Ep. 22: Mastering Effective Email Marketing in Your Business with Angie Machado

We need to follow the data. The data and how your audience is reacting to your emails is what matters over everything else, over how you feel about anything.

Welcome to the Prosperous Woman Podcast. I'm Claire Sellers, a business mentor and coach who is absolutely obsessed with helping you create the business of your dreams and your most prosperous life. Tune in for inspiring conversations with extraordinary extraordinary women that will propel you towards becoming the prosperous woman. All right, welcome everybody. I'm so excited to introduce you to my amazing Opulence Mastermind client, the very, very talented email marketing guru Angie. Welcome to the show.

Oh goodness, thank you so much. So happy to be here and excited to talk about emails.

Yes, our favorite topic. I am so excited for you to just really peel back the curtain for everyone today on emails because I think that emails, email marketing, like, it's kind of a mystery and I feel like you have such a unique approach and it's so human-centered and so heart-centered and it's actually really simple, the way that you teach this and the way that you structure your offerings. So I'm super excited to just kind of really educate people on how they can be leveraging emails inside of their business, what to be looking for in terms of success metrics. And just what you see in terms of the future of email marketing and how people can really get ahead of the curve on that. So super excited to dive in today, but first, before we talk about the work stuff, like just tell us about you.

Yeah. Yeah, I'm super excited and I'm excited to debunk a lot of email myths. I get a lot of those when people talk to me. So yeah, before we get into it, yeah. How did I get here? So I was a corporate girl for a long time, always hated corporate America to be honest, and knew that I always wanted to start a business. I just didn't know what. So while I was on maternity leave with my second kid and I was in marketing, I just decided to take the plunge. I saw a bunch of people online being virtual assistants, virtual marketing assistants, and I was like, you know what, I'm gonna give it a go. And I actually started my Instagram account as a virtual assistant, and then I decided to invest in a— so the first thing I did was invest in a program. And I invested in Instagram marketing program, and the coach was like, why are you saying you're a virtual assistant? You should do email marketing, because I told her, like, that's what I really do for my job. And ever since then, it, it turns out people want email marketers more than they want virtual assistants, at least in my experience. So I really niched down, and I, and I really focused on a skill that I was good at, and that was uncommon, at least of what I was finding, um, available to businesses online. So I think that was really key in my growth. And then I kind of grew quickly because of that. Um, people would hear email marketing and then come to me. So I ended up leaving my corporate job. I actually took them on as a client. I convinced them to, to put me on contract. That only lasted about 5 months because they still kind of treated me like a full-time employee, but it gave me the courage to take the leap. Um, and then by the time I let them go, I had enough clients to support myself. So yeah, and I'm in my second year of business now and over six figures, which is wild. So, uh, invest in yourself, kids.

Yes, I love it. And you know, you've had such an amazing time inside of the Opulence Mastermind, just really focusing on how we can get you to help more people while working less and making more. And that's, you know, really a focus for you. And I'm just curious, like, since we're talking about investing yourself, before we get into it, like, how has that been for you really focusing on that inside of the Mastermind? Because once you hit that, like, second year in business, you can only take on so many one-on-one clients?

Yeah, it's been really interesting, you know, inside the Opulence Mastermind, as you know, I've really focused on getting a, a good product suite, as you say, Claire Sellers Sellers.

Yeah.

Um, because I realized I was serving a part of my audience, but missing a huge part, another part of my audience that actually would lead into my bigger program. So that was my big focus and it really, I mean, I'm launching it now. It's doing well. The messaging is doing well with a bunch of your help, thank goodness. And so yeah, it's just really buttoned up my offers and to make it a no-brainer. So if someone's just starting out with email marketing, they have an offer and then they can move to my next offer and my next one. Because repeat clients, easiest, easiest customers you'll ever get, right?

That's right. And I think that's the thing, you know, tying it back to emails like that. When you have the self-selling product suite, it's so easy to take your people on a journey with you. And it's almost like I, the emails serve as kind of like the storybook thread that helps them start seeing how your different offerings connect. You know, you, you created the Launchpad to really help them learn the basics of emails. So for anyone listening, like we'll link everything, but Angie, Angie just is launching now, this program to basically like email 101, you know, like how to get up, how to get up, set up and started. And then she, you know, came into Opulence after running the, the Six Figures Email, which is for more advanced, you know, people in business, helping them really scale their list. But what we saw inside of Opulence is like, how do we get, how do we create more perfect clients? And that's really, you know, what we do in that program is what Angie said, you know, creating the self-selling product suite. So you're not always having to launch. You're not always having to get more people. You're not always having to send out a million emails because you already have a client base that's like with you and invested in you and they wanna move to the next offer. So I just wanna mention that 'cause I think it's important for people to hear like this, the method, you know, the Opulence Method works inside of any offering really. Inside of any type of business, even emails. So Yep. That was a little segue, but it's, it's important to say, you know, like investing in yourself. And also Angie, what I'm hearing is like you just kind of went for it, you know, like you didn't know, like, I don't know if I wanna be a VA, but I'm just gonna start here cuz it's the most obvious thing. And I think that's something that a lot of people, they come to me or they message me and they say like, you know, I'd love to join your program, but I don't know what I wanna do or I don't know what my business is. And I always say like, just start with what's obvious and your passions will float to the top. So like, I'm curious why, what inspired you? Like you genu— I think you're the most passionate person I know about emails. Like you light up when you talk about them and you love your client results are insane. Like what inspired you to specialize in email marketing? Like why emails?

