Who it works for
- Businesses with repeat customers: restaurants, bars, salons, shops, gyms, venues.
- Businesses with long decisions: a monthly note keeps you in mind until someone is ready.
- Less useful for one-time emergency services, where Google matters more.
What to send
- What’s new or coming up: events, specials, new services, seasonal hours.
- Something useful: a tip, a checklist, an answer to a common question.
- One clear action per email.
- Short. Most people read on a phone.
The rules
- Only email people who asked. Signed up on your site, at the counter, or are customers who expect to hear from you. Never buy a list.
- CAN-SPAM, the federal law: no misleading subject lines or sender names, your physical mailing address in every marketing email, and a working way to unsubscribe that you honor within ten business days.
- One-click unsubscribe: Google and Yahoo require it from bulk senders, and every reputable newsletter tool includes it.
- Authenticate your sending: set up SPF and DKIM for the newsletter tool on your domain, and DMARC. Our DMARC guide covers it.
Growing the list
- A sign-up form on your website, with a clear reason to join.
- A QR code at the counter or on receipts.
- Asking at checkout or booking, with a box they tick themselves.
Written by Nikita Huttenlocher, founder and lead engineer at Huttenlocher Technologies, a web design and software company in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina.