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Let’s be honest – most marketing is manipulative crap. But it doesn’t have to be.
I’ve spent decades developing what I call open heart marketing. It’s exactly what it sounds like: promotion that’s transparent, respectful, and actually aligns with who you really are. Revolutionary concept, I know.
When creative mates ask how I’ve built a publishing company that consistently pays the bills, I’m often taken aback by how much there is to unpack. It’s a massive topic.
But today, I want to focus specifically on how to use email marketing without selling your soul in the process.
One of the biggest problems I’ve noticed – something I banged on about years ago – is that businesses are rubbish at maintaining meaningful contact with their audience.
I once asked several colleagues if they ran email newsletters. Their answers revealed volumes about their real motivations and priorities.
As a foraging teacher, having a mailing list has always been essential for me – it’s how I let people know when new foraging info is available.
The responses I got from my colleagues were eye-opening, showing just how differently people orient their work around their guiding principles.
My North Star: I want every single household in the country using wild plants as food and medicine. Full stop.
Every action I take serves this vision. When I post on social, publish a podcast episode, run an advert, or send an email newsletter, I’m trying to spark curiosity about plants and encourage people to actually engage with them – not just think “oh, that’s interesting” before scrolling on.
So how do you stay front of mind in our overstimulated world, where most people spend about three seconds on each social media post before moving on?
The answer isn’t chasing ever-changing platforms. It’s building an email list.
Email is a protocol, not a platform. No corporation owns it. Yes, you need providers like Kit, MailerLite, or Buttondown etc., to host your list, but the list itself is 100% yours.
Although I aspire to DIY, the limit gets stretched when it comes to email marketing. Back in the early internet days, I would host mailing lists directly on my website.
The whole point of running an email newsletter is to get it to arrive in people’s inbox. Nowadays it is essential to use a specialist provider, like one of the ones mentioned above. I personally use Kit.
But the principle remains: ownership of your list is absolutely crucial.
If your social accounts get locked or search algorithms shift, you can still reach your audience.
Even if you have problems with your mailing provider, you can download your database and take it elsewhere.
That’s why it’s vital to back up your list regularly – weekly is ideal, monthly at minimum.
Your mailing list is one of your most valuable business assets. Don’t let anyone tell you different.
Going back to my example of bringing wild plants into every home: every piece of content (let’s call it art!), I create has to align with my North Star.
I share loads of plant knowledge across different channels; social, substack, youtube, podcast etc.
Although I’m not particularly active on youtube. Video often feels two-dimensional to me, encouraging passive consumption rather than getting your hands dirty.
I much prefer podcasting – it’s more intimate and effective and sparks enough curiosity that listeners actually take practical steps towards working with plants.
I also use organic social media extensively. Every post builds presence and profile for me.
When someone joins my newsletter, they enter a structured welcome sequence that introduces them to my work, and gently builds our relationship over time.
Despite what cautious marketers might tell you, I’m not shy about emailing frequently.
People join my newsletter because they genuinely want to learn more.
The idea that you should only email monthly or quarterly is absolute nonsense.
Instead, find a rhythm that feels natural and sustainable. Personally, I send an email every three days.
Pop over to my newsletter subscription page. I include a transparency statement making it crystal clear that subscribers will get 80% valuable content alongside occasional promotions of my books.
Being transparent has never been a problem. In fact, it’s fundamental to open heart marketing.
Respect for your audience is non-negotiable.
Few things are more infuriating than subscribing to a newsletter and immediately getting bombarded with aggressive sales pitches and hollow content.
That behaviour shows zero respect for the human being behind the email address.
The inbox is a personal, even sacred space.
These days, people are understandably cautious about sharing their contact details unless they trust the sender and understand what they’re signing up for.
Unfortunately, many businesses treat email acquisition purely as a transaction.
E-commerce companies are especially guilty – offering discounts in exchange for email addresses, then flooding inboxes with relentless promotions.
If we want to build a new way of promoting our creative work – one that fosters long-term trust rather than resentment – we need a different model.
Open heart marketing offers that healthy alternative.
I’ve been doing email marketing full-time since the end of the last century! Over twenty-five years now.
Early in my career, I was steeped in traditional direct response marketing, with its relentless focus on sales.
By 2005, I recognised that this approach was completely out of alignment with my personal values and changed direction.
This misalignment between values and actions is everywhere.
You can spot it even in radical communities that bang on about being anti-capitalist.
Their newsletters and marketing behaviour often mimic the very corporate practices they claim to oppose. Hypocritical, isn’t it?
True congruence between our values and our marketing actions isn’t just nice to have – it’s essential.
So there you have it. Open heart marketing isn’t just a set of techniques. It’s a commitment to honesty, transparency, and respect.
It’s refusing to compromise your values for quick cash.
In a world saturated with noise and manipulation, this approach offers a genuine path to connection and sustainable success with your audience.
And isn’t that what we’re all after, really?