1. “How do I warm up or re‑activate an old / cold email list?”
What Redditors Ask / Say
- In r/Emailmarketing, one user wrote they had ~30,000 email addresses accumulated from as far back as 2018 but had never sent campaigns. They asked whether to send a “we are back” email, how to avoid spam/unsubscribes, and whether to segment by signup year. (Reddit)
- The top advice: clean and verify the list first, send to the most recently engaged subset first, ramp up volume slowly. (Reddit)
Insights
- Email reputation is fragile — sending en masse to stale lists can lead to spam complaints or being blacklisted.
- A phased reactivation strategy (start with most recently active contacts) is safer.
- List hygiene (removing invalid, role-based, or bounced addresses) is non-negotiable if you want deliverability.
Commentary
This is one of the most nerve‑wracking issues for marketers with legacy assets. The promise of “you already have a list — monetize it” is tempting, but doing it without caution often backfires. The Reddit threads highlight that many people underestimate how seriously email service providers (ESPs) monitor engagement and spam metrics.
2. “Which email platform / ESP should I use for mid‑size lists (e.g. 20,000 contacts)?”
What Redditors Ask / Say
- On r/Emailmarketing, a user asked: “I have 20,000 addresses — Mailchimp is getting expensive. What do you suggest?” (Reddit)
- Responses recommended alternatives like Klaviyo, ConvertKit, or platforms that scale better with features (automation, segmentation). (Reddit)
- In “Zero to 100” thread, someone new to email marketing asked what tools mature companies use, and what to look for when hiring an agency. (Reddit)
Insights
- As lists grow, per-contact pricing models become a pain point. Many marketers shift to ESPs with more flexible or usage-based pricing.
- Key selection criteria include: deliverability, segmentation & automation features, integration with your tech stack (CRM, e-commerce), scalability, and cost.
- It’s not just about sending: the ability to personalize, automate triggers, and analyze data matters a lot at scale.
Commentary
This is a recurring tension: small tools may feel cheap and simple, but they can’t always handle growth. The Reddit community’s push toward Klaviyo and similar “scale-ready” platforms reflects that email marketing is increasingly treated as a core growth channel, not a side activity. The tool you choose often locks in workflow and capabilities, so it pays to evaluate future needs when starting out.
3. “Do I need copywriting / HTML / development skills to be an email marketer?”
What Redditors Ask / Say
- In r/Emailmarketing, someone asked: “Is copywriting crucial to being an email marketer? Do email marketers also need HTML/CSS skills?” (Reddit)
- The top answer: yes — basic HTML/CSS familiarity helps, especially for troubleshooting or customizing templates. But also, combining copy + strategy + tech is often overkill and may reduce pay if you try to specialize in everything. (Reddit)
Insights
- Many job descriptions bundle multiple skills: marketing strategy, email copy, template design, analytics. But not all roles require full mastery of each.
- Copywriting remains central, because even well-delivered emails fail if the message doesn’t connect.
- Having some development ability is useful as “bonus skill,” not always core.
Commentary
This question speaks to anxiety about entering the field. Many newcomers try to be “full-stack email marketers” (copy + design + dev), but Reddit wisdom suggests it’s better to pick one or two strengths and partner or outsource the rest. Overextending often backfires — both on workload and compensation.
4. “What DOs and DON’Ts should I follow in email marketing (best practices)?”
What Redditors Ask / Say
- On r/marketing, someone asked: “What are the dos and don’ts of email marketing?” (Reddit)
- In replies, users emphasize: never send email just to “send something,” keep your audience in mind, personalize with intent (not just name tags), test everything (subject line, send time, layout), optimize for mobile, and use automations for lifecycle flows. (Reddit)
Insights
- Good practices resonate across marketers: clarity of goal, relevance to audience, testing, segmentation, and continual improvement.
- Many mistakes come from neglecting fundamentals: indiscriminate sending, generic content, ignoring mobile, not optimizing deliverability.
