Email open rates, engagement, and revenue are heading in the wrong direction for many businesses. The problem? Brands are struggling to build trust and authentic connections with their audiences. 

That’s why Four Rooms—a community of experts and entrepreneurs—assembled the Titans of Email for a recent webinar. The panel featured Jason Ferrara of Maropost, Kelsey Carstens of BAD Marketing, Liss Graham of LissT Management, and John Grimshaw of Smart Marketer.  

Collectively, these Titans have helped brands drive millions in revenue through email marketing. During the session, they covered: 

• The #1 strategy for turning email subscribers into loyal customers 

• How to leverage customer data to personalize campaigns & boost conversions 

• The biggest mistakes brands make in email marketing (and how to avoid them) 

Missed the live event? Watch the complete webinar recording here: 

If you’re short on time, here are the three proven strategies the Titans recommend to conquer email conversion. 

1. Test and optimize your email campaigns  

Liss Graham is trained as a scientist, so it makes sense that her primary recommendation is to test multiple messages for emails. She even used the word “hypothesis”!  

She recommends two actions for email sends (and don’t worry—you don’t need to be a scientist to sort them out). 

Always test your emails 

Run a “split” or A/B test before you send anything. Divide your list into two equal parts, then send one variant A and the other variant B. Your email service provider should make this easy for you. 

Pro tip: With Maropost Marketing Cloud, you can split your send into four variants for more detailed insights. 

The larger your list, the more you’ll learn from each test and incremental change. But remember Liss’s golden rule: only change one element at a time—whether it’s the headline, body copy, subject line, or CTA. Changing multiple components makes it impossible to know which produced the outcome. 

Use AI to improve email copy 

Modern AI tools can transform your email content’s effectiveness in seconds. Try these prompts: 

• “Make this email subject line more compelling while keeping it short” 

• “Rewrite this paragraph to sound more conversational and authentic” 

• “Suggest three alternative CTAs that create urgency without being pushy” 

Pro tip: Don’t paste what AI generates and hit send— review it for accuracy, readability, and human touch.  

Repeat the fine-tuning process until your email feels authentic and engaging—like something you’d read and click through.  

2. Embrace smarter audience segmentation 

Want to send fewer emails and make more money? BAD Marketing’s Kelsey Carstens says the secret’s not about more segments—it’s about smarter ones. 

Know your list inside out 

Who are your clients and prospects? Where do they naturally cluster? By product interest? By engagement level? By purchase history? The answers will help you craft email content with maximum impact. 

For example, let’s say one retailer discovered their “discount shoppers” segment actually contained two distinct groups—one motivated by scarcity and another by exclusivity. Creating separate messaging for each group could turbocharge campaign revenue. 

Uncover the Story Your Data is Telling 

What insights are hiding in your lists? Here’s how to reveal them: 

• Run summary statistics on your lists 

• Use eRFM reporting to uncover behavioral patterns 

• Engage financial analysts to identify valuable trends 

• Work with specialized agencies like Kelsey’s BAD Marketing team 

Use what you learn to personalize offers, refine existing segments, or create new ones. Your analysis should also clarify which criteria you should always, sometimes, or never exclude from a segment—helping you achieve what Kelsey calls the “Goldilocks Zone” of segmentation. 

3. Regularly audit your email campaign performance  

Most people shudder at the word “audit,” but Smart Marketer’s John Grimshaw embraces it. After reviewing over 50 email programs annually, he’s identified consistent opportunities for improvement that don’t involve the IRS. 

Common email marketing campaign weaknesses 

John’s audits consistently reveal three critical issues.

1. Poor list management 

Many companies let inactive subscribers linger too long, hurting deliverability and skewing metrics. Practice consistent list hygiene to keep your contacts up to date. 

2. Over-reliance on automation 

While automation is powerful, the “set it and forget it” mentality leads to stale content and lackluster response. That’s why you should regularly review and refresh your automated sequences. 

3. Lack of promotional content 

B2B companies tend to under-promote and should take a page from their B2C and D2C peers. Service-based businesses should consider offering:  

• Free consultations with genuine value 

• Limited-time service packages 

• Loyalty programs with meaningful benefits 

• Refer-a-friend incentives 

• Content that solves everyday problems 

Let go of your darlings 

An effective audit requires honesty. That beautifully crafted email series? If the data shows it’s underperforming, it’s time to revise or replace it. Acknowledging what isn’t working is crucial to refining your email strategy and achieving better results. 

Elevate your email campaigns—and unleash your inner titan 

Despite aggressive spam filters, evolving regulations, and deliverability challenges, email marketing remains one of the most potent channels.  

When implementing these Titan-approved strategies, paying attention to detail matters. Think about those you’re sending to and what they genuinely want to see. The era of one-size-fits-all mass email is long gone. 

By staying curious and continuously optimizing your approach, your email performance will reach new heights. Your subscribers will thank you with their attention, engagement, and, ultimately, their business. 

Ready to take your email marketing to the next level? Maropost Marketing Cloud helps fast-growing companies reach the right inboxes, boost sales, and build lasting customer relationships.  

See how our platform can support your improved email strategy—book a demo today.