5+ Email Marketing Myths You Need to Know About When Building Your Email List

Maybe it’s because there’s both too much information and not enough information when it comes to building an email list for your business, but when I first started mine, I knew it was important—I just didn’t know why it was important.

For years, I built an email list thanks to a freebie and a Facebook group. At one point, I had 3,000+ subscribers—none of which were actually buying from me.

Cut to the present, I’ve got a healthy list size that stays around 500 subscribers, a semi-consistent newsletter, automated workflows that usually do the work for me, and an open rate that averages out to 60.1%. And, surprise! It actually converts, too.

So, to say that I have experience building an email list is pretty accurate—even if it’s not my full-time job. It usually goes hand-in-hand with blogging for clients, getting leads to stick around, and I’ve even optimized a handful of freebie landing pages through my done-for-you SEO offers.

In all that time, here’s what you need to know about building your email list and the email marketing myths that don’t actually make any sense:

What is Email Marketing?

Email marketing is essentially the use of emails to market your small business. Sometimes it looks like drafting a newsletter once a week or sending out an automated sequence promo-ing your upcoming launch. The goal is to promote your products and offers, build trust (you need this), and make sales (because you do, in fact, need to make a living).

What this looks like exactly will depend on your business. For example, I send weekly newsletters and occasional promos, but I have an e-commerce client who sends weekly emails, abandoned cart emails, welcome emails, reminders, etc. 24/7.

5+ Email Marketing Myths You Need to Know About as a Small Business Owner

Now to the good stuff: the email marketing myths you need to know about as a small business owner.

Honestly, there’s a million and one pieces of advice on the how to, what not to do, and the must-haves of building an email list and marketing to it successfully. And, as someone who has been both successful and unsuccessful with a list, I can tell you not all of that advice will apply to you.

But, let’s talk about the most common email markeitng myths you’ll see and the truth behind them:

Myth #1: If you have a website, you need an email list.

Or vice-versa. Sometimes you’ll hear “you need to have a website first before you start building your email list.”

The truth: you need a list when you’re ready to keep up with your list—whether you have a website or not.

Professionally, I recommend having a website before building or starting an email list. It helps your SEO. When people head to your website and sign-up, they’re spending more time on your page and if your site is optimized, you’ll get a little SEO boost.

But you shouldn’t commit to having a list you’re not actually going to email. If you’re collecting emails, email them. If not, you’ll lose trust (didn’t deliver on what you promised, no tips or info to them ever) and you’ll miss out on the would-have-been relationship (no one enjoys signing up for something and months later getting the first email).

Myth #2: You need to email your list every week (and on the same day, too).

If you’re subscribed to my list, you know I’m not in your inbox on the same day every week—and that’s actually something I just started THIS year, when my email list is performing it’s absolute best (and if you’re not subscribed, check out this cutie SEO freebie and come join us!).

The truth: you need to set expectations for your list and deliver on them.

If you say you’ll be in their inbox every Tuesday, do it. But, you can also say “hey, I’ll email you once a month.” One up it and give them context—like, “hey, I email twice a month with alllll the best info on XYZ because I’m a mom and I have two toddlers sooo 1x a week doesn’t work for me.” But in a more polished manner, of course.

Ultimately, you can email whenever you want, but make sure your audience has some expectation of what/when/why you’re emailing. You can also change over the months/years, just be open and honest with your list (often, they won’t even notice the change!).

Myth #3: You need a freebie to grow your list.

Or some type of lead magnet—that’s the most common advice you’ll find online.

The truth: your email list needs to be easy to join.

Really, it just needs to be easy. Both that it’s a no-brainer to join (back to that setting expectations, and that it WILL, in fact, help them) and making it easy tech-wise. Your audience shouldn’t have to jump through loops to subscribe to your newsletter.

Back to the freebie thing: it’s not true. I’ve been recommended to have a freebie (and I do, I have a few), but I’ve also gone through periods where I just create a pop-up inviting my website visitors to subscribe to my newsletter to hear more from me—and the sign-ups are about the same.

