Email marketing is still one of the most powerful tools a business can use—but only when it’s done right. As inboxes get more crowded and attention spans shrink by the day, the brands that win aren’t the ones shouting the loudest…they’re the ones communicating the smartest.
Whether you’re launching your very first campaign or trying to level up the ones you already have, these foundational do’s and don’ts will help you avoid the most common mistakes and start sending emails your audience actually wants to open.
✅ DO: Personalize Like You Mean It
If your email could be sent to anyone… it’s probably valuable to no one.
Your audience wants content that feels relevant, timely, and useful right away. That means customizing your messaging based on:
- Their interests
- Their past interactions
- Where they are in their customer journey
- What they actually need
Personalization isn’t spooky—it’s strategic. And it dramatically boosts engagement.
❌ DON’T: Write a Novel
Remember: your subscribers are drowning in emails from every company they’ve ever interacted with (and a few they’re convinced they never signed up for).
That means less is more.
Shorter emails:
- Get read faster
- Lead to more clicks
- Make your core message clearer
- Prevent your audience from zoning out
If someone has to scroll three times to understand what you want them to do… you’ve already lost them.
✅ DO: Test Everything
The biggest trap in email marketing? Assuming something that worked for someone else will work for you.
Best practices are just starting points—not guaranteed wins.
A/B test things like:
- Subject lines
- CTAs
- Layouts
- Personalization styles
- Images vs. no images
- Button color
- Long-form vs. short-form copy
Every audience reacts differently. Testing tells you what yours responds to.
❌ DON’T: Set It and Forget It
Even your highest-performing email will eventually fizzle out.
Your audience evolves. Technology evolves. Behaviors evolve.
Your email strategy should evolve too.
Regularly refresh:
- Designs
- Automation flows
- Welcome sequences
- CTAs
- Offers
- Content formats
Stay curious, stay creative, and stay ahead of the curve by trying new ideas before your emails start feeling stale.
✅ DO: Learn From Other Brands
One of the simplest ways to get better at email marketing? Start paying attention to your own inbox.
Ask yourself:
- Which emails do I open?
- Which ones do I delete without thinking?
- What formats grab my attention?
- Which emails feel annoying or irrelevant?
- Which ones keep me coming back?
You’ll quickly start to recognize patterns—good and bad—that can shape your own style.
❌ DON’T: Send Without a Purpose
Every email should have one specific job.
Don’t hit “send” until you can clearly answer:
- What am I trying to accomplish?
- What action do I want the reader to take?
- Is this genuinely valuable to them right now?
If the purpose is fuzzy, the results will be too.
Final Thoughts
Email marketing isn’t about being flashy or complicated—it’s about being strategic, helpful, and human.
Keep your content personal. Keep it simple. Keep testing. Keep evolving. And most importantly, keep your audience at the center of every decision.
If you can do that consistently, you’ll send emails people actually look forward to—and that’s the real win.
Disclaimer: We dream up all blog topics and prompts ourselves, and every post gets the human touch before it goes live. Sure, we let AI help with research—it’s like having a super-speedy intern who never needs coffee breaks—but humans check all the facts, make edits, and polish things up so you’re getting the real deal.