Using AI in email marketing: An AI Experiment

Unless you've been under a rock, you've likely noticed that artificial intelligence (AI) is everywhere. These days, it’s impossible to avoid. Most business owners are rushing to embrace the latest AI trends, with ChatGPT becoming the go-to tool for many creators marketing products or services on social media.

My first impression of AI? That people would become lazy, overly reliant on it, and risk losing their brand essence. I feared business owners would lose their brand voice and originality, stifling creative thinking. When working with therapists and coaches to grow their businesses, I often hear, "I didn’t know X, so I asked ChatGPT."

I’ll admit it, I've been guilty of leaning on AI. It saves time, and as the Queen of Business Organisation, I love a time-saving hack. But not when it sacrifices the connection my brand builds with my audience through authentic marketing.

When it came time to write an email campaign for my Innovation Celebration business event, I opened ChatGPT. I drafted the sequence myself, then asked the app for subject line ideas and a few structural tips. I wrote the emails in my voice but used ChatGPT to tidy them up and enhance the impact.

I didn’t copy and paste. I strongly advise against it. You lose originality—and people can now spot ChatGPT-generated content a mile away.

After sending just one email, my friend Alex—who’s a copywriter at Amble and Sonder, instantly noticed it wasn’t 100% me. She told me my brand voice was already strong and I didn’t need AI to write my emails.

That sparked an idea. I decided to run an experiment.

In June 2025, I conducted an A/B test using the email marketing campaign for my Innovation Celebration event. Since I had already created the content, I tested two versions:

• Version A: My email, tidied up by ChatGPT.
• Version B: My raw, original version.

A/B testing, also called split testing, compares two content variations to see which performs better.

Now, one key variable wasn't fully controlled - the subject and preview lines for both versions were very similar and created by AI. So, the most meaningful results came from measuring conversions after the emails were opened.

Here’s how the emails performed:

• Email 1: My version had a higher open rate; both had equal click-throughs.
• Email 2: AI version had a higher open and click-through rate; mine had none.
• Email 3: AI had a higher open rate but no clicks; mine had fewer opens but got visits to the sales page.
• Email 4: My version had a higher open rate; neither had click-throughs.
• Email 5: My version again had a higher open rate; no click-throughs for either.
• Email 6: Both had equal open rates; my version had clicks, AI had none.
• Email 7: AI had higher open and click-through rates; mine had no conversions.

The bottom line? Neither version generated sales.

While the experiment didn’t deliver clear-cut results, it highlighted one thing: inconsistency in variables makes data unreliable. If I run this test again, I’ll use a fully AI-written version for A, and a completely original version for B, with no AI input.

Despite the results, I remain a strong advocate for email marketing. It may seem old school, but when you build an email list, you own that list. Unlike your social media followers, your email list can’t disappear overnight if your account is hacked or removed.

With social platform access becoming more fragile, it’s smart to build and nurture your email list.

Yes, it is still effective and I am a huge advocate for using email marketing, now more than ever. It may seem old school, however when you build an email contact list, you own that list, unlike your social media following, which you can lose at any time, should you lose access to your account. With the rise in hacking, or lack of contact to Meta, many social media users are facing loss of their platforms. It is always wise to build email marketing behind your brand too and use it consistently.

• Nearly 4.5 billion people use email globally, expected to reach 4.8 billion by 2027.
• Email marketing revenue is forecasted to hit $17.9 billion by 2027.
• 99% of users check their inbox daily.
• 51% of consumers say email is the best way for companies to communicate with them.

Source: https://www.sixthcitymarketing.com/email-marketing-stats/

Using AI in email marketing can be effective, but only when it supports your originality. AI doesn’t understand your mission, vision, or values. It can’t feel your passion. That’s something only you can communicate.

Here are my top tips on how to do email marketing with AI - the right way:

• Use AI to spark ideas, not write entire emails.
• Never copy and paste. Ever.
• Focus on writing compelling subject lines - they drive opens.
• Always include a call to action.
• Be consistent. Don’t set and forget.
• Promote your email list regularly. I recommend once per week.

Would I run the test again? Possibly. But as someone focused on helping entrepreneurs create freedom and fortune through strategy and structure, I’d rather not waste time on inconclusive results.

What works better for me, and many of my clients, is using AI to repurpose original content.

Here’s what that looks like:

I record my podcast episodes Riverside, hosted on Captivate, My VA uses AI transcription to pull the text, then edits it into Instagram reels. That same transcript goes into ChatGPT, where we generate carousel posts, quotes, and even emails.

The prompt we use is:

“Can you take the text from this transcript and turn it into some carousel ideas, reels ideas, static post ideas, quotes and other social media content? Could you also please turn it into an email i can send out? can you draft the email to lead with value instead and then end with a call to action to learn more within my latest podcast episode? can you suggest a preview line to encourage more opens? in this podcast episode, what links would i need to include for things I mentioned? can you describe this episode for an SEO description within 300 characters.”

Since implementing this strategy, our email open rates and click-throughs have improved.

Using AI in email marketing works, when you start with your own voice.

If you want more support with crafting high-converting email campaigns or simply want clarity on your business direction, book a free clarity call. Let’s simplify your marketing and get you real results.

Looking for some actionable training? Join me inside my business membership, where I provide access to a step-by-step Mailerite email marketing mini course and email marketing training.

*this blog contains affiliate links and I may be paid for you signing up to use any of the software I have mentioned.

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