Email Marketing in 2025: What’s New and What Still Works

Email marketing continues to be one of the most powerful tools for growing a business, but the landscape is always evolving. In this episode, we’ll dive into what’s changing in 2025, what tried-and-true strategies still work, and how to stay ahead of the game. Whether you’re just getting started or refining your existing strategy, this episode will help you make the most of your email marketing efforts.

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Transcript

So welcome or welcome back if you're new here. I'm Bianca McKenzie and and in this episode I want to talk about one of my all time favorite marketing channels, email marketing.

And if you've been wondering what's changing in 2025, what's still working, you've come to the right place. Let's dive in because I am seriously so excited about this. Now, before we actually dive in, I have something super exciting to share with you.

There's a spot special giveaway happening, but I'll tell you more about that at the end, so stay tuned. Let's get into it.

Over the years, so many people have said that email is dead. I still remember it as soon as social media came out. People like, well, that's the end of email.

You know, nobody will be using email anymore. But guess what? It is still one of the most powerful marketing tools out there. Why?

Because it's actually the one channel that you fully control.

So unlike social media, where an algorithm can basically decide whether or not your audience sees your content, email actually lets you reach your subscribers directly.

And if you do it right, it can drive serious results for your business.

If you think about it like when you post something on social media, you actually don't know who is actually going to see your content. You don't know when they're going to see your content.

And I've used this example before, but often I scroll on Facebook and I see a post going, oh, that looks really interesting, like some sort of event or something coming up.

And then it was like two days ago.

And yeah, you have no control over who sees your content and when. Whereas with email you can get in front of them directly. Plus, studies actually continue to show that email delivers one of the highest returns on investment.

People on average check their inboxes daily.

And when you do it right, email Marketing actually builds trust, it nurtures the leads and then it converts to sales.

But the way we approach email marketing is actually shifting.

So let's talk about what's changing in 2025.

One of the biggest shifts we're seeing is the rise of AI powered email marketing.

AI is helping businesses send better emails. Whether that's writing subject lines that get actually higher open rates or sending emails at like the perfect time based on the subscribers behavior.

And if you're not using AI in your email strategy yet, now is actually the time to start experimenting. Like AI has been around for long enough now as in, in this space.

I mean, I know AI has been around for a long time in a lot of different areas, but in this space it's been around long enough now that you know the sort of hiccups and the kinks have been ironed out.

So now is really the time to start using it.

We're also seeing privacy updates and they continue to impact how we actually track emails.

So with Apple's mail privacy protection and other privacy focused changes, open rates are becoming less reliable. And that means that we need to actually focus more on engagement.

So focus on clicks, replies, conversations rather than just on opens. Like we can't really rely on seeing if someone opened it, that means they've read it.

So we use it, we need to start using it slightly differently.

And then let's not forget interactivity.

Most brands are actually incorporating things like embedded quizzes, surveys and even shopping experiences directly inside emails. And it's all about making the email experience more engaging.

And of course mobile first is key. Most people read emails on their phones, so we have to make sure that emails are short, that they're scannable and that they're actually designed for mobile readability.

So while a lot is changing, the fundamentals of email marketing actually haven't. You still need a high quality engaged list and it's better to have 1,000 people who actually open and read your emails than 10,000 who never engage.

Another thing is consistency is key. If you only email your list when you have something to sell, they'll most likely tune out.

You want to show up regularly with value, whether that is tips, insights or behind the scenes updates. You need to keep emailing your list so you keep that engagement and that focus on you.

And speaking of value, storytelling is still one of the best ways to connect with your audience.

People don't want to be sold to all the time, they want to feel connected to your brand.

So use email to share your journey, share your customer success stories. Share insights that actually help your audience. So it's not all sell, sell, sell. They want to be part of your journey, of your business.

And finally, always be testing. Even small tweaks like changing a subject line that can make a huge difference.

Email marketing is definitely not a set it and forget it strategy. You need to keep optimizing and keep tweaking, Keep an eye on your numbers and you'll start seeing better results over time.

You can't just put it in there, walk away, because that doesn't work.

So what can you do right now to set yourself up for Success in, in 2025? Well, first start exploring AI powered email tools if you haven't already. They can save you time and they can actually help you boost your results.

I know sometimes it's like, no, no, no, I know what to say, but test it. Ask AI to come up with some different versions of what you created and see what actually works best.

Test it, really?

Secondly, you need to shift your focus from open rates to engagement metrics. So think about clicks, replies, actual conversions. All of those things matter more than just open rates. I know that's a reasonably big shift because we've always, you know, looked at open rates and all that kind of thing, but we need to start looking beyond open rates and try experimenting with interactive content.

Also, keep your list clean, keep it engaged, and most importantly, be consistent. Even if you think that you know you're emailing too much. I would say at a minimum. At a minimum twice a month, at a minimum, every two weeks.

Any longer in between emails and people will forget why they actually joined your list and you know what it's about.

The businesses that actually keep showing up in inboxes will be the ones that win. Obviously. Not just that, like you have to have engaging content and actually deliver value, but it needs to be consistent.

So super short. Sweet. But that's a wrap on today's episode. Email marketing is evolving, but the core principles are still the same. Provide value, engage your audience, and be consistent.

Like it's not that hard, right?

And before you go, don't forget about the giveaway.

I am actually giving away five times access to my new school of Marketing business club. And to enter, go to new schoolofmarketing.com you'll find all the details right there.

But it's open until the 11th of March, so make sure that you don't miss out. Go and check it out. And as always, thank you so much for tuning into the podcast.

I hope you enjoyed it. If you did, make sure that you subscribe to the podcast so you never miss an episode. Leave a review, share it with a friend. I am super grateful if you can do any of those things.

And as always, take care and market your business every day.