20 Smart Email Marketing Tips Bloggers Should Know

As a blogger, you have a natural gift for the written word. You know how to entertain, educate, and inform your readers on a variety of topics.

That ability to eloquently express thoughts is much sought-after in an age where the human element is part of what makes companies stand out.

Have you ever thought of using your skills outside of the standard blogging format? We’re talking about email marketing for bloggers, of course.

From the first word of the headline to the sendoff signature, the content of an email must be perfect. It has to draw in the reader in and keep them reading through to the end.

Why Should Bloggers Care about Email Marketing?

That’s great and all, but why should bloggers care about email marketing at all?

Only for countless reasons. Integrating your content into email marketing can provide your readers with many benefits.

You can educate them about any topic you’ve written about extensively.

By inserting links to your content in your emails, you can also drive traffic to your website.

You might also use email marketing to improve your relationships with your customers.

When you offer content and resources in exchange for sign-ups, you present a targeted offer they can’t resist.

Keeping up with that targeted, tailored content will keep your customers on the hook.

How EngageBay Can Help Marketers

If you’re looking for an inexpensive marketing solution for professional bloggers, you’ve come to the right place.

Here at EngageBay, our integrative marketing will help you meet all your goals.

We provide marketing automation, email broadcasting, rich email templates, landing page builders, lead capture forms, and so much more.

Now you can reach your broadest audience yet.

For the best email marketing for bloggers, we’ve compiled these 20 handy tips.

Whether you want to learn about email marketing services for bloggers or how to sharpen your email-writing skills, this list is for you.

1. Repurpose Your Old Content

Do you have a post you wrote that went viral?

It may have appeared on your own blog or maybe on a client’s blog.

Either way, it amassed tons of views, shares, and comments.

You can also make a digital brochure from your most favorite posts and include it in your newsletter.

If you want to capture the magic in a bottle, so to speak, then try repurposing your old content.

You can then center your upcoming email newsletter around the article.

There are several reasons to repurpose your high-performing content.

The first is it can fill in any gaps in your editorial calendar. As any writer knows, gaps happen.

Maybe you’re sick or busy with other projects. Sometimes you get struck with a good, old-fashioned case of writer’s block.

Repurposed content buys you an extra week or two.

You can also reintroduce great content with a repurposed article.

Think of all the movies that are being remade today.

What’s the point of doing it?

These remakes get a new audience introduced to an old classic. Your repurposed content does the same thing.

Finally, according to OptinMonster, it’s possible to boost organic search engine traffic and site traffic with repurposed content.

Whether it’s a short post you want longer or a list post with new examples, get to work repurposing some of your own content.

PS: We repurposed this post!

2. Autoresponders Are Your Friend

Another great blogger email marketing tip is to use autoresponders. Specifically, we recommend creating a series of email autoresponder for your audience.

These may be sent out weekly or biweekly, and they contain all your content tied up in a nice, neat little bow.

If you have an offer with multiple pieces of content within, autoresponders are also handy. Check out what we mean below.

By presenting your content like this, you give people a reason to subscribe.

If you’re giving away all your best content on social media or on your blog, then there’s no incentive for a reader to sign up to your email newsletter.

Speaking of just giving away your best content…

Blog vs Vlog: Which is Better for Small Business Marketing?

3. Offer Content Upgrades Behind Gates

If you haven’t used content upgrades yet, your whole world is about to change.

When it comes to email marketing for bloggers, this is one of the most valuable tips to have in your arsenal.  

According to Brian Dean of Backlinko, when he began implementing content upgrades, his conversion rate spiked by 785 percent.

The best part about content upgrades is they’re so versatile.

They can include just about any content as long as it has some value.

Perhaps it’s a resources list, a short course, several chapters of an eBook, or a previously unpublished case study.

You’re not giving away this content for free.

Well, technically you are, but there is some exchange happening. To get the content, your reader has to input their email address. That’s it.

The reader is happy because they get high-value content. You’re happy because your email subscriber list continues to grow.

4. Content Curation Adds Value to Emails

Here’s another handy tip for those busy weeks or the times you’re suffering from writer’s block: send out an email newsletter with curated content.

This is not your own content, per se, but rather insights and news from around the Internet that appeal to your customer base.

To choose which content would be ideal for curating, follow these guidelines:

• Newer is better. It doesn’t have to be breaking news, although that’s best.
• The content you share should be in line with your industry or niche.
• Anything you share should provide value. The content should inform, educate, or entertain your readers.

If you decide you want to curate content for an upcoming newsletter, we recommend you plan ahead.

Parse through the latest industry news coming down the pipeline.

Bookmark or otherwise set aside the most valuable content.

You’re not just sending your readers a giant list of links. You should also share your own thoughts and opinions about the news of your industry.

5. Use Software for the Best Email Marketing for Bloggers

Managing contacts, drafting emails, tracking open and click-through rates…there’s a lot to do in the realm of email marketing. To make your job and your life easier, use email marketing software.

Once again, we recommend our own software here at EngageBay. Our email marketing software includes drag and drop email newsletter designing (with rich HTML formatting and countless email templates to choose from), contacts management, audience segmentation, and results tracking.

