3 Email Marketing Myths That Are Costing You Engagement

Having worked at a digital agency before joining TouchBasePro, I can tell you that email was rarely given serious thought when putting together client solutions. Social media, SEO, PPC, and web design took centre stage. Email was technically on the menu, but nobody pushed it hard because the general feeling was that email is ineffective, boring, and that nobody reads it anyway.

I bought into that thinking for longer than I care to admit.

Now that I work in email every day, a big part of my job is pushing back on exactly those misconceptions. I believed them too, so I get it. But the evidence doesn't hold up. Here are three email myths worth putting to rest.

"No one reads emails"

A more honest version of that statement is: "I don't read MY emails." Most people assume their own inbox habits are universal, and they aren't.

The truth is that engagement comes down to relevance. Nobody wants the same generic message that went to every other address on your list. If your email feels like it was written for me specifically, you have my attention. If it doesn't, you've lost me before the first scroll.

An Experian report found that personalised promotional emails had a 29% higher unique open rate and a 41% higher unique click-through rate than non-personalised ones. That gap is not trivial.

Once someone opens your email, content carries the load. If what you're saying connects with me personally rather than just logically, I will act on it. The Monica Vinader campaign below is a good example of personalisation done well.

Personalisation and a clear point of view will get results. Batch-and-blast won't.

Emails aren't "cool"

Marketing has always had a creativity obsession, and that's not a bad thing. But it does mean email gets left behind because it's seen as the dull option compared to an experiential campaign or a viral social moment.

Here's the thing: most marketers don't know how much room there is to be creative in email. Dynamic content, live APIs pulling real-time data into a message, deep personalisation, precise segmentation, and designed customer journeys are all possible inside an email.

If you're planning a big integrated campaign, there's every reason to make email one of the touchpoints. The channel can carry more creative weight than most people give it credit for.

Email is a bit like the track on a playlist you always skip, until one day you actually listen to it and wonder why you waited so long.

Emails are just "digital pamphlets"

If you're only using email to push information out, you're using half the tool.

Email is also one of the best channels for gathering information about your audience. First-party data is genuinely valuable right now, and interactive email campaigns are a practical way to collect it. Incentives, engaging content, and copy that doesn't take itself too seriously can all motivate subscribers to tell you more about themselves.

The Urban Outfitters example below shows how human, slightly irreverent copy and relatable imagery can prompt that kind of engagement.

Not every brand can be cheeky. Tone varies by industry and audience, and that's fine. But wherever there's an opening to connect with someone on a personal level, take it.

The B2B versus B2C split is less meaningful than it sounds. You're still writing to a person sitting at a desk, with their own priorities and limited time. Write to that person.

Email is an effective, often underestimated channel. If your other marketing efforts are the Jedi Masters, let email be your R2-D2. The rebellion wouldn't have made it without the droids.