Your email list is the one audience you actually own. Social platforms change their algorithms; your list stays yours. For an info business, email is where trust gets built, where launches happen, and where customers become repeat customers. This guide covers everything from choosing a platform to writing launch emails that respect your readers.
Choosing an email platform
Most email platforms handle the basics well. Choose based on what your business needs, not feature lists. Features and pricing change often, so check current details before you commit.
- Forms and landing pages: can you build a simple signup page for your lead magnet?
- Automations: can you send a welcome sequence automatically?
- Tags and segments: can you label subscribers by interest or purchase?
- Integrations: does it connect to your course platform and checkout?
- Paid newsletters: if you plan one, does it support paid subscriptions? See Newsletters.
- Export: can you easily take your list with you if you switch?
Our Platforms and Tech guide covers how email fits into your wider stack.
Consent comes first
Email marketing runs on permission. Laws such as CAN-SPAM in the US and GDPR in the EU and UK set rules on consent, identification and unsubscribing, and other regions have their own. This isn’t legal advice, but the basics are consistent:
- Only email people who opted in. Never buy lists or scrape addresses.
- Tell people what they’re signing up for and roughly how often you’ll email.
- Include your physical mailing address or business contact details as required.
- Make unsubscribing easy and honor it promptly.
- Consider double opt-in, especially if you have subscribers in stricter jurisdictions.
- Disclose affiliate links in emails, just like on your site.
The welcome sequence
Your welcome sequence is the most-read set of emails you’ll ever send. New subscribers are paying attention right now. Use it to deliver value, introduce yourself and make a relevant offer.
| Timing | Purpose | |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Delivery | Immediately | Deliver the lead magnet, set expectations, ask them to reply |
| 2. Your story | Day 1–2 | Why you do this, what you believe, who you help |
| 3. Quick win | Day 3–4 | A useful tip that builds on the lead magnet |
| 4. Common mistake | Day 5–6 | A misconception and what to do instead |
| 5. Proof | Day 7–8 | A real student story (with permission) or your own example |
| 6. The offer | Day 9–10 | Introduce your paid offer honestly, with a clear link |
Adjust the timing to your audience. For a full walkthrough, see An Email Welcome Sequence That Sells.
Write a 6-email welcome sequence for [audience] who just downloaded [lead magnet]. My paid offer is [offer]. Tone: [friendly/direct/etc.]. Email 1 delivers the freebie, 2 tells my story (use these notes: [notes]), 3 gives a quick win, 4 corrects a common mistake, 5 shares proof (leave a placeholder for a real testimonial), 6 introduces the offer. No hype, no income claims, no fake urgency. Include subject lines.
Broadcasts: staying in touch
After the welcome sequence, keep showing up with regular emails. Consistency matters more than frequency: pick a rhythm you can sustain.
Teach something
One idea, one tip, one example. The backbone of most good newsletters.
Share a story
A lesson from your work or a (permitted) client story. Stories get read.
Curate
Useful links and resources with your take. Quick to write, genuinely helpful.
Ask a question
Invite replies. You’ll learn what your audience needs next and improve deliverability.
Plan ahead with the Content Calendar tool.
Segmentation: the simple version
You don’t need a complex setup. A few tags go a long way.
- By interest: which lead magnet they downloaded or which links they click.
- By status: subscriber, customer, past customer.
- By product: what they bought, so you don’t pitch it to them again.
- By engagement: active readers vs people who haven’t opened in a long time.
Launch emails
A launch is a focused period where you open your offer to your list. Keep emails helpful and honest, and let people opt out of the launch without unsubscribing entirely if your platform allows it.
- Warm-up. Teach content related to the offer’s problem in the week or two before.
- Doors open. Announce the offer: who it’s for, what’s included, price, link.
- Deep dive. Walk through what’s inside or how it works.
- Proof. Share real stories or a behind-the-scenes look.
- FAQ and objections. Answer real questions you’ve received.
- Closing reminder. If there’s a genuine deadline, remind people once or twice before it closes. Then actually close.
See the full Launch Playbook and plan expectations with the Launch Calculator. Remember that results vary widely.
Draft a launch email sequence for [offer] to my list of [audience]. The cart opens on [date] and genuinely closes on [date]. Include: doors-open, deep-dive, proof (placeholder for real testimonial), FAQ, and two closing reminders. Keep it honest: no fake scarcity, no income claims. Give 2 subject line options per email.
Deliverability basics
Great emails don’t matter if they land in spam. A few habits keep you in the inbox:
- Set up email authentication (SPF, DKIM and DMARC) on your sending domain; your platform will guide you.
- Send from a real address people can reply to.
- Email consistently so your list remembers who you are.
- Remove or re-engage long-inactive subscribers periodically.
- Avoid misleading subject lines and spammy formatting.
- Encourage replies; genuine engagement helps.
What to watch
Email metrics are useful for comparing your own emails over time, not for comparing yourself to others. Open, click and reply rates vary widely by niche, list age and platform, and some privacy features make open data less reliable than it used to be.
Clicks and replies
The clearest signal that an email was useful. Track which topics get the most.
Unsubscribes
Normal and healthy in small doses. A sudden spike means something missed the mark.
Sales per send
For offer emails, track purchases attributed to each email in your checkout or analytics.
Review monthly, keep what works, and drop what doesn’t. Small, steady improvements compound.
Want to track growth? Try the Newsletter Growth Calculator, and see Audience Building for ways to grow your list.
Get the free Starter Box
The 30-day product launch checklist, offer worksheet, course outline template, sales page and email templates, and an AI prompt pack. Free, instantly.