What is an Email Blast? And How to Nail It in 2023

Ammar Mazhar
Ammar Mazhar

Last updated on

April 4, 2023

Email blast has been around, as an email marketing strategy, since the world was introduced to the internet. That being said, email blast, or e-blast for short, is divisive. Some marketers love it, some hate it, and others feel cringe-worthy but still use it to get results. According to McKinsey & Company, large-scale email blasts have 17% more conversions than social media campaigns.

This love-hate relationship with email blast marketing has divided many marketers. Email blasts are an extremely effective marketing strategy. But some cons can deter marketers from using it.

So should you use email blasts as an email marketing strategy in today’s world? What are the pros and cons of e-blast? What practices can you incorporate if you have to use them to make your email blast campaign a success?  Before we dive into all that, let us get familiar with what email blast marketing is.

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What is an email blast?

An email blast is a generic email sent to an email list without any segmentation and without accommodating the various audience groups who might be interested in receiving such emails.

During the early days, there were almost no legal regulations for internet and email marketing. An email blast was the technique that marketers used to increase their sales. It wasn’t a two-way correspondence like now, but one-way traffic of spam emails.

As email marketing has matured over the years, email blasts are now replaced with more refined terms such as newsletters or email campaigns. And along with these new names, innovations have also come into the spotlight, thus paving the way for more personalized and better-segmented email blast campaigns.

What are email blasts used for?

Companies use email blasts to tell the arrival of new products, a limited time sale, or just general policy updates. The email blast intends to coerce the reader into doing something via a well-placed call to action button. This could be to subscribe to their newsletter,  see the review of their latest product, or lead customers to their eCommerce store.

The call to action button doesn’t have to be a “buy now” button. Instead, it can entice the recipient to read a blog post, review a recently purchased product, or watch a tutorial video to learn more about what they signed up for. Otherwise, if an email blast fails to coerce prospects into action, it wastes time.

Quip’s message regarding their limited edition electric toothbrush is an example of an email blast.

Quip's email blast

Do email blasts still work?

Email is 40% more effective at targeting and acquiring new customers than Facebook and Twitter, this point underscores the importance of emails as a communication tool. So yes! Email blasts still work. How? You may ask by segmenting the email lists and personalizing the messages.

What are the pros and cons of email blasts?

Now that you know about email blast and how it works, it is time to look at the pros and cons.

Pros of an email blast

Brand Recognition

The main aim of email blast marketing is to continuously reinforce a brand by sending emails from time to time. This is an effective way for marketers to make their brand recognizable across demographics without effort.

Favorable numbers

The sheer amount of subscribers that will receive the message is bound to increase the rate of conversions. Therefore, you can cast a wide net and see the conversion rate increase with an email burst.

Low cost

Email blast campaigns are extremely cost-effective. You don’t have to pay exorbitant money to send broadcasting emails.

Easy to share

An email burst is easy to share with both existing customers and prospects. With a single click, your entire email list will receive your message.

Easy to measure

Email blast campaigns are pretty easier to measure. With any good marketing analytics tool like Mailmunch, you can keep an eye on open, click, and click-through rates and ascertain how good or bad your email campaign is.

Cons of an email blast

Breaking the law

Marketers have to be careful about sending emails blasts in a particular country. For instance, sending commercial emails without the recipient’s permission is illegal. Legalities like these force brands to strategize and focus on segmented and targeted email blasts.

Unsegmented

Your email subscribers maybe are looking for a different product than the one you are trying to sell them Therefore, it is important to segment your email lists before sending the right email to your subscriber list.

Untargeted

According to Alloy, email blasts are a wasted opportunity for revenue generation if they aren’t targeted. Also, according to research, 5% of targeted emails were responsible for 32% of revenue generation in 2016. Therefore, you can devise a winning email marketing strategy by devising an email blast campaign based on user interests, product interactions, or their interests.

No personalized emails

Since email blasts send generic messages, most of them will be in the spam folder. We all like to receive personalized emails. Right? Personalized emails are less likely to go into the spam folder. Since email blasts send generic messages, most of them will be in the spam folder.

Unexpected emails

Broadcast emails are unexpected. Therefore, it can put off prospects as they don’t like to be communicated at odd times. Action-based emails are a better option in such situations.

Pros and cons of email blasts

How to send an email blast?

For creating effective email blast campaigns, there are a few things you have to consider.

Define your audience

Before broadcasting emails to prospects, it is crucial to know your audience. You should be well aware of what the audience expects from the emails and try to incorporate their needs into email content.

Choose a campaign goal

Define the campaign goal. Whether it is to nurture leads, conversion of prospects into sales, information regarding new products, or just to welcome the new subscribers. The defined goals for the email campaign will cause the desired reaction and action by the subscriber.

Ann Taylor’s email is a good example of an email campaign that has a defined goal of promoting its sale.

Ann Taylor campaign goal example

Select an email blast service

Choose an email blast service that helps you run defined email blast campaigns. With an effective email blast service, you can get an ROI of 4200% on your emails.

Segment and choose your email list

Segmented email campaigns enjoy an increased open rate of 39%. Moreover, 58% of revenue is generated by segmented and personalized emails. Therefore, it is crucial that, before initiating an email blast campaign, you should segment your email list carefully.

Design your email

A boring and text-heavy email will not help drive up conversions. Maintain a balance between text and images so that your emails don’t look generic and bland. Instead, they should look exciting and fun to read.

