time to send emails highlighting your brand story, mission statements, and other introductions to your brand.

Consideration

In the consideration stage, customers decide whether your business is the right fit for them and compare it to similar solutions. At this stage, you want to compellingly show them what you have to offer and how you stand out.

One way this manifests is through comprehensive emails on your products or services. This means highlighting key benefits, features, and use cases. This is also a great place to show vs. tell. Include animations, videos, and gifs that easily illustrate the value you bring. 

Conversion

In this stage, a potential customer is on the verge of taking action. Emails in the conversion stage significantly influence that decision to buy. 

Personalized special offers can resonate really well with recipients as they can be tailored to their specific needs and interests. This can look like offering deals on items they’ve recently viewed on your website or first-time purchase discounts. 

Retention

This stage is where brand loyalty blossoms. Engaging customers beyond the initial conversion is crucial for retention and repeat purchases. During this stage, you can send service or product announcement emails to regularly communicate what’s new with your offer. A monthly or weekly newsletter is also a great way to keep your audience up to date on your brand’s activities and encourage them to explore other resources you may offer. 

Regardless, the emails you send at this stage should be strengthening and affirming the customer’s connection with your brand.

Advocacy

When a customer has developed trust in your brand and offer, they start recommending your brand or organization to others. Referrals are the one most effective way B2B businesses acquire new customers, and according to Nielsen, people are four times more likely to buy a product if they’re referred by a friend. 

When a customer is in the advocacy stage, you’ll want to send them review requests to encourage them to post testimonials, as well as educate them about any referral incentives you have.

Re-engagement

This is a period when your brand has fallen off their radar—they haven’t necessarily decided to stop following you, but they’re not actively interested in your services, products, or messaging. To continue to remain top of mind, we suggest doing regular re-engagement campaigns.

These types of emails could include special incentives like an exclusive discount, or simply “we’ve missed you” emails to show them what’s new. This is a good time to also reiterate the benefits of your offer as they pertain to their unique interest and preferences.

Best practices for lifecycle email marketing

Here are some best practices we recommend to ensuring that your lifecycle email marketing is optimized to build lasting relationships with your customers and drive ongoing engagement.

Segment your audience

The core of lifecycle email marketing is identifying what stage the individual is at any given time. Specifically for lifecycle email marketing, you'll want to segment your audience based on behaviours. This could include purchase history, website interactions, email engagement, or product usage. Patterns in these areas will help you best determine where to place an individual in the lifecycle stages.

Create personal and relevant content

Once you have an understanding of your users behaviours and patterns, use this to personalize your emails. Address recipients by their names, recommend products based on their past purchases, and tailor content to their preferences.

Ensure your emails provide value to your customers that helps move them to the next stage. Offer exclusive discounts, share useful tips, and provide relevant updates.

Timing and frequency

For lifecycle emails timing is crucial. Set up automated emails that are triggered by specific actions, such as welcome emails for new subscribers, cart abandonment reminders, and post-purchase follow-ups. These timely emails can significantly enhance engagement and conversions.

Monitor and measuring success

Along the way, make sure you’re tracking your metrics for each lifecycle stage to see how successful you are in moving folks through the customer lifecycle. Use these insights to refine your strategies and improve your overall strategy.

Testing

You can also conduct A/B tests to see how different email content, subject lines, and other details perform for people in specific lifecycle stages. For example, in your segment of customers who are in the consideration stage, run a test where half of them get an email every two days while the other half get an email every four days and see which group tends to engage more or convert more. This can tell you how frequently to send emails to this segment.

Just make sure you’re comparing apples to apples by comparing the two email versions for the same lifecycle segment, because customers in different lifecycle stages could have different reactions to the same email version.

Ensure brand consistency

Consistent branding helps recipients quickly recognize your emails, which builds trust and familiarity. According to a study conducted by Edelman, "81% of buyers need to trust a brand in order to buy from them," making trust and familiarity two crucial elements of efficient lifecycle email marketing.

Additionally, consistent branding helps differentiate your brand from competitors. This is crucial in the consideration stage to ensure you remain top of mind.

Designing emails for each stage of your lifecycle email marketing

The tips and strategies above can help you get started with lifecycle email marketing, but the success of your campaigns will also depend on how well you design and target your emails for specific stages and audiences.

That’s where Beefree can help. Our extensive email template library includes templates for many different types of emails that align with each lifecycle stage, and our easy HTML email editor lets you seamlessly customize them for your audiences.

You’ll be able to incorporate all the elements of your brand identity which helps you create brand recognition and build brand loyalty throughout every stage of the lifecycle. Interested in seeing how these templates can make your lifecycle email marketing simpler? Sign up for Beefree and start exploring.

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According to Gitnux’s MarketData Report 2024, 16% of all US email users use Outlook as their primary email provider, ranking Outlook among the most widely used email platforms in the country. 

With over 400 million users worldwide, the chances that your emails will land in an Outlook inbox are high if you're an email marketer. With this in mind, it’s important to acknowledge Outlook’s capabilities and limitations to build emails that render well for every recipient. 