Well, I honestly, I got thrown into it, you know, when I was doing corporate because, you know, as a marketer, they, give you every task under the sun. But as I started to really dive deeper into emails, I was noticing that a lot of people weren't taking it seriously. Even my corporate, um, uh, employers, they weren't taking it seriously and they'd just be like, Angie, I'll just do whatever. But when I would send an email and immediately get like thousands of dollars in sales, I'm like, I, I shouldn't be focusing on anything else. I'm not gonna focus on Instagram or, or social media, those other channels they wanted me to also be managing, because it wasn't bringing in the revenue. So once I saw kind of the direct impact that emails create for businesses, I like, that's what really makes me passionate about it because it makes people money. And that's the most— fun and like best thing that I can do as a marketer is make my clients money, I guess. So yeah, that's why I love it.

Yeah, I love that. And I think the other thing, you know, you, you've attracted some very like niche client types that wouldn't typically have an email marketing presence, and they've seen such incredible results. Like, why do you think that is? Why do you think your, you know, email method per— it sounds like, you know, tends to outperform Instagram or Facebook. Why is that?

Yeah, well, the first thing is, you know, visibility. I think like baseline, if we're talking step zero, is the fact that people see your emails. They're gonna be more likely to see your email in the inbox than they are to see your Instagram posts or even your story or your reels. So it just gives people so much visibility. And like you said, especially for those niche businesses that take advantage of it, when they pop in the inbox, I don't know, I— people tend to pay more attention, maybe because they're niche and their specialty, and there's not a lot of different types of people utilizing emails. Basically, it's the big corporations, you know, retail industry. So when you see like a think piece from a floral designer, like they pay attention. And the other reason is you kind of talked about my method, um, which is really talking from the heart and talking as if, or writing, I guess, writing an email as if you're writing to a friend, as if you're writing to someone that you already know. You want to try to be as you as you can, which Honestly, is really hard to do. It's harder for some people than others. But for my clients that are able just kind of let go and really put their opinions out there, how they feel about things, how things are affecting their life and their business. Oh my gosh, people eat it up and they buy. Even if we don't have a sale, even if we're not like, buy my stuff, as long as we have a link in there, they go to the website and they buy. People are emotional buyers. We know that. So I think that's why that works, and why my clients, if I can get them to open up and, you know, feel comfortable— of course it takes time— we start to see some good results.

I love that. And you know, I am so fortunate to work with, you know, all heart-centered, heart-led, you know, connection-first women. Like, how do you— how do you approach creating emails like that? You know, because we I don't know, I get emails from like TripAdvisor, I don't know, these big companies that just have like no emotion behind it. And then like you're saying, you know, I'll get an email from you and it's like a story, you know, maybe about like you and your family, you know, or your experience as a mom or something like that. And I open it based on the subject line and like I get chills and then I click the link. Like that's, that's what you're helping your clients create. But how can people listening like, you make it sound so easy, but how do you, how do you write like that? You know, an email in a way that makes people feel, because women especially are emotional buyers. No one is buying from their mind. They're buying from their heart. They're buying from the goosebumps.

Right. Yeah. I think there's two approaches. If someone is by themselves and like writing these emails by themselves, I always start with what is the action that you want the person to take? Like, what is the point of the email? And then working backwards from that, why should someone care? If you can think, if you can put that question in your mind or on a sticky note as you're starting to write an email, why does it matter to the person reading this? How can I be super helpful for them? It always goes back to what's in it for the subscriber. I mean, honestly, that's why they're reading your email. Yes, it could be, you know, storytelling and you hearing my story. What are you getting out of that? You're getting some entertainment and you are getting value from it. Right? So I think you wanna also think about how can I connect with my subscribers and find similarities between things that they care about and I care about and tell those stories. And I also say, you know, touch on what, what is, what are the challenges that you face on a daily basis? What is the most interesting thing that happened to you today? It could be very minute little things. Like, I think I sent an email a couple weeks ago about how my son was trampling over toys, and it reminded me of how I just like trample over everything in my business. So it's about these small little moments, you know, for myself as a mom. I know a lot of my clients are moms, they can relate to that. And taking those little moments and making them into a lesson or making them weave back into whatever it is you're offering, selling. Getting them to do. That is the art of storytelling and those type of emails. Yeah, you're right. They do get people to click.

I love that so much. I think that's like such a great reminder. And I think there's also something, and this is something I'm always trying to be very aware of that you just brought up that I'm curious about how you teach and balance this, which is you can storytell and you can talk about yourself, but you actually need to be talking about your ideal client. It's not your opportunity to take the stage, which for someone like me who's a Leo, you know, and, and tends to love to be, you know, on the spotlight, I'm trying— I'm always having to remind myself, like, it's not— this isn't about me, it's about them. So how do you help people, like, balance that? Because it is a balance of bringing people into your life but also making it about them.

Yeah, it's an absolute balance, like you said. I think what I tell people is whenever you are telling stories about yourself, keep it succinct, keep it simple. I think the, the one, the biggest mistake people make is they go on and on and on about the story or about little details that really don't matter. Um, you can have, you can say that stuff, but just move on to the next point. Like, don't focus too much on like the actual details of everything that you were thinking and doing. Get to the point as quickly as possible to bring people down the journey and to get them to take action. So something that I'll do is I'll write what I call, I don't know if I can swear on here, a shitty first draft, where you just like, you know, dump the whole story onto your Word doc or whatever, copy paste it, put it into ChatGPT, tell ChatGPT to shorten it and like make it more succinct, keeping your brand voice with a lot of line breaks. To make it easier to read and skimmable and see what it comes out with. You may have to judge it a little bit after that, but ChatGPT can really help you kind of take out the fluff. So yeah, I would use AI in that instance as well.

That's, that's a great point. We're going to get into the whole AI thing and automation. Um, but yeah, I mean, I would do, I would do the exact same thing. And let's just like take that a step further. Like, what would you say are the elements of a high-converting email?

