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Email Marketing from Scratch
By the end of this course you'll be able to build an email list from zero and run it yourself — signup forms, welcome sequences, campaigns, and deliverability. The manual way, step by step.
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Social platforms rent you your audience. Email is the one channel you own outright. Six modules: list, sequences, campaigns that sell — written by you, delivered to people who asked to hear from you.
What you'll learn
- Build your list from zero with signup methods that attract buyers, not freebie hunters.
- Write a welcome sequence that turns new subscribers into customers on autopilot.
- Send campaigns and newsletters people actually open — subject lines, timing, and format included.
- Fix deliverability and read your numbers so you know what's working and what to change.
Is this for me?
Who is this course for?
Business owners with an audience — or building one. If you have customers, readers, or followers anywhere, you need a list.
What do I need before starting?
An email provider account — most have free tiers up to 500–1,000 subscribers. No list required to start; you build one in Module 1.
How long does it take?
Six modules at 30–45 minutes each. You'll have your first sequence live within two weeks if you build as you go.
Start here
Module 0: Start Here
Orientation: what you'll build, how the course works, and how to get the most out of every module. Start here before Module 1.
Module 1
Module 1: Why Email
Email looks old-fashioned next to social media — until you need to actually reach your audience. This module makes the case for email as your owned home base, helps you pick an email platform without regret, and covers the US legal rules you need before you send a single message.
Module 2
Module 2: Building Your List
Nobody signs up for "our newsletter." People trade their email address for something they want. This module covers the offers that earn signups, the form placements that get seen, and the first emails that set the tone for the whole relationship.
Module 3
Module 3: The Welcome Sequence
A welcome sequence is a short series of emails sent automatically to every new subscriber. Written once, it greets every future subscriber while you sleep — and because new subscribers are your most engaged readers, it will likely outperform everything else you send. This module maps it, writes it, and wires up the automation.
Module 4
Module 4: Campaigns and Newsletters
The welcome sequence runs itself; campaigns are the ongoing conversation. This module covers planning what to send, writing subject lines that earn the open, and choosing a cadence your list can sustain without burning out.
Module 5
Module 5: Deliverability
The best email in the world earns nothing from the spam folder. Deliverability is the unglamorous technical foundation — proving you're legitimate, keeping your list clean, and behaving like a sender inbox providers trust. Set it up once, maintain it lightly, and your emails keep landing where readers can see them.
Module 6
Module 6: Measuring and Improving
You don't need a data science degree to improve your email — you need three numbers, one simple testing habit, and the discipline to send the right message to the right people. This module turns your reports into decisions.
Choose your track
Two ways through this course — pick the one that fits where you are.
Starter track
Modules 1–3. Understand why email matters (Module 1), set up your list and signup offer (Module 2), and build your welcome sequence (Module 3). Those three give you a working system. Add campaigns (Module 4) once the foundation is running.
Advanced track
All six modules, then the teardown and exam. If you already have a list, start with Module 5's deliverability audit and Module 6's metrics review — most struggling lists have a reputation or measurement problem, not a content problem. Then rebuild your welcome sequence with Module 3's framework.
Your build brief
Everything you write in the build brief prompts across this course's modules collects here. Download it as a designed PDF — and we keep a copy too, so when you're ready for us to build it for you, we already know exactly what you want.
Your answers save automatically as you type — on this device and to your signup email.
Teardown: The Newsletter Nobody Opens
A boutique clothing store sends a monthly newsletter to 2,400 subscribers. Open rate: 11%. Click rate: 0.4%. The email is a single image of the new collection with "Shop Now" underneath — no text, no story, no reason to care. Unsubscribes tick up every send.
What's broken (Module 4): The email gives readers nothing but an ask. No styling tip, no behind-the-scenes, no reason to open next month. Following the course's campaign framework, every email should deliver value first — one useful idea — and make the ask secondary.
The technical problem (Module 5): A single-image email with no text is a spam filter magnet and unreadable with images off. Real text, a clear hierarchy, and a text-to-image balance fix deliverability and readability at once.
The fix: Switch to twice-monthly sends (Module 4's sustainable rhythm). Each email: one styling idea, three featured pieces, one clear call to action. Add a proper welcome sequence for new subscribers (Module 3) — right now new signups get nothing until the next monthly blast, wasting the moment of highest interest. Within three months, expect opens above 25% and actual reply conversations — the leading indicator of a list that sells.
Course extras
Glossary — 15 key terms Final exam — 10 questions, 15 minutes
Want this done for you?
Rather do it with us? Our Welcome Sequence ($1,200) — 7 emails written and set up in your provider.
See done-for-you services