How to Start Sending more Emails
A short guide to getting over self-doubt and connecting with the people who want to hear from you most
Save this heartfelt and practical post for when you need a gentle nudge to take action and do one simple thing (send an email) that will lead to more connection and maybe even a sale!
In this article:
why email marketing is a better investment than social mediawhat sets your email audience audience apart4 common roadblocks and how to overcome themmy top insights for getting started (or starting again) with email marketinga special discount code for 25% off your first year with Flodesk (100/10 recommend)
By the end of this article, my hope is that hitting “send” feels less like a risk and more like what it truly is: a beautiful and reliable way to connect with the people who already want to hear from you most.
Save this image to your favorite Pinterest board so you can read this article again anytime you need some encouragement ♡
Ready to dive in?
Let’s start by laying a solid foundation: Email marketing gives you something the social platforms never can: a direct, reliable line to your people. Instead of hoping an algorithm shows your post to the right eyes, your emails land promptly in someone’s inbox. No matter how big or small your list of email subscribers is, they all have one key factor in common, they’ve *chosen* to be there. Everyone on your list has opted in because they want to hear what you have to say and they want to support what you bring to the world. That’s so special.
Over time, your consistent and heartfelt email build trust. Your readers get to know your voice, your values, and your work in a deeper way, which naturally leads to more aligned sales and opportunities. For artists and makers especially, email becomes a kind of home base for your community, a place where you can share the stories behind your work, educate your audience, invite them into launches, and nurture relationships that last far beyond a single scroll.
So what’s stopping you from sending those emails?
Coming up: how Flodesk makes it all so much easier!
If there’s one thing we hear from our students over and over again it’s that they want to be more consistent with sending emails, but inevitably they fall out of rhythm. Let’s be honest, staring at a blank email at the end of a long day and trying to manifest just the right words is daunting.
You are not alone. These are just a few things I’ve heard lately:
“I don’t know what to say.”
“My brain goes blank when I start a new email.”
“I don’t want to feel spammy.”
“What if they unsubscribe?”
“How do I start sending again after a long break?”
When these thoughts creep in, remember this:
Your email list is made of people who asked to hear from you. They raised their hand. They put their name and email into a little box somewhere on the internet because something in your work, your words, or your world resonated with them. That’s not spam, baby!! That’s an invitation. The truth is your email list is your warmest, most responsive audience. Most of our sales, sign-ups, and truly meaningful connections come from an email (not from crossing our fingers and hoping the social media algorithms decided to be kind today).
Email feels more reliable, more relational, more like a long-term conversation than any other method of marketing. This little guide is here to help you step back into that conversation (or maybe start it for the first time) with more confidence and less overthinking. In a minute we’ll breakdown how to shift your mindset around “being spammy,” what to actually say in your emails, how to return after a long silence, and how to create a simple rhythm that feels sustainable. We’ll wrap this up with a pretty bow: a special discount for 25% off your first year with Flodesk (my all-time favorite email marketing provider - and I’ve tried a lot!).
READ THAT AGAIN:
“The truth is your email list is your warmest, most responsive audience. Most of our sales, sign-ups, and truly meaningful connections come from an email (not from crossing our fingers and hoping the social media algorithms decided to be kind today).”
KEEP READING FOR 4 OF MY TOP EMAIL MARKETING TIPS + A PREVIEW OF MY FAVORITE EMAIL MARKETING PLATFORM-
Let’s shift this: despite all the spammy emails you might see in your inbox, you are not a sterile corporation or big box store. You are an independent creative bringing beauty and truth into the world. Start seeing that, for you, sending emails is a service and not exclusively self promotion.
Remember, the people on your email list want to hear from you, they literally signed up for this! Undoubtedly you will get some unsubscribes, do your best not to take it personally! We are all drawn to certain things for a reason and a season.
If you notice that your emails start tipping too much into promotion, sprinkle in some non-sales emails that focus on your story, what inspires you, your recent work, a funny anecdote. The options are endless, just treat that blank email like a letter to a dear friend.
On the flip side, if you never mention your work or offers, you’re actually withholding something they might truly want or need.
-
There are many, many different types of emails you can send. Don’t get stuck here, use that same creative problem solving you apply to your work to your marketing. Here are just a few examples of emails you could send. When in doubt keep it short and sweet and to the point (and always sprinkle in some gorgeous photos)!
Studio Newsletter
Gentle updates about what you’re working on, what’s happening in the studio, and what’s inspiring you lately.Collection Release
Introducing a new body of work, sharing the story behind it, preview images, release date/time, and how to purchase.Artwork Spotlight
A single artwork highlighted in depth with its story, meaning, process photos, and how it might live in someone’s home.Behind-the-Scenes
Sketchbooks, works-in-progress, color palettes, time-lapses, or “before and after” shots that let people peek behind the curtain.Storytelling + Personal Reflection
A more intimate note about creativity, courage, burnout, parenthood, grief, joy, and whatever else feels true, woven in with your art.Education + Tips and Resources
Think like your collectors here: how to choose art for your home, how to frame or care for artwork, how to style a gallery wall, how to start collecting original art, etc.VIP First Look or Early Access
Don’t skip this! This is a special way to give back to your email audience. Giving them first dibs on new work, prints, commissions, or retreats before you share publicly.Collector or Subscriber Appreciation
A sweet email of gratitude to past buyers, subscribers, anyone who supports your journey.“Help Me Decide” Email
People love to give their opinion and receiving email replies is great for the health of your email list. Inviting your audience to vote on sizes, colorways, print options, or future offerings is great for engagement and market research.
-
Ok, this is a huge pain point with my students. Let’s break this down clearly so you can come back to this any time you need it!
