Some swear by it, and some swear at it, but we can all agree that email blasting is a marketing activity that is not going anywhere in the near future. So the best approach to dealing with these mixed feelings is to understand how to make an effective email blast.
Email marketing is an effective way to reach a large audience, nurture leads, and drive conversions for your business One popular email marketing strategy is sending email blasts – also known as mass emails or bulk emails. But what exactly is an email blast, and how can you use it effectively?
In this comprehensive guide, we’ll cover everything you need to know about email blasts, including:
- What is an Email Blast?
- How Email Blasts Work
- Benefits of Email Blasts
- Email Blast vs. Newsletter
- Examples of Effective Email Blasts
- How to Send an Email Blast
- Building Your Email List
- Creating Engaging Content
- Using Email Marketing Software
- Avoiding Spam Filters
- Measuring Results
What is an Email Blast?
An email blast is a mass email sent to a list of subscribers at once. The goal is to get a message out to your entire audience in one blast.
Email blasts are often used for
- Promotions and deals
- Product updates
- Event invitations
- Surveys
- Company news
- Holiday greetings
Unlike regular email campaigns, blasts are focused on a single message and driving a specific action. They allow you to quickly broadcast important information to all of your contacts.
How Email Blasts Work
When sending a regular email, you choose each recipient individually. But with an email blast, you send one email that reaches every subscriber on your list at the same time.
Here’s a simple breakdown of how email blasts work:
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You create an email with your announcement or promotion.
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You upload your contact list to your email service provider.
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You press “send” to blast your message to everyone on your list instantly.
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Your email service delivers the blast to every subscriber’s inbox.
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Recipients open the email and take action (make a purchase, RSVP to an event, etc).
So in just a few clicks, your important message can reach thousands of people. This makes email blasting one of the fastest ways to get in front of a large audience.
Benefits of Email Blasts
There are many advantages that make email blasts a popular marketing tactic:
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Reach a large audience instantly: Send your message to thousands with just one broadcast.
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Drive traffic and conversions: Entice people to visit your site, make a purchase, sign up for a webinar, etc.
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Build brand awareness: Keep your business top of mind with announcements and updates.
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Low cost: Email is one of the most budget-friendly marketing channels per lead generated.
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Easy to measure: Track open rates, clicks, conversions, and more to optimize your efforts.
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Flexibility: Send blasts as frequently as needed to share timely info.
When used strategically, email blasting can be extremely effective for both B2C and B2B companies. The key is providing value to subscribers so your broadcasts are welcome rather than annoying.
Email Blast vs. Newsletter
How is a blast email different than a newsletter? While they have some similarities, they serve different purposes.
| Email Blast | Newsletter |
|---|---|
| One-off email focused on a single call-to-action | Recurring email series (weekly, monthly, etc) |
| Typically promotional | Often educational content and updates |
| Drives direct action | Builds long-term relationships |
| Sent as-needed | Scheduled send intervals |
| Broad audience | Segmented subscriber groups |
As you can see, blasts are specialized for announcements and triggering conversions. Newsletters take a more nurturing approach to engage subscribers over time.
Many businesses use both blasts and newsletters as part of their overall email marketing strategy. Just be sure your blasts add value for recipients, rather than simply promotional noise.
Examples of Effective Email Blasts
To help inspire your own email blast strategy, let’s look at some great real-world examples.
Promotional Email Blast
This flash sale email blast from Everlane does an excellent job capturing attention. The large image and countdown timer creates urgency. The clear call-to-action copy entices people to shop the deals before time runs out.
Event Invitation Email Blast
Here’s a nice example of an event invitation blast. The eye-catching hero graphic sets the tone. Key details are called out like date, time, location. And the prominent “RSVP” button makes it easy for people to register.
![Event invitation email blast][image2]
Company News Email Blast
For sharing internal news and updates, a simple email blast layout like this one can work nicely. The straightforward formatting helps the important company announcement stand out.
![Company news email blast][image3]
These are just a sampling of effective email blast examples. The key is making the value proposition obvious to subscribers at a glance.
Now let’s look at best practices for creating your own highly clickable blasts.
How to Send an Email Blast
Follow these tips when sending your own email blasts:
1. Build Your Subscriber List
Having a solid email list is the foundation of any email blast campaign. There are two main ways to build your list:
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Organically: Encourage people to opt-in through website signup forms, social media, and other channels. Offer a compelling lead magnet like a discount or free resource.
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Purchasing: You can buy email lists from third-party list brokers. However, quality and ethics vary significantly. Many prefer organic list building.
Growing your list takes continual nurturing. Use website pop-ups, social promotions, and other tactics to expand your subscriber base.
