Episode Summary:

If you’ve ever felt stuck wondering what to send your list… how to promote your products without sounding pushy… or whether email is even worth the all effort — you are very-much not alone.

In this episode of Happy Subscribers, I’m teaming up with Bjork Ostrom from Food Blogger Pro to answer email marketing questions from their membership community. (These are the same questions I hear from creators like you all the time!) 

If you’re a creator of any kind — food blogger or not — and you’re looking for simple, sustainable ways to grow your list and connect with your readers, this episode’s for you.

In this episode, you’ll learn about:

• What to actually send your list (and why you don’t need to start from scratch every week)

• Why sending the same email to your whole list is actually totally OK

• How to balance weekly emails with automations that keep working in the background

• Why “freebie overwhelm” might be slowing you down — and how to fix it

• How to promote your product or membership without overwhelming your audience

• What you actually need in place to start growing your list with confidence

• How to know when it’s time to segment your list (and when it’s totally fine to wait)

Check out this episode's blog post  Episode Resources:

Food Blogger Pro Membership (affiliate link)

Apply for a mini email marketing coaching call with Allea

Coaching Programs & Services:

Maximize Your Marketing - For those who need an in-house CMO (Chief Marketing Officer) to help you build sustainable email and promotional strategies, engage your subscribers, and grow your business and bottom line that otherwise is untapped potential.

The Duett Debut - Done for you email copywrting & automation setup 

Ready, Set, EMAIL - Quick & custom email setup to grow and send your newsletter fast

Book a FREE Discovery Call 

Instagram @alleagrummert

Episode Summary:

What does it look like to treat your blog like a magazine and your emails like a conversation?

In this episode of Happy Subscribers, I’m chatting with Tara Bench — known online as Tara Teaspoon — a seasoned food editor, cookbook author, and blogger who has worked for brands like Martha Stewart Living and Ladies’ Home Journal before launching her own online platform.

While Tara never planned to be a blogger, she’s built a thriving content business — and today, she’s getting strategic with how she uses email marketing to connect with her audience, drive traffic, and increase revenue. From workflows to welcome sequences, she’s testing new ideas (including sending 4–5 emails a week!) and making email work for her business.

Whether you're just getting started with email or looking to make yours more personal, impactful, and efficient — this episode is packed with inspiration and practical tips you can use right away.

In this episode, you’ll learn about:

• The specific strategies Tara uses to grow her email list — including collaborations — and which forms she STOPPED using

• The mix of short + long emails she sends each week (and why variety works!)

• The systems she uses to plan her email content around seasons and holidays

• Why she doesn’t worry about repeating content — and how that’s actually a smart subscriber strategy

• How Tara mixes personal storytelling and professional content to create emails her readers love

• Tips for writing ahead and building authentic relationships — even when you’re not writing in real time

Check out this episode's blog post  Connect with Tara:

Tara’s website

Follow Tara on Instagram

Tara’s cookbooks

Coaching Programs & Services:

Maximize Your Marketing - For those who need an in-house CMO (Chief Marketing Officer) to help you build sustainable email and promotional strategies, engage your subscribers, and grow your business and bottom line that otherwise is untapped potential.

The Duett Debut - Done for you email copywrting & automation setup 

Ready, Set, EMAIL - Quick & custom email setup to grow and send your newsletter fast

Book a FREE Discovery Call 

Instagram @alleagrummert

Episode Summary:

If you’re a food blogger exploring all the ways you could earn more money — ads, affiliates, sponsorships, digital products, maybe even a membership — this episode is for you. In this conversation, I’m joined by the delightful and multi-talented Jenna Arend, General Manager of Pinch of Yum. Going into this conversation, I wanted to know: How did the Pinch of Yum team land on the specific monetization strategy of selling digital meal plans — and why does it work so well? We dig into how they listen to their audience, how that feedback informs their content and product strategy, and how their dedication to a warm, consistent brand voice (hi, Lindsay!) helps make every email feel personal, approachable, and easy to consume (just like POY’s crockpot carnitas 😋). Jenna shares how their small team was able to test and create a digital product their subscribers truly wanted… and how email marketing helps them launch and sell it successfully (again and again).

In this episode, you’ll learn about:

• How the Pinch of Yum team structures email content each week to share new recipes, old recipes and product affiliate links
• The process for drafting emails in Lindsay’s voice (even when she’s not writing every word) in order to keep the brand approachable and subscribers engaged
• How they decided to launch seasonal paid meal plans — and the exact process they used to test the idea for free before selling them 
• The simple tech stack they use for promoting and delivering their meal plans (hint: it’s just ONE platform!)
• Their new Instagram-to-email strategy that’s working surprisingly well 

Check out this episode's blog post  Connect with Pinch of Yum:

Pinch of Yum Website Pinch of Yum Instagram Episode Resources:

Grocers List — the platform Pinch of Yum uses to convert Instagram followers into email subscribers  (Use code: duett at checkout)

Kit — the email platform Pinch of Yum (and Allea!) uses Coaching Program & Services:

Maximize Your Marketing - For those who need an in-house CMO (Chief Marketing Officer) to help you build sustainable email and promotional strategies, engage your subscribers, and grow your business and bottom line that otherwise is untapped potential.

