Updated 31st July 2026. First published in 2021.
Struggling to attract more clients to your business?
Seven emails can turn new subscribers into paying clients. They are a welcome email, a check-in, your personal story, your best content, the benefits of your service, a promotion and a case study. Send them over a few weeks, measure clicks and replies rather than opens, and write for inboxes that now filter, sort and summarise emails with AI.
Post summary
Seven emails that attract more clients
What's new in email today
AI in email marketing
Frequently asked questions
Email marketing isn't dead. In fact, it's thriving. Around 4.4 billion people used email in 2023, and that number is still growing. Done well, email marketing is a powerful way to attract more clients to buy your services.
Think of it as a special invitation into somebody's inbox. Take it as a compliment that your audience is interested in you and your work. Make the most of it, and convince them they're right, that you're a perfect match.
If you're an online service provider, you can use email marketing to attract more clients and turn them into buyers. You can get potential clients onto your email list by creating a freebie, often called a lead magnet, designed to appeal to the people you want to work with.
For example, if you're a graphic designer, you could create an e-book on the latest web design trends. People who sign up for it are probably interested in rebranding, or at least improving their current site, and those are the people you're hoping to win as clients.
A freebie like that works as a filter. Think of it as a magnet that separates your potential clients from the rest of your audience who aren't interested in your services right now.
Once your ideal clients are on your list, your next job is to warm them up and turn them into buyers. You do this by sending them enticing emails over a few weeks, or a few months if your service is exclusive or high-priced.
Seven emails that attract more clients
Here are seven types of email you can use to attract more clients once they've subscribed.
| When to send it | What it does | |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Welcome | Straight after sign-up | Introduces you and what clients gain from working with you |
| 2. Check-in | A few days later | Starts a conversation about the freebie |
| 3. Personal story | Week one or two | Builds a personal connection |
| 4. Previous content | Week two | Shows your expertise |
| 5. Benefits | Week two or three | Explains why your service matters |
| 6. Promotion | Week three | Gives an easy first purchase |
| 7. Case study | Week three or four | Proves your results and asks for the sale |
1. The welcome or introduction email
This email introduces you to your subscribers. You can include a picture of yourself, your name and what your business is all about. However, don't focus too much on yourself. Make your introduction about the client.
A good introduction explains what they'll get out of a relationship with you. Talk about your business in terms of how you can help clients, make their lives easier or improve their business.
Add a few quirky personality touches too, so subscribers get to know you as a real person. Stand out and attract more clients by showing what makes you unique.
Example email
Subject line Your SEO and AI search checklist is here
Hi [first name],
Thanks for downloading my checklist. You can grab it here if you haven't already.
I'm David, an SEO expert and the founder of Blu Mint. For the past ten years, I've helped businesses across the USA and Europe get found on Google, and now in AI tools like ChatGPT too.
I'm based in Tallinn, Estonia, so if my emails land while you're having breakfast, that's why.
Speak soon,
David
2. The check-in
Send this email after the welcome email to see how they're getting on with the freebie. Ask how they liked it and whether they have any questions, and encourage them to download and read it if they haven't already.
Invite them to hit reply, so you can get a conversation going. Replies can also help show inbox providers that people want your emails.
Example email
Subject line How many boxes did you tick?
Hi [first name],
A few days ago, you downloaded my SEO and AI search checklist. How did your website score?
Hit reply and tell me which point you're stuck on. I read every email myself, and I'm happy to share a quick tip.
David
3. Your personal story
This is my favourite type of email to write. It's where you share your background and a little about yourself. It's personal and a little vulnerable, and the point is to open up so your audience can relate to you.
As consumers, we want to hire people we could see ourselves being friends with, or at least people we like. Your story is something people can connect with, and it makes you stand out from the crowd.
As human beings, we love personal stories that let us empathise with someone. This email gives you the chance to dig deep and open up.
Always relate your story back to what you're selling, though. Don't share random details like "When I was five, I had a dog called Fluffy." Talk about how you got started in business, or the "aha" moment that made you want to become a business owner.
