Email marketing is sending emails to people who have agreed to hear from you, in order to build a relationship and drive sales. It includes one-off campaigns, such as a product launch, and automated emails, such as a welcome message when someone signs up.
Unlike social media, you own your email list. No algorithm decides who sees your message, and you can reach customers directly at almost no cost per send.
How email marketing works
- Collect contacts with permission. People join through a signup form, a purchase, or a membership.
- Store them in an email platform. The platform manages your list, sends emails, and handles unsubscribes.
- Group them into segments. For example, new customers, repeat buyers, or cancelled members.
- Send campaigns and automations. Campaigns go out when you choose. Automations send when someone takes an action.
- Measure and improve. Track clicks, conversions, and revenue, then adjust.
The main types of marketing emails
| Type | What it does | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Welcome | Greets new subscribers or customers | "Here's how to get started" |
| Promotional | Drives a sale | "20% off this weekend" |
| Newsletter | Keeps your audience engaged | Weekly tips and updates |
| Abandoned checkout | Recovers lost sales | "You left something behind" |
| Win-back | Brings back lapsed customers | "Here's what's new since you left" |
| Transactional | Confirms an action | Receipts, renewals, password resets |
Try this in WhopMail
Connect your Whop store and send your first campaign or automation today. Free to start.
What you need to start
- An email platform to store contacts, send, and track results.
- Your own sending domain with SPF, DKIM, and DMARC set up, so emails reach the inbox.
- A way to collect contacts, such as a signup form, your store, or your membership platform.
- A welcome email, the first automation every business should have.
- A plan for regular sends, even if it's one email a week.
Why email marketing still works
- You own the audience. Your list doesn't disappear if a social platform changes its rules.
- It's direct. Messages land in a personal inbox.
- It's measurable. You can see which emails produced which sales.
- It's low cost per send. Once your list is built, each extra email costs little.
How AI is changing email marketing
AI now helps write subject lines and copy, design emails, choose segments, and even run campaigns. With MCP (Model Context Protocol), AI assistants like Claude can connect directly to an email platform to draft, schedule, and send campaigns with your approval. The fundamentals still matter: permission, relevance, and deliverability.
Email marketing rules to follow
- Only email people who agreed to hear from you.
- Include a clear unsubscribe link in every marketing email and honor requests promptly.
- Identify who you are and include a physical mailing address where required.
- Authenticate your sending domain. Major inbox providers require it for bulk senders.
Laws differ by country (for example, CAN-SPAM in the US and GDPR in the EU), so check the rules where your subscribers live.
How to measure email marketing
Track delivery rate, click rate, conversion rate, and revenue per email. Treat open rate as directional, since some inbox providers load images automatically. The best measure is revenue tied to each email.
Getting started with WhopMail
WhopMail is an email platform for Whop creators, Shopify stores, and any business with a list. Import contacts from CSV or Excel, connect Whop or Shopify, set up your domain, and send your first campaign. Automations trigger on joins, purchases, cancellations, and failed payments, and every sale is tied back to the email that drove it.
FAQ
What is email marketing in simple terms?
Sending emails to people who opted in, to build a relationship and sell products or services.
Is email marketing free?
Some platforms have free plans for small lists, but you'll usually pay as your list grows or when you need automations. Your time is also a cost.
What's the difference between email marketing and spam?
Permission. Email marketing goes to people who agreed to receive it and can unsubscribe at any time. Spam is unsolicited.
Ready to email your Whop members?
Create a free WhopMail account, or install it straight from the Whop App Store.
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