Understanding Outlook's HTML design limitations

Despite its popularity, Outlook is primarily used for day-to-day communications between colleagues rather than mass marketing campaigns. Because of this, Outlook has a few limitations when it comes to rendering HTML emails, for instance: 
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Some of the most prominent rendering issues with Outlook Web or App include: 

• Gifs rendering with a play icon over the GIF
• Fonts not matching 
• Additional spaces in the layout 
• Icons stacking on top of one another or misaligned
• Mismatching background images 
• Misalignment across email elements 

These limitations mean that regardless of how much time is spent on creating the most engaging and on-brand email, Outlook may deliver a different outcome to recipients, affecting your email’s readability and impact.

While we recommend opting out of using Outlook as a sending platform and using a professional solution such as HubSpot and Mailchimp, we understand this is not always feasible.

Many email marketers who rely on Outlook have found creative approaches to address its rendering limitations, typically opting for either image-based emails or maximizing the impact of text-only emails. When it comes to HTML emails, while challenging, they remain a viable option for those willing to navigate Outlook’s quirks and optimize their designs accordingly.

Best practices for designing Outlook-friendly HTML email templates

You have two options for creating an HTML email template for Outlook. The first involves manually writing the HTML code with CSS and then saving the email as an Outlook template. While this approach doesn't require additional software tools, it can be time-consuming and requires CSS expertise.

Alternatively, you can use an external email design tool such as Beefree to create your HTML email template. This method is more user-friendly and efficient since it eliminates the need for CSS knowledge and manual coding.

Regardless of which option you opt for, here are some best practices to follow:

• Simplicity is key: Design simple, single-column designs. Complex layouts, while engaging, may not render correctly. 
  
  
• Use tables for the layout structure: Experiment with tables to ensure your design elements stay in their intended position, helping to tackle Outlook's misalignment issue. 

• Use inline CSS: If possible, embed inline CSS directly within your HTML elements to control formatting and layout; this will help minimize Outlook’s limited support for external and embedded stylesheets.
  
  
• Use web-safe fonts: Arial, Times New Roman, or Verdana are all safe bests when designing for Outlook.
  
  
• Alt text: Because Outlook blocks images by default, be sure to always include alt text for images to ensure accessibility but also to ensure that the lack of images doesn’t leave out important context from your emails. 

Designing HTML email templates in Outlook with Beefree

When designing HTML email templates that perform well in Outlook, leveraging the right tools can significantly simplify the process and ensure adherence to best practices.
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Beefree stands out as a versatile platform that not only facilitates creative email design but also supports the specific requirements of Outlook rendering, for instance:

• Designing for simplicity: Beefree’s drag-and-drop functionality allows for the easy creation of single-column layouts. Within Beefree, users can easily customize the alignment, spacing, height, and more of emails for mobile and desktop, ensuring a cohesive experience across multiple devices.
  
  
• Web-safe fonts: Within Beefree, you can set web-safe fonts as your default to ensure the consistent rendering of fonts across all email clients, especially Outlook.
  
  
• Alt text: This can be powered manually or via our AI integration. 
  
  
• Responsive design: While Outlook lacks robust support for responsive design, Beefree enables users to create mobile-friendly email templates through fluid layouts and scalable elements. This ensures that your emails adapt to different screen sizes and devices, enhancing user experience regardless of how recipients access their emails through Outlook.

Before finalizing your email designs, it's essential to conduct thorough testing to ensure they render correctly across different versions of Outlook. We recommend using Beefree’s preview feature to see how your emails appear in various screen sizes. We also recommend sending a test email to multiple Outlook recipients to help you identify any rendering discrepancies between Beefree and Outlook.

While we’d like to guarantee that Beefree will render emails 100% as intended,  it's important to remember that Outlook is an email client rather than a sending platform. As a result, it may ignore, remove, or alter HTML elements from our code. This can cause rendering issues that we can't resolve. Keep in mind that the more complex your design is, the more likely you are to experience rendering issues with Outlook.

Familiarize yourself with our Outlook rendering considerations: 

• Outlook App: https://support.beefree.io/hc/en-us/articles/18904867308818-Exporting-to-Outlook-App#h_01HZ0G5V4RXFPAW35S17P6KBBA 
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• Outlook Web: https://support.beefree.io/hc/en-us/articles/11964534263442-Exporting-to-Outlook-com#01H3WEHFRX79TRG6JSVW69HA0Z 

Embedding Outlook HTML email templates

Once your email is designed in Beefree following the best practices addressed above, you can easily export to Outlook Web or Outlook App.

Outlook Web
Connect Beefree to your Outlook Web account before designing or after completion.  Directly from the builder or via the Email Details page, click “Push to your sending system.” Within seconds, the email will be saved as a new template and appear in your Outlook account.

To learn more about how to complete the integration process, visit: https://support.beefree.io/hc/en-us/articles/11964534263442-Exporting-to-Outlook-com

For a step-by-step process:

Outlook Web and corporate email accounts
If you’re exporting emails designed in Beefree to your Outlook corporate business account, follow the same steps as above.

When integrating Beefree with an Outlook corporate account, you may encounter a message indicating that approval or authorization is required for the connection to succeed. To proceed, you will need to obtain the necessary approvals or modify your Outlook Web business account permissions settings to ensure a successful connection. Outlook App
The Outlook App integration with Beefree allows you to download your email designs as OFT and EMLTPL files that you can then upload into your Outlook App. To download the files, take the following steps:

1. Navigate to the email design you’d like to export.
2. Make and save any changes you’d like prior to exporting your design.
3. Select Push to your sending system.
4. Click the Outlook App connector.
5. You will be prompted to Download the Outlook App.
6. Select Download for Windows if you’d like an OFT file or Download for macOS if you’d like an EMLTPL file.

