You already know email marketing works. You’ve seen it — the replies, the clicks, the clients who say they’ve been following along for months before they ever reached out. Email is not the question.
The question is how to keep sending when “email my list” is one item on a to-do list that has approximately one bajillion other things on it — and some of those things are very important, very loud, and very much competing for the same brain space.
This episode meets you there. In the season where you’re juggling everything, trying not to drop the things that matter most, and email is one of the balls that might bounce a few times before you catch it again.
These five ideas are quick to pull off, require very little mental energy to execute, and will keep your list warm and your business moving — even when capacity is low. Your business, your people, and your brain will thank you.
In this episode we get into:
- Why your emails don’t have to be profound, polished, or perfectly timed to do their job
- Five email ideas that are quick to pull off and require very little mental energy to execute
- The smartest low-lift email strategy that takes 15 minutes or less
- Why repurposing content you’re already creating is one of the most underused email marketing tips out there
- The one type of email you should never force — and what to do instead
- Why consistency of energy matters more than consistency of cadence
- How Human Design changes what’s possible even in your lowest-capacity seasons
Get it the free Energy Type Email Playbook.
Go deeper with the digital resource: Your Emails, Your Way.
It’s the practical starting point for building email content that feels good to create and sounds like you.
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More About Own Your Mark
There’s a version of your business that feels easy and exciting. Where clients come in, refer others, and come back on repeat. Yes, that version really exists.
Own Your Mark will change the way you think and talk about your business.
This show delivers strategic conversations around Human design for business, email marketing strategy, email sequences, email funnels, aligned messaging, content that converts, sales launches, and your business’s entire communication ecosystem.
Because ease is not about lack of effort. Ease is a result of operating your business the way you’re meant to. When effort is compounded, alignment leads to growth, not burnout.
Breanna Owen is an email, marketing, communications strategist, copywriter, Human Design guide, and creator of Email Energetics (how your energy travels through your words and emails), with 15+ years in sales and copy across fashion, mortgage, coaching, photography, and more.
Own Your Mark is the space where Breanna brings practical, soul-aligned strategy for entrepreneurs who are ready to own their voice, their design, and their results.
Expect solo strategy episodes and live HD applications with guests who make it tangible.
If you’re tired of sending emails that go nowhere, copying strategies that feel completely off, or wondering why your marketing works “good enough” but never quite lands the way it should, this show will help you stop guessing and start building with the blueprint that’s been yours all along.
I’ll cover questions like:
- How do I make my emails sound more like me?
- How do I use Human Design in my marketing and messaging?
- Why are my emails not converting even when I’m doing everything right?
- What email sequences and funnels does my business need?
- How do I build an email list and keep my audience engaged?
- What does selling in email look like when it’s aligned?
- How can I stop marketing like everyone else and start showing up as myself?
- What does Human Design change about how I sell and communicate?
Blending in doesn’t do you any favors. Especially when you have the opportunity to build a marketing system that sounds like you, sells for you, and scales with you.
Introduction: The Emergency Frozen Pizza Analogy
Breanna Owen (00:29) I have a friend, Elyse, shout out to the Savvy Sagittarius, who often talks about having an emergency frozen pizza on hand for those nights when, for whatever reason, you don’t have the time or the energy to cook a full dinner, but you still need to eat and feed your family. And maybe you’re trying to save your budget too, so you don’t really want to order in or eat out.
No, this episode is not about meal planning or even budgeting. It is about getting a better ROI on your emails. But the first rule of getting better ROI on your emails is to send the dang emails. And just like in life, when things come up and you don’t always have time or energy to cook a full meal, that frozen emergency pizza really comes in clutch. As business owners, sometimes things come up for us and for whatever reason, we don’t have the time or the energy to send an email to our list. We need an emergency email tucked away to help keep the family fed.
Maybe you’ve got kids, but even if you don’t, I know your life is full and you’ve got things going on for yourself. I happen to be recording this episode in May, which somehow was worse than December when it comes to busyness, but save this episode and come back to it during any season in your business or life where you feel like, I am just too busy to send an email right now.
