How to Use Email Marketing to Make Sales

If you’ve ever found yourself thinking, “I’m sending newsletters, I’ve got a lead magnet, I’m showing up on socials—why isn’t this converting?”—you’re not alone.

Most business owners are doing what they’ve been told:

• Grow an email list

• Send consistent content

• Build relationships

…yet sales still feel inconsistent, unpredictable, or totally missing.

I recently had Kennedy from Email Marketing Heroes on my podcast. He's an email marketing expert who’s helped thousands of entrepreneurs turn their email lists into reliable, scalable sales systems. What stood out was how much of what we think matters in email… really doesn’t.

Building a List Isn’t the Goal

Here’s the truth: building an email list is only the beginning. If you don’t have a system that converts subscribers into buyers, your list becomes just another vanity metric. You don’t need tens of thousands of people. You need the right people, and a structure that moves them from interest to action. To simplify your business (and get better results), focus on just three areas:

1. Build your audience – Use visibility platforms to get discovered.

2. Convert your audience – Use email to turn subscribers into buyers.

3. Serve your customers – Deliver your offer and support them deeply.

By automating the conversion piece, you remove a major mental load—and create consistent income with fewer moving parts.

Create Your “Sales Machine”

Imagine if every new subscriber entered a system that:

• Built trust automatically

• Delivered value consistently

• And nudged them toward the next step—whether that’s booking a call, joining your program, or buying your product

That’s what a strong email strategy does. It acts like a behind-the-scenes sales machine that runs while you sleep, travel, or focus on your clients.

How Often Should You Email?

This might sound surprising—but if you want stronger results, start emailing at least three times a week.

Why?

• Staying top of mind builds trust.

• It improves deliverability and open rates.

• You train your list to expect and engage with your content.

The key is not to make it harder on yourself with long, polished newsletters. Instead, send simple, relatable emails that feel personal and easy to read. To write consistent, effective emails, use this framework:

Story → Lesson → Offer

• Story: Share a small, everyday moment from your life or work.

• Lesson: Tie it to something your audience needs to hear or understand.

• Offer: Invite them to take an action (buy, sign up, reply, click).

This format keeps your emails relevant, engaging, and sales-friendly—without being pushy.

Using AI in Your Emails

If writing feels like a hurdle, yes—you can use tools like ChatGPT to help. But don’t rely on it blindly.

Start by creating your email framework. Then use AI to generate a first draft, which you can edit and personalize. That way, your voice and strategy stay intact, but the process becomes faster and lighter.

Warming a Cold List

You don’t need to panic—or start over. Instead, send what we call a “reintroduction email.”

Let your subscribers know you’ve been quiet, share what’s coming next, and give them the option to unsubscribe if it’s no longer a fit. This builds trust, resets the relationship, and helps your deliverability long-term.

If you’re not seeing the results you want from your email list, it doesn’t mean email doesn’t work. It just means your system isn’t working yet. This is one of the most underutilized, misunderstood tools in the online business world. But when you use it intentionally, email becomes your most powerful—and most freeing—sales asset.

Want to dive deeper into how to build your own sales machine? Listen to the full podcast episode to hear the full conversation and practical tips you can start using today.