Recipient expectations in email marketing

“Hey there! I see you work in performance marketing…” If you’ve ever rolled your eyes at outreach like this… you’re not alone. In today’s age of AI-powered tools and data, generic messages are starting to feel lazy. Especially in B2B, where your audience is informed, busy, and expects relevance. Here’s what I believe: When you reach out to someone with no mention of their name, their role, their post, or a shared context, you’re signalling, “I couldn’t be bothered doing a little research.” And if I’m a decision-maker or an influencer in your target account, you just lost your chance to build a meaningful connection. 📊 Consider this: about 80% of B2B buyers expect personalised interactions from their vendors. If you skip that step, you’re not just missing a best practice; you’re mismatching expectations. So what does truly personalised outreach look like? “Hi Vineeta, I loved your recent article on Black Friday campaigns. It made me think…” “We met briefly at [Event] you mentioned scaling tech hubs in Bangalore; wanted to share…” “Noticed your role as Marketing Lead at [Company], we’ve seen similar firms cut vendor onboarding time by 40%…” If you treat the inbox like a hopper for mass messages, you end up in the “delete” or “ignore” pile. If you treat it like a doorway to a conversation, a human one, you start relationships. You earn trust. And that builds pipelines. Here’s the reality for marketing & sales leaders: 🔹 Our job isn’t to send one-size-fits-all outreach. 🔹 Our job is to engage humans, professionals who appreciate relevance. 🔹 In the AI era, automation should enable personalisation, not replace it. 🔹 Lazy outreach isn’t clever. Thoughtful outreach is. So if your inbox is full of “Hey there” messages, remember: you’re not just a name on a list. And if you’re the one sending them, it’s time to do better. To all marketers, sales pros & growth leaders: if you call yourself someone who drives revenue, start with respect for whom you’re talking to. #B2BMarketing #Sales #Personalisation #ABM #Growth #MarketingLeadership

Your retention emails assume people liked the product. But what if they didn’t? Here’s what usually happens: Email 1: Order confirmation Email 2: Shipping info Email 3: “How’d we do?” + Review request But what if: - The product didn’t arrive yet - They used it once and were disappointed - They gifted it, and never actually touched it themselves You’re asking for praise before earning trust. Here’s what to do instead: Day 0: Set delivery expectations Ask what they’re most excited about. Segment users right away Day 5: Ask: “Have you had a chance to try it yet?” Two buttons: YES / NOT YET IF YES = show them advanced usage, upsell later IF NOT YET = send tips, reduce friction, delay the review ask Day 10: Ask: “How was your first experience?” 1 click feedback (Good / Okay / Bad) If you only talk to happy customers, you’ll never hear what needs to change. If you listen to everyone, you’ll build something worth sticking with.

Most brands stop talking to their customers after the order confirmation email... And then wonder why they churn after month one... Your post-purchase journey is one of the most important parts of your entire retention strategy. Here's what a great one actually looks like: Before the product arrives: → Set expectations, when it's arriving, what's in the box → Keep them updated throughout the shipping journey → Build anticipation. → Let them know of upcoming gifts... or tease them When the product lands: → Show them how to use it properly → Help them build a habit around it (Tapp) → Share other ways to use it, recipes, routines, combinations, so they don't get bored → Show reviews from long-term subscribers so they can see what's ahead if they stick around → Remind them of their upcoming free gift, tell them what it is and the value → Celebrate the milestone → Reinforce the value of staying → Show a benefits timeline and when they can expect to start experiencing the benefits of the product Most brands treat post-purchase as a one-and-done. One email. Job done. The best brands map the entire journey out month by month. → Set expectations early → Educate throughout → Help build the habit → Tease what's coming next → Give them a reason to stay before they even think about leaving Your post-purchase journey shouldn't end after the first email. It should be the reason they never leave.

We've just released our latest consumer survey about subscribers' email preferences during the peak sale season, and it’s a serious reality check for marketers. First, demand is high: 67% of consumers want to hear from brands at least weekly during this period. But nearly half unsubscribe because of message overload, meaning the line between engaged and annoyed is razor-thin. When asked what drives unsubscribes, “too many emails” topped the list (43%), followed by “misleading subject lines or fake urgency.” In other words, honesty matters just as much as frequency. Here's one of my favourite findings: 55% of consumers want full transparency about tariffs or price changes in their emails, led by Gen Z (63%) and Millennials (62%). Again, authentic communication builds trust, especially when money is tight. What do people actually want to see in their marketing messages? Early access to sales (66%) and exclusive discount codes (65%). Value and recognition still rule. Lastly, timing matters more than you think. Overall 63% want emails before Thanksgiving, but Baby Boomers (with the most spending power!) are twice as likely as Gen Z to prefer them after. The emphasis during the peak sale season is shifting from sending more to sending better. Focus on trust, transparency, value and timing. Our full data is linked in the comments. How early did you start your Black Friday email campaigns this year — and how are you managing your sending volume and frequency? #EmailMarketing #HolidayMarketing #ConsumerInsights

