Founder & Partner
Email Still Wins on ROI but Most Companies Use It Wrong
Email marketing continues to outperform every major digital channel when it comes to return on investment. Multiple industry studies show email generating roughly 36 dollars for every dollar spent.
Yet despite this, most founders and CEOs feel frustrated with email. Open rates are flat. Replies are rare. Unsubscribes creep up. Campaigns get sent but revenue does not follow.
The problem is not email itself. The problem is how companies use it.
Most teams treat email like a broadcast channel. High volume. Generic messaging. Multiple calls to action. Very little relevance.
High performing teams treat email like a conversation.
Below are three simple but powerful email shifts that consistently drive better results.
Watch the Short Video Breakdown
This short video walks through the three tips visually. The breakdown below goes deeper so you can apply them immediately.
Tip 1 Personalize the First Line Not Just the Name
Most emails start the same way. Hi first name.
That does nothing.
The first line of your email determines whether someone reads the rest or deletes it. Personalization does not mean inserting a merge tag. It means showing relevance.
Strong first lines reference something specific about the reader such as a recent post they shared, a product they launched, a challenge common in their role, or a shift happening in their market.
When the first sentence feels written for them, not sent to everyone, the reader keeps going.
This single change alone can dramatically increase reply rates.
Tip 2 Send From a Human Not a Department
People do not reply to departments. They reply to people.
Emails sent from addresses like marketing at company dot com or info at brand dot io feel automated and impersonal. Even when the content is good, trust is lower.
High performing teams send emails from a real person with a real name and often a profile photo.
Founders, revenue leaders, and operators want to talk to other humans, not inboxes. This small change consistently improves open and reply rates because it lowers the psychological barrier to engagement.
Tip 3 One Email One Goal
Most emails fail because they try to do too much.
Book a call. Download a guide. Read a blog. Follow on LinkedIn.
That is not clarity. That is noise.
Every email should have one clear goal. One action you want the reader to take.
When the message is focused, the reader does not have to think. They either say yes or no. Clarity increases conversion.
If you are unsure what the goal of an email is, your reader will be unsure too.
Why These Three Changes Matter
These are not cosmetic tweaks. They change how your audience experiences your brand.
When emails feel personal, human, and focused, they stop feeling like marketing and start feeling like conversations.
That is where replies happen. That is where pipeline starts. That is where revenue shows up.
Most inboxes are full of noise. Your job is to be the signal.
Final Thought
Email is not broken. Most strategies are.
If your emails are not converting, the answer is rarely to send more. It is to send better.
Treat every email like a one to one conversation and your results will follow.
If you want more practical frameworks like this on sales, go to market, and revenue systems, follow The Revenue Coaches.
About Daniel Nielsen
Daniel builds revenue engines that convert. With 25+ years leading growth across SaaS, fintech, e-commerce, and real estate, he has driven more than $1B in revenue. He has led go-to-market strategy at Realtor.com, Socialsuite, Charitable Impact, Kartera, World Duty Free, and Kao Salon Services, delivering 400% lead growth, 135% ARR overachievement, and 116% year-over-year ARR growth.
