Issue #198 All About Email

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Hi, friend. 👋

Welcome to Issue #198 of All About Email!

Last week, my second guest author of the summer took us on a deliverability adventure (one of my favourite topics). Big thanks again to Travis Hazelwood. 🎉

This week, it’s back to yours truly writing the newsletter, and for the first time in forever (yes, that’s a Frozen reference ☃️), I’m not doing a deep dive into a topic, tool, software or resource.

Let’s go! 👇

Things are a little different this week as I will hopefully be riding Dino Dash with my kids as you read this newsletter. 🦖

I’ve had a bit more time than usual to write this email, which is excellent for both of us, as it gives me a chance to explore a topic that isn’t technically about email marketing, but can be directly applied.

🧠 🌩️ Both my kids are neurodivergent, so communication is a constant rollercoaster, and both kids are very different.

However, one thing they have in common is a need for clear and precise communication with no surprises.

💡 So whilst my wife and I need to communicate the same message to both kids, chances are it often has to be delivered (and repeated) in different ways.

How we improve our communication with our kids comes from learning their individual visual and audio clues, which brings us to this week’s topic. 👇

Finding Common Ground With Anyone

Listening is a complex skill. Whilst some are better at it than others, we could all improve.

When I talk (write) to you, friend, sometimes it resonates, and other times you might wonder if I'm from a different planet.

But why is that?

🤔 So, how can we improve our content to attract more listeners?

Understanding People

🗒️ (When I say people/person, think of your email list.)

Learning more about the people around you and understanding them is vital.

Each person is unique, and so are the differences in their communication.

🚨 For example, I might have your attention, friend, or you might have switched off by now. 🤷‍♂️

If we want our relationships with others to succeed, we must deepen our understanding of each other and how we relate to and communicate with one another.

Words Have Incredible Power

How can we use words wisely when communicating with others?

🗒️ When I say "list," it comprises people (individuals). An email list is not “just a list”. 

If you look at it that way, you might as well stop writing.

In the context of our lists in email marketing, we have to view those subscribers as "people".

That is not always easy, but neither are communication or relationships.

In "surrounded by idiots", there is a framework for this called the DISA (or DISC) system. I'm not going to go into it now (the whole book is dedicated to it and more), but what we can do in email marketing is:

• Survey your subscribers (Mailchimp forms have improved somewhat since I published the original newsletter).
   

• Offer quizzes.
   

• Get feedback from your subscribers (Beehiiv has built-in forms I can use similar to “Reactions”, but I don’t use them).
   

• Interact and engage to build relationships and cultivate a sense of community. **

** (This interaction and engagement doesn’t have to be limited to your email campaigns, it can be on social media, webinars, communities and more.)

Don’t limit yourself when understanding your subscribers!

The more we can learn about the people in our lists, the more potential value we can bring by using the right words for them.

We can't please everyone (nor should we), but we should treat everyone equally and strive to communicate our message using language that individuals can understand and listen to.

(The less data we have, the harder it is to do that.)

Start listening friend, if you aren’t already doing so. 😉

All About Email - Playlist 🎧

I listen to lots of music, particularly when I’m writing newsletters.

Each week, when I hit the publish button, I’ll share the track I am currently listening to and create the most eclectic email playlist you’ve probably ever heard.

Sponsorship Opportunities

🚨 If you’re interested in sponsoring the “All About Email” newsletter, you can find all the details in this Google Doc. I currently have “Classified” slots and a Main Sponsor slot available.

That’s It For This Week 👋

Next week, we have our third guest author of the summer, Emily Ryan! 🎉

If you missed my previous guest authors, you can catch them below:

• Issue 195 - Vicky Smith

• Issue 197 - Travis Hazelwood

And to come back to Frozen, have you checked out the musical on Disney+, friend?

If not, what have you been doing for the last three weeks? Watch the trailer. 🥶 ❤️

See you next week!

Email Marketing News & Tips

This week's excellent and insightful email news & tips:

• Framework - The Email Rule of One. (Samar Owais)

• Subscription Manager - Let me shout for the senders in the back: if this kind of feature terrifies you as a sender, you're telling on yourself! (Alison Gootee)

• Inlining Mishap? - In email, first impressions matter. (Jaina Mistry)

• Landing Pages - 13 Things I Always Do (& Why They Work) (Beehiiv)

• 👂 Keep Listening - The 10 Laws of Great Newsletters. (Inbox Collective)

• Inspiration - Can Lifecycle Marketers Still Surprise You? (Userlist)

• Announcement! - Welcome to Thunderbird 140 “Eclipse”. (Thunderbird)

• Drop It Like It’s 🌶️ - The Best 804 Product Launch Email Examples & Designs in 2025. (Really Good Emails)

• Design Tips - Ideal Email Banner Size with the Best Examples & Tips for 2025. (desigmodo)

• Zero Party Data - The new rules of engagement. (HubSpot)

• Does It Work? - Substack’s Founding Members Tier Seems Promising. (A Media Operator)

• Reality Check - Using Our Subscriber Data to Build Smarter Email Campaigns (And How You Can Too). (Omnisend & Email Love)

• Donna Duggan - on The Biggest Email Marketing Misconceptions – And What Smart Brands Do Differently. (ZeroBounce)

• Email for All – Top tips to meet the new accessibility laws. (ActionRocket)

If you’ve any questions about this email or email marketing, reply to this email, and I’ll answer you as soon as possible.

Have a great week! 👋