Stop Being Afraid to Email Your Audience—They Want to Hear from You!
Are You Scared of Annoying Your Audience? You Shouldn’t Be
How Often Should You Reach Out to Your Customers? More Than You Think.
Let’s talk about something that holds a lot of retreat leaders (and business owners in general) back: fear of emailing their audience too much. I hear it all the time—I don’t want to spam people! What if they unsubscribe?! But let’s be real: how many emails do you get from brands you actually signed up for? And what do you do when you’re too busy? You delete them, skim them later, or let them sit in your inbox until you’re in the mood to read. And guess what? So does everyone else.
And here’s the kicker—when you finally do open an email, do you rage-unsubscribe because they sent too many? Or do you just pick up where you left off? Exactly. You’re not annoying your audience. You’re making sure your message actually gets seen.
If you have a retreat coming up and you only mention it twice, there’s a damn good chance that 95% of your audience will never even see your message. Between inbox clutter, distractions, and people simply forgetting, you need to show up again and again to make an impact.
How Often Should You Email? More Than You Think.
I email my list at least three times a week. I already hear you gasping—isn’t that too much? Won’t people think it’s spam? Nope. Not if you’re giving them something they actually want to read.
For my men’s magazine and travel business, I email three times a week with:
Nudist events happening around the world
Nudist news I curate from Google
Photo challenges
Community Zoom events
Spotlights on what our members are doing
Every article runs at least twice. If you miss it on Wednesday, you’ll see it again on Friday. If I’m promoting a retreat, I run it solid for two weeks.
If People Love What You Send, They Won’t Complain
One of the biggest indicators that you’re doing email marketing right is your unsubscribe rate—or in my case, the lack of one. My unsubscribe rate is incredibly low because my audience finds value in what I send. If your content is informative, entertaining, or useful, people won’t just stick around—they’ll share it with others. That’s how you grow your list organically. A good newsletter isn’t just about retention, it’s about expansion.
The key? Make sure your emails are worth opening. Your audience should actually look forward to your updates. If you were on a travel company’s email list, what kind of content would make you excited to click?
The goal isn’t just to sell—it’s to become a trusted, valuable presence in their inbox. I help my subscribers by offering “done-for-you” news articles that they can drop into their own newsletters. This makes marketing easier for retreat leaders who don’t have time to create content from scratch.
Stop Overthinking & Start Sending
Your audience wants to hear from you. But if you’re only popping into their inbox once in a blue moon, you’re just another name they don’t recognize when they finally do see your email. Consistency builds trust.
One of the biggest mistakes I see retreat leaders make is only reaching out when they have something to sell. This immediately puts your audience in the mindset that you only contact them when you need money. No one wants to feel like they’re constantly being asked to bail you out. Your audience wants to receive from you—not feel like they’re just an ATM. Give, give, give, and then, once in a while, ask. If you’ve been consistently providing value, when you finally do ask, they’ll be far more inclined to listen—and to buy.
So don’t wait. Start your newsletter today, keep your audience engaged, and start showing up like you mean it. Show up regularly, provide value, and build trust. Your audience isn’t looking for a one-time transaction—they want a relationship. Be the voice they look forward to, the resource they rely on, and the brand they trust. When you do that, not only will they stay, but they’ll bring others along with them.