Custom email design: is it worth it to pay for every send?
Last issue, we outlined the three questions we get most often, as an email-focused marketing agency:
1. How do I know what to send?
2. Is it worth it to pay for a custom email design every send?
3. What is an email audit & does our brand need one?
We dove into #1 - how to create email content that matters to your subscribers, how often to send it, and how to prevent falling behind schedule, in the last post.
Now, we're looking at #2: should I pay for a custom email design for every send? You might be surprised to hear that our answer is "usually, no" even though we're people who get paid to design emails 
Read on to see why—and which emails are worth paying for professional support.
WHAT DOES CUSTOM EMAIL DESIGN COST?
It varies—a lot! Asking how much a custom email design costs is like asking how much a car costs—without more specific details, the price range can be huge.
Here are some of the factors that influence pricing:
- Is the email using an existing brand template, or is it a new style/template?
- Does the email have an established goal?
- Does the email have an established concept?
- Does the email require copywriting?
- Does the email require graphic design?
- Is there any brand photography available to use?
- Do any supporting links/landing pages need to be created to support the email's call to action?
- Does the email require any special html/code?
- Should the email design take past email performance into account (including reviewing past send performance & analyzing data)?
- Does the email require any list management (creating segments, suppression lists, etc.)
- Do multiple parties need to review/give input on the email?
$1,500 PER EMAIL DESIGN?!
Sound like a lot? Well, that depends on the size of the brand—if that $1,500 per custom email design is driving $15,000 in email revenue, it's well worth the price tag.
The answer to "Is it worth it to pay for a unique email design for every send?" depends on your budget and brand.
WHAT CUSTOM EMAIL DESIGN COST IS WORTH IT?
- Newsletter
- Product launch
- Product explainer
- Sale/promo offer
- Welcome email/flow
- Abandoned cart
- Abandoned browse
- Order confirmation
- Order shipped/delivered
- Most of your subscribers don't see every email you send (a 30% open rate means 70% didn't see it!)
- Most of your subscribers aren't paying that much attention to every email you send (if only they were, right!!)
- Using consistent templates is part of the way your brand stays instantly recognizable in the inbox—the last thing you want is subscribers wondering "who the heck is [[Whatever brand]]?!" because your emails never look the same twice!
Need email templates? Hey, we can help!
WHEN PAYING FOR EMAIL MARKETING IS WORTH IT
1. When every email makes your brand more money than it costs, it's worth outsourcing to not only free up your time, but have email expertise brought to the process.
Working with a team who focuses solely on email for multiple brands and industries can bring new ideas to your process and identify trends in the email world ahead of time.
2. When you otherwise don't have enough time to stay on track with your email calendar. It's crucially important to stay consistent with your email sends to keep deliverability and subscriber engagement up.
If you lapse in sending often or send sporadically, you can expect to see your open and click rates decrease and to have more subscribers go dormant—wasting the efforts you put in place to get those subscribers in the first place. Outsourcing custom email design can put this on autopilot.
EXPLORE THE FULL MINI-SERIES:
1. What is an owned channel?
Learn the definition, examples, plus the 3 other channel types (paid, earned, converged).
2. How do I know what emails to send?
How to create email content that matters to your subscribers, how often to send it, and how to stay on schedule.
📍 YOU ARE HERE: 
3. Is it worth it to pay for a unique design for every email?
You might be surprised to hear that our answer is "Not always," even as people who get paid to design emails! Find out why.
4. What is an email audit & does our brand need one?
Not every brand needs an email audit, but it's a critical tool for those who want to identify growth opportunities.
5. Is Marketing SMS right for my brand?
The SMS channel is less saturated, but requires a bit more effort to set up and grow your list.
Never miss out on new posts to help you improve your email and SMS marketing 
[…] 3. Is it worth it to pay for a unique design for every email? You might be surprised to hear that our answer is "Not always," even as people who get paid to design emails! Find out why. […]
[…] 3. Is it worth it to pay for a unique design for every email? You might be surprised to hear that our answer is "Not always," even as people who get paid to design emails! Find out why. […]