AI for email marketing: divide the work
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Use AI for email marketing by assigning draft work and keeping clear owners for recipient choices, review and sending. Give the drafter approved notes, then check the message before anyone sends it. Write down who handles requests to stop email too.
What's the role of AI in email marketing?
Drafting is one role: Jasper says its browser add-on lets you write and edit emails in Gmail or Outlook. It also says its AI can change the wording of your emails.
Assign the draft as its own task. Decide who supplies the audience details, who checks the text and who approves a send. Keep those choices in a work sheet beside the draft.
| Duty | Person responsible | Input or decision needed |
|---|---|---|
| Choose the audience | ______ | ______ |
| Prepare the source notes | ______ | ______ |
| Draft the email | ______ | ______ |
| Check the draft | ______ | ______ |
| Approve the final version | ______ | ______ |
| Send the approved message | ______ | ______ |
| Handle requests to stop email | ______ | ______ |
If the email task is still too broad, narrow it before assigning work. Use the one-page task inventory to choose a starting point.
Example
Tell the drafter what to include and what to leave to you:
Draft an email from the approved workshop notes. Address readers who have asked about the workshop. Include only the confirmed topic and booking details. Leave missing details blank. Return the draft for review; leave recipient selection and sending to me.
Choose the checks you'll apply to the returned draft. Use the content review checklist to set up that review.
If you're comparing tools for the writing task, test a sample first. Use the content tool scorecard to record what needs editing.
Book a discovery call with BreadHead to discuss your work and whether BreadHead fits. Booking signs you up for nothing.
How do you use AI for email marketing?
Prepare the audience inputs, check the draft and approve the final version before assigning the send. Name who will check the applicable email rules and handle opt-out requests.
Follow these steps with the people named in your work sheet:
- Confirm who the message is for and what you're asking them to do.
- Give the drafter the approved offer notes and required format.
- Check the returned draft against those notes. Hold anything that needs an answer.
- Ask the sender to confirm the recipient list and opt-out process before release.
- Record the approved version and who will handle requests after sending.
Which email rules should you check?
Commercial email. The FTC says CAN-SPAM covers more than bulk email. It also says CAN-SPAM covers all email whose main aim is to sell or promote a product or service.
Business email. The FTC says this includes email that promotes content on sites used for business. It also says business-to-business email has no exception.
Sales or ad content. The FTC says email with only sales or ad content has a sales aim and must meet CAN-SPAM rules.
Narrow exception. The FTC says email with only transaction or relationship content has that as its main aim. It also says such email can't give false or misleading routing details but is exempt from most other CAN-SPAM rules. It also says the law gives these groups a narrow scope.
What should you assign for opt-outs?
For commercial email, assign someone to check each duty below.
| Duty to assign | What to check |
|---|---|
| Make the notice clear | The FTC says your email must clearly show people how to stop future marketing emails from you. It also says a person should find the notice easy to spot, read and grasp. It also says font size, color and where you put the notice can help make it clear. |
| Provide a working way to opt out | The FTC says to give a reply email address or another easy way online for people to tell you their choice. It also says a menu may let people stop some kinds of email, but must let them stop all marketing emails from you. It also says to check that your spam filter doesn't block requests to stop those emails. |
| Track the deadlines | The FTC says each way you offer to opt out must work for at least 30 days after you send the email. It also says requests to stop those emails have to be met within 10 business days. |
| Keep requests simple | The FTC says you can't charge a fee or require any identifying details beyond an email address as a condition of honoring an opt-out request. It also says you can't make people do more than reply by email or visit one web page to honor an opt-out request. |
| Limit address sharing | The FTC says once people ask you to stop emails, you can't sell or pass on their addresses, even as a mailing list. It also says the sole exception lets you pass the addresses to a firm hired to help you meet CAN-SPAM rules. |
Who checks work done by another firm?
The FTC says hiring a firm to handle your marketing emails can't shift your duty to meet the law to that firm. It also says both the firm whose product the email promotes and the firm that sends it may bear legal blame.
Use this check when you assign the email duties:
- Who has confirmed which rules apply to this message?
- Who will check the opt-out notice and test the process?
- Who will track requests and confirm they're handled?
- Who will check work done by an outside firm?
- Who can hold the send if a check is unresolved?
Check the full set of duties before planning a send. Read the Federal Trade Commission: CAN-SPAM Act: A Compliance Guide for Business.
Check which state duties apply too. For state rules, see California rules.
Before trying help with email drafts, decide what a good draft must include and who can approve it. Write those checks on the pilot acceptance sheet.
Keep the duties beside your tool requirements. For platform choices, see the best AI workflow automation tools.
With BreadHead, you review and approve the work before it goes public or into use.
Bring your email work to a discovery call with BreadHead to discuss whether BreadHead fits. You can book without signing up for anything.
Not legal or tax advice.
Sources
Jasper: AI for Email Marketing
Federal Trade Commission: CAN-SPAM Act: A Compliance Guide for Business
BreadHead's own pages: Home, AI Service Disclaimer, Discovery call booking page, AI Honesty Test watch page, Calendar.
Statements from BreadHead's founder.
What changed
- : First version. Facts checked.