Ooh, key elements that, as a high-converting email. Well, the first thing that I think about is having something to click or a big CTA, an obvious CTA in what I call is above the fold, which is the area of the email when someone first opens it either on their phone or desktop and they don't have to scroll. What we know about emails is people tend to spend 2.5 seconds on an email. That's not a lot of time. So whenever they open the email, you either want to grab them with a really captivating hook or statement if you're gonna use that storytelling, or you want to just have the meat of the email right there at the top with a bold CTA, but always have a place for them to click right when they open the email. So that's number one. I guess I should have backed up because subject lines. I mean, you kind of alluded to it. Um, you know, I obviously open the email because of the subject line. What's the point of writing an email if you don't have a good subject line? There is no point. So what I typically do in order to create or write a good subject line or make sure that it's really good, I do that last. I write the whole email. Um, and then I will take kind of a line that I'm like, ooh, that's a good hook, or that's that's, you know, very captivating or attention-grabbing, and I'll make it the subject line. You want your subject line to be like your best hook, you know, because that's gotta pull people in. And then the first line of the email, then it's kind of like your second best hook, or it could be very similar, just like wording it differently. And then the third, gosh, I would say keep it, keep it simple. Keep it short and sweet.

Kiss.

Yeah, kiss. Keep it simple, stupid. Yeah. I mean, I, in my email launchpad, I made templates for everyone called Super Simple Emails. I mean, you kind of referred to it earlier as well. Like, yeah, I'm all about keeping things short and sweet. People's attention spans are super short. So yeah, you don't have to go long, make emails. I've seen emails that are like 5 sentences, you know, get to the point. If you can get to the point, if you can be super clear on why someone should do something. You're more likely to get a click.

That's amazing. So I, so I just like, I'm gonna just reiterate. So yeah, everybody here. So we need an amazing subject. We need a super sexy hook.

Yeah.

And then after the hook is like your second best line because you don't want them to just read, you know, the first line and then they're like, I'm over it. So we gotta keep them engaged after that first line so that they get to the CTA and really the meat of it above the fold. I love that term.

Yeah.

And what would you say, and I know it varies like email to email, 'cause obviously just like in social media, we're gonna have different content types. You know, we're gonna have like results-based content, we're gonna have value-based content, you know, we're gonna have perspective-shifting content. We're gonna have all these different types of content, but Is— are there certain, I guess, body copy types that you see perform the best?

Ooh, yeah. I mean, at least for me as a service provider or coach, what works best is when I spell out what I get done or the results I get for my clients. I mean, social proof, results, that type of stuff. They really love to see that. So anything that's like authority-driven and yeah, results based always gets me the highest sales.

I would, I would agree. And you know, the, the reason behind that is because it helps people see what's possible for them. It's not, it's not, you know, showing off about yourself or bragging about your clients. It literally creates a neurological blueprint for people to say, oh my God, if Angie's creating that, I can create it. Or if Angie's helping you know, her client Sally create that, then she can help me create that. And oh my God, here's the product that Sally got the results from and it can be mine for, you know, XYZ. So that's what's happening like in the buyer's mind is that we're actually inspiring them to see a new reality.

Yes, absolutely. You know, why did I get into this whole business was because I saw someone doing VA stuff and making money. So I believed that I could do it. I think you hit the nail on the head there. That's why people buy is they 100% believe that they can have it and you have to show it to them. You can't just tell them, oh, you can have this, but displaying this is what so-and-so got done. So yeah, you're absolutely right. I need to make more emails like that.

And you know, again, it comes back to like women are emotional buyers.

Yeah.

You know, like if you can, if you can help a woman see another reality for herself, like I mean, that's part of all of our purpose, you know, as, as purpose-led service providers, is helping people see like another reality for themselves, like, and then you help them do it, you know, like with your whole heart. And that's really, you know, I think that's the power of all content. But I think I agree with you, you know, when someone gets an email from an individual and it's not some big company, I think it lands differently. And, you know, the Instagram Spaces is— I, I don't really like saying this, but it is saturated, you know, like people, and people are numb scrolling because, you know, they're trying to numb out. And, you know, I think emails now, if I'm checking my email, it's usually because I'm like sitting at my desk checking my email. I'm much more present actually in an email inbox than I am in an Instagram feed.

Yeah. And I think instantly you have a different frame of mind when you go into your email, like you're okay with possibly spending a few more seconds, you know, seeing if you want to, you do want to read that email or what is in it. And then, yeah, like you said, if, if it's from a, an owner, a founder, a CEO, the business owner, it is special. Absolutely. 100%. I'm even tell my e-commerce clients who are like, you know, bigger 7-figure, 8-figure clients. I've been writing emails from them, from the owners, from the CEO. Those are getting the highest click rates, the highest sales for my e-commerce business owners. So, which is crazy because most of those that you see in the inbox are images and pictures. And here I come along No, I'm not gonna put a picture in this email. And they're like, what? I'm like, yes. And then boom. Um, it works. People want to buy from people. I think that's especially happening today, like in 2024 and 2025. I don't know if it's because of what's been going on in the world, the economy, all of that stuff. But yeah, people really wanna buy from people who they feel like knows them. And that they can relate to on some level.

Totally. I, I think, and you know, that's why know, like, trust, you know, is so critical. And you know, that's, again, it goes back to, you know, the Opulence Method with having that self-selling product suite. Like once people are in your world, once they've bought one thing from you, I, I think it's like they're 60% more likely to buy the next. Yeah. You know, and so we really establish that, you know, like, no trust by helping, helping people get to know who we are so that they can like us so they can trust us. And I mean, how are they gonna do that if it's like some shiny picture that means nothing, you know?

