How to Start Your Own Email Platform

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🗂 Overview:

I’ve been thinking a lot about email lately - particularly how profitable it can be.

Supposedly, email generates $42 for every $1 spent - probably more than most other channels aside from maybe organic search.

It’s a super powerful channel for pretty much every brand. So let’s see how we can improve it.

Here’s a quick overview of the ideas:

• AI Email Designer

• Email Platform for [insert underserved niche]

• AI Segments & Flows

• Auto Email Repurposer

⭐️ Examples:

• Mailsplash - AI tool to create stunning emails instantly.

• Ripple - AI tool for Shopify stores that can generate emails instantly.

• Klaviyo AI - The biggest e-commerce email platform has a few AI tools that users can try.

👎 Problems:

• Writer's block: Generate initial drafts or ideas to get you started.

• Tone consistency: Maintain a consistent brand voice across emails no matter who’s writing them.

• Personalization at scale: Customize email content for large recipient lists.

• Grammar and spelling: Catch and correct errors in real time.

• Content optimization: Suggest improvements for clarity and engagement.

• Subject line creation: Generate compelling subject lines to increase open rates

• Call-to-action (CTA) optimization: Suggest effective CTAs based on the email's purpose

• Formatting suggestions: AI can design/recommend layout and structure improvements.

• Cultural sensitivity: AI can flag potentially offensive language or cultural missteps

• Readability enhancement: AI can simplify complex language for better comprehension

• A/B testing: Generate multiple versions of emails for testing effectiveness and analyse which performed best.

• Rephrasing assistance: AI can offer alternative ways to express ideas.

• Sentiment tuning: Adjust the emotional tone of emails as needed.

• Compliance checking: Ensure emails adhere to legal and regulatory standards.

📈 Stats:

• 89% of marketers use email as the primary channel for generating leads. (source)

• 99% of email users are checking their email daily. (source)

• Half of the world’s population has an email address resulting in 4.3B accounts globally. (source)

• 64% of small businesses use email marketing to reach customers. (source)

🧐 Opportunities:

AI Design SaaS:

Similar to Ripple or Mailsplash but cheaper, more customizable and less restrictive (i.e. not just for Ecom)

Create an AI email design tool that creates HTML email code that users can plug directly into their email service provider of choice.

As it’s just spitting out HTML code and showing what that looks like in a viewport it shouldn’t be too difficult to make (Claude 3.5 might be able to do most of it).

From there you can expand by adding integrations with Mailchimp, Klaviyo, Mailerlite, etc or becoming your own ESP.

Email service provider for X:

Most email platforms are quite generic, for example, Mailchimp and Mailerlite are sorta suitable for any business.

Klaviyo is definitely more skewed towards Ecom and Beehiiv/Substack/Convertkit towards newsletters/creators/writers.

And Instantly caters to cold emails.

But what about the following niches:

• Real Estate

• Accounting

• Info-Products

• Local Service Businesses

• Marketplaces

• Recruiters

• Educators

An email tool specific to them with templates just for them. AI tools trained on niche-specific formats and writing styles.

My brother runs his own accounting firm - he asked me a few weeks ago what the best email tool is for his business. I won’t tell you what I said because I’m embarrassed (ok I said, Mailchimp) but if there was a niche-specific platform, I would have said that.

There’s no reason why there shouldn’t be an email tool specific to accountants.

It would handle marketing and transactional emails in one plus provide the level of compliance he needs to send/receive documents securely and automatically.

On top of that, most accountants aren’t very good at design & marketing (I only used my brother as a sample for this statement) - they need help with templates, flows and writing.

AI Segments & Flows:

An AI tool that suggests flows, segmentation, and user groups based on your user/email history, your brand, product, offers and goals.

Something I’ve struggled with for my e-commerce brands is coming up with the best user journeys when I should send them offers, how much that offer should be, and how often I should send them emails before they get annoying or lose impact.

You could also have the AI update the flows automatically based on a user’s behaviour & sentiment (for example they left a bad review vs a good one).

Auto Email Repurposer:

Sorta similar to Newsblocks where you provide resources like articles, videos, etc and it creates an email and sends it out.

I think it needs a better UI/UX + some new features that help you monetize, segment and write.

