Email Marketing Without The Guru Nonsense

The Real-World Guide to Building Your List and Setting Up Klaviyo Automations That Convert

THE ONLY 4 THINGS THAT ACTUALLY MATTER:

1. Capture emails with compelling offers that people actually want

2. Strike while the iron is hot with immediate follow-up

3. Create automations that make money while you sleep

4. Email consistently without overthinking segmentation

That's it. Everything else is just details.

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Look, I've sat through too many "email marketing masterclasses" where some guru drones on about advanced segmentation strategies and never-ending automation flows. Meanwhile, most brands can't even get their welcome series right.

Here's the truth: email marketing isn't complicated. It's hard work, sure. It requires consistency, absolutely. But conceptually complicated? Not even close.

Let me break down what actually matters for building and monetizing your email list in these days.

Popups That Actually Convert (Not Just Annoy)

Everyone hates popups... except marketers who see the conversion numbers. A good popup strategy can easily capture 8-15% of your visitors, while a bad one might get you 1-2% at best.

Here's what separates winners from losers:

The Offer: It Better Be Good

The #1 reason your popup isn't converting? Your offer sucks.

• 10% off is the bare minimum and barely moves the needle anymore

• 15-20% off performs significantly better

• Free shipping works well for orders above $50

• Free gift with purchase can outperform discounts

• Early access to new products works for established brands

• Content upgrades (guides, checklists) work for educational brands

Test what resonates with your audience, but don't be cheap. The math is simple: a better offer means more emails, which means more revenue. A 5% better conversion rate on your popup could mean tens of thousands in extra revenue.

The Timing: Not Immediately, For God's Sake

Nothing screams "desperate" like a popup that triggers the millisecond someone lands on your site. Timing matters:

• Exit-intent: Still works well for desktop (triggers when mouse moves toward browser controls)

• Scroll depth: 30-40% down the page is my sweet spot

• Time on site: 20-30 seconds for most sites

• Page count: After viewing 2+ pages shows genuine interest

For mobile, where exit-intent doesn't work, use a combination of time on site and scroll depth.

The Survey Popup: The Secret Weapon

Here's the tactic too few brands use: add a single question to your popup that reveals what your visitor cares about.

Example questions:

• "What brings you here today?" with options like "Treating myself" or "Looking for a gift"

• "What's your biggest challenge with [product category]?"

• "Which best describes your skin?" (for skincare)

This does two magical things:

1. Increases conversion rate by 15-40% because people engage with questions

2. Gives you data to personalize the welcome series

Jones Road Beauty does this brilliantly. Their popup asks what you're looking for and then customizes your journey based on your answer.

The Tech: Keep It Simple

You don't need fancy tools:

• Klaviyo's forms work fine for basic popups

• Privy or Justuno for more advanced options

• FormToro if you're serious about survey popups with analytics

Don't get sucked into popup tools with monthly fees above $50 unless you're doing seven figures in revenue.

The Welcome Series That Converts Like Crazy

Here's the cold, hard truth about welcome series: most of the action happens in the first 24-48 hours after someone subscribes. After that, engagement drops off dramatically.

The Aggressive Approach That Actually Works

I used to hate "aggressive" emailing. I was wrong. Data doesn't lie, and here's what works:

First 24 Hours (Day 0):

• Email 1: Immediate - Deliver the offer with clear expiration

• Email 2: +6 hours - Remind them about the offer

• Email 3: +24 hours - "Last chance" for the offer

Days 1-7:

• Email 4: Day 2 - Brand story/differentiator

• Email 5: Day 4 - Bestseller spotlight

• Email 6: Day 7 - Social proof/testimonials

This might feel like a lot, but remember: these are people who JUST expressed interest. Strike while the iron is hot. They'll either convert within a week or tune out completely.

Segmentation That's Actually Worth It

Remember that survey question in your popup? Here's where it pays off:

If someone indicated they're interested in "anti-aging skincare," your first email should feature your anti-aging products prominently. If they said "sensitive skin," show them those products instead.

This isn't fancy AI-driven personalization – it's just common sense. Show people what they told you they want to see.

Setting Up Klaviyo The Right Way

Klaviyo is powerful, but most brands use about 10% of its capabilities. Here's what actually matters:

Account Setup Essentials

Before anything else:

1. Set up proper tracking - Ensure your Shopify/WooCommerce integration is passing purchase data

2. Configure sender reputation - Set up DKIM, SPF records, and authenticate your domain

3. Create segments for active subscribers - People who've opened or clicked in the last 90 days

4. Set up Google Postmaster Tools - Monitor your deliverability

The Only Flows You Actually Need

Forget having 25 different flows. Focus on these critical money-makers:

1. Welcome Series - As outlined above

2. Abandoned Cart - Trigger 1 hour after abandonment, follow up at 24 and 48 hours

3. Browse Abandonment - For people who viewed products but didn't add to cart

4. Post-Purchase - Thank you → Cross-sell → Review request

5. Win-Back/At Risk - Target customers approaching their expected repurchase date

These five flows will generate 80% of your email revenue. Get these right before building anything else.

