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The business owner who proudly no one hears from
About once a month, I have to remind business owners how much people actually like reading and buying from email.
I posted about this on Threads the other day.
In response, a woman started talking about how much her business had grown over the years without ever using email. That a lot of people like her for that very reason. And that she never bothers anyone but people always know where to find her.
I hate to say it…
But I looked. She has no following anywhere. And the only thing she has for sale is a self-published book with a handful of not-so-great reviews.
So I’m going to call it like I see it.
Total B.S.
If people like you. Then they will also like getting email from you.
I love getting emails from my favorite writers and brands. In fact, I stockpile them. Hoard them, even. I've got thousands of emails going back years.
And I'm not the only one.
Most people are up to their eyeballs in email because they can't bear to delete any of it. They know there's something good in there.
Now, the point of all this isn't to pick on some stranger on the internet.
The point is that people like this will often project their own faulty beliefs onto everyone else around them. And it only ends up causing them a lot of unnecessary pain and disappointment. I know because I used to be a lot like that myself.
So let’s dispel any myth about the issue.
One study from 2015 found that 91% of U.S. adults like getting promotional emails from companies they do business with. Multiple surveys from 2024 and 2025 say 70% of people prefer to hear from brands via email. And across nearly two decades of research, email reigns supreme for businesses and consumers alike as the number one channel for permission-based marketing.
So make no mistake about it…
There are only a few kinds of online businesses that can get by without email. They’re typically marketplace sellers that live on Amazon, Etsy traffic, or paid ads. And all three depend on a platform you have no control over (one where brand loyalty is virtually non-existent).
Plus, it’s a bit of a self-fulfilling prophecy if you ask me. If you’re sure nobody wants to hear from you, you’ll never find out that they do.
But I think there’s something deeper going on.
I think a lot of people who are dead set against marketing, sales, business, or anything related to someone else making money are often the type of people that feel powerless in life. Maybe they were treated unfairly for a long time and it became a part of their identity.
Speaking a bit from experience here…
But if I've learned anything over the years, it's that you can get past that.
Most people are good. They want the best for you. They want to help you. They want to help the people around them. And they want to help themselves… in the best way they know how.
And yeah, some people out there are going to take advantage of others.
But I find, the more you trust people, the more good you'll find in life. You get what you focus on. So if you've been holding back on email marketing because you don't want to bother anyone…
Head on over here to unlearn that one as fast as possible:
Talk soon,
Kevin Hood