Top 10 mistakes email marketers keep making
© Unsplash
Email marketing is still one of the cheapest and most powerful ways to reach customers — but that only works if you're doing it right.
A recent study by Digital Silk identified common mistakes that cause campaigns to fail. These errors don’t just reduce engagement — they can drive customers away or land your emails in the spam folder.
So if you're building email campaigns for your business, startup, or personal brand, here are the top 10 mistakes you should avoid:
1. Sending the same email to everyone
Not segmenting your audience is one of the biggest mistakes marketers make. Different people need different messages — for example, someone who just signed up shouldn’t receive the same email as a loyal customer.
2. Skipping personalization
If your emails still say “Dear Customer,” you're missing out. Personalized messages feel more relevant, and nearly 9 out of 10 marketers say it boosts sales. It doesn’t have to be complex — even using the person’s name or past activity can make a difference.
3. Emailing too often (or not enough)
Some brands email daily. Others disappear for months. Both are wrong. Over-emailing annoys users — 57% of customers have switched brands because of it. But disappearing makes people forget you exist. Find a balance.
4. Only pushing sales
Constant promotions can feel aggressive. Instead, try offering tips, updates, or useful content. People prefer helpful recommendations over generic discounts. It builds trust, and trust leads to sales.
5. Ignoring the data
If you're not tracking open rates, clicks, and engagement, you're flying blind. Numbers can tell you what’s working — and what’s not. For example, if you have a high open rate but low clicks, your content needs work.
6. Writing bad subject lines
Your subject line is your first (and sometimes only) chance to be noticed. Keep it short, clear, and relevant. 43% of people open emails just because of the subject line — so make every word count.
7. Forgetting mobile users
More than 60% of internet traffic now comes from mobile phones. If your emails don’t look good on a small screen, they’ll be deleted. Use mobile-friendly designs, buttons, and short paragraphs.
8. Hiding your call to action
What do you want readers to do? Visit a page? Download something? Buy a product? Make it clear. Every email should have a visible, easy-to-click call to action.
9. Making it hard to unsubscribe
Don’t trap your readers. If someone wants to leave, let them. Complicated unsubscribe processes annoy users and increase the chance they’ll mark you as spam, which damages your sender reputation.
10. Breaking privacy rules
If you're collecting data or emailing people, you must follow privacy laws like GDPR or CAN-SPAM. Violating these rules can lead to fines — and lost trust.
Email marketing still works — but only if you respect your audience, write clearly, and use data wisely. Even small mistakes can cause big performance drops.