101 Ways to Make Money With Email Marketing: Expert Secrets from Troy Ericson

From the desk of Troy Ericson, CEO of e-mailMarketing.com

🚀 We've generated over $200,000,000 for our clients using the exact email strategies you're about to read. This comprehensive list contains 101 actionable ways to turn your email list into a revenue-generating machine. Read, implement, and watch your sales grow.

Part 1: For Business Owners (Tips 1-51) 🏢

These strategies are designed for entrepreneurs and business owners looking to maximize revenue from their existing email list and infrastructure.

💡 Pro Tip: The Invisible Preview Text Hack

• Use a Zero-Width Non-Joiner. 👻 To make your email stand out in a crowded inbox, use ‌ as your preview text. This makes the preview line appear blank, drawing the eye and creating curiosity.

🚨 Platform Warning

• Avoid switching ESPs (Email Service Providers) needlessly. The grass is rarely greener. The only exception is Mailchimp. If you are on Mailchimp, it's often worth the headache to switch to a more robust platform.

1. Duplicate your list. 🔄 When someone opts-in to your main list, also subscribe them to a second list you own (with proper disclosure in your terms). This second list can promote similar offers under a different 'from name'. This can effectively double your email output and potential revenue. Always consult your attorney first!
2. Monetize your unsubscribe page. 👋 Instead of a simple 'You've been unsubscribed' message, place a compelling, low-priced offer on the confirmation page. You'll be surprised how many extra sales you can scoop up each month from people who are leaving anyway.
3. Create a Browse Abandonment flow. 🛒 Set up an email automation that triggers when a known contact visits a product or sales page but doesn't complete the purchase. A simple reminder can boost conversions by 10-15%.
4. Send more emails. 🗓️ More emails = more money. Don't fear unsubscribes. The right people will stay and buy, while the wrong people will filter themselves out. For most businesses, one email per day is a powerful frequency.
5. Change your 'From Name' occasionally. 🎭 A pattern interrupt in the inbox can dramatically increase open rates. Try using a different person from your team or a slightly different version of your brand name.
6. Launch an affiliate program. 🤝 Let your passionate customers and followers promote your products for a commission. It's a powerful way to generate sales with zero upfront ad spend.
7. Promote other products as an affiliate. 💰 Find complementary, non-competing products your audience would love and promote them to your list. It's a great way to add a new revenue stream.
8. Create a 'Social Proof' email. ⭐ Compile screenshots or video thumbnails of every testimonial you have into a single, powerful email. The sheer volume of positive feedback can crush objections and build immense trust.
9. Hire an Executive Assistant. delegating small, time-consuming tasks frees you up to focus on high-impact, revenue-generating activities from this list.
10. Keep an 'Idea Bank'. 💡 Use a notes app on your phone to jot down daily life events, interesting thoughts, and conversations. This creates an endless supply of relatable stories to tie into your sales emails.
11. Vary your email content. entertain and teach, don't just sell. If every single email is a hard pitch, you'll burn out your list. Provide value to earn the right to sell.
12. Embrace unsubscribes. 👋 If you aren't occasionally offending someone with your bold beliefs, you aren't standing out. The 'offended' rarely buy. The buyers rarely complain. Focus on your tribe.
13. Use Reddit for research. 🔍 Search for your niche on Reddit and analyze the posts. What are people complaining about? What are their biggest problems? Create emails and products that solve these exact issues.
14. Develop a Customer Avatar. 🎯 You can't write effective copy if you don't know who you're talking to. What are their hopes, fears, dreams, and past failures? Understand them deeply.
15. Ask your list for their problems. ❓ Send a short, simple email asking, 'What's the #1 challenge you're facing with [your niche] right now?'. Use their responses to craft perfectly targeted emails.
16. Track your results. 📊 Use UTM Parameters or a tracking tool like Hyros. If you aren't tracking what's working, you're just guessing.
17. Plan your next day the night before. 📝 Before bed, write down the single most important task for the next day. This ensures you wake up with focus and avoid getting lost in menial activities.
18. Optimize your opt-in copy. Add a line like, 'Your report will be emailed immediately - please double-check your email address for accuracy.' This simple addition can significantly reduce bounce rates.
19. Ask for their 'BEST' email. 📧 On opt-in forms, change the field label from 'Email' to 'Your Best Email'. This small psychological tweak encourages people to provide their primary address, not their junk folder.
20. Tell your story. 📖 Write down your personal journey—the struggles, the triumphs, the 'hero's journey'. People connect with vulnerability and shared hardship far more than a list of accomplishments.
