How to Start (& Grow) Your Email List as an Interior Designer

For Designers

Jan 12

Hey, designer bestie! We’re so happy that you stopped by the blog today, because we’re chatting about something mega important. Your email list. I know, I know. It’s not as fun as social media — or designing homes — but it’s key in growing your business.

Why is it so important?

Let us share a couple key facts with ya:

50% of people buy something from an email list at least once per month (Salecycle, 2022)
Email marketing’s median ROI is 122% — at least four times higher than other methods of marketing, including social media (DMA, 2016)

Not to mention, you’re not fighting with an algorithm or competing against someone else’s ad budget. All emails go to the same place — the reader’s inbox.

But not all emails are created equal. You’ll see the most engagement with your first emails out to your new subscribers. According to GetResponse (2020), more than 80% of people will open a welcome email, which equals about 4x the open rate and 10x the click through rate (aka how many people click to your stuff) than you see with regular marketing emails.

But, of course, that doesn’t mean you’re off the hook when it comes to sending a regular newsletter. An engaged email list is an email list that will buy from you and help you to grow your business. It just means you have to get creative with your newsletters.

But here’s one last stat for ya, this time from Statista (2021). On average, your email readers will spend just 10 seconds reading your email. Which means you need to grab their attention.

Okay, we’re done with the stats

Now we want to walk you through creating a welcome sequence — and regular newsletter emails — that will engage your audience from the beginning and turn them into raving fans.

Ready? Let’s go.

EMAIL ONE - AN ENTHUSIASTIC INTRODUCTION

Yay, you did it! You got someone on your email list (either with a freebie, a discount, or just by being awesome — but usually with a freebie). Now it’s time to wow them as they get to know you.

Some things to include in this email are:

Thank your new email list member for being there — make them feel seen, heard, and welcome
Let them know what to expect by being a part of your email community — make sure they know they get all kinds of exclusive goodies just for being there (and make sure to deliver on that!)
A quick blurb about you to establish the relationship right away
Overdeliver, whether it’s through a discount code if you have any kind of shop, an extra freebie, or an email-list-only personal blog post — they are one of your new besties after all!

email two: the in-depth intro

Use this email to show off what you’ve got. Your subscribers ultimately want to know what’s in it for them. (Nothing personal — it’s just how us human beings are. Especially when it comes to a busy inbox.) But as they learn what they’ll get by being a part of your awesome community, they’ll want to get to know you in the process. Building that know, like, and trust factor is key in growing your business.

Include these things in your second email:

What your studio does (and beyond just the design or decor piece — you bring dream homes to life, craft a home to match a couple’s love story — really sell it!)
Why you love what you do — and who you do it for
What problems you solve — trust us, your subs will perk up at this bit
What they can expect next — another email, perhaps?

Behind the Scenes Peek – ASR Design Studio

email three: behind the scenes

Now it’s time for a fun email — a behind the scenes peek into your business. This starts to show you as an expert and allows people to continue to build that know, like, and trust factor — all while showing them how you can help them.

There are a few ways you can approach this email:

If your main offer is your design services, share a case study of one of your clients. Talk about their dream for their space, how you brought it to life, and include some pictures of the transformation.
If you have another offer that you’re looking to sell, perhaps drafting and floor plan assistance for other designers, you can do a case study on one of your designer clients. Talk about how much time you saved them and what they were able to accomplish as a result.
Maybe you have a home decor shop and you’re wanting to drive traffic to that since you have a booked up design calendar (go you!). Share the shop’s founding story, walk people through a day of packing orders, or chat about where you source your goods and why that’s important to you.
- Or, if you’re an overachiever, do all of the above for different opt-ins and segments of your audience!

Email four: make the sale

At this point, it’s time to go in for the sale. It’s important to remember that this may not actually make the sale in the moment, but it will cement you in their mind as someone to go to when they need what you’re offering.

Important things to include in this email:

Thank them again for hanging out with you in the inbox
Let them know what to expect going forward (weekly emails, monthly newsletters, etc.)
Give them some super interesting info or one last powerful story to grab their attention
Offer a discount, free consultation, or something else enticing related to your offer
Include a call to action and invite them to take the next step with you — booking a call, purchasing a design package, etc.

lastly, let’s talk about newsletters

Remember the stat above, where we shared that people usually scan an email in about 10 seconds?

It’s important to make your email skimmable.

What does that mean? Three things:

Keep it short & sweet.
Break it up with images and/or bolded, italicized, or different text colors. A word to the wise — don’t overdo this — you still want to keep it simple & well-designed.
Give people the goods! Blog posts, discounts on products, portfolio work, all the things.

Here are a few newsletter ideas:

Roundups. These are great when you’re doing monthly emails, as it gets your audience caught up on what’s new. Share the latest blog posts, resources, shop items, completed projects, all the stuff!
Share a funny story. People love to laugh, and you can relate it back to what you do for a boost on that all-important know, like, and trust factor.
Tell people what you’ve been up to. A quick “Day in the Life” email is always a fun read.
Offer a discount or a sale. This is great for shop owners or template sellers. (Keep these limited to special seasons or limited times — you don’t want to train your audience just to wait for a sale.)