The Email Marketing Myths That Are Killing Your Eco-Business

Email #1 of 5: Breaking Down Barriers to Sustainable Success

Dear Eco-Entrepreneur,

If you’re like most sustainable business owners I talk to, you’ve probably convinced yourself that email marketing doesn’t work for your green business. You’re not alone—I hear the same myths repeated over and over by passionate founders who are missing out on their most powerful marketing tool.

Let me bust these myths once and for all.

Myth #1: “No One Reads Email Anymore—It All Gets Ignored as Spam”

This is the biggest misconception out there. The truth? 4.03 billion people used email in 2020—that’s more than Facebook and Instagram combined. A whopping 88% of people check their email more than once a day.

Here’s what really matters: 47% of marketing professionals say email is the “most effective” marketing channel, compared to 39% for social media [Australian Internet Advertising].

When copywriters like Alex Cattoni and ghostwriters like Nicolas Cole analyze data from thousands of clients, they consistently find educational email marketing generates 30% to 70% conversions by the end of a sequence—compared to just 1% to 3% for typical newsletters.

Myth #2: “I Can’t Afford Email Marketing—I’ll Just Stick to Free Social Media”

Here’s the reality check: social media isn’t free. Creating videos, thumbnails, editing, scriptwriting, and SEO optimization costs serious time and money. Successful YouTubers need teams because keeping up with algorithm demands is a full-time job for multiple people. You need a library of 200+ videos, and usually a couple of years before viewer stats really pick up.

Meanwhile, email marketing delivers an average ROI of $42 per $1 spent, making it one of the most cost-effective marketing strategies available.

Myth #3: “I have followers on Instagram and thousands of likes on Facebook. I just need a viral post. I don’t need an email list”

Sadly, this isn’t true. Popularity on social media rarely translates to sales. Why?On social media people’s buying intent is low. People scroll social media to be entertained, not when they are ready to buy something. When someone clicks your website link from social media, they’re browsing—not shopping.

Social media visitors aren’t ready to purchase. They need education first. And this is where email marketing can deliver it directly, effectively an without any pop up ads or related videos to distract them from your information and message.

Myth #4: “I have a website. That´s enough. Google will send organic traffic to my website”

This is not true, sadly. Did you know that 96.55% of all pages get zero search traffic from Google, according to Ahrefs’ study of their entire database of around 14 billion pages. Some sources round this to 91% of all websites get absolutely 0 traffic from Google searches. Furthermore, only 1.94% get between one and ten monthly visits 2023 Email Marketing ROI Statistics: Open Rate to Revenue from Google.

Unless you do marketing to bring traffic to your site, people are unlikely to find you, especially if your product or service doesn’t have a popular keyword associated with it. Unfortunately, new innovative products such as sold pressed hemp juice powder, or the Edestin Protein hemp diet protocol are not popular searches yet, and don’t have keywords with high search volumes associated with them. This means that these websites will sit in cyberspace collecting cyber dust unless you do something to bring traffic to your site. Otherwise, when your potential customers search Google, they use generic terms that won’t lead them to your innovative products and website.

This is exactly why educational email sequences work so well for eco-businesses. You can post links in social media posts and in popular platforms and groups to educational lead magnets (mini’ courses, guides, checklists, resource guides) where you have the chance to connect people to your products,—all with the time and space email provides.

Myth #5: “Emails from brands go straight to the spam folder and don’t get opened.”

Here’s a game-changer: emails that appear to come from the CEO or founder have much higher open rates and engagement than branded company emails. Your personal story and authentic voice are your competitive advantages. Nicolas Cole found that the content he wrote for the prominent Ink.com site got almost 0 engagement, but the same content went viral on Twitter and Quora when he published it using his own name. This prompted him to start the first digital writing ghostwriting agency, and he has gone on to make millions for his clients. Ghostwriting allows busy CEOS to share their wisdom and help others succeed (providing education and valuable information), which builds their brand and fosters trust, which leads to sales, without spending hours writing the articles and posts themselves.

Educational emails that teach rather than sell align perfectly with sustainable values. You’re creating positive change through knowledge sharing.

The Truth About Email Marketing for Eco-Businesses

While you’re struggling to get noticed on crowded social platforms, email lets you build direct relationships with people who actually care about your mission. Nicolas Cole’s data from over 2,000 campaigns shows educational email series get 10 times more sign-ups than traditional newsletters, and the conversion rate is 50% to 70% of those that sign up, which is far higher than the 3% to 30% you get with a traditional sales funnel.

Your eco-friendly products need education, trust-building, and values alignment. Email marketing provides all three while generating the highest ROI of any marketing channel.

What’s Costing You Right Now

Every day you delay building your email list, you’re losing potential customers to competitors who understand this strategy. Your innovative solutions deserve an audience that gets it.

Social media algorithms hide your posts. Google buries new websites. But email? Email lands directly in the inboxes of people who chose to hear from you.

What’s Next?

Tomorrow, I’ll share how I discovered email marketing isn’t just effective for eco-minded businesses—it’s actually the most ethical marketing approach available. You’ll learn why educational sequences align perfectly with your values while solving the unique challenges green businesses face.

Until then, ask yourself: which of these myths has been holding your sustainable business back?

Ready to turn your inbox into your most powerful marketing asset?

Talk soon, [Your Name]

P.S. If you’re tired of marketing that doesn’t align with your values, I’d love to help. Reply and tell me your biggest challenge—I read every response personally.

Many people think all they need is Facebook and Instagram, or to post a few videos on YouTube. They put a ton of money into making a website but don’t allocate any money for ongoing marketing.

However, there is a big cost relying solely on social media.
It takes a lot of time, and time is money. Your time is valuable.
It takes a lot

However, if you add a freebie that your viewers find incredibly valuable, that solves a problem for them, such as a free 5 email mini course, then social media can be useful to generating new customers.

Email Marketing is cost effective.

The average ROI (Return On Investment) of email marketing is $42 per $1 spent, making this one of the most cost-effective ways to market your products and services.Some sources report that the average is even lower, at $39 per $1 spent.