How to Do Email Marketing: Complete Step-by-Step Guide

Why Email Marketing Still Matters

Email marketing delivers the highest return on investment of any marketing channel, averaging $36-42 for every dollar spent. Despite the rise of social media, messaging apps, and new marketing channels, email remains the most reliable way to reach your audience directly.

The reasons are fundamental. You own your email list — unlike social media followers, your subscribers cannot be taken away by algorithm changes or platform shutdowns. Email reaches people in their inbox, where they make purchasing decisions. And email automation lets you deliver personalized messages at scale without manual effort.

Whether you are running an e-commerce store, a service business, a nonprofit, or a personal brand, email marketing is likely the single most impactful channel you can invest in.

Step 1: Choose an Email Marketing Platform

Your email marketing platform is the tool you use to manage subscribers, create emails, send campaigns, and track results. The right choice depends on your budget, list size, and feature needs.

What to Look For

• Email builder: Drag-and-drop editor for creating professional emails without code
• List management: Tools for organizing, segmenting, and cleaning your subscriber list
• Automation: Ability to set up triggered email sequences
• Analytics: Open rates, click rates, conversions, and revenue tracking
• Deliverability: Strong sender reputation and authentication support
• Pricing: Fits your budget as your list grows

Platform Comparison

Platform	Free Plan	Best For	Key Advantage
Brevo	300 emails/day	All-in-one marketing	CRM + email + SMS unified
Mailchimp	500 contacts	Simple newsletters	Ease of use
ConvertKit	1,000 subscribers	Content creators	Creator-focused features
ActiveCampaign	None (trial only)	Advanced automation	Automation depth
MailerLite	1,000 subscribers	Budget-conscious	Value for features

Brevo is an excellent starting point because the free plan includes CRM, email automation, and SMS capabilities. Most platforms charge based on subscriber count, but Brevo charges based on emails sent, which is more affordable for growing lists.

Step 2: Build Your Email List

Your email list is the foundation of your email marketing. Building it with genuine, opt-in subscribers is essential — never buy email lists.

Signup Form Best Practices

Place signup forms where visitors are most engaged:

• Website header or navigation: Visible on every page
• Blog posts: Inline forms within content or at the end of articles
• Homepage: Prominent placement above the fold
• Exit-intent popups: Triggered when visitors are about to leave
• Checkout process: For e-commerce stores (with opt-in checkbox)

Lead Magnets That Convert

Offer something valuable in exchange for an email address:

Lead Magnet Type	Conversion Rate	Best For
Discount code (10-15% off)	5-10%	E-commerce
Free guide or ebook	3-7%	B2B and content businesses
Email course (5-7 days)	3-5%	Educational businesses
Free tool or template	5-8%	SaaS and service businesses
Quiz or assessment	10-15%	Any business
Exclusive content access	2-5%	Media and publishers

Double Opt-In

Use double opt-in to confirm subscribers genuinely want to receive your emails. This reduces fake signups, improves deliverability, and ensures compliance with email regulations like GDPR and CAN-SPAM.

Step 3: Plan Your Email Strategy

Before sending your first campaign, define what you will send and how often.

Email Types to Include

Email Type	Frequency	Purpose
Newsletter	Weekly or biweekly	Regular value delivery
Promotional	2-4x per month	Drive sales and conversions
Automated welcome series	Triggered on signup	Introduce your brand
Transactional	Triggered by actions	Order confirmations, receipts
Re-engagement	Triggered by inactivity	Win back inactive subscribers

Content Calendar

Plan your emails at least 2-4 weeks in advance. A content calendar prevents last-minute scrambles and ensures a good mix of content types:

• Week 1: Newsletter with industry insights + one promotional email
• Week 2: Educational content + product spotlight
• Week 3: Newsletter + customer story or case study
• Week 4: Monthly roundup + promotional campaign

Step 4: Create Your First Campaign

Writing Effective Email Copy

Good email copywriting follows a simple structure:

1. Subject line: Grab attention in 6-10 words. Be specific about the value inside.
2. Preview text: Expand on the subject line with additional context.
3. Opening line: Address the reader’s problem or desire immediately.
4. Body: Deliver your value — keep it concise and scannable.
5. Call to action: Tell the reader exactly what to do next.
6. P.S. line: Optional but effective for reinforcing your CTA.

