Email marketing is my bread and butter.  I make more money for my clients and my own projects through email marketing than any other marketing method. It breaks down into two parts:

List Building
I believe at the root of email marketing is a solid offer to get folks to sign up. Email addresses are valuable to web users. In a way, they are a form of currency. Unless you have something of real, solid value you can give them in exchange for their email address, they’re won’t be willing to hand it over.

I manage around 10,000 email addresses across 4 different industries. My lists grow quickly (as high as 20% conversion ratios at times) but I always be sure to qualify my subscribers so as to keep my lists valuable.

List Monetization
I mainly use one method of list monetization: the email launch. I create a future event that I announce to my list with a few teaser details. Slowly, every few days I share more exciting benefits and add-ons that they will get come launch day. Finally, I name a price, build in some scarcity and go. Using this method I’ve been able to snag a value-per-subscriber as high as $15-$20. It’s simple, doesn’t clutter their inboxes with unnecessary emails, and is extremely powerful.

I also work off a simple follow up system where the subscriber signs up for a trial or demo and then gets set emails guiding them through the process of using the product, answering questions, being proactive about support, and helping them see the full benefits of the product. While I have seen returns as high as a $25 value-per-subscriber, usually that number is much lower depending on the cost of the product being offered.