5 quick email marketing tips

Last weekend I published a new email marketing tutorial on my YouTube channel. Although the video is focused on a specific email marketing tool (Kit in this case), you can still find value in it because many of the tips I share are universal for any business using email marketing.

Tip 1 – Add a profile picture to your sender email

A profile photo makes your emails look more personal and trustworthy.

If you’re using Google Workspace, go to your Admin Console → Users → select your email address → click on the profile photo to upload one.

If you’re not using Workspace, go to myaccount.google.com, create a free Google account using your domain-based email (e.g. info@yourdomain.com), then go to the “Personal info” section to upload your profile picture.

It might take a few days, but it will start showing up in inboxes eventually.

Tip 2 – Use social media DM automation to grow your list

If you use Instagram to grow your email list, tools like ManyChat are super effective.

Set up a keyword trigger (like “guide”), and when someone DMs you that word, ManyChat will automatically reply asking for their email.

You can then sync ManyChat with your email tool so they get added to your list automatically — no form required.

This works really well when paired with a freebie offer and fits naturally into Instagram’s user behavior.

For more detailed instructions on using freebies to grow your email list, see this video.

Tip 3 – Know when to use landing pages

If you’re getting traffic from Google (SEO) or paid ads to your blog posts, adding so-called “content upgrades” is the way to go.

You create a freebie or downloadable that complements a blog post that’s already getting traffic. Then, inside the post, say something like: “Want a checklist version of this?” or “Need a quick downloadable guide?” and link to it.

For example, I run a dog training blog and link to a free puppy schedule in a few of my blog posts. One of those posts alone converts around 10 percent of readers into email subscribers. That traffic goes to a simple landing page with the freebie.

In your tool, just go to the landing page builder, pick a template, customize it, and connect it to your list.

Don’t forget to set up an incentive email and attach the freebie so people actually receive it after signing up.

I go through each of these steps on screen in the new tutorial.

Watch the full tutorial here. Just a heads-up — the video tutorial focused on a specific tool, but most of the tips I share are universal and useful for anyone doing email marketing.

Tip 4 – Authenticate your domain (SPF/DKIM)

This is obviously a no-brainer nowadays since every email tool requires this — but if you still haven’t done it, do it now. 🙂

1. Just head over to your email tool and look for something like “Domain Authentication” or “Verified Sending Domain.”
2. Add your domain (like yourdomain.com), and it’ll give you a couple of DNS records — usually SPF and DKIM. 
3. Then log in to your domain host (e.g. Hostinger, GoDaddy, Namecheap), go to your DNS settings, and paste those records in.
4. Save them, and you’re done. It might take a few hours (sometimes up to 48) to fully verify, but that’s normal.

Tip 5 – Use a custom domain for your landing pages

Avoid sending people to a generic tool-branded link like yourtool.com/yourpage. It just doesn’t look great.

Instead, set up a custom subdomain like free.yourdomain.com or checklist.yourdomain.com. This keeps your links on-brand and builds trust.

Most email platforms let you connect your own domain — just look for something like “custom domain” or “domain settings.” Once you’ve added the domain, they’ll give you a few DNS records to copy and paste into your domain host (like GoDaddy, Hostinger, or wherever your domain is managed).

After you save those records, your domain should be verified within a few hours to a day, and your landing pages will use your custom URL instead of a generic one.