Jim Connolly Marketing

Why email marketing doesn’t work in 2026

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Photo by Le Vu

A reader shared an interesting observation with me. She told me she had “found out the hard way that email marketing doesn’t work in 2026″.

She asked me for my thoughts on why email is so ineffective. I said I’d share them here, as I’m sure some of you will find it useful.

Email marketing works

Email marketing does work. In fact, email marketing works extremely well. Better than ever, in fact.

Just ask any business owner who’s using it correctly. Whether it’s used for newsletters or promotions, the return on investment is off the charts.

Email marketing also works more predictably than any other form of marketing. And the tiny financial investment required makes it the most cost effective form of marketing, with the highest return.

Email marketing doesn’t work when…

What doesn’t work is ineffective email marketing. Just ask anyone who’s doing it incorrectly.

Here are just a few, very common examples of how small business owners get email marketing wrong.

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Image: Shutterstock.

  • A poorly written email won’t work. It will fail to motivate the reader to take action; to call you, email you, visit your website, make a purchase from you, whatever.
  • A professionally written email, sent to the wrong people, won’t work. It will fail to reach those with a want or need for your services.
  • A well written email, sent to the right people, with a dull subject line, won’t work. That’s because no one will open it. The subject line has to be compelling or no matter what your message is, it will literally be ignored.
  • A well written email, sent to the right people, with a compelling subject line, offering a generic product or service, won’t work. No one wants to switch to a service that’s no better then their current service.
  • A well written email, sent to the right people, with a compelling subject line, but sent on the wrong day of the week, won’t work. At least, it won’t be anything like as effective as it would be, if you research the best time of day and best day of the week, to send it.
  • Oh, and if you send your emails too often, or not often enough… that’s right, your email marketing won’t work.

You get the idea.

Here’s another reason why email marketing is so extremely valuable to you and your business. It’s the only form of digital marketing where you own your reach.

Social media followers, YouTube subscribers, LinkedIn networks etc., are not under your control. An overnight change to these algorithms can see your marketing reach just a tiny fraction of ‘your’ subs/followers/contacts. That’s because these platforms own your connection. And they can delete your account whenever they wish.

So, instead of telling yourself that email marketing doesn’t work, ask yourself why YOUR email marketing doesn’t work. Otherwise, you’ll needlessly miss out on one of the most powerful forms of marketing on the planet!

Why your subscribers aren’t hiring you (and how to fix it).

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subscribers to clients, sell subscribers, marketing

Hannah has almost 2000 newsletter subscribers. Her open rates are always over 80%.

And yet in 5 years, she’s attracted just 4 paying clients directly from her newsletter readership.

She asked me what she was doing wrong. I suggested, with her permission, that as this is a really common problem, I’d share my answer with you.

Marketing data can mislead you

We’re now able to test and measure our digital marketing with great precision. And it’s causing hard working small business owners to make very expensive marketing mistakes.

For example. Service providers like Hannah, often look at the data for their newsletter’s open rates, clicks or shares, then write certain styles of headline or content, based on what’s popular.

That seems to make sense.

Until we look at the massive difference, between what’s popular with readers… and what generates bankable income for our business.

The key point here is that readers are mostly just that. They’re readers. They read our free stuff. And that’s it. This is especially the case when you provide free business information. The vast majority of people who subscribe have no intention of spending a dime with us. They’re looking for free information. Period.

Oh yeah. It really messes with your marketing data

That’s because the free stuff crowd are also the people most likely to open newsletters and click links.

They especially love sensational headlines. They’re attracted to them because they dabble rather than hire expert help, so their businesses are constantly struggling. Over-hyped headlines give them hope that they’re one ‘killer free idea’ away from solving their latest problem.

It’s not a coincidence that none of the 4 readers who hired Hannah directly from her newsletter, had high open rates or click rates. They almost hired her in spite of being on her list. This is because our ‘prospective client readers’ behave very, very differently from the ‘free stuff readers’.

The same approach that gets opens and clicks from freebie readers, leaves our prospective clients rolling their eyes.

