In a world where social media algorithms change faster than we can keep up and attention spans are shrinking by the second, email remains one of the most powerful tools for building genuine connections with your audience. But here’s the catch- you can’t approach it like it’s 2010 anymore.

I recently fell back in love with email marketing. And I don’t say that lightly. For a while, my own newsletter felt stale. My team wasn’t capturing my voice, and honestly, I wasn’t putting in the effort it deserved. But once I made some strategic shifts- rebranding my list, writing it myself, focusing on real value- everything changed.

And it’s not just me. I’ve grown my own list to over 5K on freebies alone, and I’m currently in concentrated growth mode. But more impressively, I’ve helped clients grow their lists from 1,300 to over 64,000 subscribers, and another from 8K to over 95,000 subscribers.

So yeah, I have some street cred when it comes to email marketing that actually works.

Today, I’m breaking down what used to work in email, why that no longer works, and what actually works now- with real examples you can steal.

What Used to Work (Back in the Day)

Let’s rewind the clock.

Back in the early days of email marketing, it was basically the Wild West. You could send massive templated newsletters to your entire list and call it a day. No segmentation. No personalization. Just one-size-fits-all blasts with subject lines like “Our Monthly Update” or “Company Newsletter.”

And what’s really weird- people back in the day actually opened them.

Why? Because inboxes weren’t as cluttered. Social media hadn’t completely dominated attention yet (this is around 2010, after all). People were still excited to get emails from brands, to get inside scoops and behind-the-scenes content that wasn’t readily available everywhere else (except YouTube).

The emails were heavy on design- tons of graphics, very promotional. “Here’s our sale, here’s our product, buy, buy, buy.” Rarely personal. Rarely storytelling-focused. Open rates were good. Click-throughs were solid. Everyone thought, “This is golden. This is the audience I really own.”

And that last part is still true- email is still the only audience you actually own. You don’t own your social media audiences. If you don’t have a plan to convert your social media followers to your email list, it’s time to put one in place now. (If you were around for any of the times social media crashed or went offline, you know exactly what I’m talking about.)

Why That Doesn’t Work Anymore

Fast forward to today, and the landscape has completely changed.

We’re getting hundreds of emails daily- from brands, colleagues, promotions, spam. There are days when I have 100 emails I need to reply to that are legit emails from clients. That’s changing the game, and it’s how everyone feels. Remote work has made this even more intense.

What’s not working anymore:

1. Generic Newsletters

People don’t want your newsletter. Stop.

They want value. They want something that feels worth their time.

Now, can I convince all my clients of this? No. Some people still want to do the monthly giant long newsletter. Fine. But in general, new signups are not thinking, “Yeah, I really want another really long newsletter to read.”

2. One-Size-Fits-All Content

Your audience is diverse and savvy. They don’t want generic information that could apply to anyone.

3. Constant Sales Pitches

We are so desensitized to sales pitches. If your subject line is always a discount, people will tune it out. If every email is “buy, buy, buy,” you’re going to see unsubscribes pile up just as fast as signups.

I recently subscribed to a retail brand’s list because I really liked one of their sweaters. The first five emails I got- not even kidding- were “30% off,” “Last chance,” “Final sale.”

There was no storytelling. No real connection. Their product was fantastic, and they could have done so much with that. But it was nothing but urgency. And I found myself wondering, “Why are you constantly having a sale? I thought you were a high-end brand. This isn’t the Gap.”

So I unsubscribed. For sure.

If your email marketing doesn’t match your brand positioning- if you’re not Old Navy but you’re emailing like you are- you’re working against yourself, not for yourself.

What Actually Works Now

So let’s talk about what’s thriving in 2025 and beyond. Here’s what I’ve learned from growing my own list and my clients’ lists.

1. Personalization and Segmentation

Modern email is about sending the right message at the right time.

This means:

• Segment your list by interests or behaviors. Are they a new subscriber? A past client? Someone who downloaded a specific freebie?
• Create tailored welcome sequences. New subscribers should feel like the email was written just for them.
• Stop posting the same thing on social and email. If I can see it on your Instagram, why would I be on your email list? I should get exclusive content- something I see on email first, or behind-the-scenes access no one else gets.

A practical tip: You don’t need to overthink segmentation. Just add tags to every entry point on your list. Bottom-of-site form? Tag it. Pop-up? Tag it. Freebie download? Tag it. Quiz result? Tag it. That way, you know what their interest or behavior is based on how they entered your list- whether they’re a cold lead, warm lead, or somewhere in between.

Real Example:
One of my clients runs a membership for creatives. Instead of blasting their whole list, they created two sequences- one for beginners and one for advanced entrepreneurs. By segmenting their list this way, their open rates doubled. Why? Because it felt like they were speaking directly to each person’s situation.

Advanced entrepreneurs need different support than those who are brand new. It’s that simple.

If you have a community, membership, or Facebook group where people are signing up, just add a question in the signup form: “How many years have you been in business?” or “How would you identify your experience level?” Make segmentation part of the process from the beginning.

You can also run a segmentation email if you’ve never segmented your list before. Say something like: “Hey, I want to make sure you’re getting content that’s actually helpful for you. Can you tell me where you’re at?” Then give them four options to click. Whichever one they click adds a tag, so you can email that segment with content specifically for them.

2. Relationship First, Sales Second

Email today is less about the sale than it ever was. It’s more about building trust and authority.

