Email marketing is not dead, you're just doing it wrong
The number that says it all
€42 return for every euro invested. That's the average ROI of email marketing. No other marketing channel comes even close. Not Instagram. Not TikTok. Not Google Ads. Nothing.
Still, people tell me every week: "Email marketing is dead, isn't it?" No. Your newsletter is dead. Email marketing is alive and has never been stronger.
The difference that decides it
→ Your newsletter: "Hi everyone, here's our monthly update with everything that happened..."
→ Good email marketing: A personal message that feels like a WhatsApp from a friend who knows his stuff.
The difference isn't the medium. The difference is the approach. Most newsletters are corporate circulars. Good email marketing is a conversation.
The framework for emails that get opened
- Subject line = hook.
Same as on social media. If the subject line is boring, the email never gets opened. "Our April update" = 12% open rate. "I made an expensive mistake yesterday" = 45% open rate. Same content. Different packaging.
- First sentence = personal.
"Hey [Name], last week I made a mistake that cost me €2,000..." beats "This newsletter is about current marketing trends" every single time.
- One topic per email.
Not three. Not five. One. But done properly. Depth beats breadth. Always.
- CTA at the end.
Clear and unambiguous. "Click here and book your call" instead of "Maybe you'd also like our offer, feel free to take a look when you have time".
- Consistency.
Same day, same time. Every week. Your readers should be able to count on you the way they count on the weekly grocery run.
The real secret
Write your email the way you'd write to a friend. A friend who has exactly the problem right now that you can solve. Personal. Direct. Helpful. With a clear next step.
It's not witchcraft. It's craft. And whoever masters it has a channel that works independently of any algorithm. Today, tomorrow and 10 years from now.
FAQ
What exactly does €42 return per euro invested mean in email marketing?
It's an average ROI figure that marketing studies often cite for email marketing. It says that for every euro invested in email campaigns, an average of €42 in revenue comes back. This figure is an average across many industries and companies, and your own result may differ.
Why does email marketing work better than social media?
Email marketing doesn't depend on algorithms that decide who gets to see your content. Once someone has subscribed to your email list, you land directly in their inbox, with no platform filtering in between. That makes the channel more stable in the long run than reach on social media.
How often should I send emails to my list?
Consistency matters more than frequency. Pick a fixed day and a fixed time and stick to it, whether that's weekly or a different rhythm. Your readers get used to this rhythm and then expect your email like a standing appointment.
What makes a good subject line?
A good subject line sparks curiosity or speaks to a specific situation instead of sounding generic. Personal and emotional wording, like an admission or a question, gets much higher open rates than neutral announcements. The content can stay the same. Often the packaging alone decides whether the email gets opened.
Is a classic newsletter the same as email marketing?
No, a classic newsletter is usually an impersonal circular with many topics at once. Good email marketing, by contrast, is a personal conversation with one topic per email and a clear next step for the reader. So the difference lies in the approach, not in the technical format.