Did you know there are about 361 BILLION emails sent every day? That is TOO MANY EMAILS. It’s no wonder the sight of an inbox overflowing with bolded subject lines screaming for attention is universally soul crushing. For marketers, it’s even worse. How do we craft emails that actually stand out, earn a click, and (gasp) drive action—without ending up in the digital Unsubscribe graveyard? It’s not easy!

We’ve spent the past year obsessing over email trends and tactics: the good, the bad, and the downright cringe-worthy. We’ve attended every webinar, skimmed every industry report, and shamelessly judged our clients efforts along with those emails that land in our own inboxes. So grab your coffee (or wine, no judgment), and let’s dive into our top tips for email marketing greatness in 2025.

1. Keep It Simple, Not Stupid

Remember the #1 reason you’re sending B2B emails? Trust. You want to build relationships, deliver value, and—eventually—sell more stuff, more easily.

Let’s face it. There is a lot of crap email out there! I spend one Monday a month doing an objective litmus test of the emails in my inbox. Some emails are too long, others too vague, some clearly have no idea what I do for a living (no, I am not interested in developing off-shore code) and some are so epically bad they literally go straight to our Wall of Shame. However, when we find one of the rare few that piques our interest and actually makes us read, engage, or share the content, we pass it around the office as a reminder of what works. Of course, we always look at the data, too, (see #8) because it doesn’t really matter what we like, it just matters what works.

Pro Tip: Always ask: “Would I open and read this if it landed in MY inbox?” If the answer is a hard no, go back to the drawing board.

2. Remember It’s Not All About YOU

Newsflash: Your audience doesn’t wake up excited to hear about your product launch, your webinar, or your quarterly update. They care about themselves.

When crafting your message, you should always ask: “So what? Why should they care?” Are we solving a pain point? Making their life easier? Offering something genuinely valuable? If not, there’s a delete or an unsubscribe in our future.

Pro Tip: Count how many times your email says “we” vs. “you.” Shift the balance in favor of your reader. We went through this exercise with a client and when we rewrote their product launch email from a “We’re so excited to share” tone to a “You’ll love this because” vibe, click-through rates doubled.

3. Be Conversational

Nobody wants to read an email that sounds like it was written by a boring engineer or a stodgy lawyer (sorry to all of my engineer and lawyer friends but you know it’s true!). Here’s a fun fact: Emails written in a casual, conversational tone have a 15% higher open rate than overly formal ones.

So keep your story short, snappy, and—most importantly—human. Your reader should feel like you’re talking to them, not at them. Ask yourself: “Would I actually say this out loud at a conference or cocktail party?” Tell a story that’s interesting, compelling and genuine and you’ll be more popular than the open bar.

Pro Tip: Start with a strong opening line. Something relatable or cheeky works wonders: “Ever feel like your inbox has turned into a digital dumpster fire?”

4. HI is More Important Than AI

At Targa, we believe that AI and HI (human intelligence) work hand in hand. AI will become more pervasive and incrementally smarter, but it can’t replace humans. The value of REAL stories and REAL content that resonates with REAL humans will become increasingly valuable. Emails that feel genuine—not generated—are the ones people will engage with and remember.

Pro Tip: Tell the story your readers want or need to hear and make it personal. Let AI help you with the polish and the editing but keep the core genuine and human.

5. Start With WHY

Targa always promotes the value of marketing with purpose. Sometimes it’s hard, especially when we have a lot of good, valuable information to share. But every email we send should have a purpose. Are we trying to get someone to sign up, download, or buy? Whatever it is, we have to make that clear, compelling, and easy to act on.

Too many CTAs can dilute your message. So we stick to one primary goal, with a secondary backup option if needed (e.g., “Register for the webinar” vs. “Learn More”).

Pro Tip: Emails with a single, focused CTA get 371% more clicks than ones with multiple conflicting actions.

6. Choose your Own Adventure

Sometimes, it’s okay to give your readers options. A quick roundup email with small, punchy teasers lets them choose what piques their interest. A client’s teaser-style newsletter saw 40% higher engagement rates when they gave readers a few focused choices.

Think of it like headline news, a veritable newsletter buffet—something for everyone, but not too much of anything.

Pro Tip: Track which teasers get the most clicks. Use that data to guide future content strategy.

7. Get @*$%-ing Creative!

It’s true. A little humor, a little shock-and-awe, sometimes even a little swear word here and there can help break through the clutter. Think infotainment: inform + entertain. Remember, you’re not just competing with other emails—you’re up against every piece of content on the internet where we look for news and information. And, guess what. We read it because it’s entertaining! Just like nobody wants to be stuck by the boring guy at a party, you also don’t want to read that guy’s emails. Keep it real, keep it entertaining, keep it fun, keep it weird.

Think of it like headline news, a veritable newsletter buffet—something for everyone, but not too much of anything.

Pro Tip: Test bold subject lines or unexpected visuals. Just make sure they align with your brand voice.

8. Get It Moving and Shaking

Animations in email get attention. And that’s important when you’re trying to stand out. Guess what else? They’re entertaining! Or informational! Or both if you’re doing it right. Keep it simple and intentional and even a subtle animation can draw the eye, highlight key content, and make your message stick. It’s like email gold! Really. Emails with GIFs see a 25% higher engagement rate!

Think of it like headline news, a veritable newsletter buffet—something for everyone, but not too much of anything.

Pro Tip: The first frame of any animation needs to have all of the content you want to show in a static image.

9. Data Trumps Opinion, Always

Let’s face it, we all have opinions. Some are good, some are bad, some are downright stupid! I had a brilliant boss who always used the phrase “Well, data trumps opinion” and she never hesitated to throw down that gauntlet when someone offered up their thoughts on a specific headline or subject line.

The data is key, and testing is imperative. Here’s a fun fact: A/B tested subject lines can improve open rates by 49% on average! It just goes to show that no amount of creative or strategic suggestions matter if you don’t do the analytics and let the data guide you. Test, analyze, iterate, optimize, repeat. Always.

Pro Tip: Stay focused on the metrics that matter: Click through rate (CTR), Read rate, Unsubscribe rate. Don’t drown in data — swim in insights.

The Final Word

Email marketing isn’t going anywhere. But it’s important to stay up on the trends, understand the data, and lean on the experts to do it well and create emails that people want to read. When you focus on trust, clarity, creativity, and a sprinkle of sass, your emails don’t just land in inboxes—they jump into action.

Ready to level up your email game in 2025? Let Targa help you craft email marketing campaigns that get opened, clicked, and remembered.

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