Allow me to explain.

Yes, our prospective clients are certainly looking for great, useful information. And that’s a fact.

The BIG difference, is that they are also looking to provide their businesses with the resources and expertise it needs. This means when they consume our newsletters, podcasts, YouTube videos, whatever, they do so with a prospective need for our services and are building a picture of us.

And unlike the freebie crowd, they’re looking for clues.

For example.

  • They’re looking to see how reliable we are over a period of time. They want to know if we regularly show up with ideas or go missing unexpectedly for long periods.
  • They’re also looking for clues as to whether we’d work well together or not.
  • They want to see if our communication style is consistently clear and easy to understand.
  • And they want to see the depth and breadth of our knowledge over a period of time.

Plus a ton of other things they pick up on, which guides their decision to hire us.

In a nutshell: Don’t chase the subscriber data that has little, if any, real-world commercial value. Focus instead on creating for your prospects.

Boost your sales in seconds

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Many important decisions your prospective customer or client make, are well on their way to being made within seconds.

Think about it.

  • Open an email and in seconds, you’ll decide if it’s important or an instant delete.
  • Read the title of an article or newsletter and in seconds, you’ll decide to read it or scroll past it.
  • Read the marketing messages of any company and in seconds, you’ll have a good idea if their product or service is suitable for you.
  • Enter any store and in seconds, you’ll get a feel for whether the place is likely to be expensive, inexpensive, thriving, quiet, independent, national chain, aimed at a certain age-range and so on.
  • Talk with a service provider and in seconds, you’ll start deciding if they’re professional or not.
  • Return a faulty product to a store, and in seconds you’ll know how helpful or accommodating they’re likely to be.

In the same way that you and I start to form our opinions within seconds, so do our prospects. That’s why we need to create a strong first impression.

Here’s a useful way to get started

Take some time to consider what you want your prospects to feel about your business, in order for them to buy from you or hire you. Universally, you will need prospects to feel they can trust you. Other feelings will vary depending on things like your industry, the type of prospects you seek to serve and the way you’ve positioned your business. For some of you that will be exciting, creative, cutting edge and dynamic. For others that will be safe, consistent, secure and established.

Then think of all the places where your prospects are likely to encounter you or your business. The places where initial opinions are formed in seconds. For example; on your website, at your premises, on your social media accounts, at a networking group, through an advertisement, on a webinar, at a conference or event, etc.

Make a list. Write it down.

At this point you know how you want your prospects to feel, and the places where they’re likely to encounter you.

It’s now time to check out how consistent your business/brand is with those feelings, in those places. Anything that’s inconsistent needs to be removed, or replaced with a consistent alternative. As you go through this process in each of the relevant places, you’ll make it easier and easier for prospects to choose your business. 

And remember, your prospects will form their initial impressions of you and your business, regardless. So, take control.

Help them to feel that you’re exactly what they’re looking for. The best fit. And the obvious choice.

Stop offering solutions

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The word ‘solutions‘ is one of the most damaging in marketing. Here’s why. Plus, how to stop it from losing you a fortune in lost sales.  

I need to stat with a quick question: What is the main reason someone should buy from you or hire you?

That’s a question, which many small businesses struggle to answer correctly. And it means they’re unable to provide their prospective customers or clients with a clear, compelling reason to buy from them, rather than a competitor. 

This is where the problem with solutions comes in.

The thing about solutions

The lack of a clear, compelling reason is why we see the word solutions used in small business marketing all the time, to describe what their business does.

Note – I’m only talking about when business owners use solutionsinstead of being specific. For example, when their marketing offers prospective customers.

  • HR solutions.
  • Email marketing solutions.
  • Cost effective solutions.
  • Training solutions.
  • Or “a range of solutions”, etc.

By using solutions, they’re telling us nothing. Their message is weak. There’s no reason for us to contact them. So, their marketing is largely ignored. And it loses them a fortune.

I don’t want that to happen to you, my friend. So, here’s a far more effective approach.

The alternative is to get specific

Determine the core value you bring to a prospective client. Then, communicate it with impact.

