Let's start with the basics, and then add on from there…
What Is Email Marketing?
Email marketing is the idea of building a contact list of email addresses (subscribers), ideally of those who are interested in you and your products, who you can then serve by sending messages and marketing materials that matter.
And when you do this right, your email list becomes one of the most powerful assets you have in your business. Your email list can help you understand what blog posts to write about, what podcast episodes to create or what videos and tutorials to shoot.
Your email list becomes your list of contacts to share newsworthy information about your brand and business.
And of course, your email list becomes a list of prospects that could potentially become students, customers, and clients.
Building a list and sending great emails is not easy though. If you're like many, it can seem like learning a new language, or maybe you've tried it and it just didn't work for you.
IT IS worth your time, but only if you execute properly. Don't worry though, because I got your back. You're in the right place.
On this page, you'll find:
- The best step-by-step guide to help you grow your list and make email marketing work
- Our best free articles and tutorials on email list building
- Our thoughts on the best email marketing services
- Popular SPI podcast episodes about email marketing
The most important thing to remember, however, is this:
The size of your email list isn't nearly as important as the quality of people who are on it. It's not about the numbers, it's about the human beings and the connections and experiences you create for them over time.
-Pat Flynn
Free, just for you. No Opt-ins required.
The Best Email Marketing Guides on the Internet
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How to Start and Build an Email List
You're on the right page if you know you need to know how to start an email list and you want…
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What Is Email Marketing + Best Practices an SPI How-to Guide
Welcome to my epic email marketing guide! If you’re looking for in-depth guidance on what email marketing is, why it’s…
Courses and Workshops
Courses to grow your skills
Email Marketing Magic
A to Z Webinars
A step-by-step roadmap to help you create and deliver webinars that work. Grow your list. Increase trust. Make more money. Ideal for business owners looking for growth.
Click and Convert Workshop
Learn to capture attention, increase engagement, and grow your business with this workshop from Pat Flynn and guest expert Darrell Vesterfelt.
Traffic Booster Workshop
Learn to increase your exposure and grow your business without paying for ads with this 90-minute workshop from Pat Flynn. Learn strategies you can immediately put into action.
Articles
Tutorials and Case Studies
How to Improve Email Deliverability
Here are the four keys to making sure your emails end up in your subscribers' inbox—not the spam folder.
learn more
Deleting Cold Subscribers from Your Email List Using ConvertKit
In the third and final post in our series on cleaning your email list with ConvertKit, we’ll show you how to delete cold subscribers from your list.
learn more
How to Create a Reengagement Campaign for Cold Email Subscribers & Automate It
Cleaning your email list? Here's how to set up a reengagement email sequence in ConvertKit to make sure you're only deleting cold subscribers!
learn more
Time to Clean Your Email List? Why We Deleted 40% of Our Subscribers
Wondering what to do about inactive email subscribers? Delete them.
learn more
How to Create an Automated Email Welcome Sequence in ConvertKit
Start your email list subscribers off on the right foot with an automated email welcome sequence.
learn more
ConvertKit Review 2021
Want to know if ConvertKit is the right email service provider for your business? Read our comprehensive ConvertKit review.
learn more
How to Win with Email Marketing in 2019
Ready to crush it with email marketing in 2019? Email marketing is as crucial to online business as ever—here are my top five tips for success!
learn more
How to Get More Email Subscribers (17 Lead Magnet Ideas)
Want to grow your email list? Here are seventeen ideas for effective lead magnets—resources and tools that will help subscribers hit the ground running and turn them into fans, too.
learn more
A Beginner's Guide to Email List Segmentation
Your audience isn't all the same—it's made up of several groups, each with their own needs and problems you can help them solve. In this step-by-step guide, I'll teach you to use email segmentation to better serve the groups within your audience.
learn more
Download the FREE Email Marketing Cheat Sheet Formerly known as Email the Smart Way
Learn to Write Great Emails.
The Epic Guide to Email Marketing walks you through how to set up your email marketing program, but once it's set up, what should you write?
The Epic Guide to Email Marketing walks you through how to set up your email marketing program, but once it's set up, what should you write?
- Topics
- Styles
- Universal Rules
Recommended Tool
ConvertKit
ConvertKit makes communicating with your audience easier, helping you to manage your email list, set up autoresponders, and create automations so easy and user-friendly—that way you can make sure you’re sending the right email to the right person at the right time. It’s the perfect blend of power and simplicity, and it's the best tool for promoting products to your audience.
Get ConvertKit
Podcasts
Email Marketing Podcast Episodes
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Smart Passive Income Podcast with Pat Flynn
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AskPat 2.0
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Smart Passive Income Podcast with Pat Flynn
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AskPat 2.0
Smart Passive Income Podcast with Pat Flynn
Weekly interviews, strategy, and advice for building your online business the smart way.
Featured Episodes:
August 20, 2012SPI 044: How to Win With Your Email List – Part 1 of 2
April 29, 2015SPI 159: The Best Practices for Increasing Sales with Your Autoresponder Email Series
December 14, 2016SPI 244: Bootstrapping a Startup with Nathan Barry from ConvertKit
June 6, 2018SPI 321: Earn More Media Exposure (At Any Level) with Christina Nicholson
AskPat 2.0
A weekly coaching call on online business, blogging, marketing, and lifestyle design.
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