How and when to sell in email without being pushy

Executive overview

Many marketers hesitate to sell in email, fearing they'll come across as aggressive. Email is one of the best channels to sell — when expectations are set upfront. Tell subscribers what frequency and commercial content to expect before they opt in. Those who accept those terms become a receptive audience; those who don't, unsubscribe and stop being a problem.

Selling in email works when subscribers know what they signed up for.

Setting expectations before the opt-in

• State email frequency and commercial intent on the sign-up page
• Subscribers who opt in under those terms have implicitly consented to being sold to
• Complainers who were warned can be dismissed — they're breaking the implicit contract
• Ben Settle's approach: require subscribers to tick a box acknowledging daily emails and daily selling

Mixing content and promotional emails

• Don't send constant promotional copy — alternate content emails with promotional ones
• Best outcome: subscribers open every email because it's entertaining, not just useful
• Editorial mentions: brief in-content note about a current sale, then back to the topic
• Space ads: a small ad block mid-email, clearly separated from editorial content
• These soft formats convert less than dedicated promo emails but maintain goodwill
• Content emails can still sell: end with "want more of this? click here"

Teasing upcoming products

• Announce a launch two weeks out — subscribers get excited rather than annoyed
• Early mention in content emails: brief note, then return to the main topic
• Add a "notify me" link; those who click get tagged as hot prospects
• Sell more directly to tagged prospects, softly to everyone else

Segmenting by tolerance

• Create a content-only list segment for subscribers who have complained about promotions
• That segment receives only soft sells and editorial content
• Removes friction without losing the subscriber entirely