Yeah, I've started to work with a new client this week where they just focused all in their, all of their emails on their products and highlighting their products. And I'm kind of flipping the script. I'm like, we need to talk about your mission. We need to talk about how you make this product. We need to talk about why you made this product. Like, they're like, oh, we have all that stuff. We never thought to use it. I'm like, that's how people are gonna buy from you. Yeah. That's why they're gonna choose you over someone else. They gotta know you.

Totally. And, and on that, like, I'm curious, how do you balance, you know, what I would call more Getting to, getting to know, like, and trust you, you know, storytelling, like, how do you balance that type of content that's not, I wouldn't call it direct sales content. How do you balance that type of content with, like, buy my product? How do you find the balance? Because I think a lot of people, so many of my, you know, clients in the Dream Accelerator that come to me new in business, they're so afraid of being salesy and icky and feeling pushy. So like, how do you balance that? Because I think you do that so artfully in your emails.

Yeah, I think at the end of the day, you know, if you wanted to sell through every email, you could. And there are ways of selling through emails that is not sleazy, or the person doesn't even realize they're being sold to. And I think when you talk about like, you do that well, that's pretty much what I'm doing. I'm telling stories. And mentioning my products or mentioning my offers in very natural ways that, you know, if— and then hyperlinking it so that they can click and they can go see it if that, you know, if they want to. And I also have at the bottom of my emails, like, directions. If you want to get your Black Friday emails done and squared, book a strategy call with me. If you want me to just take care of all of your email marketing, check out my full service. So I also have that at the bottom underneath my signature, and I actually book from people just clicking those, even if I'm just educating them or sending them an email that's like, you know, a story or getting to know them. As long as you have somewhere in the email where they can click, they will click even if they're not really prompted to. So, but also I like how you asked about having a balance because There is also a tendency to only send an email when you have something to sell, and that is a big no-no. You don't wanna do that. You want to be giving more value than you are quote unquote taking or asking for a sale. So you can have more of those nurture emails, but again, right? No, in those nurture emails, as long as you have links, you're gonna sell through them. And that's why it's so wonderful. So I always make sure, like, I do the 3 by 1 rule— nurture, nurture, nurture, sell. But it also really depends on if I'm launching something. Of course, leading up to the launch, I'm sending a lot of nurture and educational emails, and then, like, I'll sell hard. Like, I've been sending an email every day for my launch, and they're more likely to forgive you and put up with your sales emails because because they know when you're done with your launch, you're just gonna go back to helping them and educating them. And it's a newsletter they wanna be on because of that.

Totally. I think that's such a great point. And I love the— I've never actually heard the— what do you call it? 3, 3 in 1.

Yeah. Nurture, nurture, sell. That's just—

yes. Nurture, nurture, nurture, sell. Nurture, nurture, nurture. Yeah. That's a tongue twister. I've never actually— I've never heard of that, but You know, the way, the way that I've always approached it, and this is, you know, what I teach inside all my programs is like, if people are on your list, it's because they're interested in you, whether it's just, you know, maybe they don't wanna buy from you, but they like getting your emails. People are at free will to unsubscribe. So a lot of, you know, women, I think women in general, but you know, women who are newer in their business journeys, they have this fear of like, I don't wanna annoy people.

Yeah.

And it's like, if you, we have to get over that. And you know, in, in Opulence, like we're kind of past that, but I see this come up a lot in the, with the Dream Accelerator.

Yeah.

Like, I don't wanna be annoying, I don't wanna be pushy. And it's like, if people feel that way about you, A, I'd be shocked because you could probably produce like 10x more of what you're, you know, producing. But also let them be sovereign women or, you know, subscribers and unsubscribe or unfollow, you know, like, and very rarely do people unsubscribe because they're like, you're sending too much.

Yeah, absolutely.

And I also wonder, I'll just go ahead and say this, it's a little, you know, off topic spicy, but whatever, you know, I highly doubt that men are asking themselves those same questions.

Oh no, they don't care.

Like, they're— they are not saying— and like, I just want everyone listening to really like think about that. Do you really think that male coaches, male service providers, you know, male business owners— I, I've never heard one. You know, I don't coach that many men. I coach a few men, but I have never heard them say anything along the lines of, I don't want to be too pushy, or I don't want to, you know, bombard people. I mean, have you? You work?

No.

To me. Yeah. Yeah. Isn't that like—

Doesn't happen.

Mind-blowing.

Yeah. Yeah. But I mean, that's just how we can be as women. We tend to take on, you know, other people's experiences. Um, and we tend to put our own feelings and thoughts too on the actions that we take in our business. So I always tell my, um, women clients that, uh, we need to follow the data. The data and how your audience is reacting to your emails is what matters over everything else, over how you feel about anything. Sorry, hate to break it to you. So if we send more than one email a week and your audience is clicking on those emails and opening those emails, we're gonna keep doing it. You know, we're gonna send more emails.

100%.

So yeah, it, it, but that is definitely something I run into all of the time. Even with a lot of the clients that I take on as far as my agency, they say they don't wanna send more than one email a week. And I'm like, well then you don't wanna make money. Like, I, I don't know what to tell you. But yeah, I, I, I have to try my best. I have to get them outta that mindset because it's leaving a lot of revenue on the table and business growth on the table.

100%. And it's, you know, preventing people from being, helped, you know, from getting the services that they need and holding them back. You know, like, I— you know this from working with me, but I always frame sales as service, and email marketing is the same thing, you know. Like, me landing in someone's inbox, like, I just imagine, you know, like, a potential future client. It's, you know, Thursday night, and she's just finished like a grueling day at the office, and she you know, opens up one of my emails talking about, you know, how I helped, you know, my client Sabrina leave her decade-long career, and now, you know, she's replaced her corporate income. Like, I imagine that client, like, feeling, oh my God, like, if Claire Sellers can do that through this program, I can do it too, you know. Like, and, and so we have to— as women, I found the way to overcome the sales ick and the sales fear is to really frame sales as service.