Commentary
It’s striking how many Reddit discussions circle back to the basics — despite all the advanced tech talk, most email marketing failures stem from ignoring foundational principles. The horizontal consensus across marketers (on various threads) is that even when you adopt AI, behavioral targeting, etc., you still need the “dos & don’ts” right first.
5. “How do I interpret and act on email campaign metrics or results?”
What Redditors Ask / Say
- In r/Emailmarketing, a user faced with four separate campaign results (each with sends, opens, clicks, unsubscribes) asked: “What insights can I derive, and how should I inform the next strategy?” (Reddit)
- The top response: It’s tricky with limited metrics; opens can be misleading (especially with modern privacy features). Focus more on deliverability, segmentation, click and conversion behavior, subject lines, content structure, and domain reputation. (Reddit)
- Also, in threads about onboarding clients, one marketer advises always asking new clients: “What is your goal with email?” and “How will we know we’re achieving it?” (Reddit)
Insights
- Email metrics are only as meaningful as the context behind them. Opens, clicks, and unsubscribes need to be interpreted considering content, list health, timing, segmentation, and reputation.
- Establishing clear objectives (e.g. revenue, engagement, retention) before sending helps you measure intelligently and avoid vanity metrics.
Commentary
This is a question that separates beginners from intermediate/advanced practitioners. Many marketers will glance at open/click rates and call it a day — Reddit threads remind us that real insight comes from comparing to benchmarks, diving into segment-level performance, and linking email activity to business outcomes. The advice to ask clients about goals upfront is professional and frames the conversation around value, not just metrics.
Takeaway Themes
Looking across these five questions and Reddit responses, some recurring lessons emerge:
- Caution with lists: whether warming up old ones or choosing ESPs, the foundation of deliverability is list health and gradual scaling.
- Tool choice is strategic: as your audience grows, your platform must support automation, segmentation, and deliverability.
- Skill focus is selective: you don’t need to master everything (copy, dev, design) — pick your strengths and partner for others.
- Don’t neglect fundamentals: segmentation, personalization, mobile optimization, content relevance — these are the pillars all advanced tactics rest on.
- Metrics aren’t truths, they’re clues: always interpret them in context and link to goals.
- Here are five of the most frequently asked questions about email marketing on Reddit (especially in subreddits like r/Emailmarketing) — along with real thread excerpts / cases and commentary/lessons. These reflect the real pains, uncertainties and trade‑offs marketers often face.
1. “How do I warm up / re‑activate a cold / old email list?”
Case / Thread
In “Couple of questions for start” thread on r/Emailmarketing:
“I have around 30k email subscribers since 2018 … This is the first time we are going to send them emails. … Should I separate subscribers by year?” (Reddit)
The user worries about unsubscribes, spam complaints, and domain reputation.
Community Wisdom & Best Practice
- Start with the most recently engaged subset (e.g. those active in 2021) before emailing decades‑old addresses.
- Send a low‑key “we’re back” or reintroduction email (e.g. “It’s been a while… here’s what’s new”) with a clear opt‑out link.
- Ramp up send volume gradually (warm‑up period) to avoid triggering spam filters.
- Do thorough list cleaning & verification (remove bounces, invalids, role addresses) before sending.
Commentary
This is one of the scariest moves marketers face — send too aggressively, and you damage domain reputation. But avoid it too long and your list loses value. The Reddit case underscores that many marketers underestimate how fragile email reputation is and how essential phased reactivation is.
2. “Which ESP (email service provider) should I use when my list grows (e.g. 20,000+)?”
Case / Thread
In “Email marketing platform question for 20,000 contacts” the user laments Mailchimp being expensive at that volume and asks for alternatives. (Reddit)
Responses suggest:
“Klaviyo or ConvertKit work better at that level.” (Reddit)
Also in “What’s the most effective ESP & email marketing” thread, someone writes:
“Consider Mailchimp for simplicity, Klaviyo for e‑commerce and ActiveCampaign for automation and CRM.” (Reddit)
Insights & Trade‑offs
- As lists scale, the per-contact or tiered pricing of ESPs becomes a major cost driver.
