In short, email marketing is more about building relationships than making sales. It’s about finding the right balance between being helpful and being annoying and about standing out in an inbox while still respecting it. If done right, it’s not just marketing; it’s a way to build trust and connection in a place where people go every day. And I think that’s why it hasn’t gone away even in 2025.  

      Email marketing might sound like one of those boring buzzwords that businesses use, but at its core, it’s just the act of sending emails to people in a way that (ideally) helps both the sender and the receiver. That could mean a business sending out a weekly newsletter with helpful tips, a brand letting customers know about a sale, or even a small store in the area sending thank-you notes and discounts to regular customers. It’s one of the oldest tools for digital marketing, but it hasn’t really gone away because it still works when it’s done well.

      Email marketing is interesting because it’s more direct and personal than other types of marketing. For example, on social media, your message is at the mercy of algorithms and people who scroll through it. An Instagram post could be lost in a matter of minutes. But with email, you’re going straight to someone’s inbox, which is something most of us do several times a day. It feels close to that. Even though we all get too many emails, the inbox still feels like “our space.” This makes it a great place for businesses to be.

      Of course, that power comes with responsibility. Spam is not liked by anyone. We all know what it’s like to sign up for something and then get a lot of emails every day that we didn’t want. That’s the bad side of email marketing: when it stops being useful and just becomes noise. The best email marketers know how to strike this balance: they send people things they really want to open instead of just shoving ads down their throats.

      So, what is “good” email marketing? It usually starts with making a list of people who have agreed to hear from you. This is known as an opt-in list. A brand doesn’t buy a list of random emails, which is both shady and ineffective. Instead, it encourages people to sign up on their own, maybe through a pop-up on their website offering a discount or a “subscribe for updates” box on a blog. Because those people chose to get the emails, they’re way more likely to engage.

      After you make a list, the next step is to choose what to send. And this is where things get interesting.It’s not enough to just send out emails that say “SALE 50% OFF” over and over. It’s about building a connection. For instance, a bookstore could send out a monthly newsletter with staff picks for books to read, upcoming author events, and maybe a coupon at the end. A clothing brand might send you style guides or ideas for outfits. Nonprofits even send emails to tell stories about the people they help and then ask for money.

     I think it’s interesting how much psychology is involved. Marketers are obsessed with subject lines because that’s the first thing they have to get past: will the person even open the email? A subject line like “Your order has shipped” works, but one like “We picked these just for you” makes people want to know more. Also, the time of day matters. If you send an email at 2 a.m., it might get lost before anyone sees it. If you send it at 9 a.m. on a Tuesday, though, people might be reading their emails with coffee in hand.

      There is also a lot of segmentation and personalization going on behind the scenes. Companies don’t send the same email to everyone. Instead, they split their audience into groups. For instance, a fitness app might send different emails to beginners than to advanced users. Personalization can get pretty advanced. For example, you might get an email that says “Hi [Your Name]” or suggests products based on what you bought last time. That’s not a mistake; it’s data at work.

      Now, email marketing isn’t just about writing clever copy. There is also design. Some brands send simple, text-based emails that feel like a personal note, while others make beautiful templates with images, buttons, and bright colors. Both can work, depending on the brand’s personality and the audience. A high-end brand might use polished images, while an indie writer might stick to plain text to make it seem more real.

      Measuring success is what makes email marketing hard. Marketers keep track of things like the open rate (how many people opened the email), the click-through rate (how many people clicked a link inside), and the conversion rate (how many people actually bought something or did what they wanted). These numbers can help you figure out what’s working and what’s not. For instance, if a lot of people open an email but don’t click on it, the subject line might be good, but the content inside isn’t interesting.

      Automation is another important aspect to talk about. Think about how nice it would be to get a welcome email right after you sign up for a new app. Then, a few days later, they sent another email that went over the most important features. A week later, maybe some tips or a tutorial. None of these were typed out by hand; they are all part of an automated “drip campaign.” It’s like a set path that shows new users what to do next. This makes email feel timely and important without having to have a person send each message by hand.

      But here’s the truth: people do unsubscribe. People don’t read emails. People flag things as spam. That’s how the inbox works in nature. That’s why the best way to get people’s attention is not to trick or pressure them, but to keep sending them things that are worth their time. It should feel less like an ad and more like a message from a friend who wants to help. Instead of “BUY NOW!” it should say, “Here’s something you might like.”

      I also think it’s interesting that email marketing is still going strong even though new platforms keep coming out. People used to say that social media would kill it, but in some ways, email is more stable. Your email address stays pretty much the same, even though algorithms change and platforms come and go (remember MySpace?). That’s why companies treat email lists like gold: they’re one of the few digital assets a company really “owns” instead of renting space from a tech giant.

      In short, email marketing is more about building relationships than making sales. It’s about finding the right balance between being helpful and being annoying and about standing out in an inbox while still respecting it. If done right, it’s not just marketing; it’s a way to build trust and connection in a place where people go every day. And I think that’s why it hasn’t gone away even in 2025.