The 8 Email Rules I Actually Live By

I’ve sent millions of emails.

And I’ve tested everything:

✅: Subject lines that crushed

❌: Flows that tanked

✅: Campaigns that increased pipeline

❌: Messages that were ghosted

I’ve run big sends, daily newsletters, cold outbound, nurture flows, and everything in between.

The flashy design tips? Meh.

The “best send time” hacks? OVERRATED.

What actually moves the needle?

The fundamentals.

Done well. Repeated consistently. Written like a real human. Old-school.

So I put together the 8 email rules I actually live by…the ones I wish someone gave me when I first got started.

1ïžâƒŁ. Every email is someone’s first

This is the mindset shift that changed everything for me:

Treat every send like it’s the first email someone’s ever getting from you.

Because for someone… it is.

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Doesn’t matter if it’s week 72 of your newsletter.

If a new subscriber lands on that email and it’s full of inside jokes, half-context, or random rambling?

You’ve already lost them.

Here’s how I handle this:

đŸ”„: Start strong.
Assume 0 context. Lead with value in the first 2 lines. Preview text matters more than you think.

đŸ”„: Link to a greatest hit.
Give them a path to explore. A banger post. A viral thread. Something with social proof.

đŸ”„: Avoid the ‘you already know this’ trap.
No acronyms without explanation. NOTHING TRICKY. Clear > clever.

If you can hook the new readers AND keep the OGs engaged… that’s how you build a real email brand.

Your job isn’t just to get the click.

It’s to earn the second 1.

2ïžâƒŁ. Kick people off your list

This one hurts marketers’ feelings
 but saves their deliverability.

Not everyone deserves to stay on your list.

If someone hasn’t opened your last 10 emails. They’re not your audience anymore.

They’re dead weight. And worse: they’re dragging down your entire send performance.

Here’s what I recommend:

đŸ”„: Run a re-engagement flow every 60–90 days.
Nothing fancy. Just:

“Still want these? If not, no hard feelings.”
(And mean it.)

đŸ”„: Make unsubscribing easy.
Stop hiding it in size 8 font. If they don’t want to be here, you don’t want them here either. BYE!

đŸ”„: Segment your active audience.
Track opens, clicks, and replies. Prioritize sending to the ones who are actually engaging.

đŸ”„: Stop chasing vanity list size.
10,000 active subs > 100,000 ghosts.

Let your list breathe. Clean it up.

Email is about attention, not accumulation.

And a clean list = higher open rates, better placement, and actual results.

Side note: I had a great convo about this exact topic with a few marketers at Digital Summit last year. If you want to meet people who’ve actually tested this stuff (and steal some smart playbooks), I’d seriously consider going.

They extended the Denver Early Bird pricing through Monday night, and you can stack another 20% off with MILLENNIALS20.

3ïžâƒŁ. Use read time in your pre-header

This one’s underrated. But it works every time.

People don’t open emails they think will take too long.

They’re in line for coffee. Half-scrolling, half-texting.

You need to make it feel easy to read.

Here’s what I do:

đŸ”„: Add a read-time cue to your pre-header or first line.

“[2-min read]”
“Quick tip you can use today.”
“Skimmable + actionable. No fluff.”

đŸ”„: Set the right expectation upfront.
It builds trust. Makes your emails feel approachable. And preps the reader to actually finish it.

đŸ”„: Test tone and timing.
Sometimes “real quick” outperforms “2-min read.”
Other times, specificity wins:

“4 bullet points. One game-changer.”

People are busy. Your job is to make the decision to open feel easy.

Tell them it’s quick. Then deliver.

That’s how you get opened again next time.

4ïžâƒŁ. Personality > Personalization

Let’s be honest


Nobody’s impressed by “Hey {{FirstName}}” anymore.

That’s not personalization. It’s a merge tag.

If your email sounds like it was written by a robot, it doesn’t matter if you nailed the name.

Here’s what actually works:

đŸ”„:  Write like you’re talking to 1 smart person.

Not a list. Not an audience. A friend.

đŸ”„:  Inject YOUR personality.

If you’re funny, be funny.

If you’re blunt, be blunt.

People don’t connect with brands. They connect with what they like. 

đŸ”„:  Talk about stuff they care about.

Personalization isn’t about fields. It’s about relevance.

Know their problems. Share your take. Be useful. Be honest. 

