What's the real engine behind turning online visibility into paying clients? According to email marketing expert Minal Patel, it's not your social media following — it's your email list.

In this episode, LinkedIn expert Louise Brogan sits down with Minal for a wide-ranging, practical conversation about everything email marketing: how to build a list from scratch, how often to send, single vs. double opt-in, writing subject lines, improving deliverability, and — crucially — how to actually sell through email without feeling sleazy about it.

Whether you're a solo service provider who's been putting off pressing send, or a business owner sitting on a dormant list, this episode is packed with honest, no-fluff advice to help you show up consistently in your subscribers' inboxes and convert that trust into revenue.

About the Guest

Minal Patel is an email marketing strategist with over 12 years in the industry, including four years at Constant Contact. For the past decade she has run her own business, Marketing by Minal, helping solo and small service providers build confident, consistent email systems they can manage themselves. She works primarily with coaches and consultants who want to turn their email lists into a genuine sales channel.

🔗 Connect with Minal: linkedin.com/in/minalpatel | marketingbyminal.com

Key Timestamps

• 00:00 — Introduction & why Louise's electric car died this morning
• 02:30 — Minal's background: 12 years in email marketing, from Constant Contact to solo business
• 05:30 — Why email marketing is the unsexy engine that actually drives sales
• 07:00 — Starting from scratch: Minal began with two people on her list (her and her husband!)
• 08:30 — The confidence problem: why people have a list but won't press send
• 09:30 — Question from Raphael: how does a photographer build and use an email list?
• 12:00 — GDPR, legitimate interest, and managing the unsubscribe link
• 14:30 — Email vs. LinkedIn newsletters vs. Substack: do you need all three?
• 17:30 — Simon's question: single opt-in vs. double opt-in — and why Manal thinks double opt-in is a waste of time
• 20:00 — Tina's comment: email as a nurturing tool for long sales cycles
• 21:00 — Louise's launch strategy: should you email your whole list or just warm leads?
• 24:30 — The power of a waiting list (122 sign-ups before the doors even open)
• 25:30 — Auto-clicks and privacy: why your open rates are probably lying to you
• 29:00 — Subject lines: emojis, capital letters, and why there are no real "hacks"
• 33:00 — Treating your subscribers' inboxes with respect
• 36:00 — What turns an email into a sale? Why Manal didn't sell in email for her first 5–6 years
• 40:00 — How many links should you include? (Spoiler: ideally one)
• 44:00 — Deliverability, sender reputation, and why easy unsubscribing actually helps you
• 53:00 — Cold email in B2B: what's working, what's not, and is Apollo legal?
• 55:00 — Brittany's question: does including multiple outbound links hurt analytics?
• 59:00 — Wrap-up and how to find Minal online

Episode Highlights & Key Takeaways

1. Email is where sales actually happen

Social media is borrowed land — you're at the mercy of the algorithm. Your email list is an asset you own. Louise is direct: most of her sales come from email, not social. If you're not building a list, you're building on sand.

2. Single opt-in wins — ditch the double

When someone fills in your sign-up form, they've already given permission. Adding a second confirmation step creates friction at the exact moment interest is highest. If the very next email they receive isn't the thing they signed up for, you've already lost them. Manal's verdict: double opt-in is a waste of time.

3. Frequency matters less than consistency

Once a week is a solid benchmark — but the most important thing is setting expectations upfront and sticking to them. If you tell people you'll email on Tuesdays, email on Tuesdays. Surprises break trust.

4. Your open rates are probably wrong

Apple Mail privacy settings pre-open emails to check for malicious links. Corporate IT firewalls click every link in an email. This means open rates and click rates are significantly inflated. Most email platforms now offer bot-suppression — turn it on. A lower number that's accurate is more useful than a high number that isn't.

5. Three or fewer links per email

Click rates drop sharply after three links. If you want people to take one action — join a waiting list, register for a webinar, download a resource — give them one link. One ask, one link.

6. Don't be afraid to sell in your emails

Minal didn't sell in email for the first five to six years of her business — and people kept asking how to work with her. The lesson: if you don't tell your list what you offer, they can't buy it. Be clear on what you're offering, what it solves, and what they need to do next.

7. Email and Substack / LinkedIn newsletters aren't competing — they're complementary

Use your email list to drive traffic to long-form content elsewhere. Not everyone who follows you on LinkedIn subscribes to your newsletter, and not everyone on your email list will find your Substack. Use each channel to feed the others.

8. Replies are gold

When subscribers reply to your emails, it signals to email providers that you're a trusted sender. It improves deliverability. And it's just a lovely thing. Create emails that invite replies — ask questions, share opinions, be human.

Resources & Tools Mentioned

• Constant Contact — email marketing platform (constantcontact.com)
• Kit (formerly ConvertKit) — email marketing platform (kit.com)
• ActiveCampaign — email marketing & CRM platform (activecampaign.com)
• HubSpot — free CRM for managing leads and pipeline (hubspot.com)
• Eventbrite — event registration and ticketing (eventbrite.co.uk)
• Substack — long-form newsletter platform (substack.com)
• Ann Handley — newsletter at annhandley.com (Total Annarchy, published fortnightly)
• Jay Schwedelson — email marketing educator at subjectline.com
• Apollo.io — B2B sales intelligence and lead generation platform

Quotable Moments

"When somebody has filled in your signup form, they're already giving you permission. They're filling it in and they're saying, I want the thing." — Minal Patel

"People have given you their email address. It is a privilege to show up in their inbox. Treat it with respect." — Minal Patel

"Your business absolutely, one hundred percent needs an email list. Social media is at the whimsy of the algorithm. Your email list is yours." — Louise Brogan

Raise Your Visibility Live — Belfast, October 2025

Mentioned throughout this episode: Louise's in-person conference in Belfast, featuring Minal Patel as a speaker alongside closing keynote Chris Brogan (no, not Louise's husband!).

• Pre-conference photography walking tour of Belfast
• Wednesday night pre-party
• Full day conference — Thursday
• Thursday evening social
• Friday morning: St George's Market Belfast

Early bird pricing available — see the link in the show notes.

Connect & Subscribe

• Louise Brogan on LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/louisebrogan
• Louise's website: louisebrogan.com
• Minal Patel on LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/minalpatel
• Marketing by Minal: marketingbyminal.com

If you found this episode valuable, please subscribe, leave a review, and share it with a business owner who needs to finally start emailing their list.