1. Your Email List Is Filthy

A dirty list = dead deliverability

If you’re sending emails to a bloated list full of inactive contacts, old addresses, and spam traps, your deliverability is shot before you even hit send. Email providers see low engagement and assume you’re a spammer. Boom—straight to junk mail.

How to Fix It:

✔ Purge the dead weight: If someone hasn’t opened your emails in six months, they’re not your audience. Cut ‘em loose.
✔ Use double opt-ins: Make people confirm their email before they join your list—filters out the fakes and typos.
✔ Segment like a boss: Not everyone deserves the same message. Prioritize active subscribers and try to wake up the sleepy ones with re-engagement emails.

💡 Pro Move: Set up an automated “Are you still in?” email before unsubscribing people. Sometimes a simple nudge gets them back in the game.

2. Your Emails Sound Like a Robot

If it feels mass-produced, it’s getting ignored

Nobody wants to read a generic, one-size-fits-all message. If you’re not making your subscribers feel like you’re talking directly to them, they’ll tune out faster than a bad podcast.

How to Fix It:

✔ Get personal: First name in the subject line is cute, but go deeper—reference past purchases, preferences, or location.
✔ Automate behavioral triggers: Someone leaves items in their cart? Hit them with a reminder. Stopped opening emails? Time to shake things up.
✔ Segment, segment, segment: Different groups need different messages. The guy who buys steak monthly shouldn’t get an email about tofu.

💡 Pro Move: Set up location-based emails—if they’re near your store or an event, hit them with something hyper-relevant.

3. You’re Stuck in 2010 (Your Emails Look Like Crap on Mobile)

If it’s not mobile-friendly, it’s useless

Over 70% of emails are opened on a phone. If yours look like a jumbled mess, people aren’t going to sit there zooming in and squinting to figure it out. They’re just going to delete it.

How to Fix It:

✔ Design mobile-first: Make sure your emails are built for small screens first, then adapt for desktop.
✔ Use single-column layouts: Multi-column emails break on mobile and look like a disaster. Keep it clean.
✔ Make your CTAs idiot-proof: Big buttons, clear spacing—nobody should have to work to click your links.

💡 Pro Move: Test your emails in dark mode—half your audience is using it, and your bright white background could be blinding them.

4. You’re Trying to Say Too Much

Too many words = nobody cares

Your email isn’t a novel. If it takes more than a few seconds to get to the point, you’ve already lost. Cluttered emails with too much info overwhelm people, and when they get overwhelmed… they do nothing.

How to Fix It:

✔ One email = one purpose: Are you selling? Promoting? Educating? Pick ONE goal.
✔ Write like you text: Short sentences. Punchy lines. Easy to scan.
✔ Use a clear CTA: Tell them exactly what to do—“Buy now,” “Watch this,” “Claim your free sample.”

💡 Pro Move: Structure your emails like this:

🔹 Hook → Get their attention instantly.
🔹 Value → Why they should care.
🔹 Action → What they need to do next.

5. You Never Test Anything (And It Shows)

Hope is not a strategy

If you’re just sending emails without testing different subject lines, designs, or CTAs, you’re flying blind. You have no clue what works.

How to Fix It:

✔ Test subject lines: Try curiosity-driven, urgency, or humor and see what gets the most opens.
✔ A/B test your CTAs: Try “Shop Now” vs. “Get 20% Off”—one will perform better, and now you’ll know which one.
✔ Experiment with send times: Your audience might be more engaged at 6 AM than 2 PM—figure it out.

💡 Pro Move: Run tests regularly. What worked three months ago might not work today.

6. You’re Playing Fast and Loose with Email Laws

Mess around and you’ll get blacklisted

Spam laws exist for a reason. If you’re blasting emails without permission, making it hard to unsubscribe, or being shady about how you use data, you’re asking for trouble.

How to Fix It:

✔ Get real consent: No sneaky pre-checked boxes—make people actually want your emails.
✔ Unsubscribe = easy: If someone wants out, let them go. Otherwise, they’ll mark you as spam, and that’s way worse.
✔ Follow the rules: CAN-SPAM, GDPR, CASL—know them, follow them.

💡 Pro Move: Offer an email preference center where subscribers can choose how often they hear from you instead of unsubscribing completely.