To learn more about how to complete the integration process and import HTML, watch the following video:

Or visit: https://support.beefree.io/hc/en-us/articles/11964534263442-Exporting-to-Outlook-com

Ready to start designing Outlook-friendly emails?

Whether you're navigating Outlook's rendering quirks or aiming to enhance engagement through responsive designs, Beefree is an intuitive solution that ensures your messages resonate effectively across Outlook versions and devices. 

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Start designing now - it’s free!

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If you haven’t started exploring AI and how it can impact your content and email marketing, it may be time to join the club. According to HubSpot’s State of Generative AI survey, 82% of marketers report that generative AI has changed how they create content. 

Today’s artificial intelligence can be an influential asset in your email marketing. From creating personalized content to delivering next-level data analysis, AI can support every step of your email creation process.

Understanding AI in email marketing

As AI capabilities expand, the societal perception that AI will eliminate jobs grows. While it is true that AI can transform an email marketing program, allowing for more efficiency, it isn’t a replacement for your email marketing team. 

Instead, AI-powered solutions are power tools to enhance your team's ability to create more engaging, effective, and high-performing campaigns. Additionally, for small teams with limited resources, AI makes email marketing more accessible and allows larger teams to scale production. 

How are email marketers leveraging AI?

Influencer Marketing Hub shows that 63% of marketers are currently using AI in their email marketing. While AI is mainly known for its content optimization capabilities - there are various other ways marketers can harness the power of AI, unlocking its full potential: 

• Automation: AI tools can automate routine and repetitive tasks. For instance, when folks sign up for your newsletter, AI can manage those new contacts and segment them to receive an onboarding email sequence.
  
  
• Personalization: According to Campaign Monitor, personalization can increase email marketing revenue by 760%. AI can spot patterns in customers’ activity and use these to personalize their emails, such as sending them content about a topic or product they’ve been viewing on your site or product recommendations based on their browsing history. 

• Analytics and insights: AI is excellent at gathering and analyzing data for insights that will help you improve your future campaigns. For example, it can identify the best times to send emails to particular customers, increasing engagement. 

• Segmentation: Dividing your mailing list into segments based on customer behaviors and patterns is crucial when sending targeted campaigns to customers. AI can help by picking up patterns and creating segments based on these patterns, allowing you to send relevant content to the right people.

Challenges and considerations of AI

As much potential benefit as AI has for email marketing, no change comes without its challenges. Some challenges to consider are: 

• Data privacy concerns: Data privacy is always concerning when using third-party solutions. Given that AI handles large volumes of personal data, it is vital to ensure that the solutions you onboard comply with regulations such as GDPR and CCPA. Additionally, communicate these changes to users, updating your terms of use and privacy policy to promote transparency. 
  
  
• Errors: Because AI is driven by the data it is trained on, errors or biased outcomes are possible. However, we believe this to be true without AI as well. It is important always to have multiple steps of quality control and assurance and to fine-tune AI prompts to avoid biased responses.
  
  
• Loss of human touch: As mentioned earlier, AI is not meant to replace email marketers but to support them. Regarding email marketing, a human touch and a conversational tone are crucial for engagement, something AI simply can’t achieve alone.

How to get started using AI in email marketing

With all the potential AI has in your email marketing, if you haven’t tried it out yet, now is the time.

1. Audit your email marketing process, jotting down areas of opportunity.  As interesting as AI advancement is, it is not necessary to use AI simply for the sake of using new technology. Once you clearly understand your current email marketing process, you can identify specific areas where AI can enhance your efforts. 

2. Make small but measurable changes. Compare performance between AI strategies and manual strategies. For example, send out two campaign versions, one with AI-generated content and the other with content you created without AI, to see which one performs better. Use these results to determine where AI can make a practical, profitable difference.
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3. Identify the most repetitive or time-consuming aspects of your email marketing. Automating these tasks with AI can significantly improve efficiency and free up valuable time for more strategic activities. Use this list to help you find the right tools. 

AI email marketing tools

With over 70,000 AI businesses worldwide and 42% of companies exploring how to integrate AI, it’s easy to get overwhelmed - so where do you start? Here is a roundup of some of the top AI solutions allowing marketers to optimize their email operations: 

• Grammarly: This solution needs no explanation. Grammarly is a leading AI-powered copy editor helping marketers create clear, concise, and error-free messaging. 

• ChatGPT: The tool that changed the AI game. ChatGPT serves as a solution for ideating, writing, and proofreading copy for marketers. Many tools, such as Beefree, have integrated ChatGPT into their product, empowering users with a built-in AI assistant for all content needs. 

• Phrasee: This tool analyzes past data and uses it to predict and optimize messaging to increase “performance, conversion, and ROI.”
  

• Seventh Sense: Seventh Sense analyzes when your recipients open and click emails, spotting patterns and then automating your email send times to send emails to individual recipients when they’re most likely to open them.
  