21. Create 'Objection Buster' emails. 👊 Make a list of all the common objections you hear. Write a dedicated email that addresses and dismantles each one. This pre-handles sales friction.
22. Be contrarian. 🗣️ Go against the grain. If everyone in your industry is saying one thing, find a unique, opposing viewpoint. This is how you stand out and go viral.
23. Don't write like a corporation. 🏢 Big companies write defensively to avoid lawsuits. You can be more personal and relatable. This is your advantage.
24. Speak to one person. Use 'you' and 'your', not 'you guys' or 'everyone'. Make each reader feel like you're writing directly to them.
25. Write from a person, not a brand. 👨‍💼 Emails should come from 'Troy from e-mailMarketing.com', not just 'e-mailMarketing.com'. People build relationships with people.
26. Use the 5 most profitable email types. The highest-converting emails are typically: Contrarian, Stories, Personal Feel, Recent Events, and Curiosity-driven.
27. Include these 7 elements. Try to weave as many of these into each email as possible: problem, promise, timeframe, simplicity, specificity, credibility, and relatability.
28. Increase Average Order Value (AOV). 📈 Add a simple line of text right before your call-to-action link, like 'P.S. Most people buy 3 of these for best results.'
29. Use attention-grabbing images. If you use images, make them count. Use photos of people's faces, weird objects, or screenshots with red arrows and circles to direct attention.
30. Use a GIF as your Gmail Profile Picture. ✨ This pattern interrupt makes your icon flash in the recipient's inbox, making your email nearly impossible to ignore.
31. Run 'weird' sales. 🎉 Don't just stick to holidays. Run sales for creative reasons like an 'inventory overstock', 'your dog's birthday', or 'we made a mistake'.
32. Run more sales for e-commerce. 🛍️ You are probably not running enough sales. Aim for 1-2 major sales events per month and always use an expiring coupon code to create urgency.
33. Re-open your sales. ⏰ The day after a sale ends, send an email re-opening it for 24 hours due to 'popular demand'. This 'last chance' email often outperforms the original sale. Use this tactic sparingly.
34. Hype up your launches. 🚀 Never launch a product cold. Build anticipation and excitement for at least 3-5 days leading up to the launch to maximize day-one sales.
35. Repurpose top-performing emails. ♻️ Take your most successful broadcast emails from the past and add them to your automated welcome series. If it worked once, it will work again.
36. Resend to non-openers. 📬 A few hours after your initial send (e.g., at night), resend the same email with a different subject line to everyone who didn't open it. This can instantly boost your reach.
37. Use a 'test' email account. ✅ Before sending to your list, send a test to a dedicated Gmail account. This allows you to check for formatting issues and see if you're landing in the Primary, Promotions, or Spam folder.
38. Fix your deliverability. 📥 If you're landing in Spam or Promotions, you're losing money. Take steps to improve your sender reputation to ensure you land in the primary inbox.
39. Send from your own domain. Make sure transactional emails (like receipts and shipping notifications) are sent from your primary domain. Their high open rates will boost your domain's reputation.
40. Check your domain reputation. Use Postmaster.Google.com to monitor your domain health. If it's low, send a 'reply-based' email (asking a question) to your most engaged segment to boost it.
41. Run a re-engagement campaign. After fixing deliverability issues, send a campaign to win back subscribers who may have stopped seeing your emails. You can often recover 10-12% of this segment.
42. Create a high-ticket offer. 💎 Find your audience's #1 problem, create a Calendly link, and send an email offering to solve it for them on a 1-on-1 call.
43. Offer a 'Watch-You-Do-It' service. 🕵️‍♂️ Beyond DFY, DWY, and DIY, there's a fourth product category: Watch-You-Do-It. Let people look over your shoulder as you work. People love being a fly on the wall.
44. Sequence your offers strategically. When starting with a new list, sell high-ticket first. Once that's saturated, sell low-ticket offers to build a larger base of buyers you can later ascend to your high-ticket products.
45. Focus on quality over quantity. A small, engaged list of 1,000 people is infinitely more valuable than a dead list of 100,000. Focus on how you make your subscribers feel.
46. There's always a whale on your list. 🐋 Someone on your list right now is ready and willing to spend thousands of dollars with you. Your job is to create and send the right offer to find them.
47. Refresh a saturated offer. Is an offer getting stale? Change its name and marketing angle to better reflect the core problem it solves, then re-launch it.
48. Bring your social media content to email. 🤳 People on your email list want to know about your life, too. Share the same exciting, personal, and behind-the-scenes content you post on social media.
49. Hire an expert. 📈 If this feels overwhelming, hire a specialist (like our team) to implement these strategies for you quickly and correctly.