For example, instead of saying you, “offer a range of email marketing solutions”, get specific. Tell them, “We can help you increase sales and boost your profits, with professional, proven email marketing.”

Back in the 1980’s, business owners were advised to develop an elevator pitch. The idea was to create a compelling 5 or 10 second business introduction. Commerce today, online and offline, is like a series of elevator pitch-type interactions. Your prospective customers are busy. Really busy. They’re being bombarded with emails, calls, social network updates, text messages… it’s relentless.

They don’t have time for long or vague marketing messages. They want answers. Fast! That’s why a specific, brief and well-crafted message has never been more important or more effective.

So, get specific.

Look for the core reason why a prospective customer should hire you, rather than hire a competitor. Look for the tangible, measurable value your service offers. Then, communicate it in a compelling way.

You’ve grabbed your reader’s attention. Now what?

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You have grabbed your reader’s attention. Your next step is extremely important. Here’s what to do next, plus something you must avoid in order for your marketing to be effective.

Let’s go.

Getting the reader’s attention is the easy part. We can do that with a clickbait headline or an outrageous statement.

However, a marketing message needs to tell them something or sell them something. And it absolutely must be consistent with that headline or statement we used.

If not, we lose twice over.

  1. We’ll lose the sale.
  2. We’ll lose the reader and the chance to market to them again. They’ll remember that we used an inaccurate headline to trick them into opening that email or clicking that link. They’ll feel foolish. They’ll feel duped. They’ll remember for a long time.

It’s a terrible tactic with a limited lifespan. The longer a business owner uses it, the more prospective clients they will alienate. That means when we have something to share with them, which is well-written, which is worth their time, which is what they need, which is what they want… they won’t click on it or open it.

The solution

By all means, grab their attention. Just make damn sure that your message is of interest to them, that it’s consistent with your attention-grabbing headline or statement, and that it motivates them to take whatever action you require.

That way, you win twice over.

  1. You’ll win the sale.
  2. You’ll win the attention of the prospect, because you’ll have trained them that you’re worth taking notice of.

Now that’s a win-win situation worth striving for!

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This is the biggest lie in business. Don’t fall for it

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Are you tired of prospective clients or customers, who don’t get back to you when they say they will? If you are, here’s something you may find extremely useful. It’s all about the biggest lie in business.

Here’s the thing. Whenever a prospective client tells you they didn’t have the time to email you, return your call or consider your offer… they’re lying. 

They had the time

And you already knew this.

You already knew full well that:

  • They had the time to do all the business tasks, which they considered urgent or important.
  • They also had the time to do stuff that interested them. Like checking the news, texting a friend or sharing a funny TikTok video.
  • Oh, and they definitely had enough time to check their social media accounts. Over and over again.

What they lacked wasn’t time.

No.

What they lacked was motivation.

Specifically, they lacked the motivation to do whatever you requested. They just didn’t want to tell you. They thought they were being nice. The truth is that as far as they were concerned, your proposal, offer or whatever, just didn’t seem compelling enough to them. So, they didn’t consider it a priority. And that’s why it didn’t get done.

Okay Jim, how do I stop this from happening, and massively improve my results?

That’s a great question!

And here’s a pretty nifty answer.

Motivation, attraction and deadlines

To motivate your prospective clients and customers to take action, you need to do the following.

Make your offer as attractive as possible. Start by looking at what you’re asking your prospects to do and make it sound more captivating. More interesting. More inspiring. More compelling. Remember, motivation comes from the words Motive and Action. When the motive is high enough, the action follows. So, use all your creativity to make whatever you’re offering sound as compelling as possible.

Then, give them a deadline. Deadlines focus the mind. They create urgency, which is exactly what you need in order to motivate prospects to take action!

Note: Here’s an example of how to use deadlines.

Make no mistake, the most powerful way to motivate your prospective clients to take action, is to provide them with a highly compelling offer, which is attached to a deadline. Get it right and you’ll find the marketplace will make time for you.

You’ll also enjoy a dramatic improvement in your sales and marketing results.