Email Design Tips

Follow email design best practices for professional results:

• Use a single-column layout (600px width)
• Include your logo at the top
• Use 1-2 images maximum for most emails
• Make your CTA button large and contrasting
• Keep total email length under 500 words for promotional emails
• Always include an unsubscribe link

Sending Your First Email

Before hitting send:

• Send a test email to yourself
• Check it on mobile and desktop
• Verify all links work
• Proofread subject line and body copy
• Check your sender name and reply-to address

Step 5: Set Up Essential Automations

Email automation sends the right message at the right time without manual effort. Start with these three automations:

Welcome Series

Your welcome email series is the most important automation. New subscribers are at peak engagement:

• Email 1 (immediate): Welcome, set expectations, deliver lead magnet
• Email 2 (Day 2): Share your best content or products
• Email 3 (Day 4): Tell your brand story
• Email 4 (Day 7): Social proof and testimonials
• Email 5 (Day 10): Special offer or next step

Cart Abandonment (E-commerce)

If you sell products online, abandoned cart emails recover 5-15% of lost sales:

• 1 hour: Remind them what they left behind
• 24 hours: Add reviews or social proof
• 72 hours: Offer a small incentive

Re-Engagement

When subscribers stop opening your emails, a re-engagement sequence attempts to win them back before they become dead weight on your list.

Step 6: Segment Your List

Email segmentation sends different messages to different groups based on their characteristics or behavior. Segmented emails generate 14% higher open rates and 100% higher click rates than non-segmented campaigns.

Basic Segments to Start With

Segment	Criteria	Content Strategy
New subscribers	Joined in last 30 days	Welcome content, introductory offers
Engaged subscribers	Opened 3+ emails recently	Premium content, new offers
Inactive subscribers	No opens in 90+ days	Re-engagement campaigns
Customers	Made a purchase	Loyalty offers, upsells, reviews
Non-customers	Subscribed but never purchased	Nurturing content, first-purchase incentives

Step 7: Optimize and Improve

A/B Testing

A/B testing different elements reveals what your specific audience responds to:

• Subject lines: Test length, tone, personalization, urgency
• Send time: Test morning vs. afternoon, weekday vs. weekend
• Content: Test long vs. short, image-heavy vs. text-focused
• CTAs: Test button text, color, placement

Key Metrics to Track

Metric	What It Measures	Good Benchmark
Open rate	Subject line effectiveness	20-25%
Click-through rate	Content and CTA relevance	2-5%
Conversion rate	Campaign effectiveness	1-3%
Unsubscribe rate	Content-audience fit	Under 0.5%
Bounce rate	List health	Under 2%
Revenue per email	Financial impact	Varies by industry

List Hygiene

Regularly clean your email list to maintain deliverability:

• Remove hard bounces immediately
• Suppress consistently inactive subscribers after re-engagement attempts
• Verify new subscribers with double opt-in
• Monitor spam complaint rates

Step 8: Stay Compliant

Email marketing is regulated in most countries. Key requirements:

• CAN-SPAM (US): Include physical address and unsubscribe link, honor opt-outs within 10 days
• GDPR (EU): Obtain explicit consent, provide data access and deletion rights
• CASL (Canada): Require express consent with specific disclosures
• General: Never send to purchased lists, always include unsubscribe functionality

Authentication Setup

Proper email authentication improves deliverability. Set up SPF, DKIM, and DMARC records through your email platform’s guidance.

Common Email Marketing Mistakes

Sending without a strategy: Random emails without a plan lead to low engagement and high unsubscribes. Define your goals and content calendar before you start.

Ignoring mobile: Over 60% of emails are opened on phones. Every email must look good on mobile.

Focusing on list size over quality: A list of 1,000 engaged subscribers outperforms a list of 10,000 uninterested contacts. Focus on attracting the right subscribers.

Not testing: Assumptions about what works are often wrong. Test subject lines, content, timing, and design systematically.

Inconsistent sending: Long gaps between emails lead to subscribers forgetting they signed up, increasing spam complaints when you do send.

Getting Started Today

Email marketing does not need to be complicated to be effective. Here is your action plan:

1. Sign up for Brevo’s free plan
2. Create a signup form and add it to your website
3. Set up a 3-5 email welcome series
4. Plan your first month of campaigns (2-4 emails)
5. Send your first campaign
6. Review metrics after one week and adjust

For e-commerce stores on Shopify, connecting your store to Brevo through Tajo gives you immediate access to customer purchase data for segmentation and automated post-purchase emails.

Start simple, measure results, and build from there. The businesses that succeed with email marketing are not the ones with the most sophisticated setups — they are the ones that start, stay consistent, and improve over time.