Email Marketing Mastery with Troy Ericson

Welcome to our insightful interview with Troy Ericson, a remarkable entrepreneur and email marketing expert. Troy, the owner of EmailListManagement.com, EmailDeliverability.com, and MailGenius.com, has a proven track record of success, having helped his clients generate over $100 million since 2020 through enhanced email copy and deliverability.

He’s not only a revered figure in the world of digital marketing, working with high-profile clients like Traffic & Funnels, The Sales Mentor, and Rich Schefren, but also an accomplished musician and former college baseball player.

Living in Tampa, Florida with his wife Julia, Troy has been recognized as the #20 Copywriter in the world by Peter Tzemis from Traffic & Funnels.

Join us as we delve into his unique strategies, experiences, and insights that have propelled him to the forefront of email marketing success.

Strategies Behind Success

SBS – Can you share some of the key strategies you’ve used to generate over $100 million for your clients through email marketing since 2019?

Troy – In 2019, I was fresh off of a failed college baseball career and I had bought a Facebook Ads course. I closed a couple of clients & thought things were finally looking up for me.

One day, out of the blue, one of my clients told me I was fired.

I told them, “No.”

It was half my income, so I forced them to give me a reason. 

They admitted that the ads were working, but their emails were landing in spam, and they were not profitable on the campaign.

So I told them I’d work for free until it was fixed. And I got to work ASAP.

That summer, I got their emails out of spam, wrote them transformationally rather than transactionally, and started sending 3x more often.

That summer, they went from $13k/mo email revenue to $51k/mo. I saved that client & officially switched from ads to email marketing.

To this day, those are the same three email list management strategies I still use for clients:

1. Make sure none of my clients’ emails ever go to spam or the Promotions Tab ever again
   
2. Write emails that people LOVE rather than ones that feel like an “ask”
   
3. Send more emails. When you do #2 correctly, the right people will open & consume almost every day

I started attending events, people heard about the results I was getting for other companies, and my email list management service caught on like wildfire.

I also attracted a lot of people who wanted to learn how they could do this for clients, so they went through my certification program, and I’ve hired from there, so I know I’m hiring the best of the best as my company, Email Paramedic, scales.

Avoiding Common Pitfalls

SBS – What are the common mistakes you’ve observed in email copywriting that can significantly impact deliverability and conversion rates?

Troy – The biggest deliverability mistake is not knowing where your deliverability stands. How can you expect to maximize your opens, clicks, and sales if you don’t know how you’re doing?

To fix this, you can use my free email testing site, www.MailGenius.com, to test your emails. It might be something technical, or maybe you’re using spammy words, and you don’t know it. It will tell you exactly what to do.

The biggest conversion rate mistake is taking your email list subscribers for granted. The more you treat them like numbers, the less they feel connected to you. The more you email them “begging” for them to get a discount devalues your brand & lowers your conversion rate over time. It also makes people unsubscribe if you’re not providing any real-world value.

To fix this, imagine your best friend with the same interests as you is on your email list. Send emails they would like to receive. Tell stories, be entertaining, give advice, and write emails that they will tell their friends about. Stop thinking of email as a “necessary evil” and start thinking of it as another social media network.

Balancing Creativity and Data

SBS – How do you balance the creative aspect of copywriting with data-driven approaches to optimize email marketing campaigns?

Troy – Email list management is email copywriting on steroids. It consists of three parts:

1. Writing creative email copy that entertains, provides value, is binge-worthy… and THEN sells
   
2. Putting the highest-performing emails into automation that gets sent to new subscribers. And creating automation that automatically follows up with people who almost bought on your website
   
3. Making sure every email lands in the primary inbox instead of spam or the Promotions Tab

To do this, you need creativity AND data. The problem with traditional email copywriting is that it’s only creative, and the problem with traditional email deliverability is that it doesn’t take into account that people will keep opening if your emails are creative. It’s not just technical stuff. Email list management solves this problem.

The Role of Email List Management

SBS – Could you explain the importance of email list management and how it contributes to a successful email marketing strategy?

Troy – In addition to my above answer, it’s also WAY more cost-efficient.

Most companies hire a copywriter, a deliverability person, and someone to schedule the emails.

A good email list manager does all three, which is nice because now you can use that money to pay a top-tier email list manager, and it’s still less expensive than hiring three “average” marketers.

Plus, when one person is managing your email list, they can see ALL the data and make decisions without critical information being lost in communication (too many cooks in the kitchen).

They look over the stats and do more of what is working… less of what doesn’t — and they’re constantly innovating because all they do is make sure your emails are performing.

In 2024, email list management is necessary if you want to maximize email revenue.

Tips for Improved Deliverability

SBS – What advice would you give to entrepreneurs and businesses looking to improve their email deliverability rates and inbox placement?

Troy –

Step 1: Create two Gmail email inboxes for testing purposes. One will be for opening test emails you send to it. The other will be your “non-opener” inbox. These two inboxes will mimic subscribers who open often & those who don’t.

Step 2: Before you send an email to your list, send the test email to your test accounts. Check to see where the email lands. If they both land in the Primary Inbox, you’re good to send. If they land in the Promo Tab or Spam… Go to step 3.

Step 3: Check to see if your tech is set up correctly. Make sure all your DNS records are passing (DKIM, SPF, DMARC). If one or more aren’t set up or failing, fix those and then send test emails again to your two new Gmail inboxes.