Another great idea is to share how your skills as an online service provider have changed your life. It shows your service can change your client's life too.
Example email
Subject line The year I had to start again
Hi [first name],
I started Blu Mint in 2016, and before long we had a team of eight. Then Covid hit, clients slashed their marketing budgets and I had to let everyone go.
Rebuilding taught me what clients really value. Today we're a small team of senior specialists across Europe and the USA, and every client works directly with the people doing the work. No account managers, and no juniors learning on your budget.
David
4. Your previous content
You want your audience to know your business, not just because you've told them about it, but because they've read the content you've produced.
In this email, send links to a few of your most popular pieces. It shows potential clients that you're a leader in your niche. Choose genuinely helpful posts with actionable tips.
Example email
Subject line Three guides our readers love
Hi [first name],
Here are three of our most popular articles.
Web copy and web content, what's the difference?
How to increase page speed on image-heavy websites
Rise of the full-stack digital writer
Each one takes a few minutes to read, and you'll find at least one quick win in each.
David
5. The benefits of your service
Another email that attracts more clients explains the benefits of hiring someone like you.
For example, if you sell branding or graphic design, send an email explaining why those things matter to a business, then lightly touch on the services you provide. Strong sales copy makes a big difference here.
Example email
Subject line Is AI search sending your customers elsewhere?
Hi [first name],
More and more people ask ChatGPT, Perplexity or Google's AI Overviews for recommendations before they click a single link. If your business isn't mentioned in those answers, a competitor gets the call instead.
Good SEO now means being found on Google and cited by AI. That's what we focus on at Blu Mint, from technical fixes to content that AI tools trust.
David
6. Promotion
You could send potential clients a discount code or a special offer you're running at a certain time of year. Or you could offer a smaller, more affordable service that you only sell at certain times or to certain people.
For example, if you're a web designer and your main design package is $1,500, you could offer 15% off, or a package of social media graphics for $200. A lower-priced service first often warms clients up to buy your main package later.
Letting them buy a smaller package first is a great way to attract more clients, because it builds trust that you're good at what you do. And once people become clients, they're much more likely to buy from you again.
Example email
Subject line Try one article first, and pay once you've read it
Hi [first name],
Choosing an agency is a big decision, so we make the first step a small one.
Order a single SEO article from us. We'll research the keywords, write it and optimise it, and we only invoice you once you've reviewed it. Articles start from $300.
Just reply to this email to get started.
David
7. A case study
Testimonials and case studies are some of the most persuasive things you can share. Use this email to talk about a previous client and the success they had because of working with you.
Show off some before and after pictures or screenshots, and include a great testimonial from that client, with their photo and a link to their website, if they're happy for you to share them.
At the end of the email, add a "buy now" button or a link to book a free call.
People love to see behind the scenes of how you work, and the numbers behind it. This email attracts more clients because it shows the great job you've done for others.
Example email
Subject line Two years writing for ServiceTitan's software brands
Hi [first name],
From May 2024 to May 2026, we wrote for Aspire and FieldRoutes, two software brands in the ServiceTitan family. Their teams in California and Colorado needed 15 to 20 pieces of content a month, from blog posts and landing pages to data-led statistics articles and competitor comparisons.
We did it all remotely from Europe, working directly with their in-house teams.
Need a content partner who can keep up with you? Book a free 20-minute call.
David
What's new in email today
The seven emails above still work. However, the inbox has changed a lot since this article was first written, from how emails are measured and delivered to how people read them.
Opens are no longer a reliable measure
Since Apple introduced Mail Privacy Protection with iOS 15 in 2021, emails sent to Apple Mail users who turn it on can be counted as opened whether or not anyone reads them.
Measure clicks, replies and booked calls instead. They tell you far more about whether your emails are working.
Gmail, Yahoo and Outlook have tightened their rules
Since February 2024, Gmail and Yahoo have set stricter requirements for bulk senders, meaning anyone sending around 5,000 or more emails a day to their users. Microsoft followed in May 2025, and Outlook.com, Hotmail and Live addresses now reject emails from high-volume senders that fail the checks.