You should also segment your lists based on demographics, interests, and other attributes relevant to your business. This allows you to target email blasts more effectively.
2. Create Engaging Content
With email blasts, you want to grab attention fast. Follow these tips:
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Catchy subject: Use emotional triggers like “Exclusive Deal” or “Last Chance.”
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Personalization: Address contacts by first name for a more customized feel.
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Strong imagery: Use enticing photos, graphics, logos and colors.
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Clear CTA: Prominently display a call-to-action button or hyperlink.
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Concise copy: Get to the point quickly. Avoid lengthy paragraphs.
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Mobile optimization: Design your blasts to look great on small screens.
Remember, your goal is to provide value to subscribers and convey a relevant, compelling message. Avoid coming across as overly promotional or spammy.
3. Use Email Marketing Software
The best way to manage and send email blasts is using an email service provider (ESP). Options like Mailchimp, Constant Contact, and SendinBlue make it easy.
Key features to look for include:
- Contact management
- Segmentation and targeting
- Templates and drag-and-drop design
- Automation
- Reports and analytics
- Deliverability optimization
With the right software, you can set up beautiful, professional email blasts in just a few minutes.
4. Avoid Spam Filters
One risk of email blasts is having your message flagged as spam. To avoid this:
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Comply with CAN-SPAM regulations: Include opt-out links, sender info, and all required components.
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Limit frequency: Don’t bombard people with too many blasts.
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Ensure high deliverability: Use reputable ESPs with good sender reputations.
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Personalize content: Segment and customize your blasts to increase relevancy.
Deliverability should be a top priority. Work with expert ESPs who focus on optimal inbox placement.
5. Measure Results
Leverage the reporting capabilities in your ESP to see how your blasts perform. Key metrics include:
- Open rate: Percentage of recipients who opened the email
- Click-through rate (CTR): Percentage who clicked links or buttons
- Bounce rate: Percentage of emails bounced or marked as spam
- Unsubscribes: Number of people who opted out after receiving
Use this data to refine your email blast approach for better results over time. Test different subject lines, content, designs, timing, and segments.
Get Started with Email Blasts
Now that you know what an email blast is and how to create effective blasts, you can add this strategy to your marketing mix.
Remember, the convenience of mass email comes with responsibility. Always provide value, respect your audience, and comply with anti-spam regulations.
Used thoughtfully, email blasting can help you reach goals like:
- Driving more website traffic
- Generating more leads
- Increasing brand awareness
- Growing revenue
With a well-executed email blast strategy, you can keep your business thriving and engage your audience in new ways.
Email blast vs. Email campaign
If you’re new to the world of bulk email sending, you might think we’re talking about an email campaign and, for some weird reason, are being fancy by calling it a “blast”… So let’s differentiate the two. An email campaign is a series of strategic emails sent to a targeted group of recipients over a specific period. These emails aim to nurture the relationship with the recipient, get some brand awareness through constant contact, and in the end, secure a sale. The main objective of an email blast is to reach as many people as possible with a single email message creating a broad impact and not needing to follow up.
Both have their place in a comprehensive email marketing strategy but have different goals.
What is an email blast?
In the simplest form, an email blast (e-blasts) is a mass email sent to many recipients at once. This is often some promotional offer or any other marketing-related email a business sends to its subscribers. However, it’s not always exclusively for digital marketing purposes. It can be a product update or a policy change, like that recent email from Netflix letting everyone know that the “password-sharing habit” has to come to an end. Email blasting has been around pretty much as long as emails themselves. However, over time e-blasts evolved into more specific terms like email newsletters, broadcast email, and other types of email names.
What is Email Blast? How to send an Email Blast in the right way?
Should you use email blasts or email marketing campaigns?
That’d make your emails targeted – the opposite of email blasts. There are other better terms that you can use, like email marketing campaigns, newsletters, and broadcasts. So pick one of them and ditch terms like email blasts or email blast campaigns immediately. To launch an email marketing campaign, you’ll need a reliable email service provider.
What are email blasts?
Email blasts are also known as broadcast emails, mass emails, bulk emails, e-blasts, and email campaigns. Email blasts are mainly used for sending promotional content and newsletters. At WPBeginner, we use email blasts to share helpful tutorials with our subscribers. Brands often send email blasts to promote their products, giveaways, and more.
What is a mass email?
Mass emails (or email blasts) is the strategy of sending a single email to a large distribution list simultaneously. There’s little strategy involved—no personalization or segmented lists—so, often, the email falls on deaf ears and is ineffective.
When should you send an email blast?
You can send an email blast when you launch a new product. It’s best to segment your list into already purchased customers and new subscribers so that you can send different campaigns to them. 4. Newsletters Newsletters are the most common type of broadcast email.