Yeah. And on, and like what you said too, kind of pinged something for me. When someone does join your email list, they are interested to hear more. Yeah. They are at a point where they have decided, I need to do something different. I need to take action. I'm interested in hearing about something. And so often I see people not email them in that prime time when they are looking for some help. So you wanna have systems set up. I mean, obviously a welcome flow, we could get into flows and automations if you wanted to, but even so, like you wanna email them consistently, especially after they get on your list, because again, that's when they're looking for help.

Totally. That's, that's so important. And we'll talk about that, like at the end, we're gonna kind of get into like What is like the step, the ground zero step one for someone just getting started with this? And I would say like a welcome flow is, I don't know, you'll, you'll explain it, but I think that's like, that's there. So we'll get into that. But before we go into that, I'm curious, like what do you see as the biggest challenges businesses are facing with email marketing right now?

Oh, I think the biggest challenges they face are, are their own, like the ones that they make themselves.

Oh, that's why I asked, 'cause I was like, it's It's actually, it's a, it's an us thing, not a email thing.

Yeah, exactly. I mean, we've touched on all of those mindset blocks already that we hear. I don't wanna bother people. I don't wanna email too much. Emails are hard. Emails take me a long time to write. All of these mindset blocks that really just like, or I have to show up a certain way in emails. That's something I hear a lot. I see other people, all these emails in my inbox that are perfect and wonderful, and I can never be like that. That's your superpower. You know, your superpower with emails is you, your authentic voice, your thoughts, your feelings, the, your life experiences. They're complete. You hear all the cliché stuff. They're different than everyone else's, but that's what's really working inside email inboxes anyway. So you might as well just, I know it's kind of hard, it's a mindset shift, but, um, and it takes time, it takes practice to work on. But yeah, their biggest challenges are themselves.

Yeah, it does take practice. And I always tell people like, I don't think I ever had email fear because it was like people were signing up, you know, like Instagram feels a little more vulnerable for some reason because it's like anyone can see it. But if you're on my email list, it's almost like a more intimate feel. Like, I send things on my email list that I'm not posting on Instagram because it's like, I know who's on that list. But, you know, I think, I think that I always go back to— I literally remember, and I talk about this all the time, when I posted my first Instagram post, you know, like, I'm starting my business. I mean, it took me like a week to get over that fear.

Oh.

You know, and, and I just want to normalize that it is It is scary at first, and it's literally what you said, it's practice. I don't even think about it anymore. Yeah.

And that's how a lot of people feel about emails. They're like, oh my gosh, I'm sending this email and, uh, all these people are reading it. Or sometimes they're like, nobody's reading it. Nobody cares. Yeah.

Um, I hear that all the time.

Yeah. And I'm just like, they're on your, they signed up for your email list, like their information into your little box.

You know, it's way more effort than following someone on Instagram.

Absolutely. And it means a lot more because yes, people's inboxes are flooded and people are getting emails that they don't wanna get. So it's a big deal if they want to be on your list and if they want to receive emails from them, send them emails.

Yeah, totally. And that, like, just to kind of like close the, you know, challenges piece, like On a logistic front, just, and I know this is a very general question, but just to give people a ballpark, like how many emails a week should people be sending if, you know, they're, they're in your, if they're, they have a business, they have clients, they have products, let's just say that. And how long should it take them to create those emails?

Oh goodness. Okay, so if you're a service provider or a coach, I would say 1 to 2 emails a week, 2 emails a week would be best. One I would be happy with, and it should take you no longer than a half hour to write that email. Like you wanna just like get it done.

Bang it out. Get it done.

Just get it out.

And I think, and repurposing that, what you're creating across channels.

Yep. Make it into multiple Instagram posts. You know, use one of the posts to get people onto your email list. That's another thing that we need to be prioritizing when it comes to Instagram marketing. It's not just about getting in front of new eyes, or even trying to make sales. But if you can get more of those people onto your email list, you are more likely to make sales from your Instagram followers, just because you have direct access to them, and they can definitely see when you're selling something. So I would really make it a point to add that into your Instagram strategy, at least having one post that is selling or getting you know, people onto your lead magnet or whatever it is.

That is such a good reminder. And actually, I don't do that enough. So I'm so glad that you said that. That is such a great reminder. 'Cause I mean, you know, I have a, I, for example, and a lot of people probably are in the same boat as me. Like I have a link in my bio for people to join my email list, but I'm not calling them to that as often as I should. You know, maybe I do it like once a month, but that's like, so like once a week, that's an easy business activity. We can just fold in and it creates a different call to action. And some people might not wanna buy, you know, whatever I'm selling, but they might be like, I wanna get on her email list.

Yeah. And eventually, you know, once you grow—

They will buy.

Yes. That's what I'm saying. Like it, who knows if you have a welcome email set up and they're really interested, you might have hot leads buy from that. First welcome email you send when they get on your list, or you could eventually have a, a goal to set up like a longer flow to, to sell a low ticket offer. And, and that works for a lot of my clients too. So yes, that's an ac— an easy action that you can take to create short-term sales, but definitely long-term sales, long-term relationships.

I'm so glad you said that. That's like, that's homework for everyone listening, including for myself. Like, let's just do that once a week from here on out, cuz that is just like such a great reminder. Yeah. And you're, I mean, you really are leaving money on the table if you're not doing that.

Right. Yeah. It's easy.