Taking a short break from sending emails is totally normal! There is nothing wrong with you, and maybe you’re just spread a little too thin. I’m thankful that I have a small team to help build out, proof, or send my emails right alongside me. But not everyone has access to an assistant and I totally get that.
Please know that your email subscribers are not tracking the exact date of your last email. If anything it’s a pleasant little surprise when they haven’t heard from you in a while and they get a sweet message from you.
When you’re ready to get back into the groove of sending emails do yourself a favor and skip right past the need to apologize for the break. Again, they probably don’t realize they haven’t heard from you in a while. If you want, you can acknowledge the break by sharing a bit about what you did during that time, how you’ve been busy, what work you’ve created, etc. But this is not a necessary step by any means!
Use any of the email types mentioned in Tip No. 2 to create your next email.
Example email subject lines:
“It’s been a minute @firstname”
“Studio updates + something new for you”
“Can we catch up, @firstname?”
-
The ultimate goal when it comes to email marketing is to move from “random” to “rhythmic” and to continue to build “know, like, and trust” with your audience. The more consistent and trustworthy you come across the more likely someone is to make a purchase.
Start by choosing a frequency that’s right for you. To start, maybe you’re sending emails once a month. As you get comfortable with the process you can bump it up to 2x a month and maybe even weekly. Please hear me: consistency is more important than frequency. It is much better to email once a month for a year than to email weekly for a month and then disappear.
Next you’ll want to choose 2-3 content pillars (refer back to the different types of emails in Tip No. 2 for help). Pick out themes that show up again and again in your work and your life.
For example:
Inspiration: reflections on creativity, mindset.
Process: behind-the-scenes, WIPs, tools, and materials.
Offers: launches, new collections, workshops, and products.
When you have your pillars established you can rotate topics instead of feeling like you need to reinvent the wheel each time you send a new email.
Pro tip: Batch create your emails when you can. Draft a handful of emails in one afternoon, Flodesk makes this process so so easy! More details about Flodesk next.
now that we’ve worked through the self-doubt and established some simple measures you can take to create consistency when sending emails, let's talk about my favorite email marketing platform. My favorite tool for beautiful and consistent emails: Flodesk
Having a dedicated email marketing platform is essential. Things are changing in the email marketing world and it’s highly, highly recommended to have an official domain to send your emails from. That’s where Flodesk comes in. Not only is it easier to design beautiful emails right inside of Flodesk, but using their drag and drop email editor saves so much time. They work with you to drastically improve email deliverability and compliance which means you can be sure that the time you’re dedicating to writing emails isn’t wasted on landing in the spam folder.
Use my link for 25% off your first year with Flodesk. They offer a 14 day FREE trial so you can decide if it’s the right fit for you.
Why we love Flodesk so much and use it ourselves…
-
Flodesk is built for people who care about aesthetics—its email templates are clean, modern, and highly visual, so your newsletters feel like little digital magazines rather than clunky marketing emails.
-
The interface is intentionally simple and intuitive, which makes it easy to build gorgeous emails without needing a designer or a lot of tech skill.
-
You can set your brand fonts and colors inside Flodesk so every email, form, and sales page looks cohesive with your visual identity—no more “this doesn’t feel like me” emails.
-
Flodesk’s workflows let you set up welcome sequences, nurture series, sales sequences, and post-purchase follow-up emails that run on autopilot so new subscribers are cared for even when you’re off creating.
-
This makes sharing your lead magnet so so easy! They have built-in signup forms, pop-ups, and standalone landing pages make it easy to offer freebies, waitlists, and newsletter opt-ins without needing a separate website tool.
-
Flodesk connects with platforms like Squarespace, Shopify, Wix, ThriveCart and more so purchases can trigger automated emails, review requests, and cross-sell sequences.
-
Flodesk provides clear data on opens, clicks, subscriber growth, best send times, and revenue from campaigns, so you can see what’s working and refine your strategy over time.
-
If you use Canva, this is a game changer! You can now browse and pull in Canva designs directly from inside the Flodesk editor, making it easy to keep your email graphics aligned with the rest of your brand.
-
With Flodesk Checkout you can create simple, beautiful sales pages, accept payments via Stripe, and deliver digital products or services all in one place (no extra cart software or e-commerce platform needed).
-
Flodesk is intentionally built for solo entrepreneurs and small brands who want powerful email marketing without enterprise-level complexity. Their brand mission is to literally “level the playing field for small businesses” and we could not love them any more for this!
Recently Flodesk changed the structure of their pricing making it even more accessible to small business owners. You can get started sending emails with Flodesk now for just $19/month – $14.25/month if you use my code EJSTUDIO50 at checkout
see their full pricing breakdown below
If you’ve made it this far, consider this your little nudge from the universe: you are ready to start (or start again). Your email list is not just another metric to get caught up in, it’s a circle of real people who have already said, “Yes, I want to hear from you.” You don’t have to convince them you’re worth listening to. Just keep showing up with honesty, care, and a bit of courage.
Remember, you don’t need the perfect schedule or a twelve-part funnel to begin. You just need one honest email and the willingness to send it. Over time, those small, consistent touchpoints add up to something beautiful: trust, connection, and a community that actually knows you and your work.
And if you’re currently looking for a home for those emails, a place that feels as thoughtfully designed as the art and experiences you create, we can’t recommend Flodesk enough. Wherever you’re at with email marketing (coming back after a long silence, starting from zero, or simply wanting to show up more intentionally) your words and your work are welcome in people’s inboxes. Your emails don’t have to be loud or perfect; they just have to sound like you.
Sending you a big virtual hug,
xo, Emily & the EJ Team
More resources for a beautiful, sustainable creative career…
Join me for the 2026 Goal Setting Workshop and download the free goal setting workbook for artists & creatives register here →
