Tips to Building Successful E-Mail Lists, Part 1 of 2

“The e-mail isn’t anywhere near as important as the audience,” Hughes said. “The list is everything. If you have the right audience, you can make money. If you have the wrong audience, you can’t.”

Offer rewards to help find the right audience. Knowing that e-mail is a never-ending process — 20 percent or more of e-mail subscribers unsubscribe or become undeliverable every year — first determine how much each e-mail address is worth to your company, Hughes said.