Struggling With Email Marketing? These 5 Mistakes Might Be Why
- Cara Wilson
- Apr 29
- 3 min read
You’ve signed up for an email platform, built your list, maybe even sent out a few newsletters. But the results? Meh.
Open rates aren’t where you hoped, no one’s really clicking, and it’s starting to feel like more effort than it’s worth.
Sound familiar?
If you’re handling email marketing yourself, whether you're a business founder, or wearing the marketing hat as part of a small team, you’re not alone. Many businesses try to go it alone with email. But without a solid strategy, even the best tools can fall flat.
Here are five common mistakes I see in self-managed email marketing, and what to do instead.
1. You’ve got the tools, but not the structure
Signing up for Mailchimp, Klaviyo, Sender, or HubSpot (to name a few) is a great first step. But platforms don’t equal strategy.
A lot of founders assume the tool is the solution. In reality, the platform just enables whatever strategy you feed it.
What often happens:
Emails get sent reactively, not strategically
There’s no welcome journey or follow-up
Lists grow, but your subscribers aren’t segmented
💡What to do instead:
Even a basic welcome flow and a consistent newsletter rhythm can give your audience something to connect with. Start simple but intentional. Avoid sending one-offs just because you feel you "should".
2. You’re trying to do everything in one email
When you’re short on time, it’s tempting to cram everything into a single email. Perhaps it's the latest news, product updates, your next event, and a bit of personal storytelling. But all of this in one message is not the way to go.
People skim. They scan. In fact, you have less than 9 seconds to grab your subscriber’s attention (Litmus). If there’s too much going on, they don’t know where to look so they often don’t act at all and will abandon the email.
💡Try this instead:
One email, one message, one action. Treat each email as a step in your customer journey, not a dumping ground for all your news or product promotions.
3. It’s not clear who your emails are from
If someone doesn’t recognise the sender or remember subscribing, chances are they’ll ignore the email. Or worse, mark it as spam!
Why this happens:
Inconsistent branding
Too many "from" names
Infrequent or random sends
💡How to fix it:
Make your emails recognisable. Whether it’s a founder’s voice or a team tone, consistency builds familiarity.
Design helps, but clarity and personality matter more.
When it comes to from names, keep it simple, consistent and recognisable.
4. You’re not using the data you already have
Most platforms give you access to valuable data: open rates, click-through rates, unsubscribes, device types, and more. But if you’re not reviewing it, you’re missing opportunities to improve.
You might be missing:
Which CTAs drive clicks
What content themes perform best
Opportunities to segment your audience
Simple ways to personalise
💡 Make it easier:
Start with the basics. What’s worked? What hasn’t? Use A/B testing (if you’ve got the volume) to test things like subject lines or CTAs. Keep it to one test per send so you can record the impact and use your learnings for the next campaign.
And block out time each week for email analysis. Even 30 minutes can go a long way!
5. You’re managing email marketing alone - and making avoidable mistakes
Email marketing seems simple on the surface, but it rarely is. Doing it all yourself, without the right skills, strategy, or support, can leave you stuck in a cycle of low results and high frustration.
Sometimes you just need a second pair of eyes - someone to shape the strategy, improve your automations, or review what’s already in place.
That’s where I come in.
I help businesses get more from their email marketing, with less overwhelm. Whether you're using Mailchimp, HubSpot, EmailOctopus or another platform, I can help you simplify, structure, and improve your performance.
💡You don't have to figure it out alone
Book a free, no-pressure chat where we’ll discuss your email marketing challenges and create a plan to improve them.
