The biggest myth I believed was that open rates reflect user intent. With Apple Mail automatically opening all emails on their servers, and Gmail flagging open tracking pixels as spam, open rates in 2025 are unreliable. But the truth is open rates were never a strong signal to begin with. What really matters are engagements like clicks, forwards, replies, and other actions that demonstrate genuine interest.
Jessica Andrews, VP Marketing,Copper
The idea that deliverability doesn't matter much—that you can just keep sending emails non-stop and eventually something will convert—is a misconception. I used to think it was fine to "burn" through lists, sending aggressively just to see what sticks.
In reality, this approach hurts your sender reputation, tanks your deliverability, and leads to long-term damage. Once inbox providers flag you, even your best emails end up in spam folders, and you waste time and money reaching no one.
Heinz Klemann, Senior Marketing Consultant, BeastBI GmbH
One common myth I used to believe about email marketing is that a high unsubscribe rate automatically signals a failed campaign—or worse, one that damages your brand. In reality, that's not always the case. Unsubscribes can actually provide valuable insight and highlight important factors on both sides of the email marketing coin.
While it might seem discouraging to see people opt out, an unsubscribe is often a clear sign that those recipients simply weren't a good fit for that specific content. Testing new audience segments or refining your targeting can go a long way in improving campaign performance. Of course, other elements like send frequency and content relevance also play a role—but in my experience, proper segmentation is the most impactful lever. The better you target the right audience, the more likely you are to maintain a healthy unsubscribe rate. Industry benchmarks vary, but if your unsubscribe rate consistently exceeds 2%, it's worth digging in to understand where the disconnect is—and what you can do to improve.
Matthew Stachewicz, Email Marketing Specialist, Animoto
Regarding email marketing, one myth I believed for far too long was that it was dying or even dead. I heard that idea for years, especially with all the buzz around social media and new channels. The truth is that email remains one of the highest ROI marketing channels when used strategically. It is a direct, owned channel that builds long-term customer relationships and drives consistent sales for our clients.
Kevin Heimlich, Digital Marketing Consultant & Chief Executive Officer, The Ad Firm
I used to believe the biggest email marketing myth of them all: "If people aren't opening, your subject line sucks." So I obsessed over it. I spent hours crafting clever hooks, testing emojis, and rewriting lines three times before sending. I was convinced a snappier subject would fix everything.
And sure—subject lines matter. But here's what I learned the hard way: your audience matters more.
We had a popular lead magnet: "The Ultimate Web Design Checklist." It pulled in hundreds of signups. The problem was, they were mostly freelancers or junior designers—not the kind of people who'd ever hire an agency. Still, I launched a welcome email series pitching our services. Open rates were okay. Clicks? Almost none. Conversions? Zero.
I blamed the subject lines. I tried punchier ones. I added names, questions, and curiosity angles. Nothing changed. Then it hit me—maybe it wasn't the subject line. Maybe it was the people. The folks signing up weren't buyers. They were peers, looking for freebies. No subject line was going to make them click, "Book a call."
That was my wake-up call. So I changed the strategy. I built a new lead magnet designed for business owners: "5 Hidden Website Costs That Burn Small Businesses." The follow-up emails told stories, broke down real costs, and shared case studies. No pressure. Just helpful insights.
Then I started watching behavior. If someone clicked on pricing links, they got a sales follow-up. If they didn't, they got more value-based content until they were ready. This time, the open rates stayed about the same—but the click-throughs doubled. And we finally got leads that actually converted.
That's when I realized: the myth isn't just about subject lines. It's about chasing the wrong metrics. Instead of trying to be clever, I started being relevant. Now, I don't tweak subject lines until the rest is working. I focus on getting the right people, with the right message, at the right time.
Because no matter how good your headline is—if you're talking to the wrong crowd, it won't matter. It's not about being catchy. It's about being useful to the right person.
Nicholas Robb, UK Design agency, Design Hero
For a long time, I bought into the myth that the bigger your email list, the better your results: more opens, more clicks, more conversions, more revenue. It sounds logical, right?