This is a critical mindset shift. Email is essential, but it’s not a sales-first tool anymore.

Here’s how it should look:

• Storytelling and behind-the-scenes content. Things they’re not going to see somewhere else.
• Tangible value. Tips, resources, outfit inspo, thought leadership, mood boards- whatever fits your brand.
• Voice building. Let them get to know you, your perspective, your expertise.

My own weekly email is called The Works. And it’s not a “here’s what I’m selling” thing. I’ve fallen into that trap before- email becomes something you just need to check off your list, so it turns into a sales pitch, and it doesn’t feel great or land well.

Instead, The Works is a quick, valuable insight about brand visibility that my subscribers can apply immediately. And because of that, when I do launch something, my audience is warmed up, ready, and familiar with my voice and expertise.

What’s been really interesting is that new clients often end up on my list before we even have a discovery call. They’ll email me after reading something I sent and say, “This made me feel so called out- I can’t wait to work together.”

That’s the power of relationship-first email marketing.

3. Simplicity Over Templates

This one surprised me, but it’s true: Simple emails perform better than heavily designed ones.

Of course I want to create beautiful layouts that look like webpages- I’m a designer! But emails aren’t webpages. People don’t want to read a webpage when they open an email. They want it to feel like a personal note, not a corporate ad.

Think about how you read emails. Are you more likely to open a shiny newsletter with 100 images and a coupon code, or a short, snappy one from someone you trust that’s written specifically for you with an actionable tip?

You can still make it look nice. You can still be cute. Have a pretty banner photo. Brand it. But don’t fill the whole thing with ad materials or make it look like a landing page. There’s a good balance between the two.

4. Value and Incentive

People don’t want “monthly updates.” That’s not a selling point, a value, or an incentive.

What’s in the monthly update that makes them want to sign up? What’s the reason?

Here’s what works:

• Quiz results (huge right now)
• Free guides
• Discounts (always work for product-based brands, even if they unsubscribe later)
• Early access

The key is: they sign up for the thing, and they stay because you keep delivering. You don’t just drop off after the freebie.

I’ve seen clients set up their funnel, nail the initial incentive, and then…stop emailing their audience regularly. If you’re not continuing to deliver, your audience is going to continue to unsubscribe.

Real Example:
One of my clients, who’s a stylist, offers a quiz. When people take it, they get their results in a curated guide straight to their inbox. That incentive keeps people engaged beyond just the signup moment.

Other incentives that work right now:

• Challenges (like an 8-day or 7-day challenge- doing really well lately- Sam Vander Wielen does a great job with this!)
• Case studies
• Pricing guides
• Discount codes (but don’t go overboard- don’t make it feel desperate)
• Curated lists (not checklists, interestingly, but lists of resources, recommendations, etc.)
• Templates

5. Clean Lists Matter

If you have 500 engaged subscribers, that’s better than 5,000 who never see your email or ignore you.

Prune inactive subscribers. Run re-engagement campaigns. A/B test to see how people are engaging. If you haven’t run a re-engagement campaign before, it’s simple: say goodbye to people who aren’t opening. Boost your deliverability for the ones who are.

And keep consistency. That’s the foundation.

6. Brand Your Email List

This is the one I think no one’s talking about, but it’s so important. And you’re probably going to laugh because of course I think branding matters- but I know it’s important because I’ve directly seen the results.

Give your email list a name.
Give it a purpose.

My own list was feeling super stale. I wasn’t writing my emails myself, and my team wasn’t capturing my voice very well. Something needed to change.

So this year, I rebranded my list. I gave it a name- The Works. I committed to sharing one actionable tip or strategy in the area I work best: brand visibility. And I started writing it myself.

It did so well.

Subscribers don’t want to feel like you’re not putting in the effort or don’t know your own voice. They want insight. They want connection. They want to feel like opening your email is worth it.

When you shift your mindset from broadcast mode to relationship mode, your emails will be opened, remembered, and your brand will become even stronger.

Set a clear purpose for what you’re going to deliver. For me, it was important to have a theme I could commit to every week so that I not only had amazing calls to action to join my list, but I also knew what I was going to share about. It’s shaped my voice a lot.

And a bonus tip: A lot of my solo podcast episodes start as emails. I’ll get an initial idea out to my email list first. If it’s really good or I feel like it could be expanded, I’ll turn it into a podcast episode.

What’s funny is that often audio listeners aren’t always the same as email readers. There’s some crossover, but it’s not as big as you’d think. So if you have multiple forms of content happening, you could use this same strategy. Why not? Feel free. Steal it. These are all for you to steal.

(Obviously, don’t steal my name. We’re cool about that in this industry, right?)

Your Email Marketing Action Plan

Email isn’t dead. But if you’re still treating it like a 2010 broadcast tool, it’s time for a refresh.

Focus on:

• Personalization and segmentation
• Building relationships before selling
• Keeping it simple and personal
• Offering real value and incentives
• Cleaning your list regularly
• Branding your email with intention

If this episode sparked ideas for you, send me a message. I’d love to hear from you. I’m on @bethanyworksdesign all the time.

And if you’re thinking, “Oh no, my emails are stuck in the 2010s”- it’s okay. This is your sign. It’s time to refresh your email strategy.Don’t forget to subscribe to the podcast so you never miss another episode. I’ll catch you next time!