Part 2: For Freelance Copywriters (Tips 52-101) ✍️

These strategies are for freelancers who want to land more clients, increase their rates, and build a sustainable email marketing business.

💚 A Note on Impostor Syndrome

• You are not an impostor. This feeling affects everyone, including top experts. Ironically, the most genuine people often feel like impostors, while the real ones don't. You are needed. Go get clients.

52. Manage the ESP for your clients. Don't just deliver copy in a Google Doc. Offer to load, format, and send the emails from their Email Service Provider. This turns a one-off project into a recurring retainer.
53. Create a referral program. Offer a free month of service or a cash bonus to clients who refer you to 3 new paying customers.
54. Build your own email list. 📧 Create a lead magnet (like this guide!), grow your own list, and email them valuable tips. Include a Calendly link in your signature to book calls with warm leads.
55. Use the 'Email to Social' strategy. Write a daily email about a life story related to business. Share the two best ones each week on your social media profiles with a link to opt-in for more.
56. Create a paid mastermind group. 🧠 Once you have a few clients, start a private Facebook, Telegram, or text group where you share advanced tips and what's working. Charge a monthly subscription for access.
57. Raise your rates. 💸 It's scary, but you're likely undercharging. Higher rates attract better clients and position you as an expert.
58. Hire a Virtual Assistant (VA). 👩‍💻 Delegate administrative tasks like invoicing, scheduling, and prospecting so you can focus on writing and client strategy.
59. Understand client dynamics. Clients need you as much as you need them. Don't act needy. Project confidence; they are hiring you for your expertise.
60. Offer performance-based deals. 📈 If a prospect is hesitant, offer your services for a percentage of the revenue you generate. This requires an established business and mutual trust, but it's a powerful way to close deals.
61. Write first, edit later. ✍️ Separate the creative (writing) and analytical (editing) processes. Write freely without judgment to get your ideas down, then go back and polish. You'll work much faster.
62. Become a student of email. Opt-in to dozens of email lists in different niches. Study their offers, copy, and frequency. You'll quickly learn what's working at scale.
63. Use Loom for cold outreach. Record a short Loom video analyzing a prospect's current emails and suggesting specific improvements. Email it to them with your Calendly link.
64. Follow up across platforms. If a prospect doesn't reply to your email, follow up on LinkedIn, Twitter, or Facebook a few days later.
65. Improve your follow-up game. Don't just say, 'Just following up'. Instead, say, 'I had another great idea to help you make more money. Do you have 5 minutes to hear it?'
66. Use Facebook Groups to find clients. Post a valuable tip from this list in a relevant group. Message everyone who likes or comments and offer to implement it for them.
67. Overcome the two sales killers. All lost sales come down to two things: a lack of trust or confusion. Ensure your prospects trust you and that your offer is crystal clear.
68. Practice your pitch. 🗣️ Do a mock sales pitch with a business owner friend and ask for brutally honest feedback. This will be incredibly eye-opening.
69. Start a value thread on Facebook. Make a post like: 'My favorite email marketing tip is X. Share yours below!' This positions you as a leader and creates engagement.
70. Give in public, sell in private. Provide immense value for free on your social profiles every day. When people reach out, move the conversation to DMs to discuss your paid services.
71. Be a human, not a 'business'. 🧔 Stop being overly formal online. Share parts of your life and personality. People hire people they know, like, and trust.
72. Engage with others' content. Leave thoughtful, valuable comments on potential clients' posts. Answer questions and share tips.
73. Attend events (virtual and in-person). 🤝 The fastest way to build relationships is to talk to real people. Use apps like Eventbrite for local meetups or join Zoom events and network in the chat.
74. Calculate your 'real' hourly rate. Divide your monthly income by the hours you work. Stop doing tasks that fall below that rate. Your average rate should always be increasing.
