Choosing an email marketing tool? This guide covers must-have email marketing features for authors and writers to help you grow your list and your career.
Breaking It Down: the Must-Have Email Features for Writers
If you’re an author looking to grow your audience and stay connected with your readers, email marketing is one of the most effective tools at your disposal. But with so many platforms out there—where each one offers a different mix of features and price points—it can be overwhelming to choose the “right” one. You need something easy to use, doesn’t break the bank, and offers enough flexibility to grow with your career.
As someone who’s used over 10 different email marketing platforms for both personal and professional use, I’ve seen the good, the bad, and the downright frustrating. So, when I started to get serious about building an email list, I had a good idea of what I was looking for. I know a lot of the shortcomings or limitations of the different tools. I know the tricks to get things to work.
In this post, I will share what I consider to be the must-have features in an email marketing platform so you can choose the best fit for your needs and then stay focused on what you do best—writing.
Why Email Marketing Matters for Authors
If you don’t already use an email marketing tool, I want to emphasize why email marketing is important. Your email list is the best way to build and nurture your reader base.
Yes, this is something that you can do on social media, but your email list is something that you fully own. It offers you the opportunity to create deeper connections beyond what your social media may offer.
Emailing your subscriber list is the best way to communicate things happening in your author universe. You can share about any new releases, promote in-person events, and keep in touch in a way that lands in the inboxes of people who want to see it. Instead of just praying that the social media gods get it in front of the right people.
I want to emphasize that because you own your email list, no matter what happens on social media – if you lose access to an account or if the algorithm changes – you still have access to the people who want to hear from you.
Now, let’s dive into the features that will be the most useful when you start to email your subscriber list.
My Non-Negotiable Features in an Email Marketing Tool
When choosing an email marketing tool, some features are non-negotiable in any email marketing tool I use. And after trying so many different tools? I want to share the things that I find the most important.
Scheduled Email Sends
This feature gives you the ability to schedule when your emails are sent. You prepare the emails beforehand – you can even batch-write them – and then schedule to send them out on a designated day and time. This ensures that you won’t miss any of the emails that you’re trying to send.
Multiple Landing Pages / Webpages
Having the option to create multiple landing pages or web pages gives you flexibility. Personally, I designed my first webpage as my author page. I customized it to what I wanted and hosted all of my important information there.
While some people don’t need multiple pages, it’s good to have the option for any special promotions you may want. Then you can share the link to those pages, whether it’s reader magnets and exclusive content or you have different pen names or genres that you write in. This will allow you to host everything within this one tool instead of managing (and paying) for multiple accounts.
Automation for Multiple Sequences
The next thing is to be able to create automation sequences.
At a minimum, you want to have one automation set up so that when people sign up for something – whether it’s your list in general or a specific freebie offer – you don’t have to manually process what happens next.
That means that when someone submits the form on your site, you’ve set up the function of what happens next. After they hit submit, your automation sends them an email from you with a welcome or with the freebie they signed up for.
Having the option to have multiple automations gives you a lot more flexibility. My preference is to have that flexibility so that I can have options. I can choose to welcome someone who joins my list. I can choose to offer multiple freebies. I have additional functionality based on what I’m doing with my email list.
The key consideration here is what kind of flexibility you have and what you are paying for that flexibility. Flexibility can give you room to grow and decide what you want things to be in the future without having to change the software you use.
In general, the automation functionality saves time on your part, so you don’t have to do these actions manually, and it helps to build engagement with the people on your list.
Tagging and/or Segmenting
The simplest purpose of using tags and segmenting in an email marketing tool is to ensure you send the right message to the right reader. You can do this because of how you tag and/or segment them.
There are different ways to do this; choosing what works best for you will help you stay most consistent. But the important thing to remember is that you want to use tagging and/or segmenting so that you understand why people are on your list, how they joined, and what they’re interested in. It helps you manage subscribers without creating list chaos. Take advantage of the automations to action these functions rather than just manually sorting through people.
Ease of Use
One of the most important pieces of an email marketing platform is knowing that it’s easy to use and has a low learning curve. I don’t want to log in and have zero idea where I’m supposed to go for things. I don’t want to click 10 times to find what I’m looking for.
Along with a program that’s easy to learn and use, knowing that there are solid tutorials makes a big difference. I want this to be an easy-to-use tool, not something that requires an exorbitant amount of work from me. My tools are meant to save me time.
Affordability (Especially at Upgrade Time)
One of the most important pieces on my non-negotiable list is affordability, especially when it’s time to upgrade.
There are several different platforms that offer free plans. All free plans have some restrictions. It’s about understanding what those restrictions mean for you and your growing list.
What we’re looking for here is a free-to-start and reasonable-to-grow product. Now, “reasonable” is subjective to people. Some people may think anything other than free is unrealistic for them. Other people may be open to spending $100 or more a month.
But I understand that for the majority of people, every dollar counts.
There are a lot of wonderful free email marketing products out there. I caution you to understand what investment is needed whenever upgrading – whether by choice or need.
Most platforms require an upgrade when you’ve reached a certain number of subscribers, whether or not you’re trying to use the paid version tools. That means that as your subscriber list grows, you have to pay for your subscription.
There are email marketing tools that don’t have limitations to subscriber numbers and others where you pay based on the number of subscribers. You have to choose the option that’s best for you.
The tools with no subscriber limitation often do not offer a free plan, so you have to start your financial investment initially. But that means you know exactly how much you’re paying for your tool every month, no matter how big you grow your list of subscribers.
There are options for any budget, so decide what your budget is for this tool when you start exploring.
TLDR: Balance Functionality vs. Simplicity
What I want to emphasize is that there is an email marketing tool that works for your writing life and your author career.
When you’re investigating whether a product is the right fit for you, I want you to consider:
- If it can send scheduled emails
- How many landing page or webpage options you’re allowed to have
- How many automations you’re allowed to have and how many steps they can be
- What tagging and segmenting functionality there is
- How easy it is to use and what the resources are for users to learn how to use the program
- The cost – remember that the price is both a now-cost and a future-cost to consider how your subscriber list may grow in the future
If you want to read more about why I personally use and recommend MailerLite, you can read this article here.
If you have any questions as you explore tools to find the right option, don’t hesitate to reach out. You can contact me here.
