{"id":870,"date":"2025-05-30T09:39:28","date_gmt":"2025-05-30T08:39:28","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/mingmingzi.com\/?p=870"},"modified":"2025-05-30T14:25:25","modified_gmt":"2025-05-30T13:25:25","slug":"email-marketing-101","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/mingmingzi.com\/index.php\/2025\/05\/30\/email-marketing-101\/","title":{"rendered":"Email Marketing 101"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<h5 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong><mark style=\"background-color:rgba(0, 0, 0, 0)\" class=\"has-inline-color has-ast-global-color-1-color\">So for email marketing, I initially built a custom coze agent for automatic email workflows. But after some time, I decided to transition to an existing solution because they offer more mature systems, integrated functions, and a one-stop approach. Through extensive research, I came across Instantly and have been building my email campaigns on their platform ever since.<\/mark><\/strong><\/h5>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-columns is-layout-flex wp-container-core-columns-is-layout-28f84493 wp-block-columns-is-layout-flex\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-column is-layout-flow wp-block-column-is-layout-flow\">\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"618\" src=\"https:\/\/mingmingzi.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/image-14-1024x618.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-871\" srcset=\"https:\/\/mingmingzi.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/image-14-1024x618.png 1024w, https:\/\/mingmingzi.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/image-14-300x181.png 300w, https:\/\/mingmingzi.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/image-14-768x464.png 768w, https:\/\/mingmingzi.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/image-14-1536x927.png 1536w, https:\/\/mingmingzi.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/image-14-2048x1236.png 2048w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">I later packaged the automatic email workflow into an agent.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-column is-layout-flow wp-block-column-is-layout-flow\">\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large is-resized\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"578\" src=\"https:\/\/mingmingzi.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/image-15-1024x578.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-875\" style=\"width:641px;height:auto\" srcset=\"https:\/\/mingmingzi.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/image-15-1024x578.png 1024w, https:\/\/mingmingzi.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/image-15-300x169.png 300w, https:\/\/mingmingzi.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/image-15-768x433.png 768w, https:\/\/mingmingzi.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/image-15-1536x867.png 1536w, https:\/\/mingmingzi.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/image-15-2048x1156.png 2048w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">The Instantly dashboard<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<h5 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>First step: set up your email account. There are numerous tutorials available, and it\u2019s critical to follow each step precisely\u2014missing a step can hurt email deliverability. Instantly has a pre-warm function, which is a game-changer: using a personal email often leads to frequent blocking (affecting personal use), and a brand-new corporate email might face reliability issues since it hasn\u2019t been validated by email providers. Instantly\u2019s warm-up feature handles this perfectly.<\/strong><\/h5>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-columns is-layout-flex wp-container-core-columns-is-layout-28f84493 wp-block-columns-is-layout-flex\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-column is-layout-flow wp-block-column-is-layout-flow\">\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image alignleft size-large is-resized\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"742\" src=\"https:\/\/mingmingzi.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/image-17-1024x742.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-883\" style=\"width:614px;height:auto\" srcset=\"https:\/\/mingmingzi.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/image-17-1024x742.png 1024w, https:\/\/mingmingzi.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/image-17-300x217.png 300w, https:\/\/mingmingzi.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/image-17-768x556.png 768w, https:\/\/mingmingzi.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/image-17.png 1488w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">The warm-up function from instantly<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-column is-layout-flow wp-block-column-is-layout-flow\">\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large is-resized\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"674\" src=\"https:\/\/mingmingzi.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/image-16-1024x674.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-879\" style=\"width:665px;height:auto\" srcset=\"https:\/\/mingmingzi.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/image-16-1024x674.png 1024w, https:\/\/mingmingzi.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/image-16-300x197.png 300w, https:\/\/mingmingzi.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/image-16-768x505.png 768w, https:\/\/mingmingzi.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/image-16-1536x1011.png 1536w, https:\/\/mingmingzi.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/image-16-2048x1347.png 2048w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">I recommend this step-by-step 101 tutorial<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<h5 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Next, move to campaign setup\u2014this is where the magic happens. I recommend tagging each campaign: for example, one tag for subject lines with dynamic variables, another for a general non-personal template (like &#8220;version two&#8221;). This lets you run A\/B tests across campaigns. Start by uploading leads (I typically import from a Google Sheet; authorization is straightforward), then customize variable types. For the email sending phase: define the subject line and HTML template. I use Claude Plus Cursor to build flyers, but remember to stick to email-compatible CSS\u2014fancy CSS might not work on Instantly (some email providers block complex formats). Always preview your email before sending! Also please run the email body through an LLM to scan for spammy text\u2014overusing spam triggers can get your corporate email blocked by providers like Microsoft (a major red flag).<\/strong><\/h5>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-columns is-layout-flex wp-container-core-columns-is-layout-28f84493 wp-block-columns-is-layout-flex\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-column is-layout-flow wp-block-column-is-layout-flow\">\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"433\" src=\"https:\/\/mingmingzi.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/image-19-1024x433.