Happy Subscribers

Episode Summary:

This is officially a must-listen interview on the podcast.

Mike Nelson — co-founder of Really Good Emails — has nearly two decades of email experience (the kind I seriously envy). In this episode, we cover so much good stuff, including:

• How many touches (aka emails) it really takes to build trust with new subscribers
• The KPIs that actually matter when measuring email success
• The highly underrated engagement metric you can automate
• The psychology behind effective email marketing — from the "mere exposure effect" to "reciprocity" — and why sending more emails or asking for more sales isn't always the best long-term strategy

Mike brings a rare mix of data-driven insight, years of email experience, and creative empathy to the conversation — converting them into clear, actionable takeaways for creators like us — about what matters, what doesn't, and how to send really good emails that resonate.

Check out this episode's blog post Connect with Mike:Really Good Emails LinkedIn Episode Resources: Duett Content Calendar Airtable Template Join the Duett Newsletter

Duett Services:

Email Strategy Playbook - A fresh set of eyes and insight into your current email marketing

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:

Email has spent years sitting on the backburner. A "just in case" channel. A safety net. A maybe I'll deal with this later strategy. But in 2026? That changes. In this solo episode, I'm sharing what I see coming next for email marketing — not from trend forecasts or hot takes, but from years inside creator inboxes, email platforms, and real subscriber behavior. Because hitting "send" on anything isn't enough anymore. Sending more emails won't fix a weak strategy. And hoping email magically performs without intention? That era is over. This episode is about what will work — and what creators need to rethink if they want email to actually support their business in 2026.

In this episode, you'll hear:

• Why relationship-driven creators will outperform everyone else next year
• What it really means to earn and retain permission in someone's inbox
• Why email is moving from "nice to have" to a core business asset
• How trust is being rebuilt in email — even as everything else online feels shaky
• Why your existing content is one of your biggest advantages going into 2026
• How creators will redefine success beyond open rates and list size
• What it looks like when email becomes a revenue channel — not just a traffic tool

This isn't about doing more. It's about doing email on purpose.

If email has felt heavy, unclear, or like something you should be doing but aren't sure how to use well — this episode will help you reset your expectations and your strategy.

Check out this episode's blog post Episode Resources: Book a FREE Discovery Call Duett Free Resources Instagram @alleagrummert

Duett Services:

Email Strategy Playbook - A fresh set of eyes and insight into your current email marketing

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

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

Episode Summary:

When it's the end of the year, it's that time to reflect back on your year and take stock of what the last 11+ months held… I love a good moment to record what happened, asking: "What did I learn? What made this year significant?" For me, that looked like writing out a list of 10 (which quickly became 15) of my top moments or wins from the year. And I'm sharing 7 of those in this week's podcast. Tune in to hear what's shaped me the most this year. If you need a touch of humanity in this AI-crazed, "bigger must always be better" world — let me be the one to give you the encouragement (and reality) you need to set new metrics for what the "best of" could look like for your life and business.

In this episode, I'm sharing:

• What I did to actually achieve margin and rest the first half of this year
• How I'm reviving my own brand story going into 2026
• What changes I made to my travel days to fill my heart and make traveling for work even better
• The ways stretching yourself can have a ripple effect (and what that's looked like for me this year)

Check out this episode's blog post Episode Resources: Duett Free Resources

Duett Services:

Email Strategy Playbook - A fresh set of eyes and insight into your current email marketing

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:

My conversation with Paul Gowder, founder of PowWows.com, might be one of my favorite episodes yet on Happy Subscribers.

Paul started PowWows.com nearly 30 years ago as a side hustle and today, it's grown into the leading online hub for celebrating Native culture and one of the most engaged email communities I've ever heard of. He gets dozens of replies with each email he sends!!

Paul isn't just a creator... he's a community-builder.

Whether you're a blogger, a content creator, or someone looking to build a more engaged community, tune in to learn from Paul about how he attracts the right people, welcomes them with generous resources, and strives to send more personalized content to his list.

In this episode, you'll hear us talk about:

• How handing off his newsletter replies completely transformed his inbox (and his peace of mind)
• The opt-ins he uses to attract thousands of happy subscribers in his unique niche
• How he segments his list by interest in Native American history, artists, books, and more
• Why he chooses to promote opt-in email sequences instead of static PDF guides
• The tech tools helping him grow his list — especially through Facebook groups

Check out this episode's blog post Connect with Paul:Website Email Tools Episode Resources: Duett Free Resources

Duett Services:

Email Strategy Playbook - A fresh set of eyes and insight into your current email marketing

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:

"Going viral is not a business strategy." - Katie Brinkley

In this week's episode, I'm joined by social media strategist Katie Brinkley, author of The Social Shift and host of two podcasts: Rocky Mountain Marketing and Marketing Trends Now.

Katie helps entrepreneurs simplify their social media strategy so you can spend less time creating social content and more time connecting (which is where real change happens).

Katie shared her "what's working now" strategies — the ones she's tested and tried herself — so you know where to put your energy when using social media for your business.

In this episode, you'll learn about:

• How to approach social media and show up with more purpose
• Katie's 4-post strategy for creating content that actually connects
• Why she calls LinkedIn newsletters "your secret email list" and how to leverage yours, even in ADDITION to a regular email newsletter
• How engagement (not volume) helped her hit her best sales months
• Why copying and pasting content across platforms doesn't work

Check out this episode's blog post Connect with Katie:Website LinkedIn Episode Resources: Agorapulse Duett Free Resources

Duett Services:Email Strategy Playbook - A fresh set of eyes and insight into your current email marketing 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:

"AI can predict the next word in a sentence but it can't make meaning. That's our job." - Dan Cumberland

This episode of Happy Subscribers features my friend Dan Cumberland, founder of Dan Cumberland Labs.