Step 4: If you’re still not landing in the Primary Inbox, now you need to figure out if the copy is causing the poor placement in the inboxes. You can try editing your email copy to do this. Or your domain reputation may be poor and needs work. 

Step 5: Sometimes, spam takes a while to fix. Focus on sending emails to engaged email list subscribers to get high open and click rates so you can train inbox providers like Google, Yahoo, Outlook, etc., that your emails get good engagement & belong in the Primary Inbox.

If all of this sounds like too much work, try www.EmailDeliverability.com. 

Turning Campaigns Around

SBS – Can you share a memorable success story where you turned around a struggling email marketing campaign and achieved remarkable results?

Troy – One time, we promised a client that we’d double their investment in 30 days.

26 days in, we had sent 26 emails, but the list was not responding well.

We knew we had to do something different, or else we’d fail. After taking a look at the client’s systems, we saw an opportunity to create an “automatic follow-up” sequence that would automatically follow up with anyone who clicked a link in the client’s emails but didn’t buy.

Different than an abandoned cart sequence, this sequence would trigger if someone clicked a link in an email rather than if they entered their information online, which means WAY higher throughput and way more potential.

We set it up right away & the client made $56k in the last four days. Now we use that automation for every client.

Adapting Copywriting Across Industries

SBS – How do you adapt your email copywriting techniques to different industries and target audiences?

Troy – This is actually a lot simpler than it seems. The concepts of good copywriting will always prevail. If your copy lacks emotion, excitement, and transformation, it won’t work in any industry.

However, if you have these concepts down, all you need to succeed in a new industry is to learn the client. To do that, you literally just have to learn the client. For example, get their testimonial file, watch their YouTube videos, look up forums with their target audience, study the USP of their products, etc.

Also, the concepts of deliverability remain the same. Given that we’ve sold over $100M for our clients, there’s no strategy that we can’t come up with. We’ve succeeded in just about every industry imaginable thanks to these concepts & strategies, and with every new client we work with, we learn more that can help ALL of our clients.

The Power of Personalization

SBS – In your experience, what role does personalization play in email marketing, and how can businesses effectively implement it?

Troy – There are two types of personalization. The first one is pretty common and not very effective anymore. For example, putting someone’s first name in the first line of the email doesn’t work like it used to. But it works better if you add their name or something else about them in the MIDDLE of the email because it’s a better pattern interrupt.

The second type of personalization has to do with YOU. Send the emails from YOU (or whoever the face of the business is). When an email comes from a real human (whether it’s written by someone else in the business or not), it’s easier to connect & relate.

People buy from people, not faceless entities.

Staying Ahead of the Curve

SBS – What are some emerging trends and technologies in email marketing that entrepreneurs and businesses should be aware of in 2024 and beyond?

Troy – The most important topic right now is the Gmail Anti-Spam Update. Google is requiring three new things for all email senders. If you don’t follow them, you have a high chance of landing in spam:

1. Authenticate your emails with SPF, DKIM, and DMARC.

If you didn’t know, your email can be remotely spoofed (hacked). The “bad guys” can send emails from your domain, posing to be you. SPF, DKIM, and DMARC are security features that prevent this from happening. That’s why Google is requiring them.

2. Create a one-click unsubscribe.

Ever tried to hide your unsubscribe link or make people click several different links in hopes that they’ll give up & stay on your list? (Even if you’re not doing it intentionally, your emails might be set up this way). It’s SUPER annoying. So Google’s banning it.

3. Reduce your spam rate to 0.3% or less.

If you’re bad at math, that means you will be in trouble if more than three out of every 1,000 people mark you as spam.

We solve these issues for our clients.

The Science of A/B Testing

SBS – How do you approach A/B testing and optimization of email subject lines and content to improve open rates and click-through rates?

Troy – I look at A/B testing from two points of view.

If you’re curious about something, test it… But don’t waste your time changing a few words. You won’t have statistical significance, and you’re wasting your time.

My strategy of email list management focuses on sending emails so regularly that each day we’re sending a new hook, angle, or offer. THAT is where you will see the statistical significance.

Each day you look at the results from the email the day prior and innovate and send again to see if what you learned from the email is actually a new concept to follow when writing emails — or just a one-off success that isn’t going to drive big revenue into the future.

Keeping Up With Industry Evolution

SBS – As a copywriter and email deliverability expert, how do you stay updated with industry changes and best practices?

Troy – Subscribe to Google Trends, talk to other people in the industry, and make sure you are dedicating some of your time to creativity & experimentation. You will always be trending down if you don’t allow yourself time to have fun, be creative, and discuss with other people.

Inspirational Resources

SBS – Can you share some valuable resources or books that have had a significant impact on your career in copywriting and email marketing?

Troy – To be honest, I’m not a big reader, but I do like a few books: $100M Offers by Alex Hormozi, The Perfect Day Formula by Craig Ballantyne, and the Bible because it gives you a fresh perspective on life and how lucky we are. Hint: Not everything you consume should be about business.

Influence of Personal Experiences

SBS – Outside of your professional life, how do your experiences as a musician and former college baseball player influence your approach to business and marketing?

Troy – When something goes wrong on the field or on stage, you have seconds to figure it out. When something goes wrong in business, you have hours or days. Enough said!