In the email industry, we have a lot of terms we use regularly. Deliverability, Open Rate, Inbox, Subject Line, Friendly From, Call-to-Action, etc. For the most part, we all have a consistent shared definition of what these terms mean. But there is one commonly used email term where the definition can...

It’s not that inbox providers sit between brands and their subscribers, but rather that brands need to satisfy both their subscribers and inbox providers. Just like brands have their own goals and desires, so do subscribers and so do inbox providers. For example, subscribers want content that’s valuable to them, doesn’t...

I've come across lots of email A/B testing tools in my career. Some are good. Most don't deliver on the reasons why you test in the first place: to get meaningful insights you can use to learn more about your customers, improve your messaging, and spend your marketing budgets wisely. I...

In January, I attended the Email Summit 2025 in Odense. One topic kept surfacing in our conversations—email localization. Participants from various industries and countries, especially from the Scandinavian region, shared their experiences in localization. These countries are connected economically, but their different native languages make localization a challenge. I have noticed...

My last post for Only Influencers highlighted some predictions for new roles AI will create. In the corresponding OI Live session, Paul Shriner (yes, the legend himself!) asked if I would also explore this from a different angle— what human skills are irreplaceable? Well, good news, Paul. I have delivered. And...

Email marketing stands as one of the most powerful yet underappreciated tools in the modern marketing landscape. Despite boasting an impressive 42x ROI (or at least that was the number kicked around a few years ago), the industry faces a unique paradox: high demand for skilled professionals, but limited formal pathways...

Since Apple and others have started caching images this means some of the techniques that the likes of Movable Ink, NiftyImages, Zembula, Campaign Genius and Reignite (for disclosure that’s my platform) don't work in the same way as before. Does this mean this part of the industry is dead? Spoiler alert:...

The US’s decision to ban TikTok (although it was given a temporary 75-day reprieve) took businesses, content creators, and users by surprise. Despite the warnings, many believed it wouldn’t happen. The impact led some content creators and consumers to other platforms, some remained at a loss. With all this said, downtime,...

The time has come for brands to dust off their vendor evaluation playbooks because, in 2025, many will need to reconsider their ESP (Email Service Provider) partnerships. The seeds of this reckoning were sown back in 2020 when the COVID-19 lockdowns forced brands to hit the brakes on ESP RFPs, delaying...

As we look forward to the year ahead, it's crucial to acknowledge the unique challenges and responsibilities that come with being an email marketer. With over two decades of experience in the field and more recently, advising businesses, agencies, and professionals, I've seen firsthand the immense value email marketers deliver with...

Introduction Imagine this: you're deep into the process of selecting a new ESP (Email Service Provider). You've nailed down the must-have features, reviewed all the shiny tools, and your comparison scorecard is nearly complete. But here’s the kicker—the biggest difference between platforms often doesn’t make it onto that list. It’s the...

AI is reshaping our industry, but not always in the way you might expect. As Apple Intelligence and the evolving inbox technology transform how billions of readers interact with email, we're seeing a surprising twist: these advances are driving us back to marketing fundamentals. Discover how to adapt your content strategy...

When most marketers hear the word "AI," they immediately think of content creation — blog posts, email sequences, social media captions. You know, the stuff we’ve all been churning out for years. But let me stop you right there. The real power of AI? It’s not just in cranking out content....

Well, folks, we made it to a new year again. I wasn't sure that we would. Not that we would face another earth-shattering kaboom or see the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse riding over the hills. But it seems as if we've been in survival mode for so long I wouldn't...

We are all familiar with the experience. Pick your favorite online application: Netflix. Facebook. Amazon, or my personal go-to app - Spotify. They all use recommendation systems to enhance your personalized experience. Undoubtedly, you’ve been left staring at what feels like an endless loop of redundant content. Clicked that video about...

And… now for part 2, the top 10 posts published last year on the Only Influencers blog! Be sure to circle back to read part 1 if you missed it. What makes it a top post? Earning more than 2,000 views! Fewer than 25% of the posts published met that threshold...

One of my favorite things to do at the start of the year is to look back at the most popular posts from last year on the Only Influencers blog! Any post that got more than 2,000 views qualifies! But this is about more than bragging rights – all of these...

Picture this: it’s the Tuesday of Thanksgiving week, and I’m deep in the trenches, scheduling one of many emails set to go out between Thanksgiving and Cyber Monday. If you’re in email marketing, you know just how chaotic this time of year can be. The inbox is equally chaotic for consumers—a...

As email marketers, we’re focused on nurturing human relationships in our work. But sometimes we get so caught up in chasing trends and the latest AI model that we forget about the person in our strategies. In mid-October, my wife and I welcomed our second child into the world. Paternity leave...

As email marketing teams grow, their processes and flows become more complex and less efficient, and preparing email campaigns becomes more time-consuming. By expanding a team, one expects to have time to do more work—and not that the work will take longer. What are the ways to get better results in...