- Each ESP has strengths: Mailchimp for simplicity, Klaviyo for product/ecomm automation, ActiveCampaign for CRM + automations.
- The “best” ESP depends on use case (newsletters, transactional + marketing, commerce integration, segmentation depth).
- Always check deliverability reputation, integrations (CRM, webhooks), automation features, and support.
Commentary
The tech stack decision is permanent in many ways. You can switch, but migration is arduous (data, templates, domain reputation). Reddit users often caution: choose not just based on cost, but on long‑term fit and feature set.
3. “Is copywriting / HTML / development skill required for email marketing?”
Case / Thread
In “Looking to get into Email Marketing, but I have some questions…” the user wonders whether copywriting, HTML/CSS, and email dev are necessary skills. (Reddit)
One answer stands out:
“If you go for a job that requires all those skills you will be underpaid, 100% guaranteed. Each of those is a specific skill set … Pick one, or drop the development piece.” (Reddit)
Takeaways
- Copywriting and content strategy are core; good writing often drives campaign success more than fancy design.
- HTML/CSS / email templating skills are useful (for customizations, troubleshooting), but many roles offload that to design/dev specialists.
- Trying to master everything (strategy + copy + dev) can backfire — roles that ask for all tend to underpay or overload you.
Commentary
This is a reality check many novices face: you don’t need to be a full-stack email developer to be an effective email marketer. Focus on one or two strengths (writing, strategy, analytics) and partner for the rest. Reddit’s blunt advice helps prevent early burnout.
4. “What insights can I derive from campaign metrics? How to interpret results?”
Case / Thread
In “Struggling with this email marketing strategy question” someone shares campaign metrics (sends, opens, clicks, unsubscribes) across multiple sends and asks:
“Are there any insights you can derive from the first campaign results that might inform your strategy this time around?” (Reddit)
A strong reply says:
“Opens are useless… MPP has made it impossible to get a good sense of what actually constitutes a real open … unless open rate went from 10% to 1%, ignore opens outright.” (Reddit)
Interpretation Tips
- Open rate is an unstable metric (especially with privacy changes, image caching, mobile preview modes). Use with caution.
- Click-through and conversion metrics give stronger signals about engagement and content effectiveness.
- Always consider context: subject lines, segmentation, send time, domain reputation, content mix matter.
- Compare across cohorts or segments, not just aggregated totals.
Commentary
This thread is a microcosm of a deeper truth: metrics are pointers, not gospel. Many marketers fixate on open rates, but Reddit responses warn: in modern email world, opens can mislead. Good strategists triangulate metrics, not read them at face value.
5. “What are the best client / onboarding questions to ask when starting email work?”
Case / Thread
From “What’s the most important question to ask new clients before you start working on their emails” thread:
The top two questions people recommend asking clients are:
- What is your goal with email?
- How will you know you are achieving this goal? (Reddit)
Also in “Zero to 100 — advice for email marketing” a newbie asks:
- “What’s the best tools companies use?”
- “If I hire an agency, what should I look out for?” (Reddit)
Why These Questions Matter
- Asking goals & success metrics frames the entire project in business outcomes (revenue, retention, engagement) instead of vanity metrics.
- It helps avoid scope creep — you and the client agree on what counts as “success.”
- Other onboarding questions (tools, segmentation, content, brand voice) flow logically once goals are set.
Commentary
One of the best ways to show professionalism as an email marketer is to lead with questions, not pitches. On Reddit, experienced marketers emphasize that asking the right onboarding questions avoids misaligned expectations and ensures strategic alignment down the line.
Summary of Insights from Reddit Threads
These recurring questions highlight what many marketers struggle with in real life:
- Moving from theory to execution (e.g. warming old lists safely)
- Choosing the right tools (not just cheapest) as you scale
- Defining realistic skill scope (copywriting ≠ HTML ≠ dev all at once)
- Interpreting metrics carefully (open rate is flawed)
- Starting client engagements with strong strategic questions