  

A new generation of email marketing with AI

The power of AI in email marketing is undeniable. For email marketers, AI solutions can help create more relevant, timely, and stronger customer relationships, inevitably driving higher conversion rates. However, the adoption of AI shouldn’t be just for adoption sake. 

At Beefree, we take pride in slow progress that helps solve users' most prevalent needs. Our implementation of the AI copy Assistant has helped Beefree users save time juggling from tool to tool and optimize email content directly in-app. This is how we recommend you embrace AI, making perhaps small but meaningful changes in your process that allow you to stay ahead in this new, fast-paced era of email marketing. 

If you’re ready to optimize your email marketing efforts and try AI, consider trying Beefree—after all, it’s free! 

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While new marketing platforms pop up everyday, marketers are not tossing email to the side. While some claim that Gen Zers don’t use email and refer to other platforms such as TikTok and Instagram to make purchases,  a recent poll by Media Post reports 53% of Gen Zers still enjoy getting weekly emails from their favorite brands.

‍Jennifer Harmon, Content Strategist and Creator of Convince & Convert, confirms that email marketing is likely to only become more important as changes continue to happen with paid media, cookies, and permissions.

With a ROI of $36 for every dollar spent and 79% of marketers naming email as one of their top effective channels, the idea that email is dead is ... well, dead.

The continuing dominance of email marketing

It isn’t luck or routine that keeps email marketing alive and thriving, but rather it's unique advantages:

• Unparalleled reach: Email marketing provides a direct channel to connect with vast audiences worldwide. With an expected 4.73 billion email users by 2026, marketers can leverage automation tools to send personalized emails at optimal times regardless of geographical boundaries or time zones.
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• Personalization at scale: In addition to being able to reach audiences far and wide, email marketing allows marketers to personalize messages at scale. With segmentation and automation tools, personalization requires minimal manual intervention - a benefit not offered by other digital platforms.

• Cost-effective growth: Unlike other marketing methods that may require investment in print materials or ads, email campaigns can be executed at a fraction of the cost. As the audience base grows, With the right tools, marketers can easily scale email production as their audience base growth.
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Key trends shaping the future of email marketing

As we delve into the growing need for marketers to not only catch the attention of their audiences but also to connect and drive conversions, there are three key trends shaping the future of email marketing:

AI-driven personalization

‍According to Hubspot, segmented emails have 30% more opens and 50% more clickthroughs than general emails send to your mass audience. The need for segmenting and personalization aren’t new but the way we approach them is.

AI today is used as a power tool to collect relevant data about users. For instance, it can use customers’ purchase history or viewing history to email them personalized product recommendations. This is increasingly important, with 71% of consumers now expecting personalized interactions from brands, but it is only the tip of the iceberg.
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63% of marketers of marketers leverage AI to help them get more done, faster. ChatGPT or bullt-in AI solutions tools like Beefree’s AI copy assistant make it easier to find the right messaging for email campaigns, by optimizing existing copy or tailoring copy to unique audiences they might not know much of yet.

Interactive email experiences

Interactive email content achieves 73% higher click-to-open rates, according to Martech Advisor. Interactive email content includes surveys, polls, carousels, gamification elements, and more. Email builders and third-party solutions have made integrating such content easier than ever allowing the every-day marketer to up their email content without the need for developers.

Microinteraction such as small animations or a CTA hover are growing in popularity.These small elements make an mundane task such as reading emails, an interactive experience.

Navigating the challenges and seizing opportunities

While innovation brings a world of possibilities, it also brings a few challenges for marketers. The rapid pace of emerging trends and their life cycle makes it hard for marketers to quickly adopt and stay ahead of the competition without causing email fatigue. Additionally, as highlighted by Norton, 69% of users are more concerned than ever about their data privacy, which in turn makes them more wary of what they engage with.

Email fatigue

Frequent emails result in email fatigue leading to reduced engagement rates, or worse case scenario an increase in unsubscribe rates. To combat this, it's crucial to strike the right balance in email frequency to your industry and audience. While finding the the right frequency is not a one size fits all, we recommend auditing your emails sends.

Start small with sending the right emails at the right time like when a user first subscribers or completes a desired action. Slowly integrate additional content and test its performance. Each email should serve a specific purpose and provide valuable and relevant content, this is where segmentation and AI-driven personalization becomes your best friend.

‍Privacy concerns

While for marketers the ability to collect a wide range of data on user demographics and behaviours is gold, for users this brings concerns. Marketers can mitigate these concerns by making consent and transparency regarding data collection and usage easily understood with an option to opt-out. Not only does this allow users to make informed decisions, but in the long term allows for increased trust and loyalty.

AI biases

While biases is not exclusive to AI, the rise of Artificial Intelligence has brought this concern to the forefront of marketer's mind.

Because AI is influenced by the historic data it processes and individual prompts, it may inadvertently perpetuate responses based on stereotypes and biases patterns. This can lead to content that is skewed and alienates certain segments of the audience.

Much like anything else that is public facing, we recommend implementing internal process to detect biases. This may mean having a review process in place to cross-reference AI outcomes with multiple folks with different background and experiences. Another suggestion is to regularly audit AI prompts keeping diversity and inclusivity top of mind to ensure fairness and accuracy.