The Duett Debut - Done for you email copywrting & automation setup 

Ready, Set, EMAIL - Quick & custom email setup to grow and send your newsletter fast

Book a FREE Discovery Call 

Instagram @alleagrummert

Episode Summary:

In this episode, I’m chatting with Duett client Brittany Mullins, the cookbook author, recipe developer, and health coach behind Eating Bird Food — a thriving food blog focused on helping people eat healthier without sacrificing flavor.

Brittany reached out to me at the start of 2024 because she was ready to get more organized and strategic with her email marketing. Since then, she’s grown her email list by over 20,000 new subscribers and increased her revenue through site traffic and product promotions (both automated and launch-style).

"I think that's the biggest thing — just knowing who your audience is, figuring out what they're struggling with right now, and trying to solve those problems for them. That’s what makes people want to follow along." – Brittany Mullins

What stands out most about Brittany's approach is her ability to build trust with her audience while promoting products she genuinely loves. She does this through:

Her new subscriber welcome sequence that shares her personal story and builds connection with readers — making them more likely to stick around and engage with her content long-term Consistently valuable newsletters that are easy to consume — helping her audience feel supported and making it simple for them to take action without feeling overwhelmed Her thoughtful, story-driven promotional emails that share a favorite affiliate offer or her own products — because she knows that if it helped her, it can help her readers too (and that’s why they convert)

If you’ve ever felt hesitant about promoting products to your audience, or sending multiple emails to your list each week, Brittany's story will show you how you can do this with confidence, authenticity, and trust with your subscribers.

In this episode, you’ll learn about:

• How Brittany’s welcome and nurture sequences are structured to build trust and keep subscribers as loyal blog readers
• How Brittany uses snippets and conditional content to tailor her messages and avoid overwhelming her audience — so the right subscribers get the right message at the right time
• Why her Friday Faves email works so well and how it drives consistent affiliate revenue — and why it’s Brittany’s easiest win each week
• Brittany’s product sales strategy, including limited-time discounts, for her product-based and affiliate-focused promotions
• Why storytelling in emails helps foster deeper connections with subscribers — and how to weave it into your copyWhat she learned by doing an audience survey — and how it consistently shapes the way she creates content and products

Check out this episode's blog post 

Connect with Brittany:

• Brittany's Blog
• Brittany's Instagram

Episode Resources:

Brittany’s Macro Guide

Brittany’s Protein Meal Plans

SamCart – Platform Brittany uses to sell her meal plans

Kit – Email platform Brittany uses for automations and list management

Coaching Program & Services:

Maximize Your Marketing - For those who need an in-house CMO (Chief Marketing Officer) to help you build sustainable email and promotional strategies, engage your subscribers, and grow your business and bottom line that otherwise is untapped potential.

The Duett Debut - Done for you email copywrting & automation setup 

Ready, Set, EMAIL - Quick & custom email setup to grow and send your newsletter fast

Book a FREE Discovery Call 

Instagram @alleagrummert

Episode Summary:

From panic to confident sending — this week’s guest has come a long way in her email journey, and I'm so excited for you to tune in!

In this episode of Happy Subscribers, I’m chatting with Alisa Cohn — executive coach to top startup founders and Fortune 500 leaders (think Venmo, Etsy, Google, and Dell) — about how she uses email to stay connected with her audience and grow her reach.

Alisa is also the author of From Start-Up to Grown-Up, the host of the podcast by the same name, and a wildly creative thinker and connector (and powerlifter 🏋🏼‍♀️). And while she’s expanding her reach through speaking events, LinkedIn videos, and podcasting, it’s her email list that allows her to build the deepest, most consistent relationships with her audience (going on over 20 years!).

Whether you’re a coach, creator, or consultant, Alisa’s reflections on what makes a newsletter useful to your readers — and worth the time and energy as the creator — are based on YEARS and years of her first-hand knowledge and experience. Tune in for some practical strategies you can put to use right away.