Cause let me tell you, the number of music concerts and sports ball games and not to mention the 26 — why, how and why would we have 26 dress up days going into the end of the year for my sweet kindergartner? We just had Mother’s Day, which — by the way, if you didn’t see the most special series of events, which includes me telling my husband that the gift he got me was dumb and stupid, and then I proceeded to just sob and wipe my tears on my grandpa’s pant legs — that is saved in a highlight on my Instagram, @ownyourmark. You’re gonna wanna go watch it, all of the feels.
That’s not my point. My point is even in May, even with the concerts and the games and the dress-up days and the holidays, even with all of that, it is still important to be sending our emails. So if you’re sitting there pushing “send email to list” to tomorrow or next week or June or when life finally calms down — which, spoiler alert, it doesn’t and never does — this episode is for you.
Why You Keep Putting Email Off
Also, I’m a little bit curious as to why you keep putting your email off. What is it that you are thinking or believing that makes you feel like you can’t just sit down and get the email done? I am very curious about what that is, but also I’m here to help you move around it in some way, shape or form.
Because your emails do not have to be profound or polished or perfectly timed. I will tell you that right now. I actually believe in the timing of things and I promise you that when you send the email is a great time to send that email. Even if somebody else isn’t gonna read it for days or a week later, that’s okay.
Your people do not need perfection. They just need you and they need you to show up and remind them that you exist. They need to be told the value and the benefit that they get, the transformation that is on the other side of working with you. And sometimes those just off the cuff, say whatever you’ve got on your mind type of emails are chef’s kiss the most perfect emails — your content plan could never have come up with such a perfect way or thing to say, and it’s gonna resonate with your people the most.
Stop and think for a minute about what your people are experiencing and going through right now, especially if you write emails in real time. And if you are feeling the friction of all the things, are your people feeling that too? Meet them where they’re at.
There is a fine line between pretending everything is fine when we all know it’s not versus just piling it on and shoveling all that crap downstream. I know this, I see you, I feel you. Hell, do you hear me doing this too? You get to be somewhere in the middle. And yeah, sure, you could have planned ahead. Maybe you could have drafted or scheduled your emails ahead of time, but that doesn’t work well for everyone. Innocence motivation peeps, I am especially talking to you.
And I know several Innocence-motivated people who have their team help them come up with emails. And even then, even if you are not the one that is physically writing the email, if all you have to do is give them the idea and give them the direction and then they take it and run with it — especially if you are Innocence-motivated, that does not happen ahead of time. And I know that you are writing and creating and ideating in real time.
If for whatever reason you are finding yourself not sending emails, even though you know you need to be, even though you know it is so good for your business and for your people when you send emails — I’ma just help you out, okay? Like, I got you, we are in this together, we are saving the drama for your mama. I will give you five drama-free tips and ways to send emails that will not require you to reinvent the wheel or start from scratch or find extra hours or mental energy in your day. I am talking the smallest amount of brain power required between you and hitting send. That is my goal for you.
And I did say that you would want to save this episode, right? Save it — whether it is May, December, any other day, month, or time. You’re gonna wanna come back to this one.
Email Idea #1: Resend Your Best Emails
Okay, here’s your first idea to just send the dang email, even when you feel like you don’t have time to do email marketing right now. Resend your best emails — especially if it was a relevant seasonal email that you sent this time last year or two years ago, I don’t care. I’m talking about those emails that got replies, people clicked on and engaged with — the one that you wrote and sent out and afterwards you sat back thinking, damn, I’m good at this. I do have good things to say. I am the expert in my field.
Find those emails, update them if needed, and send them again. Like reroll the tape. Your list has grown. You have more people in your email list who have maybe never seen that email. And even if you have people who got that email the first time around, they opened it, they read it — guess what? They are going to enjoy reading it again. Do you like rewatching your favorite movies or rereading your favorite books?
Actually, this is reminding me of a time where I remember getting an email from Laura Belgray once that had this epic resource in it. And months later, I was thinking about it, but I couldn’t remember all of the details. I tried so hard to go back through my emails. I probably accidentally deleted it along the way. But I also started noticing how Laura will recycle her emails. And so I started obsessively opening — I was meticulous about opening every single email that Laura sent me for weeks.
