Email works best when it does more than announce. It should reinforce value, guide action, and strengthen long-term audience relationships.
My work in email and lifecycle marketing has focused on building communication systems that improve engagement, support retention, and connect audiences to the content, offers, and opportunities most relevant to them. Across media and membership organizations, I’ve used email as both a performance channel and a relationship channel.
Key Email Impact
- Increased email open rates from 15% to 35%
- Built lifecycle email systems to support member retention and new-member engagement
- Created commerce newsletters reaching 100,000+ subscribers
- Wrote and managed campaigns with open rates as high as 50.1%
- Integrated email with website, social, and event promotion strategies
Case Study 1: Membership Lifecycle Email Strategy
Association of International Energy Negotiators (AIEN)
Situation
AIEN had no structured email marketing program in place, which meant members were not consistently reminded of the organization’s value outside of isolated event and renewal moments. This created a gap between the benefits the organization offered and how clearly those benefits were communicated.
Strategy
I approached email as a lifecycle channel rather than an announcement tool. The goal was to strengthen retention by reinforcing networking opportunities, professional value, event visibility, and the long-term return on membership.
Execution
- launched AIEN’s first structured email marketing system
- created new-member drip campaigns to improve early engagement
- wrote renewal and membership value messaging
- promoted professional events and networking opportunities through email
- aligned email communication with website content and social media marketing
Results
- contributed to stronger member engagement and retention
- supported the broader strategy that helped increase organizational revenue 18%
- created a more consistent communication system across the membership lifecycle
Case Study 2: Commerce Newsletter Strategy
Hearst Media
Situation
Hearst needed commerce newsletters that could drive clicks and revenue without losing reader trust. Promotional emails had to feel curated and useful rather than generic or overly sales-driven.
Strategy
I built a curation process centered on audience relevance, trusted brands, and seasonal demand. Instead of filling newsletters with as many deals as possible, I focused on the strongest products and offers most likely to generate both engagement and conversions.
Execution
- researched and evaluated 30 to 40 deals per campaign
- selected the top offers based on relevance, price point, and brand performance
- built and distributed Major Sales Alert newsletters to 100,000+ subscribers
- used Skimlinks for affiliate tracking
- aligned newsletter content with broader homepage and article promotion
Results
- improved engagement as the curation process became more refined
- supported affiliate revenue goals through stronger deal selection
- helped turn newsletters into a repeatable commerce revenue channel
Case Study 3: Event and Membership Campaign Emails
Association of International Energy Negotiators (AIEN)
Situation
AIEN relied on email to promote global events, drive registration, encourage membership renewal, and keep professional audiences engaged. Because the audience was specialized and globally distributed, messaging had to be clear, credible, and relevant.
Strategy
I treated each email as a targeted campaign with a clear goal, whether that was renewals, registrations, or strengthening awareness of membership value. Messaging focused on professional opportunity, networking access, and urgency where appropriate.
Execution
- wrote and managed promotional emails for major industry events
- developed renewal campaigns and executive-signed membership communication
- created event marketing emails as part of broader multi-month promotional campaigns
- supported campaigns tied to specific audience segments and goals
Results
Campaigns achieved strong open-rate performance, including:
- 45% open rate for Connecticut Magazine contest emails
- 37% open rate for New Haven Register contest emails
- 38.7% open rate for International Petroleum Summit promotion
- 35.3% open rate for Europe regional members
- 37.0% open rate for renewal messaging
- 50.1% open rate for a membership renewal campaign
- 34.4% open rate for the Boulos Lecture Series email