đŸ”„:  Drop lines that show you get them.

“You’re probably already crushing Q4, but here’s a wild test that worked for us
”

^ That line works better than any merge field.

Bottom line?

Don’t fake personalization.

Be human. Be specific. Be someone worth hearing from.

5ïžâƒŁ. Ask open-ended questions

You know what inboxes love?

Replies.

They boost deliverability. They signal value. They build real relationships.

And the easiest way to get them?

Ask better questions.

Here’s how I do it:

đŸ”„: End more emails with a question.
Open-ended. Conversational. Easy to answer.

“What’s your #1 growth channel right now?”
“Tried anything lately that’s actually working?”
“Reply and tell me your hot take on this.”

đŸ”„: Avoid yes/no questions.

“Do you like this?” = dead end
“How would you use this?” = opens up convo

đŸ”„: Make it feel personal.
Use your voice. Make it sound like something you’d ask a friend over coffee.

đŸ”„: Ask early in the lifecycle.
Get them to reply in the first few emails. It trains engagement and boosts inbox placement long-term.

The best emails feel like conversations. Not broadcasts.

So stop talking at your list. Start talking with the PEOPLE on your list.

6ïžâƒŁ. Skimmable = Sellable

You could write the best email of your life


But if it looks like a brick of text?

Nobody’s reading it.

People scroll fast. They skim. They scan.

And your formatting either helps
 or gets you skipped.

Here’s how to make your emails skimmable (and still sell):

đŸ”„: Break up your paragraphs.
1–2 lines max.
Every new idea = new line.

đŸ”„: Use headers and bolding to guide the eye.
Make it easy to spot the big takeaways at a glance.

đŸ”„: Bullet points > walls of text
Especially for tips, examples, or value stacks.

đŸ”„: Add more white space than you think.
Let your ideas breathe. Cramming = confusion.

đŸ”„: Design for the scroll.
Assume they’re on their phone, on the go, half-paying attention.

If your email doesn’t look easy to read. It won’t get read.

Great formatting = higher engagement.
Period.

7ïžâƒŁ. The best hook wins

Your subject line is your 1st conversion.

If it doesn’t grab attention?

Nothing else matters.

No one’s reading the fire CTA you buried in paragraph four.

Here’s how I write subject lines that ACTUALLY get opened:

đŸ”„: Make them curious.
Leave a loop open. Hint at the value. Make them want to click.

“This small change 3x’d our reply rate”
“You’re probably missing this 👇”
“Why I deleted 14,000 subs last week”

đŸ”„: Write 10+ subject lines per email.
Best one usually shows up around #6. Maybe #9.
Treat it like headline writing — because it is.

đŸ”„: Avoid the obvious.

“March Newsletter” = no thanks
“Product Update” = they’re gonna scroll right past you

đŸ”„: Use pattern interrupts.
Break expectations. Use lowercase. Use a period. Use 1 emoji. Just enough to stand out.

đŸ”„: A/B test, but don’t overthink it.
Testing helps — but only if you’re already writing good options.

Subject lines are the hardest part of the email.

Because they do the heaviest lifting.

Spend time on this. 
Test. Tweak. Obsess a little.

Your opens depend on it.

8ïžâƒŁ. Be useful or be funny (ideally both)

The truth most marketers forget:

You’re not just competing with other brands.

You’re competing with memes. Group chats. TikToks. Calendar invites. Dinner reservations.

If your email isn’t helpful or entertaining
 ouchie.

Here’s the filter I run before I hit send:

đŸ”„: Is this actually useful?
Can someone read this and do something better because of it?
Did I give a framework, idea, or insight that makes them say “Damn, that’s good”?

đŸ”„: Did I make it fun to read?
Add energy. A metaphor. A meme. A punchy 1-liner.
People remember the email experience just as much as the info.

đŸ”„: Do I sound like a person?
Drop the jargon. 
The best emails read like a DM from your smartest (and funniest) friend.

đŸ”„: Would I forward this to a teammate?
If the answer is no. Rewrite it.

If you’re not educating or entertaining, you’re probably annoying.
Be one. Be the other. Be both. Just don’t be boring.

MEME OF THE WEEK

Daniel Murray
Created By
Daniel Murray
Level up your marketing game

Zero BS. Just fun, unfiltered, industry insights with the game-changers behind some of the coolest companies from around the globe.

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