If you want to understand why email engagement drops, don’t start with metrics The inbox is not a browsing environment, it is a utility environment People open it to deal with things, reduce uncertainty, and get through their day - not to explore your brand’s creative direction This matters, because email is judged in a context you do not control: what else landed that day, how stressed someone is, what their calendar looks like, and what they’ve learned to expect from brands like yours People are not ignoring your emails, they are protecting their attention Which is why engagement is not an action - it’s a condition. And conditions are created long before the click Here’s one of the most useful exercises you can run if you want to audit email properly Create two to four test identities and subscribe like a real human: 👉 A brand new subscriber 👉 A consequential opt-in (download, webinar, checkout tick box) 👉 A customer 👉 A cooling or lapsed contact (if you can simulate it) Now document everything those people receive in the first: five minutes, twenty-four hours, seven days, and thirty days - across all systems, not just marketing (all external comms) Then answer some uncomfortable questions Does the first email actually match the promise made at sign-up? Would it be expected or unexpected? How about volume? Is it clear what happens next, or are we hoping they figure it out? Are expectations being set around frequency and content, or avoided? Does tone feel consistent across emails from different systems? Are we asking for something before we’ve delivered value? Does any message feel emotionally tone-deaf given what else they might be receiving? Any conflicting messages, timing or automations? This exercise almost always reveals more than weeks of dashboard analysis You start seeing collisions, not just “too many emails”, but mismatched signals A promo during a service issues, sales outreach during onboarding or already a customer but on a different service, acquisition messaging after purchase, review requests before value is delivered These collisions quietly erode trust and once trust is damaged, no amount of optimisation fixes it This is also why attribution models struggle with email. Email influence is often cumulative and indirect. A proper email audit doesn’t end with a list of tweaks, it ends with an experience redesign: What to stop, what to simplify, what to rebuild, and what to protect Because if you’re responsible for email, you’re not just responsible for output You’re responsible for what people actually live through in their inbox I go into the full step-by-step inbox experience audit process in my latest blog (see below on how to find it) Quick finds: 💌 Newsletter → RE:markable (view my newsletter under my name) 📊 Free tool → Email Health Check (featured section on profile) 💻 Email & CRM Vault → Very helpful blog (featured section on profile)

Unsubscribe rates climbing? It's time to take a hard look at your email strategy. High unsubscribe rates are often a sign that your emails aren’t meeting your audience’s expectations. The good news? It's never too late to turn things around. Let's make a plan together... WHY SUBSCRIBERS LEAVE 1. Too Many Promotions If you're constantly pushing for more commitments, your brand starts to feel like an overly aggresive salesperson. 2. Irrelevant Content If your emails don’t resonate with your audience’s needs or interests, they’re going to disengage. 3. Lack of Value People want to feel like they’re gaining something—whether it’s education, inspiration, or a good deal. Without value, they’ll disengage. 4. Inconsistent Sending When it comes to email, absence does not make the heart grow fonder. Subscribers can't feel connected to your brand if your sending cadence is sparse or erratic. HOW TO IMPROVE RETENTION 1. Set (& Deliver On!) Clear Expectations Use your welcome email to let subscribers know what kind of content they’ll receive and how often. Then, stick to it. 2. Offer a Preference Center Allow subscribers to choose how often they hear from you and what topics they’re interested in. This reduces unnecessary unsubscribes. 3. Make Every Email Valuable Before you hit send, ask: Does this email educate, entertain, or solve a problem for my audience? If the answer is no, revise your email to be a little more customer-centric and a little less self-serving. 4. Segment Your Audience Group subscribers by behavior, interests, or demographics. Personalized emails are more relevant –– and relevancy keeps people engaged. 5. Re-Engage Inactive Subscribers Send targeted campaigns to win back disengaged subscribers. If they still don’t engage, remove them to keep your list clean and your reporting accurate. Unsubscribes aren’t always a bad thing—they can improve your deliverability and leave you with a more engaged audience. What we want to avoid, though, is losing qualified prospects because our messaging was misaligned or our customer experience was sub-par. Focus on the three pillars of effective email marketing: → Relevance → Value → Consistency If you can send valuable emails with content that's relevant to the recipient on a consistent basis, you're going to build a list of loyal subscribers who actually look forward to your emails. Need help installing this in your business? Drop me a comment or a DM. I'll be happy to take a look at your current set-up and recommend a few high impact adjustments you can make.