Now, this can depend on YOUR audience, but it’s not something to stress over when you’re just getting started.

Myth #4: Email marketing tech is hard (and expensive).

If you’ve ever seen the backend of a Klaviyo email marketing campaign (a common ESP for e-commerce brands), you’d understand how this myth got started (it’s crazy complicated to a beginner).

The truth: there are plenty of user-friendly (and beginner-friendly) email marketing platforms you can use when you’re getting started—and while you’re growing.

Most business owners don’t need every fancy feature, and you definitely don’t need one that costs $100+ per month. Find a platform that works for you! I prefer Flodesk, but I hopped on that bandwagon back in 2019.

That being said, you can still join and get 50% off your first year using my link here.

But there are other platforms like Kit and Mailerlite—just skip MailChimp, it’s NOT user-friendly at all when you’re just learning how to do anything email-marketing-related.

Also, you don’t have to use EVERY feature when you start out. Just keep your list simple and start segmenting and creating workflows as you go. Take your time, it’ll make the world of a difference later.

Myth #5: You need to have a big list to sell.

I think this is just a preconcieved idea we all have of selling—that no matter the platform, we need a big audience to actually make sales (think thousands of followers on Instagram, it’s the same vibe).

The truth: you can make sales from your email list with 10 subscribers or 10,000 subscribers, it’s more about the who than the how many.

Yes, you should be bringing new people into your audience and onto your list or you’re constantly selling to the same people (and they likely don’t need every offer you have all the time), but you can sell (and sell successfully at any time.

It’s more about how you leverage your list than how many people are on your list.

I highly highly recommend checking out this online textbook “This Is How You Sell” by Reveal Studio Co., it’ll change how you think about sales and selling in your content, like emails.

Myth #6: The best day to email is on Tuesday.

Sure, there are studies that support this and say that Tuesday is one of the best days to send newsletters and promotions to your subscribers, but it’s not foolproof.

The truth: send the email when it makes the most sense for you and based on YOUR audience.

These studies are very generalized, they’re based from data gathered across multiple industries, sizes, and business types. It’s a great place to start, but it’s not a hard rule to follow.

AKA you can send your email whenever you want, just make sure we’re still hitting and maintaining the expectations we’ve set for our list.

A good example of this is my own list where I can email almost any day and still have the same open rate and clicks—probably because my audience is online business owners who set their own schedule (and are often online….a lot).

Myth #7: Unsubscribes are bad (and a sign your list isn’t good).

This is one I personally struggled with. Unsubscribers and not being able to be everyone’s cup of tea when it comes to my email newsletters.

The truth: unsubcribes are not inherently a bad thing, they’re usually a sign of your audience pre-qualifying themselves.

And it’s just a part of being a business owner, you want (and need) a list that wants to be there, who are actually interested in your offers and what you’re selling—even if they’re not necessarily ready to buy right now.

The only exception is if you’ve sent an email and had mass unexpected unsubscribes. Then I’d recommend just taking a quick peek at what you sent and why it triggered that many unsubscribes, but even then it doesn’t mean they’re bad.

TL;DR Your Email List is YOUR List and You Have More Freedom Than You Think

Email marketing can be intimidating, just like anything you do for the first time can be. Even more so in a space where you feel like you’re always doing something wrong—or someone is always telling you how to do something better.

And I’ll share a quick piece of advice that you can apply almost everywhere when it comes to your marketing (and business, really):

The most important thing is to set the expectations and deliver on your promises—the big ones, and the little ones.

Even if it’s just your email list. The more you follow through on expectations and deliver what you promised (tips, guides, sales…anything), the more your audience will trust you with the BIG things—like investing in your offers, programs, and products.

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⇢ Ready to start (or grow) your email list, but need a platform that makes it easy-peasy? Sign up for Flodesk, my personal favorite ESP and get 50% off your first year here.

⇢ Already have a list, but want to attract more aligned subscribers? Book your SEO audit + optimization (and add-on done-for-you blogging) to get more eyes on your site, offers, and freebies here.