Email is still the highest-leverage channel most CEOs underuse: it's where people start their day, and unlike social, you own the list.
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Why Email Still Matters
The rule of seven: people need roughly seven (today, seven to ten) interactions before they act. Email is one of the few channels where you can reliably stack those touches, which is why a consistent newsletter beats a one-off blast.
Write Emails That Get Opened
About five times as many people read your subject line as your body copy, so it deserves most of your effort. Treat it like a movie trailer; promise something specific without giving it all away. Keep it short and write it as a sentence you'd say; questions work well; when stuck, default to a list, a question, or a how-to. Use the preview text as a customizable second line.
Give People a Reason to Stay
Start with a story and set expectations. Make it exclusive, give subscribers something they can't easily find elsewhere, so it feels like a community. Acknowledge new subscribers, thank referrers, and put the "subscribe" link near the top, not buried.
Nail the Call to Action
One clear ask per email, and make the button say what happens. Four patterns: match the feeling ("I want to drink wine on the balcony"), name the next step ("get matched with a developer"), handle the objection ("start free, no credit card"), or be specific ("start a 7-day trial").
Keep Your List Healthy
Watch open rate (healthy ~30-50%), click-through (typically 3-7%, often 1-3%), and unsubscribes. Every 90 days, find unengaged subscribers, send a short re-engagement email, and remove the non-responders; dead weight pushes you toward spam.
Segment from the Start
Tags for interests/behaviors/topics; segments for groups like location or stage. Build the customer-journey segment early (new, warm, current clients, past clients), then send the right message to each.
How to Start
Pick a platform (Mailchimp, ConvertKit, or HubSpot to start; Klaviyo for e-commerce) and commit to one email a month. Consistency beats volume.
Where to Go Next
A newsletter only works if the messaging under it is clear; run the Brand Audit templates first. For the format done well, Business Bites is our own weekly newsletter.
This masterclass was led by Fab Giovanetti of Alt Marketing School; the CTA patterns are from Harry's Marketing Examples.
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