And then it happened. It actually happened. The holy grail moment. She re-sent the email that I had been watching and waiting for. I actually went back to go find this, and here’s what I emailed back to her once this email came in. I said, “Laura, I have been waiting for this email. I have never been so grateful that you recycle your golden nuggets. I just knew that if I waited long enough, it would come back around.” Day made.
I promise you, your people will appreciate it. Even if they recognize it, they will appreciate being reminded. It’s also really good for your new people to see your best work. So take this smart strategy and run with it, my friend. You could probably get this done in like 15 minutes, honestly. You go back through, you find an email that went real well the first time around, read through it really quick, see if there’s anything that needs to be updated so that it is more relevant, and you hit send again. Like so fast.
Email Idea #2: Repurpose Content You’re Already Creating
Okay, here’s another drama-free, just send the dang email tip for you. We do not have to create emails from scratch. For the love, use whatever content you are already creating elsewhere and turn it into an email. Maybe you post a lot of content on LinkedIn. Maybe you are really good at showing up in your Instagram stories. Maybe you’ve created a post and you’re getting a ton of comments and engagement on it. Maybe — heya — maybe you have a podcast episode that you’re really proud of.
There is absolutely no rule that says your emails have to be brand new content every time. And if there was such a rule, it was all made up and the points don’t matter. Thank you, Drew Carey.
I mean, this podcast episode right now that you’re listening to came from an email that I wrote last week and sent to my people. There is some extra context in this audible, oral retelling of the email. There’s some other storytelling that I’ve inserted and more of my personality can come through when you’re listening to me talk. But the bulk of what I am saying in this episode originally stemmed from an email last week.
As business owners, as marketers, you’ve got to get used to saying the same things again and again and again. It is your song that never ends. Whatever else you’re already creating or planning to post somewhere else, just do yourself a favor and turn that into an email.
Email Idea #3: Write a Quick Listicle
Maybe your season is just so busy and you’re like, great, I will reuse an email — check. I will recycle content — check. I still don’t have the brain power or brain capacity to come up with something new to say. Now what?
People love listicles. This is your third drama-free email idea. Put together some sort of quick list. Tell them about the resources that you have, even if you only have one. Remind them that they likely have access to it and to go back in and look at it. Maybe it’s a quick three to five of your top podcast episodes if you have a show. Maybe it’s a blog post from six months ago or a couple of blog posts that are very relevant to whatever’s happening right now in life or business. Again, people appreciate those reminders, especially if you can make it relevant to right now.
Not everything needs to be brand new content.
Email Idea #4: Keep It Short and Sweet
Drama-free tip number four is for those moments where you really feel like you do need to send something new. Maybe you’ve got something going on and it’s timely to right now. You’ve got an event that you need to promote, or you’re participating in a bundle or a summit and you need to be able to send an email and talk about it. Here’s your permission slip to make that email short and sweet — especially if you know that your people are also in a busy season of life or business.
Bullet points are your friend. Short, easy sentences are a gift to your reader. Just tell people what’s happening. What is it that you’re working on? What are you thinking about? What’s available? What’s the thing? What’s in it for them? And how do they get access? Please — you have enough things to think about right now. We do not need to be overthinking your emails. Done is better than perfect at times. You know, except for when it’s not.
Email Idea #5: Don’t Force It
Which brings me to our save the drama for your mama — especially if your mama is a llama — make the emails easy on yourself. Here’s our fifth one. Don’t force it. I am telling you, don’t do it. Don’t do it, girl. Don’t do it. They’re gonna know. Nobody’s gonna know. I promise you they will know. If your email is not flowing, do not force it. Don’t write it. People can feel it. And it doesn’t feel good. It doesn’t give us those good fuzzy feelings that make us want to click and reply and engage.
And I mean, if you are at this point where this tip is feeling relevant to you, I’m gonna need you to go back and listen to the first couple of suggestions of this episode. Because again, we don’t have to be creating something new here. We don’t have to be building from scratch. And if you are a Manifesting Generator in particular, you really need to hear this. You do not have to build from scratch. Go reuse, recycle something else you’ve already done.