Abandoned Cart Flow: The Money Printer

The abandoned cart sequence deserves special attention because it's likely your highest-converting flow:

Email 1 (1 hour after abandonment):

• Simple reminder with cart contents

• Clear CTA to return to cart

• No discount yet

Email 2 (24 hours after abandonment):

• Add social proof specific to products in cart

• Consider a small incentive (free shipping, small discount)

• Create urgency

Email 3 (48 hours after abandonment):

• Last chance

• Strongest offer (if you discount)

• Alternative payment options (Afterpay, etc.)

Pro tip: Add SMS to this flow if you have phone numbers. Text messages 30 minutes after abandonment can recover carts before the first email even sends.

Campaigns: The Weekly Rhythm

While flows work on autopilot, campaigns (regular sends) keep your list engaged and drive consistent revenue.

The Sending Schedule That Works

How often should you email your list? Here's the straight answer:

• Minimum: 2 times per week

• Standard: 3-5 times per week

• Aggressive: Daily (works for some brands)

Less than twice weekly and your list will forget who you are. More than daily and you'll burn it out.

Find your rhythm and stick to it. Consistency beats perfection.

Content Mix That Keeps People Opening

Don't just send promotional emails. Use this mix:

• 60% Product/offer focused

• 30% Educational/value-add content

• 10% Brand building/storytelling

Even for promotional emails, vary your approach:

• New arrivals

• Bestsellers spotlight

• Category focus

• Educational with soft sell

• Sale/promotion

Plain Text Emails: The Pattern Interrupt

Most brands send highly designed, image-heavy HTML emails. Break the pattern occasionally with plain text.

Plain text emails:

• Feel more personal

• Often have better deliverability

• Get higher response rates

• Work well from the founder/CEO

Use them for:

• Early access announcements

• VIP customer communications

• Behind-the-scenes content

• Post-purchase check-ins

The Biggest Email Mistakes To Avoid

After working with dozens of brands, here are the costliest mistakes I see:

1. Over-segmentation

Most brands under $30M in revenue don't need complex segmentation. It creates unnecessary work and leaves money on the table.

Simple segmentation that works:

• Active vs. inactive subscribers

• Customers vs. non-customers

• Maybe product category interest (from survey or browse behavior)

That's it. Don't overthink this.

2. Being Too Precious About Your List

"I don't want to email too often and annoy people."

Here's the reality: 80-90% of your opens and clicks come from 10-20% of your subscribers – your true fans. These people WANT to hear from you.

The rest? They're mostly dormant regardless of how often you email. More frequent emailing helps find the active subscribers within that dormant group.

3. Beautiful But Useless Design

I've seen brands spend weeks perfecting email designs that don't convert. Focus on:

• Clear, compelling headlines

• Easy-to-read copy

• Simple, obvious CTAs

• Mobile-friendly layouts

Design should serve conversion, not the other way around.

4. Ignoring Deliverability

All your work is wasted if emails go to spam. Monitor:

• Open rates (sudden drops are a red flag)

• Inbox placement via tools like GlockApps

• Spam complaint rates

• Bounce rates

With Google's 2024 changes, sender reputation matters more than ever.

What To Do When Your List Isn't Performing

If your email revenue is underwhelming, focus on these levers:

1. List Size

The most obvious but overlooked factor. Double your list size, roughly double your revenue.

Invest in:

• Better popup offers

• Lead generation campaigns

• List growth contests

• Referral programs

2. Conversion Rate

Look at:

• Email designs (simplify)

• CTAs (make them obvious)

• Offer strength (test stronger offers)

• Personalization (use what you know about subscribers)

3. Send Frequency

Most brands under-mail their list. Try increasing frequency for 30 days and watch what happens to total revenue (not just per-email revenue).

4. Re-engagement Campaigns

For inactive subscribers:

• Try different subject lines

• Test different offer types

• Use plain text

• Try different sending times

If nothing works after 3-4 attempts, either:

• Put them in a low-frequency campaign (monthly only)

• Remove them to protect deliverability

The Bottom Line

Building and monetizing an email list isn't complicated, but it does require consistent execution:

1. Create popups that convert with strong offers and smart timing

2. Follow up immediately with an aggressive welcome series

3. Set up the critical money-making flows in Klaviyo

4. Email consistently with a mix of promotional and valuable content

5. Don't overthink segmentation

6. Monitor and protect your deliverability

Master these fundamentals before worrying about advanced tactics. The fundamentals done well will outperform fancy strategies done poorly every single time.

Now go get those emails.