In this edition:

→ Email Marketing updates you NEED to know

→ How is AI changing Email Marketing (scroll to blogs)

→ Saying what your audience thinks will increase opens (scroll)

→ NEW for email: Search Inbox Optimisation (scroll)

Are you a hermit like me? 

I've been SO busy with work that I realised I barely leave my office, I haven't been out to any events, and I am online 24/7 - not good. 

So 2026 me has decided that Beth the hermit is out, so here's what;s going in my world:

→ I’m speaking at Masters of Email Marketing
An online event built for marketing managers and email practitioners, register for free here.

→ Litmus LIVE - I'm on a panel about Email & AI 
Online, free and I will be saying what no one wants to say, but we all think. Sign up for free here

→ I’m being flown to Amsterdam to speak at Email Marketing Automation Summit
In person, on a stage, with actual humans in the room. 

→ My uncomfortable truths about email - interview with Stripo 
You can read the full interview here.

The big question is, if I ran my own event, would you come? 

Email Marketing updates 

You NEED to know

1) Gmail is rolling out an AI Inbox

AI summarisation, prioritisation, and surfacing of what Gmail thinks matters most

What you need to know:
→ Rolling out now in the US (UK + other regions coming)
→ Optimised for tasks, bills, time sensitive and relationship emails
→ This does not “hide marketing” but it formalises behaviour users already have

2) HubSpot’s new "deliverability" dashboard (beta)

A new dashboard in Marketing Pro & Enterprise called delivery. But the metrics are bad, and it will fuel panic reporting and pointless leadership meetings. Read more here

3) Cold email: officially pronounced dead (again)

HubSpot's CEO has said it and cold email as we know it is DONE. Can cold email survive inboxes? 

4) 77% of marketers still do not understand deliverability

Most teams cannot explain or report on their inbox placement rate. And no dashboard or metric in your ESP will explain this. Learn email deliverability here.

5) SIO is coming (Search Inbox Optimisation)

You heard it here FIRST. Inbox ranking is driven by AI systems, not just folders and tabs, plus emails must be optimised for search and crawling by humans and bots. Scroll to the inbox drop to read more on this. 

From the Vault

A blog a day keeps the spam filter away 

⌚ 8 min read:

→ How AI is changing Email Marketing

⌚ 6 min read:

→ The Email Experience Audit - how to do it

⌚ 7 min read:

→ Welcome Flows Are Dead. Orientation Flows Are Thriving

What email handbook should I create next?

The Email Design Handbook is my most downloaded resource EVER.

The button with the most click, I shall create! 

From the Queen’s Court

Voiceover video verdicts 

How not to do a end of year round up to your audience

Saying what your audience thinks will increase opens

The Inbox Drop

Search Inbox Optimisation

The top 3 things to understand:

1) Email is a utility - not a performance channel

People use their inbox to retrieve, prioritise, and complete tasks.

Engagement often happens days, weeks, or months after send, which means opens and clicks at send time tell an incomplete story.

2) Inbox search is about recognition, not discovery
When people search their inbox, they’re usually looking for something they already know exists - a sender, a topic, or a phrase they remember. SIO is about being easy to find again, not trying to rank like Google.

3) This will  compound (and AI raises the bar)
Live text, consistent sender names, descriptive subject lines, and meaningful body copy make emails retrievable later. AI inboxes don’t reward cleverness, they surface what’s clear, recognisable, and useful.

Quick win for you

Steal the words already in their head

Your highest performing subject lines are rarely clever; they’re familiar

Find a real phrase your audience already thinks or says and use it as the subject line. Let that same thought carry the email

How to do it (10–15 mins):

→ Check Reddit, reviews, support tickets, sales calls
→ Look at search questions (e.g. AnswerThePublic)
→ Ask directly (polls, LinkedIn, or tools like OnePulse)

You’re looking for questions because questions signal problems/needs. 

Then:
→ Subject line = the question/the thought
→ Body = problem → agitation → solution
→ Test it on a control segment

Use the PAS copy framework and watch your email do a lot better. 

Plug of the week 

If you’ve got email or marketing budget to use

And you’re not sure where it’ll have the most impact - I offer workshops, training, audits, 1:1 consultancy and full email transformation programmes. Over 100 happy clients & £10 million in assisted revenue. 

Inbox trust compounds, act accordingly.

Stay cool,

Beth ✌️

I have ADHD (IFYKYK) so please excuse any typos and spelling errors in this email.

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