Email automation is a powerful yet underused  revenue driver. Automated campaigns generate 37% of email sales while only representing 2% of total send volume.

In this episode of Email After Hours, hosts Guy Hanson and Danielle Gallant welcome Greg Zakowicz, a 19-year email marketing veteran, to explore how businesses can leverage automation effectively to drive engagement and revenue while reducing manual effort.

What you'll learn:

- How to structure a post-purchase automation series that builds customer relationships beyond transactional messages

- Why back-in-stock automations deliver an exceptional 5.83% conversion rate compared to regular campaigns

- The three essential automated campaigns every email program needs: welcome series, browse abandonment, and cart abandonment

- The "Customer-First" framework for creating valuable post-purchase content that reduces support calls and increases cross-sells

…and so much more!

If you’d like to send in your email marketing hot takes, questions, or queries, you can email us at [email protected], or head to https://s.fame.so/email-after-hours-the-podcast-for-email-senders to send us an audio message.


About the Guest(s)Greg Zakowicz is a seasoned email marketing expert with 19 years of experience in B2B and D2C marketing, specializing in email automation strategies. As a recognized authority in automated email campaigns, he has helped brands achieve 25-40% of their email revenue through automated messages while only using 2% of send volume. His expertise spans from working with small businesses to high-growth SaaS companies, focusing on optimizing automated workflows and customer engagement strategies.

In this episode, Greg shares invaluable insights on email automation best practices, including innovative approaches to post-purchase sequences, data strategy implementation, and cross-channel automation. His practical experience includes notable successes such as transforming a brick-and-mortar business's email program during COVID-19 to generate 25-30% of their email revenue through just three automated sequences. Greg's strategic approach to automation, which he describes as "letting the robots do the heavy lifting," has helped countless brands streamline their processes and increase revenue through sophisticated yet practical email marketing solutions.

Hosts at a Glance:

Danielle Gallant - Danielle is a Senior Email Strategist at Validity. She has over seven years of experience working with global brands to craft strategies that amplify email performance. She is a self-professed email nerd, dog lover, and podcast fanatic.
Danielle on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/danielle-gallant-6443a248/

Guy Hanson - Guy is Vice President of Customer Engagement at Validity. He has led global consulting teams working with clients to improve email deliverability, subscriber engagement, and revenue. He believes in giving back to his community and is a regular speaker at flagship events, providing training and producing fresh and insightful thought leadership.

Guy on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/guyhanson/


Topics We Discuss:

(02:46) Back-in-stock automation: The hidden revenue driver(05:20) Three essential automated campaigns every brand needs(07:38) Data strategy essentials for email automation(11:02) Smart SMS integration: When and how to ask for phone numbers(14:26) Creating a unified omnichannel automation strategy(16:51) Building Effective post-purchase email series(21:31) Real success story: From zero to 30% revenue with basic automation(23:39) The future of email automation: AI and predictive timing(26:00) Closing story: Finding success in niche marketing
If you enjoyed this episode then please either:

• Subscribe, rate, and review on Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/4kwt5j8
• Follow ‘Email After Hours’ on Spotify: https://spoti.fi/4dBlBcI
• Hit like and subscribe on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@EmailAfterHours

Email After Hours: The Podcast for Email Senders is handcrafted by our friends over at fame.so
Check out our three most downloaded episodes:

• Rethinking Customer Loyalty Programs: The Good, The Bad, and The Free Coffee
• The One Email Metric You’re Not Tracking (& Other Secrets to Killer Email Content) with MarketingProfs’ Ann Handley
• New Consumer Email Trends & Tips to Become a BFF Brand with the Data & Marketing Association (DMA)

Spamageddon is back for more with episode 4! 🔥 ✖️ 4️⃣

The crossover event between Validity’s Email After Hours and Guru Media Hub’s Do This, Not That podcast continues with a mini-episode tackling a mystery email marketers are dying to solve: the Gmail Promotions tab. 🕵️‍♂️ 

Join Guy, Danielle, and Jay as they answer burning questions like: 

• Is the Promotions tab really to blame for poor performance? 
• Can you game the system to land in the Primary tab? 
• What’s going on with Apple’s new email tabs? 
• Are there hidden benefits to the Promotions tab? 
  ...and more! 