People don’t buy because they understand your brand—they buy because they feel understood. And great email marketing is more than eye-catching designs; it’s about sharing the right content at the right time to meet customers where they are. Here’s how to tailor your emails to each step in the customer journey: For first-time subscribers, start by introducing your story, sharing social proof, and showing how your products fit into their lives. A warm welcome email sequence can build familiarity and trust, setting you apart from just another brand in their inbox. After their first purchase, don’t stop at a simple “thank you.” Follow up with tips, care instructions, or complementary product suggestions, showing you care about their experience and satisfaction. This not only reinforces their decision but keeps your brand top-of-mind. For returning customers, deepen loyalty by offering exclusive perks, early access, or personalized recommendations. Tailored email content here shows them they’re part of an inner circle, building connection with every message. And for your VIPs—the loyal champions of your brand—treat them to pre-launch access, loyalty rewards, or exclusive content that feels crafted just for them. Ultimately, email marketing done right isn’t just about explaining your product; it’s about helping customers feel understood at every stage of their journey and building lasting connections. If you nail this - you already are miles ahead of your competitors.

Emailing consistency and frequency have been top of mind for my clients and me lately.   On one hand, brands finally realize they can’t sleep on this channel (aka goldmine) anymore…    That a monthly or a quarterly email ain’t gonna cut it if they want to nurture a relationship with their subscribers.   That people need to see your brand’s name and how you can help them solve their problems multiple times where they naturally hang out.    And that many subscribers make their buying decisions in a non-linear way, and that “the right timing” isn’t something you can fully control (unlike what some marketers would still like you to believe).   So the only thing you can do is be helpful and keep showing up and more frequently in people’s inboxes.     On the other hand, no one wants to be “the brand that sends too many damn emails”!   Welcome to the messy middle of “We want to get more serious about our emails!” + “How TF do we increase our emailing frequency without antagonizing our subscribers?” + “What do we send now if we’re sending more emails?”!   If you’ve been thinking about increasing your emailing frequency, but you’re stuck in that messy middle, here are a few pointers for ya:   1. Manage your subscribers’ expectations. Both of your current ones and your new ones. Tell them how frequently they’ll see your name in their inboxes, whether they just joined your list or have stuck around for a while. And as always, give them a way out if that’s not their jam. You’re not for everyone, and that’s fine. 2. Empower them to choose what’s best for them. If your email service provider allows it (and there’s almost always a way to do it), give your subscribers frequency options - including a “snooze my emails for X days” one. Instead of unsubscribing altogether, you’ll be keeping happier, more engaged subscribers in your list. 3. Divide and conquer. If you’ve been sending one long email a month with multiple sections, send each section as a standalone email. That will keep your subscribers focused and they will engage with your emails better (there won’t be so many links for them to choose from or get distracted by!). You, on the other hand, will see who is interested in which topics and can learn from your subscribers’ behavior.   There’s no absolute right way to do email marketing, just what’s right for your brand and your people.   (It’s also not necessarily the right channel for every single business. And there’s nothing wrong with that!)   But as I’ve always said, if you want to go all in on this goldmine of a channel, you might as well do it well. If you’ve been thinking about putting more focus on growing and nurturing a profitable email list in Q4 and 2025, but you don’t know what to do that or how to convert more of your subscribers into paying clients - check out the link in the first comment. Let's get you sorted in a day.

I’ve written hundreds of emails across 30+ brands (and here are 7 things I’ve learned) 1. If your emails don’t make people feel something, they won’t remember them. Emotion creates connection, and connection drives action. Whether it’s relatability, surprise, excitement, or urgency, emotion sticks. 2. Nobody cares about your story unless it helps them. People don’t read your emails because they want to hear about you. They read them to see what’s in it for them. Every story you tell should bridge the gap between your experience and their takeaway. If they can see themselves in it, they’ll care. 3. If you’re not interrupting the pattern, you’re blending into the noise. If your emails look, sound, and feel like everyone else’s, they’ll be ignored. People don’t pay attention to predictable. You don’t have to reinvent the wheel, but thinking outside the box goes a long way. 4. Value isn’t just ‘tips’, it’s perspective. You don’t always have to teach something new. Sometimes, reframing what your audience already knows is what makes it click. 5. Unsubscribes are not a bad thing. If someone leaves your list, they were probably never going to buy from you anyway. Don’t be afraid to ruffle some feathers, your goal isn’t to keep everyone, it’s to keep the right people. 6. Treat your emails like a conversation, not an announcement. Most people see emails as one-way broadcasts. But the best emails feel like a real conversation (even if they go out to thousands). Talk to your reader like it’s a you and them, because in their inbox, it is. 7. It’s not just about staying top of mind, it’s about staying relevant. People won’t remember you just because you send emails regularly. They’ll remember you if your emails continue to add value at the right time. Buyers move at their own pace. Your job? Be there when they’re ready. Which one resonates with you most? Or what’s something you’ve learned about email marketing?