But here's the truth: it's not about the size of your list; it's about the quality. You don't need a huge list full of people who aren't interested in your product, aren't engaging with your emails, or have never opened one.
What matters most is curating an email list of subscribers who actually care about what you're offering; people who are engaged and interested in your product. A smaller, more targeted list of interested subscribers will always outperform a massive, unresponsive one. Focus on building relationships with the right people, and your numbers will follow. Quality over quantity, always.
Gursharan Singh, Co-Founder, WebSpero Solutions
Subject lines had to be either super clever or completely clear. For the longest time, I overthought subject lines, and funnily enough, I underthought them too.
I used to believe they had to either: Be super clever like: "[Client name] x [Your company name]" or painfully straightforward like: "Marketing proposal - Q2". Turns out, neither really works, unless you're in a very specific niche.
What finally clicked for me? Subject lines are trailers. Not the full movie. Just enough to earn curiosity and a click. I used to think clarity was king. Then I realized... curiosity wins, especially when your prospect's inbox looks like a warzone.
For example, "Quick question about your compliance" might do well in legal-tech. But in SaaS or ecommerce? It'll get lost in the noise.
Here's what I've learned after testing dozens of campaigns: Don't do clickbait, it destroys trust. Don't give away the whole plot. Don't be vague just to sound mysterious.
Instead, be intentional. Some of my best-performing subject lines have been intentionally boring. Others were a little offbeat, but always relevant.
Raj Trivedi, Marketing Manager, Muoro
I used to believe that "automated emails are impersonal"—actually, I was made to believe that early in my digital marketing career. Back then, automation was framed as a shortcut: fast, efficient, but cold. However, as I gained experience and worked with more clients and teams, I saw what automation was really meant for—scaling relevance, not sacrificing it.
Automation isn't about letting robots do your job. It's about building smart systems that deliver timely, personalized messages without needing to hit send every time. And personalization isn't just about names—it's about context: what they clicked, what they need, and where they are in their journey. The best automated emails don't feel automated at all. They feel like a real person took the time to reach out—and that's the whole point.
Seve Paulo Linis, Founder & Lead Consultant, SearchJet Digital Marketing
For years, I believed that sending more emails would naturally lead to better results—more clicks, more sales, more engagement. It made sense in theory: more visibility should equal more action, right? But in practice, this mindset backfired.
Early in my career, I worked on an eCommerce brand's email marketing. The calendar was packed: two promotional emails a week, plus abandoned cart reminders, welcome flows, and the occasional "urgent" flash sale. We were constantly hitting inboxes. And for a while, metrics looked promising—open rates hovered around 20%, and sales trickled in steadily.
But over time, things started to slip. Open rates dipped, unsubscribes crept up, and deliverability took a hit. We were landing in spam more often. Our list growth stagnated. And the kicker? Revenue from email plateaued, then declined—even though we were sending more emails than ever.
It wasn't until we took a hard look at our email data that the picture became clear. People were tuning us out. We'd trained our audience to expect salesy noise instead of useful communication. We were using frequency as a crutch instead of focusing on value.
So we made a big shift: we halved our send volume and redesigned our content strategy around actual usefulness—guides, tips, behind-the-scenes content, product education. Promotions became less frequent but more thoughtful. Within two months, open rates rebounded to 28%. Unsubscribes dropped. Most importantly, email revenue per send increased.
Here's what I learned the hard way: email isn't a volume game. It's a value game. Your subscribers aren't sitting around hoping you send another 20%-off coupon. They signed up to hear from you because they thought you had something worth saying. If you abuse that, they'll disengage—quietly at first, then permanently.
If you're running into email fatigue in your audience, ask yourself: Would I open this email if it landed in my inbox? If the answer is no, rethink your approach. Less can truly be more—if what you're sending actually matters.
Gabirjel Zelic, Senior Analyst and Data Studio Expert, MeasureMinds Group
That shorter emails always perform better.
