Yay or Nay: Creating a Year Long Email Sequence
Episode Overview
Are year-long email sequences a dream come true or a recipe for disconnection? In this episode, Branda dives deep into the pros and cons of automating your email strategy for an entire year. From time-saving benefits to missed opportunities in personalization, Branda explores the effectiveness of this approach and shares her expert recommendations for crafting timely, impactful emails. Whether you’re looking for more efficiency or deeper engagement with your audience, this episode is packed with insights you won’t want to miss!
Tune in as Branda discusses:
The appeal and limitations of year-long email sequences.
How to stay consistent without losing personalization in email marketing.
Alternative strategies to craft timely and relevant email content.
Mentioned in this episode:
Retainer Services: https://www.therelevantcollective.com/retainer
Welcome Sequence Services: https://www.therelevantcollective.com/copywriting-services
Bomb AF Lead Magnet: https://therelevantcolletive.ck.page/8f0c03aaec
You’re tired of writing emails every single week. So, when you hear about creating a year-long automated sequence, it sounds like a dream! You can let your email marketing run itself…right? But is this really an effective way to email your list? Are there any downsides to this method? I’m giving you my thoughts on creating year-long automated sequences.
What is a Year-Long Automated Sequence?
Year-long email sequences have been gaining traction in the email marketing world. If you’re unfamiliar, this strategy involves creating an automated email workflow that sends out one pre-written email every week for an entire year (though shorter sequences are an option, too).
The idea is straightforward: once the sequence is set up, you can step back and let your email marketing run on autopilot, saving you time and effort. It sounds like a dream come true, doesn’t it?
If we’re being honest though, I don’t love this approach. And it’s not just a matter of personal preference. I’ve got some solid reasons why this strategy might not be the best fit for most entrepreneurs.
Before we dive into the challenges, though, let’s take a closer look at why year-long sequences appeal to so many people, and why they can work under certain circumstances.
Why a Year-Long Email Sequence Works
1. It Saves Time and Reduces Stress
For many entrepreneurs, writing emails every week can feel overwhelming. A year-long sequence eliminates that stress because you’ve done the work upfront. Once the sequence is in place, you can consistently show up in your subscribers’ inboxes without scrambling every week. The appeal here is undeniable. Consistency is key in email marketing, and this strategy ensures you stay on track.
2. You Can Repurpose Content
Another benefit is the opportunity to repurpose old emails. Many who create these longer sequences already have a backlog of emails they’ve sent over the years. By reworking this content, they can build a sequence without starting from scratch.
Repurposing is a great strategy, and I’m all for working smarter, not harder. However, as we’ll see in a moment, there’s a more effective way to approach this.
Why a Year-Long Email Sequence Doesn’t Work
While the time-saving and repurposing benefits are tempting, year-long sequences come with significant downsides that make them less effective.
1. Automations Lack Specificity
One major issue with this strategy is timing. Subscribers enter the sequence at different times, meaning your emails must remain broad and general. For example, Subscriber A might receive your first email on January 1, while Subscriber B gets the same email on April 1. This makes it nearly impossible to include timely messaging about seasonal products, current events, or specific challenges like holiday stress or the summer rush.
Without specificity, your emails may feel less relevant - and relevance is crucial for keeping subscribers engaged and for nailing your messaging.
2. It’s Hard to Align with Sales and Launches
If your business relies on launches or seasonal sales, year-long sequences can be a headache. To effectively promote these offers, you need to warm up your audience with targeted messaging.
With a year-long sequence, you have no way of knowing where a subscriber is in the workflow at any given time. Your options are either to hope they’re ready to buy (not ideal) or send additional emails outside the sequence, which defeats the purpose of the automation.
3. Neglected Data and Updates
Be honest: when was the last time you reviewed your automated sequences? Have you updated your welcome sequence recently? One of the biggest pitfalls of a year-long automation is the “set it and forget it” mentality. People often forget to check performance metrics or update their content.
This can lead to emails with broken links, irrelevant offers, or stale messaging. Worse, it becomes painfully obvious to subscribers that they’re part of a generic automation. For example, I recently received an automated email series where every link went to social posts from 2022. There were no fresh insights, no personal touches, and no connection to what’s happening now. If you want to disengage your audience, that’s the way to do it.
What to Do Instead
If a year-long sequence isn’t the solution, what should you do? Here’s a better approach:
1. Create a Short Welcome Sequence
Instead of a year-long sequence, focus on a 4-6 email welcome series. This introduces new subscribers to your brand, delivers value tied to their opt-in, and highlights your products or services.
The goal? Build trust, establish a connection, and encourage conversions.
2. Plan for Weekly Emails
Rather than automating a full year, plan your content quarterly. This lets you show up with relevant, timely messaging that aligns with your business goals.
Need help with planning? Check out my Email GPS workshop. In just 90 minutes, you’ll walk away with a 90-day plan for email and long-form content. Plus, you can still repurpose content, just tweak it to fit your current needs.
3. Batch Your Content
If consistency feels overwhelming, batch your emails in advance. Dedicate time each month to write and schedule several weeks’ worth of emails. You’ll still enjoy the benefits of automation while keeping your content fresh and engaging. If batching hasn’t worked for you in the past, check out Episode 34 where I offer some untraditional batching methods that might help.
Year-long sequences may seem like a time-saving hack, but they often fall short when it comes to relevance, engagement, and conversions. Instead, focus on building a strong welcome sequence, planning timely content, and batching for consistency. With this approach, you’ll stay connected to your audience, deliver value when it matters most, and see better results from your weekly emails.