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Vicky Smith on Why Empathy and Purpose Drive Better Email Results

Paul Leslie

June 9, 2025

Email marketing is more than just about strategies and technology, it’s also about relationships. In this soulful interview with Vicky Smith of Flic Email, she touches on how empathy, personalization, and a clear purpose can get you the email results you seek.

When you treat your list like real people, not just means to a sale, everything changes. In this interview, email marketing strategist Vicky Smith shows you:

How understanding the “why” of every message leads to better email results
The most common (and costly) email marketing mistakes businesses make
Why you should meet email list cleaning without delay
Simple ways to get out of an “email funk” and refresh your strategy
The power of testing subject lines, formats, and send times
Why short, personal emails are gaining traction – and when long ones still work
A small act that can make someone’s day (and your own) better instantly

For the full experience, watch the video interview of Flic Email’s Vicky Smith on YouTube.

You explain email in such an easy-to-understand way. That’s one of the gifts you have. What’s the cornerstone of what you do with Flic Email?

The cornerstone has been understanding each individual business I work with.

When I started, I was working with very small businesses, often solopreneurs, or just the owner, who wanted to learn about email. So I had to slow down and explain it clearly. As I grew and worked with bigger businesses, I learned they might already know certain things, but need to outsource.

It’s about identifying what people need and taking each person or business individually. Some want to know every detail of what I do for them, while others just need me to take it off their plate because they’re too busy. That’s been the cornerstone – taking everybody or every business as it comes.

So, if somebody begins to work on their next email, what do you find advantageous to focus on?

People often have a plan for what they want to say and when to send it, but I think you need to go one step further with the strategy side. Consider the who, the why, the how.

What’s my why for sending this email? Is it to make more revenue or to establish myself as a thought leader? Knowing that gives your email focus.

Also, knowing who you’re sending it to – whether a segment or the whole list – adds relevance. If you take the time to align all elements of your strategy, your message becomes much more relevant, and your email performs better. A lot of people skip this strategy part before writing, designing, or sending their emails.

If an email doesn’t have a clear *why* – don’t send it.

Common pitfalls in email marketing

Everybody out there can recall an email where the reader is left wondering, what was the relevancy of this? What’s the point? I’ve used them as an example a couple of times, and I won’t name them, but they’re my financial institution. They’re a big fan of sending emails, like one to update you that they have installed new air conditioning.

Why do I need to know this? Absolutely.

I have a similar one with my home insurance. They send a newsletter with subject lines like, “This is your May newsletter” or “This is your June newsletter.”

They’ve put no thought into the subject line, which makes me think they’ve put no effort into the content either. It’s just, “We do this during June” or “You should get this type of insurance.”

If they’re not thinking through small details like subject lines, people stop opening. Those industries, in particular, need some work.

They need a consultation from Flic Email.

I would love to give them one.

Tell us about some of the other common problems you see in email marketing.

There’s a lack of strategy. Another issue is the inconsistency between what people sign up for and what they actually receive. Sometimes, businesses start sending emails because they know email has great ROI and open rates, but the content gets repetitive or dull. You need to ensure you’re delivering what you promised.

Another mistake is worrying too much about design and fonts. Email design has limitations due to different browsers and devices, so people spend time on beautiful graphics when the message and focus matter more. If your strategy isn’t solid, a pretty email won’t get the outcome you want.

Finally, people don’t clean their lists enough. They’re reluctant to let go of subscribers, even those who haven’t opened emails in months, which affects deliverability and costs.

Design alone won’t work! An email should be about substance and not just visually pleasing.

Why it pays to clean your email list

On that note, is there something that you think somebody can better understand about email validation? It’s so hard to say goodbye to sign-ups. People think, I’ve worked this far, and you’re telling me, according to this audit, I need to drop 100 people?

It comes back to quality over quantity. You need to understand your data well. Look at factors like whether someone is likely to buy just once or hasn’t bought in six months.

Are they likely to buy again? If they’re not opening, consider a win-back campaign, but often that doesn’t work. You’re just shouting into the void. Focus on those who will engage with you.

Keeping inactive subscribers can impact deliverability and increase costs with your email service provider. Once you explain this logically to clients, they see the sense in it. After cleaning the list, the next email you send gives accurate reporting on open and click rates because you’ve removed those who were never going to engage.

In an email funk? Do this

Something I hear from people is, I’ve checked my data. The email list is good, but it seems I’ve fallen into a bit of a funk. It feels stale, not much happening. What do you think someone can do when they’re in that so-called email funk?

I keep swipe files of emails I love — screenshots or saved copies. I encourage people to look at what others in their industry are doing. Many haven’t explored what’s possible, like interactive elements or new incentives.