Beyond the inbox: Integrating email marketing with other digital marketing strategies

As valuable as email marketing is, 72% of customers say they prefer to engage with brands through multiple channels. By coordinating email marketing efforts with other channels, marketers can build engaging and cohesive experiences for customers. In the same way that all conversations with a friend feel the same - whether they’re in person, over text, or on the phone - a holistic digital marketing strategy allows marketers to create space for immersive interactions that meet customers where they're at.

The future of email marketing lies in its integration with other marketing channels. Some standout ways to do this include:

• Landing pages: For marketers, landing pages helps lead customers to take a desired action, increase conversion. For users, this cohesive integration offers a smooth transition from email to a browsing experience where they can find more information that helps them make educated decisions.
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• Social media: Marketers can leverage the power of social sharing, UGC, and email marketing to amplify their reach and establish a balance of nurturing new and existing audiences. For customers, this means a seamless way to engage with one brand regardless of the channel they prefer, fostering a sense of community.
  
• Content marketing and SEO: Email campaigns can drive traffic to valuable content resources, such as blog posts, whitepapers, videos, and infographics. For customers, this means having an easy way to acquire new knowledge and interact with the brands they love.
  

Embracing the future of email marketing

Change is inevitable in all aspects of life and marketing is no exception, but this doesn’t mean you need to throw out your old playbook. Rather, it's about recognizing how the landscape if evolving and adapting. As mentioned today, some of the key areas driving the future of email marketing include AI and automation, multichannel marketing, and the emphasis on enhanced interactivity. While these might seem like heavy strategies to implement, know that you don't have to do it alone.
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At Beefree, we're dedicated to empowering marketers with the tools and resources needed to thrive in this dynamic environment. Our intuitive HTML email builder, AI copy assistant, and wide range of email and landing page templates support marketers in the search of innovative solutions to respond to the shift in the market's need.

To find out more, sign up for Beefree today!

Diving into the world of email marketing? You're in for an exciting ride! Crafting the perfect email campaign is an art, blending strategy, design, and an understanding of human behavior. While that sounds intimidated, fret not.

Whether you're a newbie or a seasoned marketer, this guide is your golden ticket. We'll walk you through the ins and outs of creating email marketing campaigns that not only captivate but also convert. Ready to boost those conversions? Let's get started!

What is an email marketing campaign?

Think of an email marketing campaign as a way to connect with new and existing customers. It is how businesses, big or small, connect with their audience, share valuable content, and encourage their readers to take action. Whether that be to make a purchase, go to a landing page, or simply to engage with the email content.

Benefits of email marketing campaigns

A study by the Data & Marketing Association found that for every $1 spent on email marketing, the average return on investment (ROI) is $42. Not only is email an cost-effective way to market your products and services, but they are great in building lasting connections with your audiences, regardless of which phase in your lifecycle they live in. Here are some benefits of creating email marketing campaigns to nurture your audience:

• Awareness Stage: Become a familiar face to those who might not know you yet. Introduce your brand, our products or services. This is a great place to set a welcome series once someone subscribed to your list. Email campaigns at this stage help with brand recognition.
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• Consideration Stage: Once your new audience becomes acquainted with your brand, they might start looking to you to help meet their needs. If you're a SaaS platform, this is a great time to send product tutorials or share case studies and testimonials. Campaigns at this stage help to increase traffic to your website and help to nurture your audience to eventually become paying customers! 

• Decision Stage: Once a subscriber becomes familiar with your product and how exactly you can help them meet their needs, you're a solid contender. This is where email campaigns serve as a way to show why you are a better solution and help differentiate you from the competition. Consider sending exclusive discounts, free demos, or limited-time offers to incentivize action.
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• Retention and Advocacy Stage: Once a subscriber turns into a customer, it's time to build a long time relationship! Send thank you emails to express gratitude for their purchase. Additionally, you can send additional support or resources to enhance their overall experience. Email campaigns in this stage encourage repeat customers and build brand loyalty.

10 Steps to creating an effective email marketing campaign

Embarking on an email marketing journey? Perfect! Crafting a high-converting email marketing campaign might seem daunting, but with the right steps, it's a breeze. Let's walk you through the ten steps of this journey, ensuring you're on the right track from the get-go.

Step 1: Set clear campaign goals

According to the Content Marketing Institute, 62% of the most successful content marketers have a documented strategy, whereas only 16% of the least successful have one. Before you even type out that first email, it's important to know where you're headed. Setting clear, actionable goals for your campaign is the foundation of any successful marketing campaign.

Whether you're aiming to boost lead generation, ramp up sales, or simply engage more with your audience, having a defined goal will guide your strategy and content.

Think of it as your email marketing compass – without it, you might find yourself lost in the vast sea of content possibilities.

Step 2: Select your email marketing campaign type

Once you've set your goals, it's time to plan how to achieve them.

This is where selecting the right type of email campaign comes into play. Your campaign type should align seamlessly with your goals. For instance, if your goal is to welcome new subscribers, an onboarding email series would be your best bet. Take a look at some of these example email campaigns below:

• Onboarding Emails: Perfect for introducing new subscribers to your brand.
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• Promotional Campaigns: Ideal for showcasing new products, services, or special deals.
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• Re-engagement Emails: Great for reigniting the spark with subscribers who've been a tad inactive.