 Hit subscribe so you never miss an Email After Hours episode and don't forget to check out 'Do This, Not That' for more fantastic marketing tips.   Apple  Spotify  YouTube   

SOME EPISODE HIGHLIGHTS  

• (01:07) 10-second warm-up game 
• (03:26) Mythbusting: Is the Promotions tab hurting your performance? 
• (05:11) Mythbusting: Can you outsmart the system to bypass the Promotions tab? 
• (07:46) Benefits of the Promotions tab every sender should know 
• (08:21) Apple Tabs: What’s new and how it affects email marketers 

Email After Hours: The Podcast for Email Senders is handcrafted by our friends over at fame.so
Check out our three most downloaded episodes:

• Rethinking Customer Loyalty Programs: The Good, The Bad, and The Free Coffee
• The One Email Metric You’re Not Tracking (& Other Secrets to Killer Email Content) with MarketingProfs’ Ann Handley
• New Consumer Email Trends & Tips to Become a BFF Brand with the Data & Marketing Association (DMA)

I’m sorry… WHAT happened?? 🤯 Email expert Johanna Morlock-Abbasi returns to Email After Hours to spill the deets on an email marketing mistake that turned into an unexpected win.Spoiler alert:  A campaign meant for 18,000 subscribers accidentally hit 12 MILLION  inboxes. 😬
She brings Guy and Danielle on a wild ride, recalling a major email deployment glitch and how she turned a potential disaster into a revenue opportunity. 📈 
What you'll learn:

• How to effectively manage and recover from a major email marketing incident using dedicated IP strategies
• Why maintaining a "risky IP" for specific campaigns can protect your primary sending reputation
• How to use  deliverability tools and best practices to re-engage dormant subscribers
• Why having strong ESP relationships and deliverability monitoring systems is crucial for crisis management

…and so much more!
If you’d like to send in your email marketing hot takes, questions, or queries, you can email us at [email protected], or head to https://s.fame.so/email-after-hours-the-podcast-for-email-senders to send us an audio message.

About the Guest(s)Johanna Morlock Abassi is the Assistant Director of Email Marketing at Bradford Hamaker Group, bringing over 18 years of experience in email marketing and campaign management. She specializes in managing high-volume email programs, IP segmentation strategies, and deliverability optimization. In this episode, Johanna shares her remarkable story of turning an email marketing mishap - where a campaign intended for 18,000 subscribers accidentally reached 12 million recipients - into a revenue-generating success. Her expertise in implementing strategic IP segmentation and maintaining strong sender reputation helped her team recover from a critical Sender Score drop while achieving a 10x lift in sales. As a seasoned professional who oversees multiple brand campaigns, including Disney licensed products, Johanna demonstrates how solid email marketing fundamentals and strategic thinking can transform potential disasters into opportunities.

Hosts at a Glance:
Danielle Gallant - Danielle is a Senior Email Strategist at Validity. She has over seven years of experience working with global brands to craft strategies that amplify email performance. She is a self-professed email nerd, dog lover, and podcast fanatic.
Danielle on LinkedIn

Guy Hanson - Guy is Vice President of Customer Engagement at Validity. He has led global consulting teams working with clients to improve email deliverability, subscriber engagement, and revenue. He believes in giving back to his community and is a regular speaker at flagship events, providing training and producing fresh and insightful thought leadership.
Guy on LinkedIn

Email After Hours: The Podcast for Email Senders is handcrafted by our friends over at fame.so
Check out our three most downloaded episodes:

• Rethinking Customer Loyalty Programs: The Good, The Bad, and The Free Coffee
• The One Email Metric You’re Not Tracking (& Other Secrets to Killer Email Content) with MarketingProfs’ Ann Handley
• New Consumer Email Trends & Tips to Become a BFF Brand with the Data & Marketing Association (DMA)

The “Email After Hours” and “Do This, Not That” crossover continues, helping you survive the inbox apocalypse!💥This time, Guy, Danielle, and Jay are leading the charge to get your emails ⏪ BACK into the inbox.

Strap in for more sender reputation myth-busting and tips you can bring back to your team for stronger sends today. 💪 

We discuss:  

• Quick wins to get back into the inbox 
• When and why to remove unengaged subscribers from your list 
• Whether sending emails only to your engaged audience will help your reputation 
• Best practices for B2B cold emails and the domain they should be sent from 

 ...and more! 

Hit subscribe so you never miss an Email After Hours episode and don't forget to check out 'Do This, Not That' for more fantastic marketing tips.  