I love that. Yeah. It's so easy. It's literally like the easiest thing ever. You could literally have a link on a story and call it a day.

Like, yeah. Yeah, absolutely. It could take you 2 minutes. Yeah. So don't overthink it.

You could even save the story and repurpose it each month and put a note on your calendar, like email list on Instagram.

Like put it in a highlights, make a highlight of free gifts for you.

Yeah, that's a great idea. Totally. I love that. Um, so what are your thoughts on AI?

ChatGPT.

Yeah, the hot topic.

I love ChatGPT. I use ChatGPT daily, um, for myself and for my clients as well. Um, I think that you really have to refine your ChatGPT When I did this launch of Email Launchpad, I started it with a free series, and I gave everyone in the free series a prompt to train their marketing assistant, their ChatGPT marketing assistant, by inputting just a bunch of things about their business, a bunch of things about their ideal client, to try to prime your ChatGPT to give you decent outputs. And we know that we're never going to use a straight up ChatGPT email. Please don't ever use a ChatGPT subject line. I just, you know, they're so bad. You can spot them from a mile away. But if you train your ChatGPT well enough, you can get a pretty decent outline that you then just kind of zhuzh and put in your own little quirks or the things that you say. I don't know if you know, Claire Sellers Sellers, that email that I sent yesterday that you said great email, that was me and my ChatGPT working together.

I love it.

Yeah. So I mean, I kind of again did that shitty first draft where I just told it about a story and then I was like, take this story and use copywriting techniques to, you know, I guess write, rewrite it in a way that gets people to take action. And then I just kind of like judged it and made it better. And yeah, it was a pretty good email and I was really happy with it.

Really good, great email. Yeah. Yeah. And so that's exactly what I do. And I'm curious, you know, the judging part that I think is the art because you need to rehumanize it, you know? So what I do the same as you is I brain dump. I'm like, da da da da da. And then, you know, I'll say like, write an email on XYZ, or I don't know, whatever the prompt is. And then it'll spit something out. And sometimes I'll say, you know, can you make it sound a little more feminine? You know, can you add a little flirtiness to this? Right? And then it'll give me something that's a little more in my voice. And then the zhuzhing, I think, is the key because you have to kind of re— re-put it back in your voice with your heart in it. Yeah. And I think that's where people get icky and weird about ChatGPT. Like, so what is your zhuzhing process? Because I think that's actually like the most important part.

Yeah, I definitely read it out loud, make sure I, you know, it makes sense. And I think, I don't know, I'm, I just might be so close to who I am. It's really about knowing, like you said, your brand voice, who you are, the things that I normally say in emails. Like, I really take I try to kind of turn up the dial of my Midwestern, like, brand voice. I'll say things like, "Okey dokey," or like really weird things like that. But I will just read through it. And typically every paragraph has a place for me to put in some sort of special way in which I say something. So I would say it's really more about, you know, taking the time to read through it and also understanding I would not say this in real life. Change it to what you would say. And as long as you're doing that in almost like every kind of paragraph, um, you're gonna be just fine. It's gonna be unique. And that literally takes me like a couple minutes to just kind of speed through. So it's not too involved. Trust your intuition as well.

Yeah, totally. And I think, you know, I always say like, it only feels icky if it's not true.

Yeah.

You know, like if it only feels like sales only feel icky if they're not true, you know, like if you're feeling like sweet, like, ugh, about sending something, like, do a gut check, you know? Like, what in my heart about this is feeling weird or icky? Like, is it that it feels like showy? Or, you know, is it that I've inflated the results? Or like, what is it? Like, check in with yourself and it won't feel icky if it's true, you know? And I think that's like where ChatGPT, like, it doesn't— it's not you. So you can always dial it down or, you know, infuse with, you know, I do the Southern, you know, I'm from the South, so I say y'all. Yeah. You know, I call people gorgeous and babe, like that's just, I do that in real life anyway. So, you know, those are just little ways that I can kind of rehumanize content, you know, and I think that it's a really powerful tool and we're fortunate to have it as small business owners.

So— Yeah, it can really speed up the process, you know, as you're creating marketing materials, as long as you're, you're doing it, you know, thoroughly and you are being very aware that You know, I want people to feel me in this.

Yes.

Because that's the magic. That's why people are gonna buy. So if you send them something that ChatGPT wrote, it's not gonna land. They can't feel you. Yeah. They can't feel you.

Yeah. I always say like, you are the strategy.

Right.

Like it's literally you, like you and your heart and like people being able to feel that and connect to that. Like that's the strategy. All the other stuff helps. But like, at the end of the day, like some of— I, I know that I know so many people I follow and they literally have no systems, no sexy product suite, like, and their programs are full.

Why?

Because they just pour their heart out in a way that people can feel them. So just learning how to do that will take you quite far, I think.

Yeah. And I would say more reason to email, more reason to practice writing, you know, from your, a genuine place where you are looking to create a genuine connection. That's the perfect medium to do it through. As you say, when I go into my email account, it's special. It's a little bit deeper. It's like a love letter. So practice in your email marketing.

Yes.

That'll really help.

Yes. So one thing that comes up, and we're kind of coming to the end here, but I think this is important. Like, One thing that I hear, and again, I hear this— well, actually, I hear this in both the Dream Accelerator and Opulence, but people sometimes get really discouraged around metrics. So click rate, open rates, like, can you just break that down for us? And what should we actually be focused on to determine success of emails? Because I love what you said, we need to focus on the data, not on your feelings.