And while we're still new to the landscape of AI and it sometimes feels like a foreign language, Dan helps creators use it to improve their work and expand their impact in the world. One could even say he's an expert at using AI with soul.

Listen in to my conversation with Dan and engage with it yourself by DMing me on Instagram or submitting a question here — as we dive into what inspires true connection with each other online.

In this episode, you'll learn about:

• Balancing efficiency and empathy as online creators
• Using AI to save time and still be creative
• How AI should be your "sous-chef," not your replacement as the head of the kitchen
• A peek into the multiple AI tools he uses and how each works differently
• The ethics of AI (yes, we went there!)

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

Website Free Resource: AI Training Guide LinkedIn Resources:

Duett Free Resources

Duett Services:

Email Strategy Playbook - A fresh set of eyes and insight into your current email marketing

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:

Is blogging dead?

That might be a spicy question but it's exactly where Mike Zielonka and I started in this week's episode of Happy Subscribers.

Mike helps online creators get seen, get clicks, and get paid — and he's got strong opinions on why many creators are still following outdated strategies… and what to do instead.

Whether you're writing newsletters, publishing recipes, or promoting digital products, this episode is a reminder that your content strategy needs to evolve with how people behave online and that includes how they interact with your emails.

If you're feeling stuck in "blogger" mode, and you know you need to level up how you think about your business, this is your nudge to think and act like a creator — one who's willing to try new things, track what's working, and show up with a renewed purpose.

In this episode, you'll learn about:

• Why the "just blog and pray" strategy doesn't work anymore
• How email fits into your content flywheel and what it looks like when done right
• Why email is where the magic happens for building trust, engagement, and revenue
• What AI tools can help with and where they fall short (with examples)
• The importance of a hook and how to make your content more scroll-stopping online

Check out this episode's blog post Connect with Mike:Instagram Website Episode Resources: Grok by xAI Gemini TypingMind Duett Free Resources

Duett Services:

Email Strategy Playbook - A fresh set of eyes and insight into your current email marketing

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:

When you think about trying something new with your email marketing, does it stress you out?

If it feels techy or outside your wheelhouse, maybe your first instinct is to bury your head in the sand. (Honestly, that can feel easier than possibly messing up, right?)

But what if "messing up" wasn't the enemy? What if it was actually your best way to gather data, learn about your audience, and test things little by little to see what sticks?

This week's guest, Nikki McKnight, is here to talk about her "FAFO" approach — yes, that stands for F** around and find out. It's about taking action even before you feel ready, and letting clarity show up in the process. This episode will give you permission to run small experiments, learn what works, and build confidence along the way.

In this episode, you'll learn:

• How to find clarity as you build and grow and change your marketing
• What questions to ask (and when) as you make decisions
• The role "tolerance for uncertainty" plays in personal and professional growth

Check out this episode's blog post Connect with Nikki:FAFO Newsletter (Nikki's bi-weekly-ish business experiment for founders) Instagram First Dates & Soulmates Podcast (Nikki's romance podcast with Meg Casebolt) Episode Resources: Book a FREE Discovery Call Other FREE Duett Resources

Duett Services:Email Strategy Playbook - A fresh set of eyes and insight into your current email marketing

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

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

Instagram @alleagrummert

Episode Summary:

Ever been tempted to "set it and forget it" with your email marketing? Or thought "I'll let this run and go focus on other things?" That mindset (or neglect) of your email potential is costing you traffic, connection, and revenue. Real dollars for your real business. In today's Happy Subscribers episode, I'm breaking down why email isn't meant to run on autopilot forever — and yes, that's coming from an Email Automation Junkie. I want you to have a strategy that's simple, sustainable and sends as much love to your list and traffic to your site as possible.

In this episode, you'll learn about:

• The three core parts of a healthy email strategy — the fundamentals you can grow from
• What happens if you're missing one or more of these strategies
• Why automations can't be your entire "strategy" (though wouldn't that be nice?)
• What I recommend for staying the most connected to your list in real time
• A simple way to get clarity on what's working in your current setup

Check out this episode's blog post Episode Resources:

Book a FREE Discovery Call

Duett Services:

Email Strategy Playbook - A fresh set of eyes and insight into your current email marketing

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

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

Instagram @alleagrummert

Episode Summary: What is "community," really?

We toss that word around a lot, but this conversation with Faith Clarke, organizational health & inclusive teams specialist, autism activist, and author, made it click... community isn't a parasocial vibe we hope our subscribers feel. It's something we design together.

Community matters for email because people buy when they trust you. And trust comes from you being a person, not from perfect messaging or sending on the "best" day of the week.

This is how your emails shift from being simply one way broadcasts into two way, mutually-beneficial relationships.

So how do you show up as a whole person, create a community that benefits everyone in it, and invite your audience to participate?

In this episode, you'll learn about:

• Why real community = communal care + protection + shared need-fulfillment (not just "engagement")
• How to "read the room" online when our usual in-person cues are missing
• What it looks like to reimagine email as dialogue, not a monologue—and why frameworks beat formulas

Check out this episode's blog post Connect with Faith:Website Instagram Episode Resources: Book a FREE Discovery Call

Duett Services:Email Strategy Playbook - A fresh set of eyes and insight into your current email marketing

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

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

Instagram @alleagrummert