Another piece of email marketing software that is blogger-friendly is Drip. Although more expensive than EngageBay, you can send one-off emails, create email campaigns, manage multi-channel marketing, use automation, and design emails via Drip’s email builder.

6. Don’t Ignore Automation

Above, we mentioned EngageBay and Drip as two awesome pieces of software for bloggers looking to improve their email marketing. Both platforms have automation services, and yes, you should use them.

As a writer, you specialize in the human element. You may be scared of giving up control to automated software because you think that human element will be erased, but it won’t be. Trust us. You can still personalize and customize emails your way, but the email automation software sets everything up for you. It also sends emails so you can take a much-needed computer break.

7. Become a Reliable Email Sender

If a tree falls in the woods and no one is around, does it make it a sound?

You could write the most captivating and engaging emails on the Internet, but if no one is reading them, then it doesn’t matter. You’re not making a sound, either.

There have been countless studies and articles done on the best days and times to send out emails. The truth is, there is no one specific time that will deliver consistently awesome results each time.

That said, according to the most recent data on OptinMonster, earlier in the day is better. Take a look at these charts to see what we mean.

Before lunchtime seems to be a popular time to open emails. This makes sense. Most people are over the morning slump and they’re killing time until lunch. Throughout the afternoon, the engagement rate steadily drops off as work ends and a person’s personal time begins.

As for the best day to send emails, that’s a little more concrete. Studies OptinMonster shared agreed that Tuesday or Thursday is your day.

Do with this data what you will. No matter which day and time you decide to send your emails, be consistent. This way, your readers always know when to expect your latest installment.

8. Make Sure Your Emails Are Optimized for Mobile

You’re a writer, not a graphic designer, we know. Still, you can’t let mobile optimization slip between the cracks. A Campaign Monitor article from late last year found that failing to optimize your site can seriously hurt you.

How? It’s no secret that mobile Internet use is at an all-time high. Campaign Monitor says that, compared to desktop use, there was a thrice higher rate of email use on mobile devices. If your site isn’t optimized, then most people (52 percent) will not purchase anything you sell.

Well, that is, if it ever even gets to that point. Most email users in the study said they’d get rid of an email almost immediately (less than three seconds) if they saw it wasn’t optimized for mobile use.

This is the same thing as sending your emails at 6 a.m. on a Saturday. If your content is great but your methods aren’t, you won’t reach your max audience.

👉Skyrocket your email list growth with the best opt-in strategies – explore our comprehensive guide now! 🌟

9. Don’t Ignore Your Subject Line

We’d say that, above all else, your subject line is the most important part of your email.

Don’t believe us? HubSpot has some stats to back up this assertion:

• The subject line is enough to convince 35 percent of people to click an email.
• Emojis are welcome in email subject lines nowadays. Those companies that used them experienced a boosted open rate of 56 percent.
• Between 2015 and 2016, emojis popped up in emails at a rate of 775 percent.

Maybe your company is the type that loves a good emoji or you’d rather add a person’s first name to the email headline (this is effective, too). Just pay attention to your subject line, as it’s one of the best means of getting your emails opened.

Oh, and don’t get lazy just because you have email subscribers. You’re always competing for attention. Your customer, on average, receives more than 120 messages daily. Why should they open yours? It all starts with a good subject line.

10. Video Is a Great Element to Add to Your Emails

According to video marketing resource Animoto, including videos in your email can cut down on subscription drops (26 percent) while increasing click-through rates (65 percent) and open rates (19 percent).

We’re somehow still at the point where not every company is implementing videos in email newsletters, although that won’t last for much longer. That means the market isn’t yet oversaturated and your video can make an impact.

As a blogger, you’re likely naturally adept at scriptwriting. Why not transfer your skills to a video medium? Videos are easily digestible and more likely to be viewed. A 2018 WordStream article uncovered that people watch a lot of videos. For instance, daily, YouTube users will collectively enjoy over 500 million hours chock full of content.

It’s spread beyond just YouTube. Weekly, almost half of those surveyed (45 percent) said they’d spend an hour or more watching clips on YouTube as well as Facebook. Even on Twitter, video is pervasive. WordStream found that 82 percent of those surveyed would check out video content on that social media platform.

Perhaps you can augment your newsletter content with video or make a quick clip recapping recent content. No matter how you do it, just make sure you’re using video.

11. Promotion Is Key

Speaking of Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, and the like, that brings us to our next point. You have to promote yourself, and social media is one of the best ways to do it.

If you’re not already posting regularly on social media, that’s the first thing you need to change. While your goal is to get more subscribers, that can’t be your prime focus. You have to give people a reason to want to subscribe.

By sharing viral, entertaining, and/or informative content, you show your audience that you can provide value. This content can be your own or someone else’s.

With time and regular, high-quality posts, your likes and followers will increase. That’s awesome, but how do you get these likes and follows to translate to more email subscribers?

One tactic you can try is embedding an email signup form on social media. This is possible on Facebook, such as in the example below.