• Apple: https://apple.co/4kwt5j8
• Spotify: https://spoti.fi/4dBlBcI
• YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLONmaA_e-MAx6o5uxGaTRU5z_LVQbf-Jx  
• Jay on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/schwedelson/ 
  
  

SOME EPISODE HIGHLIGHTS 

• (03:10) Getting back into the inbox: the “specific stuff”  
• (04:19) When to kick the unengaged subscribers to the curb 
• (05:26) Does only sending to your engaged audience help your reputation? 
• (07:22) Uncovering “hidden metrics”  
• (08:35) B2B cold email tactics that won’t leave you iced out 

Email After Hours: The Podcast for Email Senders is handcrafted by our friends over at fame.so
Check out our three most downloaded episodes:

• Rethinking Customer Loyalty Programs: The Good, The Bad, and The Free Coffee
• The One Email Metric You’re Not Tracking (& Other Secrets to Killer Email Content) with MarketingProfs’ Ann Handley
• New Consumer Email Trends & Tips to Become a BFF Brand with the Data & Marketing Association (DMA)

Uh oh…your sender reputation just tanked. Now what?

In email marketing, your sender reputation is like your deliverability credit score. If it drops, your emails are headed straight to spam folder hell. But don’t panic yet, recovery is possible!

In this episode, Danielle Gallant and Guy Hanson sit down with deliverability veteran Nicola Selenu, who has spent over 15 years helping top global brands like Groupon, dig themselves out of the poor reputation ditch and back into mailbox providers’ good graces.

Nicola shares proven, data-backed strategies to stop the bleeding, fix what’s broken, and start sending signals that mailbox providers actually like. Whether your metrics are murky or you're just trying to stay ahead of reputation risk, this episode’s a must-listen.


You'll learn:

• How mailbox providers score reputation differently and why it changes everything
• Why consistency beats perfection in sender behavior
• How to spot the real cause of a deliverability crash
• Why a 0% spam rate can mean you're already in the spam folder
• Why domain swaps and warm-up tools often backfire
• How an accessible unsubscribe link can save your reputation
  
  

…and more!


If you’d like to send in your email marketing hot takes, questions, or queries, you can email us at email [email protected], or head to https://s.fame.so/email-after-hours-the-podcast-for-email-senders to send us an audio message.


Meet the Deliverability Doctor: Nicola Selenu


Nicola Selenu is an Email Deliverability Principal at ActiveCampaign, bringing over 15 years of experience in sender reputation management. He’s helped luxury brands like Gucci, Armani, and Bulgari, as well as enterprise senders like Groupon, where he managed a jaw-dropping 700 million messages per day. Today, Nicola helps organizations identify root causes of deliverability failures and build smarter, reputation-resilient email strategies. He’s also developing a new monitoring platform, deliverability.email, to simplify diagnostics for senders everywhere.

Hosts at a Glance:

Danielle Gallant - Danielle is a Senior Email Strategist at Validity. She has over seven years of experience working with global brands to craft strategies that amplify email performance. She is a self-professed email nerd, dog lover, and podcast fanatic.
Danielle on LinkedIn

Guy Hanson - Guy is Vice President of Customer Engagement at Validity. He has led global consulting teams working with clients to improve email deliverability, subscriber engagement, and revenue. He believes in giving back to his community and is a regular speaker at flagship events, providing training and producing fresh and insightful thought leadership.

Guy on LinkedIn

Email After Hours: The Podcast for Email Senders is handcrafted by our friends over at fame.so
Check out our three most downloaded episodes:

• Rethinking Customer Loyalty Programs: The Good, The Bad, and The Free Coffee
• The One Email Metric You’re Not Tracking (& Other Secrets to Killer Email Content) with MarketingProfs’ Ann Handley
• New Consumer Email Trends & Tips to Become a BFF Brand with the Data & Marketing Association (DMA)

We're back for another crossover episode with Do This, Not That! Today, we're tackling a topic that often leaves senders second-guessing themselves: email platform migrations. Are they truly worth it?

Guy, Danielle, and Jay are on the case! They'll answer burning questions like:

• Does switching email platforms improve your deliverability or reputation? 
• Do certain platforms perform better based on your industry? 
• Can you transfer your IPs when you switch platforms?
  
  

Join us on SPAMAGEDDON to find out! Let the battle for the inbox begin!

➡️ Don't forget to check out 'Do This, Not That' for more fantastic marketing tips. 

