What are some "Email Marketing" best practices?
Email is likely the most important channel for your campaign. The people who already know you — including customers, friends, family, and colleagues — are the ones most likely to invest. A well-planned email strategy helps you reach them early and keep them engaged until your offering closes.
1. Build your contact list
Compile a full list of everyone in your network: customers, past investors, friends, family, coworkers, and the personal and professional networks of your team. This is your core marketing base, so take the time to make it complete.
Load the list into Mailchimp or a similar email marketing service. Only add people who have a relationship with you or have agreed to hear from you. Most email services prohibit purchased or rented lists, and sending to people who didn't opt in can hurt your deliverability.
2. Create your hotlist
From your full list, pick out the people most likely to invest: close supporters, loyal customers, past investors, and anyone who has already expressed interest. Gather a phone number and email address for each one. These are the people to contact personally, especially in the first days of your campaign, when early momentum matters most.
3. Segment your list and tailor your message
Group your contacts by how you know them, such as customers, friends and family, or professional contacts. Each group will respond to a different message. A loyal customer may care most about the product, while a professional contact may care more about your traction and team. Write each email with its audience in mind.
4. Plan your email schedule
Everyone checks their email, which also means inboxes are crowded. To stand out:
Send about 2 emails per week during your campaign.
Write at least 3 weeks of emails in advance so you can stay consistent.
Include one clear call to action in every email, linking to your StartEngine offering page.
Keep emails short and use a subject line that makes people want to open them.
For supporters who are new to investing, share our guide on how to invest on StartEngine. [Link to current how-to-invest help article or graphic]
5. Follow the rules
Promoting your offering: Under Regulation Crowdfunding (Reg CF), emails that mention your offering's terms (such as price, security type, amount raised, or deadline) are limited to basic “tombstone” information and must direct readers to your StartEngine offering page for full details. [Link to StartEngine's marketing/advertising rules article]
Commercial email laws: Include a working unsubscribe link and your business's physical mailing address, and honor unsubscribe requests promptly, as required by the CAN-SPAM Act. Email services like Mailchimp add these automatically.
When in doubt, review your emails with your legal counsel before sending.