12 MONTHS AGO • 5 MIN READ

Transform your email productivity for $4/m...

profile

Build an Email-First Business using Kit

Get weekly dispatches to guide you through the process of building a profitable email-first™ business.

Friday, 26th Sep, 2025

by John Bellingham

Hi Reader

Welcome to the latest edition of The Hub Newsletter!

In each edition, I share helpful tips and ideas about how you can grow an email-first solo business by using what's been proven to work for others, just like you.

Okay, so let's get into this week's edition...

Email Marketing Tip

Stop chasing email open rates...

For years, open rates were the go-to metric for most email marketers. Even now, I get asked every week - "What's a good open rate?".

But here’s the truth: open rates don’t tell the full story anymore.

Between Apple’s email privacy protection and bots (i.e. the corporate IT police!) auto-opening links, your “open” data is fuzzy at best.

You might think more people are reading your emails than actually are.

So what metric should you focus on instead?

Replies 😊


Why Replies Matter

  • Replies show real human engagement - nobody ever replies by accident.
  • Email platforms (like Apple, Yahoo, Gmail etc.) see replies as a positive signal, improving your email deliverability rates.
  • Replies start conversations that can turn into sales, collaborations, or valuable feedback.

How to Encourage Replies

Ask one simple question at the end of your email.
For example: “What’s the biggest challenge you’re facing with [your relevant topic] right now?”

Make it personal.
Write as if you’re talking to one subscriber, not blasting a generic list.

Acknowledge responses.
Even a short “Thanks for sharing” keeps the loop alive.


The Bottom Line

Open rates can be misleading, replies can't!

If you want to measure true engagement and build stronger relationships with your subscribers, shift your focus from opens to conversations.


💡 Pro Tip: Add a single, low-barrier question to your next email. You might be pleasantly surprised how many subscribers are willing to hit the 'reply' button when you invite them to.

Kit Feature

Resend to 'unopens'.

No matter how good your subject line (and preview text) is, not everyone will open your email the first time.

People get busy. Inboxes get crowded.

That’s where Kit’s Resend to Unopens feature comes in.

Why Resends Work

  • Gives your email a second chance to be seen.
  • Reach subscribers who wanted to read it, but missed it (for any reason).
  • You can test a different subject line or send time for better engagement.

How to Do It in Kit

  1. After sending your broadcast, click the 3 dots.
  2. Click Resend to Unopens.
  3. Change the subject line (optional, but highly recommended).
  4. Set the resend to go out after 1–3 days.

Tips for Better Results

  • Tweak the subject line: Try a new angle, question, or benefit.
  • Don’t resend too soon: Give people at least 24-48 hours.
  • Don’t overdo it: One resend is plenty. More can feel pushy.

The Bottom Line

Resending to unopens is a simple way to increase your reach without creating new content.

It’s not about spamming, it’s about giving people who wanted to hear from you a second chance.

Here's how to use the 'resend' feature in Kit

Tech Tip

10X your typing speed! (okay, not really your typing speed...your creation speed!)

Do you find yourself repeatedly typing the same blocks of content, or saving them to a Word document somewhere so you can copy and paste it?

Save yourself the heartache... 💔

TextExpander is a game-changing little tool when it comes to crafting content you share regularly.

I'll give you some examples that I use it for... (i.e. for answers to common questions)

  • "How do I grow my email list?"
  • "My emails are landing in spam - how can I stop this?"
  • "I've never used email marketing - where should I start?"

You get the gist... things people often ask - you'll have your own list of commonly asked questions from your audience.

By typing just a few letters, you can paste an entire clock of content into your email (or document) in an instant!

Below is a screenshot of just one example of how I use it; the circled abbreviation is "l:deliv", and any time I type that short snippet, it replaces it with a fully formatted, rich text bulleted list that you can see on the right-hand side (in the red box).

Once you start using it, you'll begin to come up with ideas of how to use it in ways you can't think of right now.

I created an entire library of business mini-bios and created shortcuts for each - e.g. if I make reference to a business, I can just type in 'bio:star' (for Starbucks) and the complete article is pasted into the page.

Although it's not free, it's very low cost - just $4/m... and yet, it saves me so much time!

If you want to give it a go, click the link is below.

Whatever you're up to this weekend, even if you're not a sports fan, you may enjoy watching some coverage from this year's Ryder Cup.

A major event held every 2 years, is a competition between USA and Europe - this year it's being played at Bethpage, NY.

I am a sports fan, so I'm a bit biased, but this event tends to evoke more emotion than your average sports event - so, if you get the chance, give it a watch!

May the best team win! 🏆

Cheers,
John

Want helpful video tutorials on Kit?

Subscribe to my YouTube channel, it's free and easy to do!

Thanks for being a member of the Hub

Do something special this week.

Have any questions?
Hit reply to this email and I'll help you out!

48 West George Street, Glasgow, Scotland G2 1BP

🤔 Why am I getting this email?

You subscribed to this email list using email address: Reader

Want to change your email preferences? Update my preferences

Was this email forwarded to you? Subscribe here

Want to unsubscribe from all emails? Unsubscribe from all emails

Build an Email-First Business using Kit

Get weekly dispatches to guide you through the process of building a profitable email-first™ business.