In this episode, you’ll learn about:

• What to do when you feel self-conscious hitting “send” — and if it ever feels easier

• How Alisa grew her list from 6,000 to 8,000+ subscribers without paid ads

• Repurposing video, podcast, and coaching content into emails for maximum helpfulness

• Where inspiration strikes and how Alisa gets those ideas into a newsletter ASAP

• How Alisa's thinking about list swaps, the Kit Creator Network, and other list-growth strategies

• Alisa's process (and challenges!) with staying consistent — and a few tips from Allea to make it easier

Check out this episode's blog post  Connect with Alisa:

• Download Alisa’s 5 Scripts for Delicate Conversations 
• Purchase her book here
• Listen to her podcast here
• Follow her on Twitter & Instagram
• Alisa's website

Episode Resources:

• Otter AI 

Coaching Programs & Services:

Maximize Your Marketing - For those who need an in-house CMO (Chief Marketing Officer) to help you build sustainable email and promotional strategies, engage your subscribers, and grow your business and bottom line that otherwise is untapped potential.

The Duett Debut - Done for you email copywrting & automation setup 

Ready, Set, EMAIL - Quick & custom email setup to grow and send your newsletter fast

Book a FREE Discovery Call 

Instagram @alleagrummert

Episode Summary:

"Margin isn’t a luxury — it’s a choice. If you don’t create breathing room in your business, it’ll suck the life out of you." On this episode of Happy Subscribers,I sat down with my real-life friend Shawn Blanc, a business and productivity coach, to talk about how he runs a full-time business on part-time hours (yep, it’s possible!) and helps others do the same.  Ever feel like your business is running you, instead of the other way around? This episode is for you.

During our conversation, we dive into how Shawn went from working 70+ hours a week in a chaotic corporate job to building a sustainable, thriving business on his own terms. We talk about why creating margin (aka breathing room) is not a luxury — it’s essential for business growth — and how treating your email content as a reusable ASSET can help you work smarter, not harder. We get tactical too! Shawn shares how his first email launch tripled his sales with just 500 subscribers and how creating two specific email automations has allowed him to keep engaging his audience without constantly reinventing the wheel. We also get into how he’s using AI to repurpose content and why consistency and storytelling are key to building trust with your audience.

In this episode, you’ll learn about:

• How Shawn went from working 70+ hours a week in a toxic work environment to building a business on part-time hours
• Why creating margin and breathing room is essential for long-term business growth
• How Shawn’s first email launch tripled his sales — with only 500 subscribers
• How to create email content that becomes an asset — working for you long after you send it
• Why consistency and storytelling in email marketing are more powerful than chasing trends
• How Shawn uses AI to create weekly content outlines in minutes — based on past research and customer insights

Check out this episode's blog post  Connect with Shawn: The Focus Course Instagram @ShawnBlanc

Coaching Programs & Services:

Maximize Your Marketing - For those who need an in-house CMO (Chief Marketing Officer) to help you build sustainable email and promotional strategies, engage your subscribers, and grow your business and bottom line that otherwise is untapped potential.

The Duett Debut - Done for you email copywrting & automation setup 

Ready, Set, EMAIL - Quick & custom email setup to grow and send your newsletter fast

Book a FREE Discovery Call 

Instagram @alleagrummert

Episode Summary:

Have you ever wished you could just ditch social media but still have a thriving business? (I just deleted my own IG app from my phone, so I get it.) But what if you could still grow your email list, attract high-paying clients, and make more money as a service-provider or coach without feeling glued to Instagram or posting daily content? In this episode, my friend and guest John Meese shares how he generates high-quality leads without social media, why email is the best tool for selling high-ticket programs, and how his “handraiser” email strategy leads to more sales without asking them to click anything. Plus, he coaches me live on air about how to make my email strategy “handraiser email” even stronger (yes, I went back and took notes after this conversation!). John is the founder of Sold Out Coach Club, author of Serve to Sell, and the writer behind the Sell Your Smarts newsletter. He’s built a business helping creators and coaches monetize their expertise through group coaching — simply by talking to humans and helping them.

In this episode, you’ll learn about:

• Why John walked away from social media—and how his business has only grown since
• The 3-product business model that simplifies selling online
• How “handraiser” emails get more replies (and sales) than following the strategy of a typical product or course launch
• How John uses his newsletter as the foundation — and ultimately the copy — for every book he writes
• Why talking to actual humans is still the best marketing strategy (wild, right?)

Check out this episode's blog post 

Episode Resources: Serve to Sell – Grab John’s book for free hereSell Your Smarts Newsletter

Coaching Programs & Services:

Maximize Your Marketing - For those who need an in-house CMO (Chief Marketing Officer) to help you build sustainable email and promotional strategies, engage your subscribers, and grow your business and bottom line that otherwise is untapped potential.

The Duett Debut - Done for you email copywrting & automation setup 

Ready, Set, EMAIL - Quick & custom email setup to grow and send your newsletter fast

Book a FREE Discovery Call 

Instagram @alleagrummert

Episode Summary:

YouTube is getting more views than NETFLIX. And if you’re a YouTube creator, you may not even know (yet!) that having an email marketing strategy is a must-have. Or where to start. In this episode, you’ll get to meet Tae Kim of Financial Tortoise — a YouTuber who has taken the idea of “lead magnet” to a whole new level in order to attract viewers and move them beyond video to join his email list.  Using long-term strategies like a Welcome Sequence and 100+ email Nurture Sequence automations, Tae has built a foundation for long-term growth, sales and promotional launches, and ongoing relationships (aka email replies) with his most loyal fans.

