How to Create Engaging Email Campaigns Without Turning Into Another Inbox Ghost

byJDenesovych

876 followers

21 hrs ago

I’ve been paying closer attention to email lately, mostly because I finally have enough real data from my own builds to feel a bit uncomfortable in a good way. Inside my 0 to 100 project, email is currently tied to two things. Delivering the free blueprints and handling Brand Forge intake forms. Between those entry points I’ve captured 23 leads so far. They flow through Contact Form 7 into Brevo, so technically the system works.

What hasn’t been built properly yet is the relationship layer.

That became obvious when I looked at the numbers. Out of those 23 people, only one signed up for the WA starter account and none moved beyond that. I also sent manual follow-up emails after blueprint requests, just simple human check-ins, and I haven’t received a single reply yet. I don’t see that as failure. I see it as feedback.

It forced me to stop thinking about email as a tool problem and start thinking about expectations. Engagement doesn’t start when you hit send. It starts the moment someone decides to trust you with their email address. If that first interaction feels transactional, the entire sequence carries that tone forward.

I know this from the other side too. I unsubscribe from lists constantly. The ones that land in my promotions tab with generic openers like “Hello, my name is Leo” and vague offers to “improve your store performance” get deleted immediately. I’ve seen thousands of those messages. They don’t feel human and one reply usually leads to nonstop follow-ups.

At the same time, I stay subscribed to one brand because it actually aligns with our future plans and sends real updates and useful offers. That contrast has made me rethink how I want my own emails to feel.

I’ve also learned the hard way. Early on with one of my stores, I pushed a promo code in the very first email. I lost five subscribers almost instantly. That moment stuck with me because it made it obvious how fragile trust is at the beginning of any relationship.

Lately I’ve been shifting toward a different approach. Relationship first, monetization later. More onboarding and expectation setting, less broadcasting. Writing emails more like I’m catching someone up on what I’m building rather than trying to move them into a funnel step as fast as possible. Even the few test emails I’ve sent recently have been more story based than promotional. The open rates are still low, and that’s fine. It tells me I need to improve connection, not increase volume.

The biggest friction point right now is simple discipline. Getting Brevo fully configured and running proper campaigns instead of letting email sit on the back burner. It’s one of those tasks that doesn’t feel urgent day to day, but it’s foundational if this is going to turn into a real system.

Email is infrastructure. Not a bonus channel you add later.

I’m rebuilding this part of my setup inside the 0 to 100 project and documenting it as I go.

I’m curious how others here see this. When someone joins your list, are you trying to close them right away, or are you focused on earning their trust first?