Email After Hours: The Podcast for Email Senders is handcrafted by our friends over at fame.so
Check out our three most downloaded episodes:

• Rethinking Customer Loyalty Programs: The Good, The Bad, and The Free Coffee
• The One Email Metric You’re Not Tracking (& Other Secrets to Killer Email Content) with MarketingProfs’ Ann Handley
• New Consumer Email Trends & Tips to Become a BFF Brand with the Data & Marketing Association (DMA)

Alert! A fiery hot podcast crossover series is here! 

Email After Hours is thrilled to team up with Jay Schwedelson of Guru Media Hub and the "Do This, Not That" podcast. Our mission? To help marketers battle the ultimate inbox apocalypse. Join Guy, Danielle, and Jay as they bust myths and drop truth bombs to help you survive deliverability doomsday.

In today's episode, we'll tackle these myths: 

• Are spam trigger words like “free” the reason your emails land in spam? 
• What are Gmail and Yahoo’s bulk sender requirements? Once you've met these, is your deliverability safe? 
• Do increased unsubscribes hurt your deliverability? 

Find out which myths hold true and which ones go up in flames in Episode 1 of Spamageddon! Hit subscribe so you never miss an Email After Hours episode and don't forget to check out 'Do This, Not That' for more fantastic marketing tips. 
 
If you enjoyed this episode then please either:

• Subscribe, rate, and review on Apple Podcasts
• Follow ‘Email After Hours’ on Spotify
• Hit like and subscribe on YouTube

Email After Hours: The Podcast for Email Senders is handcrafted by our friends over at fame.so
Check out our three most downloaded episodes:

• Rethinking Customer Loyalty Programs: The Good, The Bad, and The Free Coffee
• The One Email Metric You’re Not Tracking (& Other Secrets to Killer Email Content) with MarketingProfs’ Ann Handley
• New Consumer Email Trends & Tips to Become a BFF Brand with the Data & Marketing Association (DMA)

In this episode of Email After Hours, hosts Danielle Gallant and Guy Hanson welcome Adeola Sole, an expert in CRM and email marketing, to explore the critical aspects of contingency planning in email campaigns and how to handle unexpected challenges like a pro.

What You'll Learn:

- How to build a comprehensive contingency plan that covers multiple channels beyond email- Why segmentation is crucial for crisis management and campaign launches- The importance of monitoring chat forums and social platforms for potential campaign issues- Why unified messaging across channels is essential during crisis management…and more!

About the Guest(s)Adeola Sole is an expert CRM and email marketing consultant with extensive experience across multiple industries. Known for her strategic approach to crisis management and campaign planning, she specializes in helping brands develop comprehensive contingency plans and segmented marketing strategies. With a unique British perspective and years of hands-on experience, Adeola has mastered the art of keeping email campaigns on track even when unexpected challenges arise.

In this episode, Adeola shares valuable insights on contingency planning in email marketing, emphasizing the importance of segment-based communication strategies and proactive crisis management across multiple channels. Her practical approach to campaign planning and crisis mitigation offers email marketers actionable strategies for protecting their brands and maintaining effective communication during challenging situations.

Her expertise in bridging the gap between traditional email marketing and modern multi-channel crisis management makes her perspective particularly valuable for email marketing professionals looking to strengthen their contingency planning capabilities.

Hosts at a Glance:
Danielle Gallant - Danielle is a Senior Email Strategist at Validity. She has over seven years of experience working with global brands to craft strategies that amplify email performance. She is a self-professed email nerd, dog lover, and podcast fanatic.
Danielle on LinkedIn

Guy Hanson - Guy is Vice President of Customer Engagement at Validity. He has led global consulting teams working with clients to improve email deliverability, subscriber engagement, and revenue. He believes in giving back to his community and is a regular speaker at flagship events, providing training and producing fresh and insightful thought leadership.
Guy on LinkedIn
If you enjoyed this episode then please either:

• Subscribe, rate, and review on Apple Podcasts
• Follow ‘Email After Hours’ on Spotify
• Hit like and subscribe on YouTube

Email After Hours: The Podcast for Email Senders is handcrafted by our friends over at fame.so
Check out our three most downloaded episodes:

• Rethinking Customer Loyalty Programs: The Good, The Bad, and The Free Coffee
• The One Email Metric You’re Not Tracking (& Other Secrets to Killer Email Content) with MarketingProfs’ Ann Handley
• New Consumer Email Trends & Tips to Become a BFF Brand with the Data & Marketing Association (DMA)

You'll learn:

• How legendary brand pranks like BBC's spaghetti trees and Dunkin' Donuts' name change created memorable marketing moments
• Why 91% of consumers prefer funny brands, yet 95% of business leaders fear using humor in customer interactions
• The science behind why humor builds brand relationships and drives engagement in email campaigns
  
  

…and so much more!