In this episode, you’ll learn about:

• Tae’s strategy for using specific content opt-ins to grow his email list from each YouTube video he posts
• How you can “triple-dip” your revenue by using YouTube AND email marketing
• The long-term strategies Tae uses to grow and nurture his list — ultimately what saves him time and energy by not having to follow trends to stay in business
• Where the bulk of Tae’s time is spent developing his brand and reinforcing his values for new YouTube viewers and email subscribers
• The intentionality of choosing the right creator platform for YOU

Check out this episode's blog post  Connect with Tae:YouTube Financial Tortoise Newsletter

Episode Resources:Your First Welcome SequenceOther Duett Resources

Coaching Programs & Services:

Maximize Your Marketing - For those who need an in-house CMO (Chief Marketing Officer) to help you build sustainable email and promotional strategies, engage your subscribers, and grow your business and bottom line that otherwise is untapped potential.

The Duett Debut - Done for you email copywrting & automation setup 

Ready, Set, EMAIL - Quick & custom email setup to grow and send your newsletter fast

Book a FREE Discovery Call 

Instagram @alleagrummert

Episode Summary:

What’s a good email open rate? What about click rates? Are your stats actually bad — or are you just comparing yourself to the wrong benchmarks? In this episode, I’m diving into email marketing stats for 2025 — what’s working for content creators, what’s realistic to expect, and how to know if your numbers are actually performing well. Here’s the thing: most creators assume they’re underperforming — but that’s often based on feelings, not facts. I’ll walk you through real industry benchmarks (yes, I did the research for you 🤓) AND share insider data from some of our Duett client projects — including specific numbers for welcome sequences, nurture emails, and newsletters that you won’t find anywhere else! If you’ve ever wondered whether your email stats are “good enough” — this episode will give you the clarity and confidence to measure your own success the right way.

In this episode, you’ll learn about:

• Why industry benchmarks are helpful — but also why they might not apply to your audience (and what to measure instead)
• Why welcome sequences perform differently than weekly newsletters
• A type of email layout that tends to get more clicks for bloggers (can you guess what it is?!)
• The deeply overlooked stats that have a HUGE impact on your overall site traffic and revenue
• Why focusing on total clicks might be more worth your time than focusing only on your click-through rate

Check out this episode's blog post 

Episode Resources:

Goals & Growth Tracker

Coaching Programs & Services:

Maximize Your Marketing - For those who need an in-house CMO (Chief Marketing Officer) to help you build sustainable email and promotional strategies, engage your subscribers, and grow your business and bottom line that otherwise is untapped potential.

The Duett Debut - Done for you email copywrting & automation setup 

Ready, Set, EMAIL - Quick & custom email setup to grow and send your newsletter fast

Book a FREE Discovery Call 

Instagram @alleagrummert

Episode Summary:

Leveraging networking for list growth? Heck yes!

I got to chat with Deanna Seymour, the founder of The Playhouse — a creative, community-driven space for freelancers and solopreneurs to connect, share their expertise, and grow together — about how she uses events to get visible and grow her email list (and paid membership).

We talk about how Deanna promotes these events and how they lead to email list growth — with a special on-the-interview coaching strategy session with yours truly (that’s me, Allea Grummert) to help ensure she’s welcoming her new subscribers, inviting them to her membership, and onboarding new members to keep them happy and coming back for more!

In this episode, you’ll learn about:

• How Deanna brings people together through events that feel natural and engaging (and why there are no replays!)

• Why collaborations have been key to building her community and email list

• The simple automation she can set up to tag event registrants and trigger a sequence to welcome them to her list

• How to prevent current members from getting unnecessary emails while still nurturing new leads

• The small but impactful email tweaks that make simple emails more engaging

• Ways to make visibility and networking feel more comfortable, even if you’re thinking, “it’s not my thing”

Check out this episode's blog post 

Episode Resources:

What's Your Visibility Vibe? Quiz: jointheplayhouse.com/quiz Connect with Deanna:https://deannaseymour.com/

Coaching Programs & Services:

Maximize Your Marketing - For those who need an in-house CMO (Chief Marketing Officer) to help you build sustainable email and promotional strategies, engage your subscribers, and grow your business and bottom line that otherwise is untapped potential.

The Duett Debut - Done for you email copywrting & automation setup 

Ready, Set, EMAIL - Quick & custom email setup to grow and send your newsletter fast

Book a FREE Discovery Call 

Instagram @alleagrummert