Start saving emails you love, then test ideas with your audience. For example, instead of a banner image at the top, try a headline, short copy, and a button, with images further down. Split test it to see if it resonates. You might find your audience loves what you’re already doing, or a new approach could refresh things.

Also, consider send times. If you always send on a Sunday, test other days to see if it helps. Tiny changes and testing can break the rut.

Why you should keep testing in your email marketing

It sounds like from this interview and anyone who follows you on social media, which I recommend – you can find Vicky Smith on Instagram at vicky_flicemail – you’re a big fan of testing. Would you say that’s accurate?

I do because you don’t know until you try. Clients often want that little bit more, and testing is how you get it. It’s also a great way to know your audience. The way people interact with email differs from how they interact with social media. Testing reveals what they like.

I’ve been quoting a ZeroBounce survey about Gen Z, where around 63-65% said email will stay around because they like the breathing room from direct messages. Testing helps tailor your approach, especially for specific audiences like Gen Z, to see what resonates with them.

“Email feels personal to me.”

We have email marketing experts out there, but I think there’s a rare top 1% who have an email passion, and you’re in that group. You have a way of getting people excited about email. What excites you the most about email?

Email feels personal to me. Unlike social media, where I have a bit of a barrier, email is from brands or people I’ve signed up to hear from. As an email marketer, it’s exciting to know someone is interested in our brand, whether they’re new or repeat buyers.

I love sharing more with them. I work with a variety of businesses, and I get to know the people behind the brands. Email is my tool to help build their brand, and I love both the personal connection and the strategic side of it.

Pay attention to how your list grows

Have you experienced an occasion in which the problem you diagnosed was that they had not been cleaning their list?

Yes, especially recently with e-commerce brands. I’ve seen issues with spam bots signing up, leading to dropping open rates, more unsubscribes, or abuse reports. People aren’t paying attention to list cleaning or how subscribers are coming in.

We’ve had to address it by turning on recapture or double opt-in and running lists through ZeroBounce to clean out problematic entries. It’s both a cleanup job and a preventive measure, and it’s been a common issue over the last 12 to 18 months.

Effective email tactics and trends

Something I’ve always been interested in is the different techniques people use. For example, an author I subscribe to sends very short emails sometimes. A couple of weeks back, he wrote, I know I said the book was going to be ready by June. In fact, it’s not. It’s going to be ready by July. Sorry. That was it. No essay. Are there any tactics or techniques you’ve observed that are working well, at least on you?

That short email feels like a personal note, not a marketing email, and that’s doing well right now. It’s part of a trend toward storytelling or having a personality in emails. You don’t have to be overly formal or write like an SEO-optimized blog. It can be your brand voice, a bit friendlier.

I also see a mix of short and long emails. In my YouTube email teardowns, six out of seven guests brought long emails that required scrolling, which surprised me because I thought shorter formats were preferred. Another brought a series of six short emails, which together formed a longer narrative. There’s no clear-cut divide anymore – both can complement each other.

The right mindset for monetizing email

For anybody out there who wants to make money with email, what do you think is the right mindset to have?

It comes down to giving. You can’t just sell all the time – it comes across as pushy. There has to be value, whether it’s a tip, a funny story, or sharing your brand story.

My friend Emily Ryan, a fellow email marketer, includes links to things her audience might find useful or funny, not just her services. That balance keeps you top of mind, so when they need you, they’ll come to you. It’s about giving something valuable so they want to keep coming back.

*The email marketer that serves the audience always beats one that serves only ROI.*

The song that represents Flic Email

You and I, and Emily for that matter, we’re music people. If there’s a song that could best describe Flic Email, and by connection, you, what would that song be?

I overthought this because it’s a music question. There’s a British folk singer called Beans on Toast, and his song “A Beautiful Place” summarizes Flic Email and myself.

First, there’s a line about “survival of the friendliest,” which reflects how I’ve built my business through collaborations with people like you and Emily, and platforms like ZeroBounce.

Second, it’s a feel-good song about being nice. I used to think being calm, reliable, and showing up was dull, but I’ve learned it’s my superpower. That’s why I’ve lasted eight years.

I’m impressed, and I can’t wait to look up “Beans on Toast.”

He’s very niche, a British folk singer with a lovely voice.

Making today better

How can anyone out there make today better?

Compliment someone. I send my weekly newsletter on Saturdays, and every now and then, someone replies, like this weekend when a past client said, “I loved this email.” It put a smile on my face all day.

It takes two seconds to hit reply on a newsletter or tell someone they did a good job. Even if you think others are saying it, do it anyway – it makes a big difference.

Absolutely, that’s so true. So often people think, Probably everyone is saying this, but they don’t. Follow Vicky’s advice and give that compliment. May I compliment you on this interview?

Thank you. I love talking about emails, so it makes me happy!