7 Email Marketing Myths Keeping Practitioners Invisible
👉🏼 How storytelling, consistency, and genuine connection help holistic practitioners become unforgettable in their emails.
A few weeks ago, I was talking with a practitioner who told me:
“I never email my list, because I don’t know what to say, and I don’t want to annoy anyone.”
Maybe you've heard a version of this before. Maybe you've even said it yourself.
But somewhere along the way, holistic practitioners inherited a very strange set of rules about marketing.
Rules that make email feel complicated. Rules that make visibility feel exhausting. Rules that turn relationship-building into performance.
The irony is -
Most of these "rules" aren't helping you get seen.
They're actually keeping you invisible.
Let's talk about seven of the biggest email marketing myths I see practitioners telling themselves- and what I'd rather you believe instead.
(I’ve seen this first hand, so you have to believe me 😉)
Scroll down if you dare…
Myth #1: Every Email Needs to Teach Something
This might be the most common one I’ve heard.
Many practitioners assume every email needs to deliver a breakthrough.
A lesson.
A protocol.
A research study.
A perfectly packaged takeaway.
But think about the people you trust most.
You didn't build trust with them because they constantly taught you something.
You built trust because you got to know them. Because you understood how they think. Because their perspective felt familiar.
There was genuine connection created.
Some of the most effective emails I’ve written aren't educational at all.
They're stories.
A reflection from your morning walk.
A conversation with a patient.
A realization you had while making dinner.
One time, I literally wrote a story about witnessing a tree being felled, which ruined my day and made me question humanity. So yeah, stories can be just about anything.
Stories have a beautifully sneaky way of transmitting information without the teaching aspect.
Stories transmit lessons, emotions, and experiences.
They also transmit perspective.
And perspective is often what builds trust. (So befriend storytelling and keep her close)
Myth #2: Professional Means Personal Stories Don't Belong
Many practitioners I work with worry that sharing personal stories will make them seem less credible.
But I've noticed quite the opposite.
Sharing personal aspects of your life connects readers to the more human side of you, the real you that lies behind the “Doctor” label.
When people see your humanness, you're 10x more relatable. And being relatable is everything when you want your story to hit and your email to book you more calls.
Actually, some of my clients’ highest-performing emails atm are emails with CTA’s leading readers to interviews with themselves.
People want to hear about you, want to know your POV and opinions, and want to connect with you.
People don't connect with perfection or “professional”. That’s bland and chalky. Ew.
People connect with humanity.
And humanity is what makes your expertise easier to trust.
Myth #3: If People Need You, They'll Reach Out
I hear versions of this one. All. The. time.
"If someone wants help, they'll book. They know where to find me."
Maybe. Maybe that’s true.
But that's not usually how humans work. (Or maybe we totally f*cked up psychology, idk)
Most people need reminders.
Because sometimes life is… life-ing.
The kids need attention. Work gets busy. Health concerns become a second thought.
It’s no secret that we have shorter attention spans than ever before. People need multiple touchpoints!!!
Email isn't about annoying people or convincing them.
It's about staying consistent. Making those points of connection over and over again.
Think of email marketing as a gentle tap on the shoulder that says:
"Hey, I'm still here when you're ready."
Myth #4: The Subject Line Matters More Than The Relationship
Marketing culture loves subject lines.
And don't get me wrong - they definitely matter.
But not nearly as much as people think.
I've opened emails with terrible subject lines simply because I loved the person who sent them.
You've probably done the same.
The best email strategy isn't just creating irresistible subject lines.
It's becoming someone people want to hear from.
Your goal with your email marketing should be to make your subject lines obsolete - no matter what they are, people open and read your emails anyway because it’s from you.
Stories help you do that. Because stories build familiarity.
And familiarity creates (get ready for it) trust.
Myth #5: You Need To Sound Like An Authority
This one breaks my heart a little.
Because when did ‘authority’ start meaning ‘stiff’? We don’t always need to be so serious. We can have a little fun here, people.
(You think I sit at home all day writing boring-a$$ emails? Absolutely not)
SO many practitioners feel pressured to sound smarter, more polished, or more clinical than they naturally are in their emails.
They’re told this positions you as an authority figure. As a well-educated professional. But it’s all a lie.
One of my clients experienced this firsthand.
She used to only send one or two emails out a year, usually with simple updates or promotions, and that’s it.
Pure information. Lots of medical jargon. The whole thing.
And she kept wondering why email “wasn’t working for her.”
Well, fast forward to today, and her email performance has skyrocketed because she prioritizes connection.
She realized authority isn't created through complicated language.
It's created through clarity.
And clarity often sounds surprisingly simple. And that’s good email copy for ya.
Myth #6: The More Informed, The More Clients
This belief feels especially common in holistic health.
The assumption is:
If they read enough studies...
If people just understood enough...
If they learned enough about root causes...
Then they'd book.
But information alone doesn’t create action.
Most practitioners assume clients choose them because of credentials, studies, or perfectly explained protocols.
But research from Gallup suggests that about 70% of purchasing decisions are influenced by emotion.
So it’s not usually information. It’s:
Stories.
Emotion.
Connection.
People remember how you make them feel long after they've forgotten statistics.
And stories help them see themselves inside the solution you're offering.
Myth #7: Email Marketing Is About Selling
I think this myth is responsible for more abandoned email lists than almost anything else.
Because if every email feels like a sales pitch, of course you're going to avoid writing them.
And people will certainly avoid reading them…
Most practitioners didn't get into this work because they just loved to market themselves.
You got into it because you wanted to help people heal, right?
This works out in your favor because the best email marketing often looks a lot like helping.
Sharing stories.
Creating connection.
Offering perspective.
Providing reassurance.
Selling becomes natural when (you guessed it) trust already exists.
And when trust is a priority built long before someone clicks "book now."
A Different Way To Think About Email
Sometimes I think practitioners approach email the same way many people approach health.
They look for the perfect protocol. The perfect strategy. The perfect formula.
But we all know there is no such thing.
As you know, healing is usually built through small, consistent actions.
Relationships are no different.
And that’s why email marketing works wonderfully for practitioners like you.
It’s intimate. It’s relationship-based. It’s intentional.
When you're consistently showing up, sending emails multiple times a week, you’re not only telling stories, and sharing your POV…
You’re reminding people that they're not alone.
That's what makes practitioners memorable.
And that's what helps you get seen.
The practitioners who stay top of mind aren't necessarily the ones with the biggest audience, the fanciest funnel, or the most polished marketing.
They're the ones who consistently invite people into their world.
Through stories, perspective, and the small moments that help their audience feel seen, understood, and connected.
If you've ever sat down to write an email and thought, "I have no idea what to talk about," I'd love to show you a different approach.
Inside my upcoming workshop, From Life to Newsletter: The Stories That Keep You Top of Mind, you'll learn how to find story ideas hiding in your everyday experiences and transform them into newsletters that build trust naturally.
Because your next great email probably isn't hiding in a marketing book. It's already happening in your life.
Warmly,
Abby