🛠 How to Build:

If you want to build your own USP, it’s actually not that hard, and finding a developer to help would be relatively easy.

You can use tools like Twilio’s SendGrid or Mailgun or you can use open-source tools like Postal, Mautic, or Sendy - it all depends on the use case.

But before you do any of the technical stuff, you need to:

• Determine the problem you’re gonna solve

  • For example, an email tool for X, an AI email designer, etc.

• Choose your tech stack: 

  • Decide between open-source solutions like Postal or Mautic, or API-based services like SendGrid or Mailgun.

  • Consider your technical expertise and scalability needs when making this choice.

• Develop your unique features: 

  • Focus on the specific problem you're solving and how these features benefit your target audience.

  • Integrate AI capabilities using tools like OpenAI's GPT or Anthropic's Claude for text generation.

• Create a user-friendly interface:

  • Design an intuitive dashboard for managing campaigns, subscribers, and analytics.

• Implement email creation tools:

  • Develop a drag-and-drop editor or integrate an existing solution.

  • Include AI-assisted features for content suggestions, subject line optimization, etc.

• Build subscriber management features:

  • Create tools for list segmentation, import/export functionality, and automated list cleaning.

• Develop analytics and reporting:

  • Implement tracking for opens, clicks, conversions, and other relevant metrics.

  • Create visually appealing reports and dashboards.

• Ensure compliance and security:

  • Implement features to comply with regulations like GDPR and CAN-SPAM.

  • Set up proper encryption and data protection measures.

• Test thoroughly:

  • Conduct extensive testing of email deliverability, feature functionality, and user experience.

  • Perform security audits and penetration testing.

• Launch and iterate:

  • Start with a beta version and gather user feedback.

  • Continuously improve based on user input and market demands.

🚀How to Grow:

• Content marketing:

  • Start a blog focusing on email marketing tips and AI innovations

  • Create in-depth guides and whitepapers on email best practices

  • Develop case studies showcasing successful customers

• Social media presence:

  • Share valuable content and engage with the email marketing community

  • Use platforms like LinkedIn for B2B outreach and Twitter for quick tips

  • Create and share video tutorials on YouTube or TikTok

• Email marketing (practice what you preach):

  • Build your own email list of potential customers and partners

  • Showcase your tool's capabilities in your own campaigns

  • Offer a free email course on advanced email marketing techniques

• Partnerships and integrations:

  • Collaborate with complementary tools (CRMs, e-commerce platforms)

  • Develop plugins or extensions for popular platforms

  • Partner with digital marketing agencies for referrals

• Freemium model:

  • Offer a free tier with basic features to attract users

  • Upsell advanced AI capabilities or higher sending limits

• Affiliate program:

  • Incentivize bloggers and influencers to promote your tool

  • Offer attractive commissions for successful referrals

• SEO optimization:

  • Target long-tail keywords related to email marketing and AI

  • Create landing pages for specific use cases and industries

• Paid advertising:

  • Run targeted ads on Google, LinkedIn, and industry websites

  • Retarget website visitors with tailored messaging

• Webinars and virtual events:

  • Host educational webinars on email marketing strategies

  • Participate in virtual conferences as a speaker or sponsor

• Community building:

  • Create a user forum or Slack community for customers

  • Foster discussions and user-generated content

• PR and thought leadership:

  • Seek opportunities for interviews in industry publications

  • Submit guest posts to popular marketing blogs

• Product hunt launch:

  • Plan a strategic launch on Product Hunt to gain initial traction

  • Encourage early adopters to leave reviews and feedback

• Free tools and widgets:

  • Develop simple, free tools (e.g., subject line tester) to attract users

  • Use these as lead magnets for your main product

• Referral program:

  • Incentivize current customers to refer new users

  • Offer rewards or discounts for successful referrals

🔥Free Stuff

(Bookmark these)

• Want to grow your business? Here’s a database of tools that can help.

• Want to promote your startup for free? Here’s a database of free places to promote your startup.

• Want to turn your idea into a business? Check out this business idea checklist.

• Want to differentiate from your competitors? Check out this Differentiation Strategy Guide

• Want to run ads for your business? Use these proven psychological ad positioning strategies.

🤯 Recommendations

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