By aligning your campaign type with your goals, you're setting the stage for a more focused and effective email marketing strategy.

Step 3: Understand your audience

Understanding who you're sending your email campaign to isn't just about knowing their email addresses. Instead, it's about diving deep into the data to identify their preferences, needs, and behaviors. Tailoring your campaigns to resonate with specific audience segments can skyrocket engagement. 

For instance, if you're a clothing brand and notice a group of subscribers frequently shopping for activewear, why not send them a curated campaign on your latest gym gear? By tuning into their interests, you're not just sending emails; you're sending value.

Here are some additional strategies and examples to consider:

• Segmentation: Divide your email list based on specific criteria like purchase history, location, or engagement level. For a tech store, you might have segments like "Gadget Enthusiasts" or "Home Office Tech Lovers."
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• Personalized Recommendations: If you're a bookstore and notice a subscriber frequently buying mystery novels, send them an email highlighting the latest releases in that genre.
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• Special Offers: For a beauty brand, if a segment of your audience often buys skincare products, offer them an exclusive discount on a new skincare range.
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• Feedback Loops: Send out surveys or feedback forms. If a segment of your audience expresses interest in eco-friendly products, launch a campaign showcasing your sustainable range.
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• Behavioral Triggers: If a subscriber often abandons their cart, send them a personalized reminder with a special offer to complete their purchase.

By truly understanding and catering to the unique interests of your audience segments, you're crafting experiences, building trust, and most importantly, ensuring you stay in the minds of your customers.

Step 4: Plan your email schedule

Flooding your subscribers with daily emails might seem like a good idea at first, but let's be real – no one likes an overstuffed inbox. It's all about finding that sweet spot. By planning out an email schedule, you're ensuring that you pop up in their inbox just enough to be remembered, but not too much that you become that annoying friend.

Now, when plotting out that schedule, put yourself in your subscribers' shoes. Think about their time zones – no one wants a 3 AM email alert. Consider their daily routines – are they morning email checkers or evening readers? And of course, tailor your content to fit the moment. A weekend might be perfect for a leisurely read, while a quick mid-week offer might be more apt for a Tuesday.

Oh, and speaking of tailoring content, those follow-up emails? Pure gold. Imagine your subscriber eyeing a product, adding it to their cart, but then getting distracted. A gentle reminder, like "Hey, you left something behind!", can be the nudge they need to complete the purchase. It's these little touches that can boost your conversion rates sky-high.

Step 5: Consider automation

With email automation tools, you can set up your emails and follow-ups to be sent out at specific times, ensuring you never miss a beat. Beyond just timing, these tools can craft personalized email journeys for each subscriber based on their actions.

Imagine a subscriber browsing through a product but not making a purchase. Automation can swoop in with a tailored email nudging them to revisit. Or if someone just made their first purchase, why not send them a warm welcome email? It's all about ensuring every email feels like it's been handcrafted just for them, based on their actions and preferences.

Step 6: Create attention-grabbing subject lines

Let's face it; we all judge emails by their subject lines. It's the first thing your subscribers see, and it can make or break their decision to open your email. Crafting a compelling subject line is like creating a movie trailer—it should give a hint of what's inside without giving everything away. 

For instance, instead of "Sale on Shoes," how about "Step Up Your Shoe Game: Exclusive Sale Inside!"? A sprinkle of curiosity, a dash of excitement, and you've got yourself a winning subject line.

Here are some tips and tricks to master the art of subject line creation:

• Use Power Words: Words like "Exclusive," "Limited," or "Unlock" can add a sense of urgency or exclusivity.
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• Ask a Question: "Ready for Summer?" or "Looking for the Perfect Gift?" can engage the reader's mind instantly.
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• Keep it Short and Sweet: With many people checking emails on mobile, a concise subject line ensures your entire message is visible.

• Personalize: Including the subscriber's name or a recent purchase can make the email feel tailored just for them: "John, Ready for Round Two of Our Bestsellers?"
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• Use Emojis Wisely: A well-placed emoji can make your email stand out, but ensure it aligns with your brand and message.
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• Create a Sense of Mystery: "You Won't Believe What's Inside!" can pique curiosity and drive opens.

And always remember, testing is your best friend. A/B test different subject lines to see what resonates best with your audience. By blending creativity with strategy, your subject lines won't just be read; they'll be remembered.

Step 7: Craft engaging email copy

You've got them to open the email with that killer subject line, now it's showtime! Crafting engaging email copy is all about speaking directly to your audience's needs and interests. Remember our chat about understanding your audience? This is where it pays off. 

If you know your subscribers love eco-friendly products, highlight that in your copy. "Sustainably made, just for you!" or "Eco-chic picks you'll adore!" are just a couple of ways to resonate.

The copy is a perfect dance of information and allure. You copy should tell a story that doesn't just inform but truly captivates and guides your reader through the email with ease.

PRO Tip: Adding language from your customers via testimonial is a perfect way to tell a story and show your readers the value that you offer.

Step 8: Nail Your email design

While words can paint a picture, the design brings it to life. A well-designed email isn't just about looking pretty; it's about creating an experience for your subscribers. Think bold colors, captivating images, and intuitive layouts. For instance, a CTA button that pops or an interactive carousel showcasing your products can elevate the user experience. 

