Simple Email Marketing Tips For Digital Product Creators

Simple Email Marketing Tips For Digital Product Creators

If you create and sell digital products, you’ve likely spent a lot of time trying to grow your audience on Instagram, X (Twitter), or TikTok. And while those platforms can be great for visibility, they also come with challenges. Algorithms shift, reach drops, and some days, it feels like no one’s seeing your content at all.

That’s where email comes in.

Email marketing gives you a direct, reliable way to connect with your audience without relying on social media trends or engagement spikes. It’s still one of the most effective tools for building trust and making consistent sales. With email, you own your list, you control the message, and you decide when and how to show up.

In this article, we’ll walk you through the basics of email marketing for digital product creators. Whether you’re selling templates, courses, ebooks, or offering coaching sessions, these beginner-friendly tips will help you turn followers into paying customers.

Let’s get started.

Tip #1: Start Collecting Emails Before You Even Launch

One of the biggest mistakes digital product creators make? Waiting until after their product is ready to start collecting emails.

Let’s be real, by then, it’s kind of late.

Your email list isn’t just a “nice to have.” It’s your early access VIP crowd. These are the people who’ll test your idea, give feedback, and most importantly, buy from you when you launch.

Why You Should Start Early

Think about it: if you’re building an ebook, template, course, or any digital product, you don’t want to launch to crickets. You want a list of people already warmed up, already interested, and already waiting to hear from you.

That’s what an email list gives you. It’s your safety net and your sales boost.

Plus, unlike your followers on Instagram or Twitter, you own your email list. No algorithm can take it away. That’s power.

Easy Ways to Start Building Your List

You don’t need to think twice about this. Start with a simple lead magnet, something free that’s actually useful. Here are a few ideas:

• A free checklist or cheat sheet

• A short mini-guide or ebook preview

• A Notion template or a Canva design

• A 3-day email mini-course or challenge

• A waitlist sign-up for your upcoming launch

You can create a landing page using a tool called Lauren in a platform called Selfany (shameless plug, but honestly it works), and start sharing the link everywhere: your bio, your social media posts, even in your TikTok captions.

If you’ve already launched your product and haven’t built a list before, don’t worry. You can still start now. Offer something free that complements your product, and use it to attract the right people into your community.

Tip #2: Talk To Your Subscribers Like Real People

Let’s get something straight: no one opens their inbox hoping to read a stiff, corporate-sounding email that starts with “Dear Valued Subscriber.”

If you want people to actually read your emails (not just open and delete), you’ve got to sound like a real human. Not a robot. Not a marketing brochure. Just… you.

Why Tone Matters More Than You Think

When someone joins your email list, they’re letting you into their personal space, their inbox. That’s a big deal. And the best way to stay welcome there? Be relatable. Be clear. Be honest.

People connect with people. If your email feels like a conversation, not a lecture, they’ll actually look forward to hearing from you.

What “Writing Like a Human” Looks Like

Let’s break it down with a simple example.

Robotic version:

“We are pleased to inform you that our latest ebook is now available for purchase.”

Human version:

“Hey, I just dropped something I think you’ll love. My newest ebook is finally live!”

See the difference? One sounds like a press release, while the other sounds like a friend sharing good news.

Quick Tips to Keep It Conversational:

• Use contractions: “I’m” instead of “I am,” “you’ll” instead of “you will.”

• Keep sentences short and punchy. No one’s writing an essay here.

• Imagine you’re talking to one person, not a crowd.

• Start with “you,” not “we.” Make it about them, not you.

• Don’t be afraid to show personality. Jokes, quirks, even a little slang are okay, as long as it’s authentic.

The goal isn’t to impress. It’s to connect. And when people like hearing from you, they’re way more likely to buy from you too.

Tip #3: Stop Selling All the Time (Yes, Really)

We get it, you’re here to make money from your digital products. But if every single email you send is a sales pitch… people will start running faster than your last bad launch.

Selling is important. But so is serving.

Email marketing is about building a relationship, not just closing a deal. And like any good relationship, it needs balance.

The 3:1 Rule That Actually Works

Here’s a simple framework to keep your emails from turning into spam:

For every one sales email, send three value-based emails.

That way, your audience gets used to opening your emails for more than just a promo. They’ll stick around longer, engage more, and eventually? They’ll buy, because they trust you.

