If your email revenue is slipping, it’s not because your clients’ audiences stopped buying. It’s because inbox behavior changed faster than most senders did. People aren’t rejecting email. They’re rejecting emails that don’t teach them anything.

The agencies winning right now are using one simple rule: 80 percent of every promotional email teaches, and only 20 percent sells.

Because when readers learn something useful, they stay subscribed. When they stay subscribed, they buy.

And when they buy, your client results climb again.

You don’t need more volume. You need a better ratio.

Most “promo emails” fail because they try to force a sale before earning the right to ask for it.

The 80/20 rule flips that pattern.

Here’s the core idea:

• 80 percent = content people enjoy.
  Tips, insights, simple explanations, fast wins, patterns you’ve observed in the market. This is the part that builds trust and opens loops in the reader’s mind.

• 20 percent = the pitch.
  A single clear offer. One CTA. No pressure.
  The sale works because the teaching set it up.

This ratio helps the reader feel smarter after opening your email.
When that happens, engagement rises. Deliverability improves.
Revenue follows.

If you're managing email lists as a business, you this for a fact: clients don’t blame their own offers.
They blame the channel.

“You know… email is dying.”

But you already know that isn’t true.
What is true: inbox competition is higher, attention spans are lower, and value tolerance is rising.

When you shift your clients’ emails to an 80/20 format:

• Open rates go up because readers expect something worth reading.

• Clicks go up because curiosity builds before you pitch.

• Unsubscribes drop because the email doesn’t feel like a duty.

• Sales increase because readers are warmed by the teaching.

This becomes your competitive edge:
You’re not selling “email management.”
You’re selling a smarter system that works even in a saturated inbox.

1. Subject Line (curiosity + value)

Examples:

• “The small shift that lifted one client’s clicks by 37 percent”

• “Try this before you send another promo”

2. Opening (5–10 percent of the email)

State a common problem or pattern you’ve noticed in your clients’ audience.

Example:
“Most emails try to sell too soon. Readers feel the push and pull away.”

3. Teaching Block (approx. 80 percent)

Share one simple, useful idea your reader can use today.
No fluff. No theory. One lesson.

Example teaching ideas:

• A mistake to avoid

• A best practice that consistently works

• A short list of steps

• A “why this matters now” insight

• A breakdown of a trend you’re seeing across clients

Make it scannable, short, and practical.

4. Soft Transition (1–2 sentences)

Tie the lesson to your offer or your client’s product.
Example:
“If this technique helps you get a healthy night's rest, imagine what happens when you apply the whole system.”

5. The 20 Percent Pitch

Now ask for the action.
One offer. One CTA.

Example:
“If you’re ready to book more appointments, this is the next step.”

6. Close

End with reassurance or a quick win.
Make the reader feel good about opening your email.

Old version (pure promo):

“Last chance to get 20 percent off. Seats are closing. Here’s the link.”

Results:
Low opens. Low engagement. High churn.

80/20 version:

“How one agency recovered 30 percent of lost revenue by changing one thing in their emails.”
→ Short story lesson
→ Simple example
→ One CTA

Results:
Higher opens, more clicks, better trust, and higher long-term revenue.

Readers buy more when they understand more.

Apply this rule to your own emails and your clients' emails who are seeing:

• Rising unsubscribes

• Falling open rates

• Declining sales

• Messages landing in Promotions or spam

• Complaints about “too many sales emails”

The shift works because it aligns with the reader’s natural psychology:
People trust the teacher.
People ignore the salesperson.

You become the one that understands modern inbox behavior better than anyone else.

That's the advantage clients will pay for.

If you want to revive your email channels and rebuild predictable revenue, start with this rule: Teach 80 percent, sell 20 percent.

Do it for 30 days and watch what happens to your numbers.

For a set of 80/20 email templates you can use for yourself and/or your clients,

👉 download the free swipe file here.