75. Charge a revenue share. 💰 On top of your retainer, ask for a 5-10% share of the revenue you generate. Even 1% is better than nothing, and most clients will agree to it.
76. Use bi-weekly billing as a downsell. If a prospect balks at your monthly fee, offer to bill them bi-weekly. It's the same amount, but the smaller initial payment can make it an easier 'yes'.
77. Ask the right qualifying questions. A sales call is for you to qualify them, too. Make sure they are a good fit for you to ensure a successful partnership.
78. Price based on value, not time. 💲 If a client sells a $3,000 product, charging them $3,000/month is a no-brainer. They only need one sale from your efforts to break even.
79. When in doubt, ask. It's better to ask a 'dumb' question than to make a dumb assumption that leads to a mistake. Ask your clients, ask your mentors.
80. Learn email deliverability. This is a rare and valuable skill that most copywriters don't have. It immediately sets you apart and allows you to charge more.
81. Upsell your current clients. 📈 Your easiest sales are to existing happy clients. Offer them new services like deliverability audits, automation builds, or SMS marketing.
82. Set clear expectations. Have a clear scope of work in your agreement. If a client asks for extra work, politely point to the agreement and offer to do it for an additional fee.
83. Be vulnerable and honest. Don't pretend to be perfect. One of our students told a client they were new and that their coach said '$100 per email' was a fair price. The client respected the honesty and paid it.
84. Perfect your cold email. Send a short email to your favorite brands. Sentence 1: How long you've followed them. Sentence 2: A specific problem you noticed in their emails. Sentence 3: How you'd fix it. Sentence 4: 'Are you interested?'
85. Use Stripe for payments. 💳 Stripe is more professional and reliable for processing credit card payments than PayPal, which can cause issues for clients.
86. Become a Certified Email List Manager. This can give you credibility and access to private job boards.
87. Find the 'sweet spot' client. 🎯 Look for businesses that are good at what they do but bad at email. This combination of existing cash flow and untapped opportunity is the perfect scenario.
88. Do 'voice of customer' research. Call a friend who is in your client's target audience. Talk to them about their problems, fears, and desires. Use their exact language in your copy.
89. Upsell affiliate management. Offer to find and manage affiliate offers for your clients. This creates another revenue stream for them and for you (by taking a cut).
90. Adopt an 'Investor's Mindset'. 🧐 You are investing your time and skill. Interview clients to ensure THEY are a good fit for YOU. The best clients will respect this approach.
91. Get your foot in the door. 🚪 Offering to do one small, low-risk task (paid or free) can build trust and lead to a much larger engagement faster than trying to close a huge deal from the start.
92. Write everything down. Goals, to-do lists, your ideal life. The act of writing things down makes them real and dramatically increases the likelihood they will happen.
93. Under-promise and over-deliver. Don't set deadlines you can't meet. It's always better to deliver a project early than to ask for an extension.
94. Invest in coaching. 🧠 You can spend money to save time, or spend time to save money. You can always get more money; you can never get more time. A good coach is the fastest path to success.
95. Believe in your investments. If you have a strong work ethic, most investments in yourself (coaching, courses, events) will pay for themselves many times over.
96. Create your personal website. Buy a domain with your name in it. Use a simple builder like Wix or Carrd to create a 'home base' with your info, portfolio, and contact details.
97. Keep making content. 📣 Post every day. Share what you're learning. People are watching, even if they don't engage. It's only a matter of time until the right person notices.
98. Volunteer for exposure. Offer to host a guru's social media channel or moderate a podcast. This can get your name in front of thousands of potential clients.
99. Join a community. 👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 Don't try to do this alone. Join a community of other freelancers to share wins, get feedback, and stay motivated. Check out resources like Home Profit Coach or One Marketplace.