Inbox Lessons: What Years of Email Taught Me

After 30 years in the marketing world — and the better part of the last decade focused on email and lifecycle marketing — I’ve seen firsthand how brands either build loyalty or burn it, one email at a time.

And here’s what I’ve learned:

The inbox is sacred — and too many brands waste the opportunity.

Today’s inbox is a battlefield. Customers are hit with a flood of promotions, irrelevant offers, and endless "last chances." But the brands that truly win aren't the ones who send less — they’re the ones who send better.

More volume works — when it’s earned. When it’s relevant. When it’s respectful.

The truth is, consistent, thoughtful communication drives revenue. Smart lifecycle marketing, executed with care, turns email from a background channel into a serious growth engine.

What Too Many Marketers Miss

They treat email like a numbers game — volume without value.

But the brands that dominate long-term know: It’s not about sending less. It’s about sending the right message, to the right person, at the right time — and doing it often enough to matter.

Respect the inbox, and you unlock scale. Disrespect it, and you burn it down.

A Simple Gut Check for Every Send:

Before you press "Send," ask yourself:

• Is this helping the customer move forward — or just padding my metrics?

  
  

• Would I actually open and appreciate this message?

  
  

• Am I building trust, or testing it?

  
  

Every email you send either strengthens your relationship or erodes it. There’s no neutral ground.

I’ll be honest: Earlier in my career, like many, I thought volume alone would solve everything. More sends = more revenue, right? But after years optimizing lifecycle programs for major CPG brands and scaling independents alike, I saw it firsthand:

Volume matters — but only when it’s smart, strategic, and respectful.

Respect the inbox. Send with purpose. And yes — send often enough to grow.

That’s how real brands build real businesses through email.