With tools like Beefree, a no-code HTML email builder and a range of templates, you can craft stunning emails in no time at all.

Step 9: Test and optimize

Once you've crafted your emails, it's time to ensure its effectiveness.

By A/B testing different versions of your email, be it the subject line, design, or copy, you can pinpoint what resonates most with your audience. 

Monitor the results, analyze, and optimize for future campaigns. It's all about that continuous cycle of learning and improving. After all, the email marketing world is ever-evolving, and staying ahead of the curve ensures your campaigns remain top-notch.

Imagine you're launching a new product, and you've designed two potential email campaigns to announce it. One email has a subject line that reads, "Introducing Our Latest Innovation!" and the other says, "You Asked, We Listened: Meet Our New Product!" Which one will drive more opens? Which copy will lead to more clicks? 

Start by sending the two versions to a small segment of your audience. Monitor which one gets better engagement. Is it the direct announcement or the one that hints at customer feedback? Once you've gathered enough data, send the winning version to your entire list.

It's not about guessing; it's about making data-driven decisions. By continuously testing and iterating, you ensure that every email you send is optimized for success.

Step 10: Don't stop building your email list

You've got your goals and campaign type down, but who are you sending these emails to? Enter the importance of building a robust email list. Think of it as gathering an audience for your grand performance. A well-curated email list ensures that your content reaches people genuinely interested in what you have to offer. 

A quick tip? Offer value! Whether it's an exclusive discount, a handy e-book, or a sneak peek into upcoming products, give your audience a reason to share their email. Remember, quality over quantity is the name of the game here.

Here are some more actionable tips that you can take to grow your email list:

• Offer Value: People love perks! Whether it's an exclusive discount, a valuable e-book, or early access to a new product, give them a compelling reason to hit that 'subscribe' button.
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• Engage on Social Media: Use your platforms to promote sign-ups. A captivating post about an upcoming newsletter can pique interest.
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• Host Webinars or Events: These can be a goldmine for collecting emails. Attendees are already interested in your content, making them prime candidates for your list.
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• Leverage Pop-ups on Your Site: But remember, timing is key. Don't bombard visitors the second they land. Instead, consider exit-intent pop-ups or time-based ones.
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• Prioritize Quality Over Quantity: It's tempting to chase big numbers, but a smaller, engaged list is far more valuable than a large, disinterested one.

Building an email list is a continuous journey, but with these tips in your arsenal, you're well on your way to email marketing success.

Create Your Email Marketing Campaign Today With Beefree

If you're ready to make a splash in the email marketing world, focus on creating campaigns that really resonate with your audience. Give them something they'll look forward to receiving, and you'll see the results in your engagement metrics. Each email you send is an opportunity to engage your audience in a meaningful way. It's not just about the words and images you use, but also about the overall experience you create for them.

With Beefree's email builder, crafting those moments has never been easier. Dive in, explore, and watch your campaigns come to life in no time! The best part? It's free.

Today, digital interactions dominate, and gamification has emerged as a powerful tool to capture and maintain audience attention. More than 70% of businesses included in the Global 2000 have adopted gamification as a key strategy.

In this article, we'll explore the significance of gamification in email marketing, understand its core concepts, delve into the psychology behind it, and provide insights on implementing and overcoming challenges in your gamified campaigns.

The psychology behind gamification in email

At its core, gamification in email marketing revolves around incorporating game-like elements to enhance user engagement.

This strategy involves understanding human behavior and motivation and leverages the psychological aspects that make games inherently appealing, such as competition, achievement, and rewards. Together, these insights help email marketers determine the best use of gamification to help drive engagement and shape consumer responses.

Here are the 3 key psychological drivers in gamification:

Intrinsic motivation

Gamification triggers users' desire to participate by incorporating challenges, rewards, and competitions. As a result, this creates a sense of achievement in users brought on by the idea of "winning" and reinforces positive engagement.

Operant conditioning

By strategically designing gamified elements that reward specific actions, marketers create a positive association between user engagement and valuable incentives. This conditioning strengthens the likelihood of users repeating desired behaviors, establishing a cycle of ongoing engagement.

Cognitive biases

‍Leveraging cognitive biases like scarcity bias allows marketers to prompt quicker responses by offering exclusive rewards or limited-time promotions.

In short, by appealing to individuals' inherent need for achievement and recognition, gamification becomes a powerful tool for capturing and maintaining their attention.

How to use gamification in email marketing

The concept of rewards and incentives helps amplifies the gamification strategy. Offering tangible benefits like exclusive discounts or access entices users to not only engage with emails but also to seek out additional interactions. Let's delve deeper into how you can use gamification to create a competitive edge and engage users in your next email campaign:

• Points, Badges, and Leaderboards: Creating a competitive edge by rewarding users with points, badges, or leaderboard positions based on their interactions with your emails. This not only helps promote a feeling of accomplishment in users, but also helps foster a sense of community and competitiveness that leads them to climb leaderboards and stand out.
  
  
• Rewards and Incentives: Offering tangible benefits such as discounts, exclusive access, or special promotions to incentivize user participation. This exclusivity makes users feel valued and special, fostering a stronger connection with your brand.
  
