Stop Thinking These Email Habits Are “Normal”
Most entrepreneurs I talk to swear they’re “doing email marketing.” But when I look inside their GoHighLevel account, I see the same mistakes over and over again. The worst part? They think these mistakes are normal. But in reality, they’re quietly destroying their deliverability, reputation, and sales. Let’s break it down: 🚫 1. Using the same list for every campaign - What they think: “I’ll just blast my entire list with every email.” - Why it’s wrong: Not everyone on your list is at the same stage. Some are new leads, some are buyers, some are inactive. Sending the same message to everyone increases unsubscribes, spam complaints, and hurts domain reputation Fix: Use GHL Smart Lists & tagging to segment your audience. Example: “Hot Leads,” “Past Buyers,” “Cold Leads,” etc. 🚫 2. Not setting up proper email authentication (SPF, DKIM, DMARC) - What they think: “If my emails send from GHL, I’m good.” - Why it’s wrong: Without authentication, inbox providers (Gmail, Outlook, Yahoo) often send your emails to spam or promotions tab. Fix: Verify your sending domain inside GHL and set up SPF, DKIM, and DMARC in your DNS records. 🚫 3. Writing emails that look like ads - What they think: “If I add lots of images, banners, and salesy words, people will buy.” - Why it’s wrong: Over-designed emails and spammy words (“limited time only!!!”) trigger spam filters and lower engagement. Fix: Write plain text or simple HTML emails that look like they’re coming from a real person. 🚫 4. Not warming up new domains or IPs - What they think: “I can start sending 10k emails on day one.” - Why it’s wrong: ISPs flag sudden spikes in sending volume as spammy behavior. Fix: Use a warm-up schedule: Start with smaller batches, engage your most active subscribers first, then scale. 🚫 5. Relying on “set it and forget it” automations - What they think: “Once I build a workflow, I never need to touch it again.” - Why it’s wrong: People change, products change, markets change. Old automations often feel robotic, irrelevant, or broken.