Your followers can subscribe to your email newsletter without having to leave Facebook. That makes it easier for them to subscribe, which increases their chances of doing so.

12. Show off Your Guest Posts

If you have allowed others to write guest posts on your blog, then surely you’ve written on their sites as well. That’s how a good guest blogging partnership should work. Instead of showcasing all the guest articles on your site (which your audience has already seen), share your own guest posts in your email newsletters.

While sure, you’re redirecting your audience to someone else’s site and thus giving them traffic, guest posts are supposed to be mutually beneficial. You’ll make up for the traffic.

13. Don’t Be Afraid to Add Links in the Email Body

How many links do you include in the average message? You may refrain from adding too many because you don’t want your email to be accidentally categorized as spam.

You could be doing yourself a disservice. A 2014 article from Campaign Monitor uncovered that your click-through rate can increase by adding more links. By only including one or two, you could see a subscription rate drop of 55 percent. Ouch.

This doesn’t give you permission to start littering your email newsletters with pointless links just to have them, though. Campaign Monitor was very clear in their article that each link has to be unique. Sorry, but linking to your product page five times won’t cut it.

Also, there’s definitely a limit. You should stick to the range of 11 to 15 links per email to see any results (by that point, the click-through rate is about 17 percent).

14. Master the CTA

Calls to action or CTAs are often showcased as buttons, but they can be written, too. Since you’re a wordsmith, writing CTAs shouldn’t be too challenging.

You know that shorter is better for CTAs, yet sometimes it’s okay to flex your creative muscle a little. Take a look at this example from author and productivity expert Darius Foroux.

It’s a paragraphs-long CTA. This won’t work all the time, because it requires a good deal of attention from your customer. The bolded, colored lines are the most important parts, with the short paragraphs in between supporting the statements.

15. Get Conversational

“Engagement” and “nurturing” are two words you hear a lot on this blog and other marketing sites. They’re much more than mere buzzwords, but rather ways of connecting with your audience.

It’s not just a one-and-done deal, either. To keep your subscribers happy and interested, you should communicate with them. Now yes, this does mean replying to as many comments on social media and blog posts as time allows.

Besides that, you can also write in a conversational manner. Read this email to get a sense of what we mean.

How intimate does that email come across? It feels more like you’re talking business with an old friend rather than someone who’s trying to sell you something. Not only does this writing style nurture your relationship with subscribers, but it fosters a sense of trustworthiness as well.

16. Check Your From Field

Here’s another small but effective way to build trust: look at your from field. Where are the emails you send coming from? Will the name in the from field be your company’s or yours? It’s better if it comes from a person.

17. Give Stuff Away

This whole time, we’ve been talking about how you should provide some free content but keep other parts of it to yourself. Now we’re changing tact.

Freebies and giveaways are surefire ways to attract attention to your blog/social media presence. Everyone loves free stuff, and if you have it to offer, you’ll generate interest fast. You may host a contest if you’re that kind of company. If not, you can always give out free content.

For an example, check out Wonderlass. This site for creative entrepreneurs and bloggers was founded by a woman named Allison. She knows what she’s doing, as when you log onto her site, this is the first thing you’re greeted with.

Yes, it’s an offer right out of the gate. It’s obviously free and can help you boost your own online business. Who could pass up something like that?

Here are some tips for successful giveaways:

• Make sure the freebie is aligned with the interests of your audience.
• The offer should be high-value.
• It’s okay to provide a snippet of something, be that a few chapters from an eBook or the first half of a long study. This incentivize the user to subscribe to get more.

18. Write Creatively

Part of what makes blogging so great is that you can write in a creative yet concise manner. You get to use your imagination while staying factual.

Don’t save this form of writing solely for your blog. Creative writing has its place in email newsletters, too. Which sounds more interesting to read? A dry piece of sales copy masquerading as a newsletter or a real story? We think you know the answer.

Just in case you don’t, here are a few stats from transactional email platform Maildocker. Storytelling in brands is very desirable. Most people (80 percent) wanted fewer dry emails from companies. The majority (66 percent) also craved stories crafted around real people.

19. Implement RSS Feeds

You want to make it easy for your most avid readers to keep enjoying your content, right? Of course! An RSS feed does the job beautifully.

Follow the basic design rules when making your RSS feed button. Keep the button above the fold and watch which colors you choose.

Here’s a basic but nice one to use as a reference.

20. A/B Test

If you run your own blog, then A/B testing should be familiar to you. Whether you add a pop-up, video, button, or any other element from the above tips, you must A/B test them all. While each of the tips we shared promise higher conversions, results can vary. You want to make sure that what you’re doing works for your business.

Conclusion

Email marketing for bloggers doesn’t have to be a struggle. If you’re not reaching your full potential, read the 20 tips above. They’re chock full of blogger email marketing tips catered to your unique position in the industry. Now you can strengthen your weak areas to see more subscribers and customers!

>>EngageBay’s RSS feed-to-email ensure continuous blog visibility

The EngageBay Resources Center is chock-full of helpful guides, like this one all about email marketing guide.