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-891\" srcset=\"https:\/\/mingmingzi.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/image-19-1024x433.png 1024w, https:\/\/mingmingzi.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/image-19-300x127.png 300w, https:\/\/mingmingzi.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/image-19-768x324.png 768w, https:\/\/mingmingzi.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/image-19-1536x649.png 1536w, https:\/\/mingmingzi.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/image-19-2048x865.png 2048w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">spammy text<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-column is-layout-flow wp-block-column-is-layout-flow\">\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"645\" src=\"https:\/\/mingmingzi.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/image-18-1024x645.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-887\" srcset=\"https:\/\/mingmingzi.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/image-18-1024x645.png 1024w, https:\/\/mingmingzi.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/image-18-300x189.png 300w, https:\/\/mingmingzi.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/image-18-768x483.png 768w, https:\/\/mingmingzi.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/image-18-1536x967.png 1536w, https:\/\/mingmingzi.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/image-18-2048x1289.png 2048w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">preview function<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-column is-layout-flow wp-block-column-is-layout-flow\">\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"637\" src=\"https:\/\/mingmingzi.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/image-21-1024x637.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-899\" srcset=\"https:\/\/mingmingzi.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/image-21-1024x637.png 1024w, https:\/\/mingmingzi.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/image-21-300x187.png 300w, https:\/\/mingmingzi.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/image-21-768x478.png 768w, https:\/\/mingmingzi.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/image-21-1536x956.png 1536w, https:\/\/mingmingzi.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/image-21-2048x1274.png 2048w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">another template I&#8217;ve been working on<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<h5 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Lastly, schedule your sends: set a minimum 5-minute gap between emails to avoid looking like a bot, cap daily send limits, and enable link tracking. This records open rates, click rates, and replies in real-time analytics\u2014super handy for monitoring performance. I also use UTM tracking (via a UTM link builder) and a Python script to clean leads, add unique user IDs (which allows me to later filter out bot traffic). With UTM tags embedded in links, you can pull data into Microsoft Clarity or Google Analytics to compare campaign performance and validate A\/B test assumptions.<\/strong><\/h5>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-columns is-layout-flex wp-container-core-columns-is-layout-28f84493 wp-block-columns-is-layout-flex\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-column is-layout-flow wp-block-column-is-layout-flow\">\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"643\" src=\"https:\/\/mingmingzi.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/image-22-1024x643.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-903\" srcset=\"https:\/\/mingmingzi.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/image-22-1024x643.png 1024w, https:\/\/mingmingzi.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/image-22-300x188.png 300w, https:\/\/mingmingzi.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/image-22-768x483.png 768w, https:\/\/mingmingzi.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/image-22-1536x965.png 1536w, https:\/\/mingmingzi.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/image-22-2048x1287.png 2048w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">clean data with python is so efficient!<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-column is-layout-flow wp-block-column-is-layout-flow\">\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"607\" src=\"https:\/\/mingmingzi.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/image-20-1024x607.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-895\" srcset=\"https:\/\/mingmingzi.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/image-20-1024x607.png 1024w, https:\/\/mingmingzi.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/image-20-300x178.png 300w, https:\/\/mingmingzi.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/image-20-768x455.png 768w, https:\/\/mingmingzi.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/image-20-1536x910.png 1536w, https:\/\/mingmingzi.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/image-20-2048x1214.png 2048w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">recommend this UTM tracker builder<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<h5 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Good luck with your campagin!<\/strong><\/h5>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>So for email marketing, I initially built a custom coze agent for automatic email workflows. But after some time, I decided to transition to an existing solution because they offer more mature systems, integrated functions, and a one-stop approach. Through extensive research, I came across Instantly and have been building my email campaigns on their &hellip;<\/p>\n<p class=\"read-more\"> <a class=\"\" href=\"https:\/\/mingmingzi.com\/index.php\/2025\/05\/30\/email-marketing-101\/\"> <span class=\"screen-reader-text\">Email Marketing 101<\/span> Read More &raquo;<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"","ast-site-content-layout":"","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"ast-content-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-870","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-blog"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/mingmingzi.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/870","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/mingmingzi.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/mingmingzi.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mingmingzi.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mingmingzi.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=870"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/mingmingzi.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/870\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":908,"href":"https:\/\/mingmingzi.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/870\/revisions\/908"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/mingmingzi.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=870"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mingmingzi.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=870"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mingmingzi.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=870"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}