For years, I bought into the idea that if your email wasn't snackable, scannable, and shorter than a tweet with a vitamin deficiency, people would bail. So I trimmed everything down. Cut the context. Chopped the soul out of the message. And yeah, open rates were fine. Clicks? Meh. Conversions? Even worse.
Then I sent a longer, story-driven email, a real one, with a hook, a narrative, and a clear ask at the end. It crushed.
Turns out, people don't hate long emails. They hate boring ones that aren't applicable to them. If the writing's good and the value is clear, they'll read. Especially in B2B, where the reader's often craving context and clarity before they click.
Rocky Pedden, CEO, RevenueZen
For almost two years, I believed that longer, detailed emails performed better because they provided more value to customers. I would write extensive newsletters explaining our entire upcycling process, sustainability statistics, and multiple product features in single emails. These emails took hours to craft and averaged 800-900 words each.
My open rates were decent at 22%, but click-through rates remained disappointingly low at just 3%. I assumed people needed comprehensive information to make purchasing decisions about sustainable products. Then I accidentally sent an incomplete email draft that was only 150 words long, featuring just one product with a simple behind-the-scenes photo of our artisan creating it. The results shocked me completely. That short email achieved a 41% click-through rate—nearly fourteen times higher than my detailed newsletters. Sales from that single email exceeded our monthly average by 27%.
This experience taught me that people want quick, focused content they can digest immediately. Now our emails feature one clear message, one product, and one call-to-action. Our average engagement rates have consistently stayed above 35%, proving that brevity often beats comprehensiveness in email marketing.
Soumya Kalluri, Founder, Dwij
One email marketing myth I believed for far too long was that sending emails too frequently would always lead to higher unsubscribe rates and damage my brand's reputation.
I used to limit campaigns to once a month, thinking I was preserving goodwill, but in reality, I was missing valuable engagement opportunities.
Over time, I realized that as long as the content is relevant, personalized, and valuable to the audience, frequency isn't the enemy—irrelevance is. It's about quality and timing, not just quantity.
Dewi Saklina, SEO Specialist, Explainerd
Honestly, the myth that emails need to "provide value" has become overplayed. Most value-packed newsletters bore people. Real value comes from understanding the reader's mental state before writing. If they feel rushed, write concisely. If they feel unsure, write with conviction. If they're ready to buy, get out of their way. This shift alone added $22,000 to one monthly funnel. I'm never going back.
Kiara DeWitt, RN, CPN, Founder & CEO, Injectco
That meant focusing on segmentation, intent signals, and strong subject lines. Because when a message speaks directly to someone's needs, it gets noticed. Timing still matters, but it's not the lever many think it is.
Another belief I held for too long was that shorter emails always perform better. That only holds up when the content doesn't offer much. If a message is focused, solves a real problem, and skips the fluff, people will read even long-form emails. In fact, some of the most detailed ones have driven way higher click-throughs and replies than the short ones ever did.
So it's not about word count. It's about whether every sentence earns its place.
I also used to think unsubscribes were a bad sign. But now I see them as a good filter. If someone opts out, it usually means the message isn't for them. And that's fine. A smaller list that actually wants to hear from you performs better across the board.
So, regularly cleaning out inactive contacts has improved deliverability and open rates more than any subject line tweak ever has.
Josiah Roche, Fractional CMO, JRR Marketing
For far too long, I believed that subject lines had to be kept under 50 characters or disaster would strike. I mean, seriously, I used to trim down perfectly good copy just to make room for a CTA that didn't even have an impact. It turns out that long subject lines perform exceptionally well when the offer is compelling. I once A/B tested a 13-word line against a 5-word version on a 1,000-person segment... and the long one doubled the CTR. That myth cost me hundreds of clicks and probably thousands in pipeline revenue.
In reality, email is less about formula and more about psychology. People aren't counting your characters. They're skimming for relevance. If your headline solves their problem, they'll click it... even if it runs past the inbox preview. I still keep things concise when I can, but I've stopped obsessing over some imaginary cutoff. Clarity trumps brevity.
Patrick Beltran, Marketing Director, Ardoz Digital