Email Marketing Cheat Sheet

The core ideas of Email Marketing distilled into a single, scannable reference — perfect for review or quick lookup.

PiqCue — piqcue.com/email-marketing/cheatsheet

Quick Reference

List Segmentation

The practice of dividing an email subscriber list into smaller, more targeted groups based on shared characteristics such as demographics, purchase history, engagement level, or stage in the customer journey.

Open Rate

The percentage of delivered emails that recipients open, calculated by dividing unique opens by the number of emails delivered. It serves as a top-of-funnel engagement metric, though Apple's Mail Privacy Protection has made it less reliable since 2021.

Click-Through Rate (CTR)

The percentage of email recipients who click on one or more links within an email. Calculated by dividing unique clicks by the number of delivered emails, CTR is a more reliable engagement metric than open rate.

Marketing Automation

The use of software to execute predefined email sequences and workflows triggered by subscriber actions, time delays, or data conditions, enabling personalized communication at scale without manual intervention.

A/B Testing (Split Testing)

A method of comparing two or more variations of an email element—such as subject line, sender name, call-to-action, or send time—by randomly splitting the audience and measuring which version produces better results.

Deliverability

The ability of an email to successfully reach the recipient's inbox rather than being filtered into spam, bounced, or blocked. Deliverability depends on sender reputation, authentication protocols, content quality, and list hygiene.

Drip Campaign

A series of pre-written, automated emails sent on a predetermined schedule or triggered by specific user actions, designed to guide subscribers through a nurture sequence toward a desired outcome.

Personalization

The practice of tailoring email content, offers, and timing to individual subscribers based on their data, behavior, and preferences. Personalization ranges from simple merge tags to fully dynamic content blocks.

Opt-In and Double Opt-In

Opt-in is the process by which a person gives explicit consent to receive marketing emails. Double opt-in adds a confirmation step where the subscriber must click a link in a verification email to finalize their subscription.

Customer Lifecycle Email

Emails strategically mapped to different stages of the customer lifecycle—awareness, consideration, purchase, retention, and advocacy—each with tailored messaging and goals.

Key Terms at a Glance

A/B Testing:A method of comparing two or more email variations to determine which performs better on a chosen metric.

Autoresponder:An automated email or sequence of emails triggered by a specific subscriber action such as signing up or making a purchase.

Bounce Rate:The percentage of sent emails that could not be delivered to the recipient's inbox.

CASL:Canada's Anti-Spam Legislation, requiring express or implied consent before sending commercial electronic messages.

CAN-SPAM Act:US federal law establishing rules for commercial email, including opt-out requirements and sender identification.

Click-Through Rate:The percentage of email recipients who click on one or more links within an email.

Conversion Rate:The percentage of email recipients who complete a desired action after engaging with an email.

Deliverability:The ability of an email to successfully reach the recipient's inbox rather than spam or junk folders.

DKIM:DomainKeys Identified Mail, an authentication method using cryptographic signatures to verify email integrity.

DMARC:Domain-based Message Authentication, Reporting and Conformance, a protocol unifying SPF and DKIM with policy enforcement.

Double Opt-In:A subscription process requiring the subscriber to confirm their address via a verification email.

Drip Campaign:A series of automated emails sent on a schedule or based on triggers to nurture subscribers over time.

Dynamic Content:Email content that changes automatically based on subscriber data, behavior, or segment membership.

ESP (Email Service Provider):A platform used to send bulk email campaigns, manage subscriber lists, and track performance metrics.

GDPR:General Data Protection Regulation, an EU law requiring explicit consent for email marketing and granting data rights to subscribers.

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