Guests at a Glance:
In this episode of Email After Hours, hosts Danielle Gallant and Guy Hanson explore the strategic use of humor in email marketing, with a special focus on April Fools' Day campaigns. As experienced email marketing professionals, they provide valuable insights on balancing brand personality with professional communication.

Throughout this lively discussion, they examine successful April Fools' campaigns from major brands like Cotton Traders, Dunkin' Donuts, and Virgin Atlantic, while offering practical guidelines for incorporating humor into email marketing strategies. Their expertise shines through as they discuss key considerations for email marketers, including audience awareness, brand alignment, and appropriate contexts for humorous content.

Danielle and Guy's natural rapport and industry knowledge make this episode particularly engaging for email marketing professionals seeking to enhance their campaign creativity while maintaining brand integrity. Their analysis of both successful and questionable humor strategies provides actionable insights for email marketers looking to strengthen subscriber relationships through thoughtful, well-executed campaign humor.

Hosts at a Glance:
Danielle Gallant - Danielle is a Senior Email Strategist at Validity. She has over seven years of experience working with global brands to craft strategies that amplify email performance. She is a self-professed email nerd, dog lover, and podcast fanatic.
Danielle on LinkedIn

Guy Hanson - Guy is Vice President of Customer Engagement at Validity. He has led global consulting teams working with clients to improve email deliverability, subscriber engagement, and revenue. He believes in giving back to his community and is a regular speaker at flagship events, providing training and producing fresh and insightful thought leadership.
Guy on LinkedIn

If you enjoyed this episode then please either:

• Subscribe, rate, and review on Apple Podcasts
• Follow ‘Email After Hours’ on Spotify
• Hit like and subscribe on YouTube

Email After Hours: The Podcast for Email Senders is handcrafted by our friends over at fame.so
Check out our three most downloaded episodes:

• Rethinking Customer Loyalty Programs: The Good, The Bad, and The Free Coffee
• The One Email Metric You’re Not Tracking (& Other Secrets to Killer Email Content) with MarketingProfs’ Ann Handley
• New Consumer Email Trends & Tips to Become a BFF Brand with the Data & Marketing Association (DMA)

Whether you're grappling with CAN-SPAM, GDPR, or accessibility requirements, this conversation offers a fresh perspective on building better email programs and enhancing deliverability through best practices rather than just meeting minimum legal requirements.
Guest at a Glance:Mickey Chandler is the founder of Whizardries, a respected consultancy specializing in email compliance and deliverability. With over 20 years of experience in the email industry, Mickey has worked with organizations ranging from small businesses to Fortune 500 companies, helping them navigate complex regulatory frameworks including GDPR, CAN-SPAM, and CASL. He is also known for his influential blog "Spamtacular" (established in 2009), which has become a trusted resource for email compliance insights. Mickey brings a unique perspective to email marketing compliance, advocating for standards that exceed mere legal requirements to achieve optimal deliverability and program performance. His practical expertise in helping companies maintain both legal compliance and effective email programs has made him a respected voice in the email marketing community.
Mickey on LinkedIn
Hosts at a Glance:
Danielle Gallant - Danielle is a Senior Email Strategist at Validity. She has over seven years of experience working with global brands to craft strategies that amplify email performance. She is a self-professed email nerd, dog lover, and podcast fanatic.
Danielle on LinkedIn

Guy Hanson - Guy is Vice President of Customer Engagement at Validity. He has led global consulting teams working with clients to improve email deliverability, subscriber engagement, and revenue. He believes in giving back to his community and is a regular speaker at flagship events, providing training and producing fresh and insightful thought leadership.
Guy on LinkedIn

If you enjoyed this episode then please either:

• Subscribe, rate, and review on Apple Podcasts
• Follow ‘Email After Hours’ on Spotify
• Hit like and subscribe on YouTube

Email After Hours: The Podcast for Email Senders is handcrafted by our friends over at fame.so
Check out our three most downloaded episodes:

• Rethinking Customer Loyalty Programs: The Good, The Bad, and The Free Coffee
• The One Email Metric You’re Not Tracking (& Other Secrets to Killer Email Content) with MarketingProfs’ Ann Handley
• New Consumer Email Trends & Tips to Become a BFF Brand with the Data & Marketing Association (DMA)