Why Food Bloggers Are Sleeping on Email Marketing (ft. Liz Wilcox)

I’m pretty sure it’s safe to say that no one got into food blogging to write emails. But every blogger I know who has a stable, profitable business has one thing in common, and it’s not their SEO strategy or their Instagram following. It’s their email list.

So I called in email marketing expert Liz Wilcox to help us fix that, because she makes email way less painful than you think it needs to be.

Liz Wilcox is an email strategist and keynote speaker showing small businesses how to build online relationships and make real money with email. She’s best known for turning a $9 offer into multiple six figures without ads, and for helping you untangle the email “knot” with her Email Staircase.

Email Isn’t a Side Project — It’s Your Business

Here’s the thing that surprised me most in our conversation: email isn’t a marketing channel. It’s a business.

The difference sounds small, but it changes everything. When you treat email like something you fit in between social posts and recipe development, it feels like another task on an endless list. When you treat it like an actual business, you start asking different questions: How are my subscribers feeling right now? What do they need from me? How can I build a real relationship with them?

That mindset shift is what turns email from a chore into a real revenue driver.

Your Emails Don’t Need to Be Perfect

One of the most liberating things Liz said in our interview is this: your emails don’t need to look perfect to convert.

If you’ve been waiting to send emails until you have the perfect template, the perfect subject line, or the perfect story to tell, that’s exactly the problem. The perfection is what stops you from hitting send.

Your subscribers don’t care if your email has fancy graphics or perfectly formatted text. They care about what you’re saying and whether it matters to them. Sometimes the best emails are the simplest ones.

Connection Beats Sales Pitch Every Time

Building an email list isn’t about having a megaphone to pitch products. It’s about building real connection with people who actually want to hear from you.

The best part? When you focus on connection first, sales naturally follow. Your subscribers feel like they know you. They trust you. And when you share something that solves their problem or makes their life easier, they’re ready to buy.

Write Subject Lines People Actually Want to Open

Your subject line is the first impression. Liz shared some concrete strategies for writing subject lines that feel genuine and get real opens, and honestly, it’s simpler than most people think.

The key is writing like you’re talking to a friend, not a marketer. Your subject line should feel natural, curious, and honest. It should make someone want to know what’s inside.

What This Means for Your Food Blog

If you’ve been putting off email because it feels overwhelming or like just another thing on your plate, this conversation is for you. Email doesn’t have to be complicated. It doesn’t have to be fancy. And it absolutely doesn’t have to feel like work.

It just has to be real.

Listen to the full episode to hear Liz’s specific strategies for building connection through email, the Email Staircase framework, and how to make email feel sustainable in your blogging life.

Related episode: EP 223: Why Your Welcome Email Sequence Is Your Secret Weapon Against AI (And How to Build One That Actually Works) with Allea Grummert