  
• Interactive Elements: Enhancing user experience by introducing interactive features like quizzes, polls, or challenges within email content. These elements not only enhances engagement but also provides valuable insights into customer preferences, helping you tailor future content and offerings.

By tapping into users' motivations, whether it be competition, a desire for recognition, or the pursuit of exclusive benefits, you can create dynamic emails that help build a loyal and active audience for your brand.

Benefits of gamification in email marketing

Gamification transforms the user experience from a passive act of scrolling through emails into an interactive and dynamic journey where each click or purchase brings them closer to a tangible reward.

Increased customer engagement:

By turning the email experience into a game-like, subscribers are encouraged to engage with the content, spending more time exploring and interacting with the messages. This heightened engagement not only improves the chances of users absorbing the information presented but also creates a memorable and enjoyable experience, setting the brand apart in the minds of the recipients.

Enhanced brand loyalty:

One of the significant benefits of gamification is its ability to create deeper connections between a brand and its audience. When users consistently engage with gamified email content, they become active participants in a brand experience, leading to stronger brand-customer relationships and increased loyalty.

Higher conversion rates:

Gamification can be a powerful motivator for users to take desired actions. Whether purchasing, sharing content, or subscribing to newsletters, the gamified elements provide incentives and rewards for these actions. This motivational aspect drives increased participation, as users are more inclined to interact with emails, complete tasks, and actively engage with the brand, contributing to a more dynamic and participatory audience.

Improved data collection and analytics:

Gamification allows valuable user data collection through interactions and participation. Users willingly provide information while engaging with challenges, quizzes, or other gamified elements. This enriches your customer database and provides insights into user preferences and behavior. Improved analytics enable marketers to tailor future campaigns based on a better understanding of their audience.

5 Best practices for using gamification in email marketing

Embarking on a successful gamified email marketing campaign requires meticulous planning and strategic considerations. The following strategies and tactics can transform your email campaigns into immersive and rewarding journeys, making a lasting impression on your audience and optimizing your marketing efforts.

1. Define campaign objectives: Clearly outline the goals of your gamified campaign to align with your overall marketing strategy. Use data-driven insights to identify the objectives and strategy for your emails. This means regularly tracking key metrics such as open rates and click-through rates. Once your campaigns launch, assess the effectiveness of your gamification elements to refine future campaigns.
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2. Identify target audience: Personalization is key to creating a more engaging experience. Understand your audience's preferences and tailor gamification elements to their interests. By leveraging data and what you know about your unique audiences, you can create better segmented gamified content that tailors to individual preferences. This includes personalizing challenges, rewards, and interactions, making the entire experience more relevant and appealing to different audiences.
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3. Choose appropriate gamification elements: Select elements that resonate with your brand and align with customer preferences. Ensure rewards align with audience interests. Go beyond generic incentives by offering enticing and meaningful rewards such as exclusive discounts, early access, or special promotions. It is crucial to adhere to data protection laws, like GDPR and CCPA, in your gamification practices. Communicate clearly how user data will be used and ensure compliance to build trust with your audience.
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4. Integrate gamification into email design: Ensure a smooth transition to gamified content for an intuitive and enjoyable experience. This means visually appealing emails with a user-friendly interface that offers a seamless transition from the email to the gamified elements.
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5. Develop clear calls-to-action (CTAs): Encourage user participation by crafting compelling CTAs that drive desired actions. Clearly communicate what action you want the user to take and highlight the benefits of doing so. Whether it's clicking a link, participating in a challenge, or making a purchase, the CTA should be persuasive and aligned with the gamification goals.

Overcoming challenges in gamified email marketing

When using gamification in email, it is important to find the right balance between gamification elements and the core message of the email. It's essential to integrate gamified features seamlessly without overwhelming or distracting recipients from the primary content. This lack of harmony brings forth two main challenges:

User fatigue

With the increasing use of gamification in various digital platforms, users risk experiencing fatigue or disinterest in engaging with gamified content. If not managed carefully, this fatigue can decrease overall participation and effectiveness.

Mitigation Strategy: To counter this, marketers should introduce variety and novelty in gamified content, keeping users engaged with fresh challenges and incentives. A/B testing is a great way to experiment with different gamification elements to identify what resonates best with your specific audience.

Lack of brand recognition

Maintaining consistency and alignment with your brand image while implementing gamification can be challenging. If gamified elements feel disconnected or misaligned with your brand identity, it may create confusion or a lack of authenticity among your audience.

Mitigation Strategy: Regularly analyze performance metrics and gather user insight to continuously improve your gamification strategy. Actively seeking insights from your audience about their preferences and perceptions allows you to adapt and iterate on your gamified content.

Unleashing the power of email gamification with Beefree

In an era where consumer attention is a prized commodity, the integration of gamification has emerged as a dynamic strategy to captivate and engage audiences within the realm of email marketing. It's important to remember that the essence of success in this area is rooted in persistent experimentation and creative thinking. Embrace the opportunity to try fresh gamification techniques in your email campaigns to maintain a competitive edge.

No-code solutions like Beefree simplify this process by providing an intuitive and user-friendly solution that empower marketers to seamlessly incorporate interactive and gamified elements into their email designs.

So, create a free account and start infusing some fun and interactivity into your email marketing efforts. Here's to the exciting gamification journey – may it bring you great results and enjoyment!

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