What Counts as “Value”?

Value doesn’t always mean teaching something. It just means giving them something useful, entertaining, or relatable. Here are a few easy ideas you can swipe:

• Quick tips: Something they can apply today

• Personal story: What you learned from a failed launch or mistake

• Behind-the-scenes: How you created your product

• Free resources: Tools, articles, templates, they’d appreciate

• Customer success story: Someone who used your product and got results

And if you’re wondering, “Won’t this delay my sales?” not at all. It builds trust, and trust sells way better than pressure ever will.

Tip: Soft Sell Inside Value

You can still mention your product in value emails, just don’t lead with it.

For example:

“Here’s a behind-the-scenes look at how I created my ebook. If you're building something similar, my template pack can save you hours.”

It’s subtle. Helpful. Non-pushy. And that’s the kind of email people actually read and click.

Tip #4: Automate The Boring Stuff

As a digital product creator, you don’t have time to manually send emails every time someone joins your list or forgets to check out. That’s where automation steps in.

You don’t need fancy tech. Just a few basic automations can save you time and recover missed sales.

3 Simple Automations to Set Up:

1. Welcome Email:
   When someone signs up, don’t leave them hanging. Send a friendly intro email, offer a freebie, and briefly mention your product.

2. Abandoned Cart Reminder:
   If someone adds your product to cart but doesn’t buy, send a quick nudge:
   
   “Hey, you forgot something. Still interested?”

3. Post-Purchase Follow-Up:
   Say thank you, share tips to use the product, and recommend a related item. Keeps them engaged and builds loyalty.

Tools to Try:

Start simple with tools like Selfany’s email integration feature with MailChimp and Zapier. Set them once, let them work for you behind the scenes.

Tip #5: Test What Works and Trash What Doesn’t

Email marketing isn’t a one-size-fits-all game. What works for one creator might flop for another, and that’s okay. The key is to test, track, and tweak.

Because let’s be real: blindly sending emails and hoping for the best? That’s not a strategy. That’s a gamble.

What Should You Track?

Start with the basics:

• Open rates – Are your subject lines catching attention?

• Click-through rates – Are people clicking your links or ignoring them?

• Unsubscribes – Are your emails too pushy, too frequent, or just boring?

If people aren’t opening or clicking, it’s a sign that something needs to change, either your subject lines, your timing, or the content itself.

A/B Testing 

You don’t need to be a data nerd. Just test one thing at a time:

• Two subject lines? See which one gets more opens.

• Two CTAs? See which one gets more clicks.

• Morning vs. evening send times? See what works best for your audience.

Over time, these tiny tweaks lead to big results. And the best part? Most email platforms make this easy to do.

Quick Mistakes That Cost You Subscribers

Even with the best intentions, it’s easy to mess up email marketing and lose subscribers in the process. The good news? These mistakes are totally avoidable.

Here’s what to watch out for:

Mistake 1: Sending Long, Boring Emails

Nobody signed up for a mini novel. If it feels like a chore to read, readers will stop opening it. Keep it short, scannable, and valuable.

Mistake 2: Selling Too Hard

If every email screams “buy now,” people will tune out. Remember the 3:1 value-to-pitch rule: Teach, share, help, and then sell.

Mistake 3: No Clear CTA

You’d be surprised how many creators forget this. Don’t just say, “Hope you enjoyed this!” Tell them what to do next:

“Grab the freebie.”
“Check out the product.”
“Hit reply and tell me what you think.”

Mistake 4: Buying Email Lists

Just don’t. It’s spammy and illegal in many places, and those people didn’t ask to hear from you. Build your list the right way, slowly and organically.

Mistake 5: Ignoring Mobile

Most people check emails on their phones. If your layout is messy or links are hard to click, you’ll lose a sale. Test your emails on mobile before you send them.

Email isn’t just another marketing channel. It’s your most direct, reliable way to build trust, stay visible, and actually sell your digital products.

You don’t need a fancy setup or a 20-step funnel. Start with a list, serve before you sell, keep things human, and automate the basics.

Then watch how it all adds up: more clicks, more engagement, more sales.

Selfany makes it easy to sell digital products and send simple email campaigns from the same dashboard. There are no tech headaches or stress, just tools that help you grow smarter.

List your digital products on Selfany and set up integrations to email marketing platforms to boost sales today!