But if you are bound and determined to send something new, give yourself a life break. Literally go get a snack, take a walk, drink some water, play a quick game of solitaire. Whatever little something that really gives you a quick dopamine boost — sparks some life back into you — and then try again. Maybe go work from a different room. Maybe go work from a coffee shop. Talk to your mom, talk to your friend, and then come back at it. But seriously, give yourself a break first.
Lower your expectations a little bit, maybe. We’re not trying to win a Pulitzer Prize here. You’re just trying to send a dang email and honor whatever your mental, emotional, and physical energy is and whatever you have capacity for. Yes, even if it means sending a Tuesday email on a Wednesday. The horror. Or heaven forbid, a Thursday.
The Consistency That Actually Matters
I have such an issue when people talk about being consistent in your emails, because consistency is not when you send it. It’s not about weekly emails, same day, same time, same format. The consistency of your energy matters way more than the consistency of your cadence. I would rather get an email from you when you are lit up about something than a weekly email that feels like you’re going through the motions — because I promise you we can feel it. We can feel the difference between authentic communication and just performative, checked-it-off-the-list type of content.
We signed up. We gave you our email because we like you, not because you follow a specific editorial calendar. And Innocence-motivated people, you really love the permission to just be in the moment.
This goes back to the whole “is done better than perfect?” Sometimes yes, sometimes no. But is something always better than nothing? Not if you’re just forcing it. I would literally rather you not make it happen today. I’d rather you go back and just resend something else that already worked well. Because going through the motions is not going to get you the clicks, replies, sales, or whatever it is that you’re hoping for from your emails.
We don’t check the box on “did I send the email?” We check the box when we say, did I send the right email for me? Does it sound like my business? Was my voice right? Was the energy congruent with who I am? Did my message fit how my people are wired to receive it — so that it lands well, they can pick up what I’m putting down, and they can run to the action I’m calling them to?
Why Human Design Changes Everything About Email
And this is exactly why Human Design is such a strategic advantage for your email marketing. Because when you know your design, when you understand what motivates your people, your emails can do more of the heavy lifting for you. That’s when your emails are built to connect and land with your people.
And here’s the thing about that emergency frozen pizza email — the one that you pull out when life is chaos and you just need something to go out. When your Human Design is informing your email strategy, even the emergency pizza email is delicious. It feeds your family because it still sounds like your business. It still meets your people where they are. And it still does its job. Which is what I want for you — emails that work even in the hard weeks.
Resources + Closing
I do have two resources that go deeper here, depending on where you are.
One is my Energy Type Email Playbook. It’s free. It’s got five quick, tangible starting points based off of your Human Design energy type — or your business Human Design energy type, depending on which way you want to go. Think of it as a Costco-sized sample of what it’s like to use your Human Design insights to guide your email marketing strategy. The link to that is in the show notes.
Or if you want more than just those quick five tips, I do have another digital resource that goes deeper into what I call the Big Three of Human Design and how you’re able to use the insights from those specific elements to better create emails that connect, nurture, and convert with your people. Because when you’ve got those things locked in, you don’t have to have these perfectly written emails. And that’s the difference between infrastructure and inspiration. Inspiration is hoping you’ll have something brilliant to say. Infrastructure is building a system that works with how your brain and your business are wired to operate.
So yes — the first rule of getting a better ROI from your emails is to send the dang emails. With whatever capacity you or your team has at the moment. Reduce your expectations, reuse the content you’re already creating, and recycle emails you sent months ago — so that your business can keep running even when life is beautifully, chaotically, lifing.
Email marketing is meant to be sustainable, and a sustainable email strategy builds businesses that last. And look — frozen pizza is still dinner. Maybe it’s not gourmet. Maybe it’s not chicken on the grill. But it still gets people fed.
So if you’ve got “send email to my list” taunting you from your to-do list — what time and capacity do you have today? Does it look like 10 minutes? 30 minutes? An hour? And which of those five ideas works with what you’ve got going on in your business and with your capacity? Even if all you’ve got is 10 minutes, you can work with that.