Yeah. So first off, you know, I think open rate is good to just notice, but it— they are inflated. Because, you know, Apple put out some recent things in recent years where everybody who has an Apple device, it's automatically counted as an open. So it's not to be trusted as actually of how many people are opening your emails anymore. But it can give you a good indication of like, did my subject line do well or not? Because it'll pretty much stay in the, the same range as long as you're sending to like the same list or segment or size. But when you see those influxes of maybe a couple percentages, or maybe even higher than that, then you know that your subject line really did well. And again, when we went back, that's one of the number one keys of a successful email are those subject lines. So you definitely want to be watching the influxes of your open rates. For those, for indication of that. Then I would say, you know, most important probably is the email click. And that's just because that's the only thing that we can control through emails. You know, once someone clicks and goes to your website, whether they buy or not, yeah, we can try to influence that and maybe our emails do, and most of the time they do, but at the same time, that also depends on what the process is on your website and how easy it is for them to check out, or if they get all the information, whatever it is. So yes, click rates. I mean, you definitely wanna watch click rates. That's the number of people who click as opposed to how many emails are delivered. And then there's another click rate, quote unquote, that's called a click-through rate. So CTR, and that's the amount of people who click who actually open your emails. So the CTR actually can be, um, better for you to just kind of notice because of the people that are opening my emails, did the content resonate or was there something like in the way of them making a click? So that's a good reason to kind of look at CTR is to know if you are doing well with your content. But it could also be, as you were kind of talking about earlier before we jumped on here, Claire, It could also be the placement of your CTA. You know, it could be really simple things that the person didn't know what to do or didn't know where to click. Again, they're taking 2.5 seconds to decide whether or not they want to read your email, click and go buy something, or exit out of them. So if they don't see, if they don't get the gist, or if they don't see a CTR, or I mean a place to click, then they might just leave. And it was just because of the way that the email was designed, or it wasn't clear on what to do.

Yes. Okay. That is like, that's gold. Everyone rewind and listen to that. I think that's so important. And I'll add on, like, this is an art and a science, and this is where like working with someone like Angie is so helpful because like for some of you, you might be like, what is she talking about?

Yeah.

You know? And so how, you know, in one of her programs, she'll walk you through all of that in, in much more detail so you can actually be empowered inside of, you know, your email marketing platform. But I think that from a, from a higher level, what I just wanna say is if you've sent 3 emails and you're having a global meltdown because your open rate isn't 100% and your click-through rate is zero, then like chill. Because yeah, this, this is something that takes time to perfect and to create, you know, your unique email method and your style and, and tap into what your unique audience really wants and needs. So I just wanna share that for anyone who's like, yeah, scrambling to their inbox right now, right now to go look at what, you know, their metrics are. And if, if you're, if you're not loving what you see, don't get discouraged, just get to work, you know, and, and hire Angie and she'll help you. Yeah.

I mean, I would say, you know, typical, typical open rates are anywhere between 30% and 60%. If, if yours is lower than that, don't get discouraged. Just again, work on your subject line, work, and you might not even have ideal clients on your list then too. It could be a matter of who is on your list, who are you sending to? Are they the right fit for what you're talking about? And then click rates. I want, I think that's a good point to, to make Claire, because especially if you're a service provider or a coach, click rates are often lower than normal for us in this industry. I think it's because our products are probably higher. Um, it takes a lot longer for people to decide whether or not they wanna buy from us. So yeah, don't get discouraged if you get low clicks. People are still reading. If they are still on the list and they're not unsubscribing, they're still interested. So take that as an okay to keep sending your emails.

Yes, I love that. I think that's so important. So don't get discouraged. There's no need to get discouraged because I, I think, you know, the, the peeling back the blinders on the metrics on email can be a little bit more frustrating because on Instagram, you know, you've got friends and family and you know, it's, it's a little bit of like a quicker hit for people, you know, who are numb scrolling. And so email, I think the metrics are a little bit different and that's okay. You know, like, yeah, that's okay. It just means like, just you have to get more strategic, you know, which is an opportunity.

Yeah. And I would say another thing along those lines that people say is, oh, I don't get anyone. You know, it's not like social media where people are like interacting with you and engaging with you in that moment. So they feel like they're just like shouting to a void or actually no one is listening. Um, so if, if that, if it feels like that, you know, send an email that's asking them a question that's encouraging them to reply to you and engage with you. It's a great medium to, to connect with people one-to-one as if you were emailing, as if you're emailing them one-to-one. So do that. That'll make you feel a lot better. And once you start getting replies too from your very authentic emails in which you are letting us into your life, you know, I get email replies all the time and it's wonderful. I'm like, okay, you know, people do listen and people are engaged and interested. So send those emails and you'll start to see more engagement too.

Yes, I love that. So before we close out here, for someone who's maybe like just starting out with email marketing, What's, what's, what should be like their top 3 priorities? Let's say they've set up an account on, I know you use, use Klaviyo, right?

That's your— Klaviyo. Yeah.

Klaviyo.

Sorry.

It's okay. I use MailChimp, which I know you don't like. I will move at some point, but let's just say they've chosen, you know, their preferred method of, of email management. Then what?

Then you gotta get people onto your email list. And that's just something that you'll always want to be aware of and be doing, as we talked about earlier, because the more your list grows, the more clicks you're gonna get on each email, and the more sales you're gonna get on each email. So the time that, that 10 minutes that it takes to write an email to 100 people, when you grow that list, that's, that 10 minutes is gonna be the same to now 1,000 people. So it just has, you know, if you, if you focus on growing your list, then it makes it a lot easier to get sales down the road too for you, or it just capitalizes more on what, what you're doing. So I would have a lead magnet, something that your ideal client or subscriber really, really wants. It doesn't matter if it's what they need. Don't give them something that you want to give them. Give them something that they want. Uh, most times people won't even open the lead magnet. So it's really just about, um, shouting it to the rooftops and getting them on your list. And then, yeah, like I, like you had mentioned, have an automated welcome email set up to welcome them into your world. It can be really simple, just deliver the lead magnet, tell them a little bit about how you can help them, how often they'll hear from you. And why they should possibly listen to you. Throw in a little bit of authority. And then lastly, send consistent emails. We don't wanna be getting people onto our list and then we ignore them. That's the worst thing that we can do. Again, even emails that nurture people, that educate people can get you sales. They get me calls all of the time. So don't think just because I'm, you know, sending a weekly email that's just nurturing people, that, that's all it's gonna do. It's, it could get you immediate sales, but at the end of the day, it's definitely gonna get you, long-term loyalty and long-term sales.