Run spam and delivery tests

Before sending your email blast, check the email copy for spam trigger words. Also, avoid adding too many images, for it can also initiate a spam response from your prospect's email client. Don’t forget to run delivery tests to ascertain whether your emails are reaching everyone on your email list or not.

Use personalized content

A personalized email goes a long way in establishing relationships and converting leads into sales. Marketers say that they saw an increase of 20% in revenue with personalized emails. Also, using the recipient’s name in the subject line increases the click rate by 26%.

Schedule email delivery

Your subscribers might be waiting for emails. Therefore, it is essential to schedule email delivery. Scheduling your email blasts can ensure that subscribers do not miss your emails and, subsequently, don’t get lost in their inboxes.

Provide a clear unsubscribe option

Provide your subscribers the option of how much they want to communicate with you. Your email copy should consist of a clear unsubscribe option, so if your subscribers wish to unsubscribe, they can do so easily.

Preview your email

After designing your email blast campaign, preview your emails so that they don’t miss a thing. After the previewing, just hit send.

How to send an email blast

Tips to improve your email blasts

Step up your email newsletter design game

Email newsletters need to have attention-grabbing designs that compel subscribers to read them thoroughly. Therefore, if you want your email blast campaigns to bear fruit, you need to step up your email newsletter design game. Here’s how you can do it:

Get a designer to help you

Professional designers can help you craft a stunning and highly engaging newsletter design. Just tell them what kind of a brand you are and what kind of email campaigns you want to run.

Find a ready email blast template

A ready-made email template equally gets the job done. But you have to choose a consistent template with your campaign’s message carefully. Mailmunch can help you here!

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Use an email designer tool

An email designer tool gives you the ease and convenience of designing your email template without relying on a specialist designer. You can craft email templates that are unique to your campaigns.

Find out the best time to send an email blast

The best time to send emails is early in the morning or late during a working day. Moreover, emails sent on Tuesday and Thursday enjoy a higher open rate.

Related Guide:Learn more about the best day and time to send emails

Create a consistent email copy

Your email copy should be unique, compelling to read, and, most importantly, consistent with the campaign you're running. Personalize your email copy with an enticing subject line, and use your prospect's name in the subject line to make your email stand out in their inbox.

Use the power of personalization

Personalize your email copy with an enticing subject line, and use your prospect's name in the subject line to make your email stand out like a sore thumb in their inbox.

Keep an eye on your metrics and performance

Marketing analytics is important to ascertain how your campaigns are going. Thus, after you send your email blast, analyze the incoming metrics and determine how your emails are performing. This way, you can devise strategies for future campaigns effectively.

Tips to improve your email blasts

4 Types of email blasts (with examples)

Flash sale

Loft’s flash sale email campaign is an excellent example of email blast marketing. The email highlights all the essential points of the flash sale, like free shipping on purchases of above $125. Also, links to social media handles and clear unsubscribe options are provided.

Flash sale examples

Webinar

Webinars or web conferencing is a term used to describe online conferencing and various webcasts, and web meetings.

Sprout Social keeps the email copy concise and to the point. Also, the CTA is placed at just the right place for interested people to continue. Also, the use of logos aids in understanding the content better.

Webinar example

New products

Are you struggling to find ways to announce your new product? Then take a look at Havenly’s email for inspiration. A simplistic design with equally simple messaging.

New products announcement example

Newsletter

A newsletter is a tool used by businesses to share relevant information with their customers.

Munchery newsletter is a fine example of using email blast marketing to your advantage. The newsletter highlights all the features of their service and the CTA.

Newsletter example

How often should you send an email blast?

Initially, you should send your emails twice a month. After you succeed in nurturing the lead,  increase the frequency of your emails and send them on a weekly basis. If you have great content to offer, like promotional offers, newsletters, etc., you can send an email twice or thrice a week.

How can Mailmunch help you with email blasts?

Broadcasting emails (an email blast) is a simple and effective way to send your emails to a large audience without employing many resources. In this regard, Mailmunch can help you. Mailmunch is a complete email marketing tool that offers marketing automation and lead generation.

With Mailmunch, you can effectively run your email blast marketing campaigns and use our sophisticated marketing analytics to measure results on the go.

To blast or not to blast?

The unsegmented & untargeted approach of email blasts can prevent many marketers from using this technique. But the large audience you can reach and the affordable nature of email blasts also make them an alluring prospect to many marketers.

So? Should you use email blast marketing for your brand? By personalizing your emails, segmenting your email list, and creating a unique, eye-catching, and consistent email copy, you can use an email blast for all your email marketing needs.

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Frequently asked questions

How to send an email blast in outlook?

Open Outlook and click the “New E-mail” button. Click “To” button and add an address book. Afterward, add the recipients by holding down the “Ctrl” button in your list.

How can I email blast for free?

Use a free email marketing tool to email blast for free. Mailmunch is an email marketing tool that offers a free version of its services.

Are email blasts a type of spam?

If the recipients aren’t segmented and dealt with strategically, email blasts are considered spam by many email clients.

What is a good open rate for email blasts?

A 17% to 28%  are considered good open rates for email blasts.

Author Bio

Ammar Mazhar

A voracious reader and a music lover, Ammar has been writing engaging and informative content for over 3 years for B2B and B2C markets. With a knack for writing SEO-optimized content, Ammar ensures the results speak for themselves.

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