Authenticate your domain with SPF, DKIM and DMARC
Include a one-click unsubscribe link and act on it quickly
Keep spam complaints below 0.3%
Even if you send far fewer emails, following these rules helps your emails reach the inbox rather than the spam folder.
Unsubscribing is easier than ever
In July 2025, Google launched Manage subscriptions in Gmail. It lists the senders who email someone most often and lets them unsubscribe with one click.
That makes relevance more important than ever. A sequence of seven useful emails beats a flood of promotions that ends with an unsubscribe.
Inboxes now sort and summarise your emails
Apple Mail now sorts messages into Primary, Transactions, Updates and Promotions, and Apple Intelligence can show a short AI summary in place of your preview text. As Spam Resource points out, there's no reliable way to force your emails into Primary.
Gmail does something similar. Its Gemini summary cards appear automatically on mobile for longer emails and threads, for users with Gemini switched on.
So your opening lines matter more than ever. If an AI tool summarises your email, make sure the first few sentences say clearly who you are, why you're writing and what you want the reader to do.
Consent matters on both sides of the Atlantic
In Europe, you need clear consent before adding someone to a marketing list, under rules such as GDPR and ePrivacy. In the USA, the CAN-SPAM Act requires a clear way to opt out and your business's postal address in every marketing email.
Your freebie sign-up form is the perfect place to ask for consent.
AI in email marketing
AI is now part of most email marketers' toolkits. In Litmus's State of Email 2026 report, based on a survey of 502 marketers in the USA, UK, Australia and New Zealand, only 5% said they weren't using AI for email at all. More than a quarter said AI was deeply built into their workflows.
Marketers rated these uses of AI as the most valuable.
Writing copy and creating images
Personalising subject lines and content
Analysing campaign performance
Improving deliverability
Segmenting audiences
AI now sits on both sides of the inbox. Senders use it to write emails, and Gmail and Apple Mail use it to sort and summarise them. That changes how you should write.
Lead with the point. Put the main message in the first two sentences, so an AI summary gets it right.
Be specific. Real names, numbers and results survive a summary. Vague, generic copy disappears.
Keep your voice. Use AI for subject line ideas, first drafts and segmenting your list. However, write your personal story and case study emails yourself, as they're what make people want to hire you.
Check everything. AI can get facts, prices and names wrong. Read every email before it goes out.
It's the same balance we strike with our own human and AI content production, using AI for speed and people for judgement, experience and voice.
Need emails that win clients?
Our senior writers create copywriting and content that turns readers into clients, for businesses across the USA and Europe. Get in touch to find out how we can help.
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Five to seven emails over three or four weeks is a good starting point for service businesses. That gives you time to introduce yourself, share your story and prove your results before asking for the sale.
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A lead magnet is a free resource, such as an e-book, checklist or template, that people get in exchange for joining your email list. The best ones appeal only to the clients you want to work with.
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Yes. Billions of people use email every day, and your list is an audience you own, unlike followers on social media. It's one of the most direct ways to build trust with potential clients.
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Track clicks, replies and the number of subscribers who book a call or buy. Open rates are unreliable since Apple's Mail Privacy Protection, so don't judge your emails on opens alone.
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Gmail and Apple Mail can now summarise and sort your emails with AI, so readers may see a summary instead of your preview text. Put your main message in the first two sentences and measure clicks and replies, as open rates are no longer reliable.
About the author
Miranda Nahmias teaches service providers on how to use systems to make their businesses (and lives!) easier. She also runs an organic content marketing agency providing Pinterest management and full-service blog post creation.
Miranda offers a free system for client acquisition that service providers can use to create an automated pipeline of new client leads. Check out her work on Facebook, Pinterest, Instagram and her Blog.
David Bailey, founder and CEO of Blu Mint, updated this article in July 2026 with the latest changes to email delivery, measurement and consent.