Amazing. Okay. Well, that gives everyone multiple homework action items.

Sorry.

No, I mean, I think it, I think it's so helpful cuz like, that's it. You know, like if you can, if you can take those 3 steps, like, you're gonna be ahead of the game. You know, you're, you're gonna, you're gonna be on your way. And I think that it's, yes, maybe feels easier said than done, but also like everyone listening can do this.

You know? Yeah. Once you have it set up, it's just write the email and then repurpose it and use it as an Instagram and then get people onto your list from that.

Exactly. Exactly. Okay. This has been so amazing and so incredibly valuable and informative. I know everyone's gonna be taking away a lot of insights, action steps, and hopefully feeling like email's not so big and scary, and actually emails are your friend.

Yes, absolutely. I want you to all fall in love with emails just as much as I have. So that's— I'm on a mission to do that. I hope you, your business, and your clients.

Oh, I love that. I love that. So tell us, what is the next dream that you're devoted to creating? Like, what are you really pouring your heart into next?

Well, what's coming up for me next is going back into, you know, gearing up for Six Figure Emails. So with that, I, I did in the past do a Grow Your List Bootcamp where we really went deep into fun, you know, lead magnets and obviously growing your list and a welcome flow strategy. So I'll definitely be doing that bootcamp again, refined to what's working in 2025. So yeah, I'm excited for that.

That is amazing. And we'll link all of that. And you're also, one thing, you know, we mentioned in the beginning, but you're also doing this as a mom to two—

Yeah.

To how old? Under 10, right?

5 and 2.

Yeah. I mean, like, so two littles, you're doing this, like, working from home.

Yep.

You know, like, so that is, I just wanna share that, like, you know, a lot of my clients are moms and I just like to call that out. Because you can do this even, you know, with chaos at home. Like, you're juggling all the things. And, you know, I know that, you know, having a family is a dream for you. And so you're building your dream business and your dream life at the same time. And it's just amazing to witness that. And you share little glimmers of that on your Instagram.

Yeah, I try. People— that always gets me the most likes, so I guess I should do it more. But I like to keep my personal life a little bit private.

Yes. Understandable. So I always like to ask my guests, what does prosperity mean to you? Because it's totally different for everyone.

Ooh, I think prosperity. Yeah, I don't know. Whenever you say the word prosperity, I just, I think of my family. I think of being able to spend quality time. I mean, I'm, if you talk about the 5 love languages, quality time is my love language. So whenever I am spending one-on-one time with my family, with my friends, like whoever it is, having deep conversations, I think, you know, that's, that's what keeps me passionate and living and going. And yeah, that's, that's my most prosperous life.

Oh, I love that. You know, I don't know if anyone's ever answered with that.

What do they usually say, Claire?

Like, you know, purpose, you know, like things like that. But I don't think anyone's ever said, you know, like just, just family, you know. And that's why I asked the question, because I, I say like prosperity to me is, is living a purpose-led life, you know. Like it's— and every— I mean, I remember somebody last season said, you know, prosperity is being in nature. I mean, it's just, it's wildly different for everyone.

I love that.

Yeah, it's so different for everyone, but I love that. And, you know, I love that your business Um, has just been such a, a portal and a launch pad, to use your program name, for helping you, you know, create the freedom, you know, financial, time, location, to be more present with your family. Like, you know, and it's been such a joy to support you over the last 6 months, just watching you create more time for yourself and, you know, more, um, resources for yourself so that you can have your version of prosperity, which is quality time with your family.

I love that. That's, that's the point. That's why I got into this. Yeah.

But I love it and you're doing it and you're doing it for so much heart and soul and it's just such a joy to support you.

So thank you.

Yes. Thank you for, for being on the show and just sharing your time and your wisdom. Where can people find you? Because I know everyone's gonna be like, I wanna get on her mailing list. So where can people find you? We'll link everything, but just what's the best place?

Yeah, I'm on Instagram @angiemachado_. Um, I do pop in there. I mean, Instagram and emails, that's pretty much my jam. I keep it really simple. Uh, so you'll see me on Instagram stories pretty much daily, and I send a weekly email, more than that when I'm launching. Definitely get on my email list so that you can see what I'm doing and do it too. Copy it.

I don't care.

Yeah.

I love that. I love that. Well, thank you so much, Angie. You're such a dream client. I'm so grateful for you, and I know that everyone listening is like, thank you, email goddess, you're the best. And thank you so much.

It's been a pleasure, and I hope everyone gets a lot out of this. And go email.

Thank you for tuning in to the Prosperous Woman Podcast. I am so grateful for your presence and for being a part of this community. Feel free to DM me @itsclairesellers on Instagram. I would love to connect with you and hear what resonated with you in this episode. Don't forget to subscribe to the show, and if you enjoyed what you heard today, leave a 5-star review. Your feedback means the world to me and helps me reach more incredible women just like you. And because I love to spoil you, just DM me a screenshot of your review on Instagram, and I'll send you my free Prosperity Activation Course as a thank you. It's my way of investing in you and your dreams. Thank you.