What Is an Email Marketing Specialist?

Email marketing specialists work in a larger marketing team to reach a business’ intended audience through email. Email marketing specialists use emails, such as newsletters and campaigns, to build customer relationships, drive sales, and increase website traffic. To enter the field, you'll need a strong writing background and some digital marketing experience.

Depending on the company's size, email marketing specialists might be responsible for drafting, designing, and publishing the emails, or they might work with other writers and designers to create the content as a team. You will also monitor email performance using metrics and data to ensure the campaigns follow marketing strategies while measuring their success. 

Below, you can explore a career as an email marketing specialist, including day-to-day responsibilities, average salary, job outlook, and the skills and education you’ll need to be successful in this role. 

Read more: What Is Email Marketing? Definition, Tips, and Tools

Email marketing specialist tasks and responsibilities

Email marketing specialists typically manage and create all aspects of a business's email marketing strategy. This job may include tasks such as writing emails, managing email contact lists, writing reports on email campaign results, and planning long-term email strategies.

As an email marketing specialist, you will help identify and draft the specific types of emails that are most effective for meeting your employer’s goals; types include:

• Welcome emails

• Blog roundups

• Surveys

• Promotional emails

• Milestone emails

While specific tasks vary based on a business’s needs, you can generally expect to perform the following:

• Create, implement, monitor, and manage email campaigns.

• Write email content or design email graphics.

• Manage email templates to ensure proper messaging.

• Build and maintain email contact lists.

• Assess campaign results and analyze performance.

• Provide reports to relevant stakeholders.

• Use email management software.

Read more: 5 Steps for a Data-Driven Online Marketing Strategy

Email marketing specialist salary and job outlook

According to Glassdoor, the estimated total pay for email marketing specialists in the US is $74,105 per year. This figure includes an average base salary of $64,124 and $9,981 in additional pay. Additional pay may represent profit-sharing, commissions, or bonuses [1].

The outlook for this job is promising, with 6 percent growth expected through 2032, according to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics [2]. As more businesses across all industries embrace digital marketing, email marketers have become integral to business success. If a company tries to reach its customer base digitally, it will also likely look to employ email marketing specialists and other digital marketing professionals.

Read more: What Is a Good Salary?

How to become an email marketing specialist

Education, experience, and skills are at the heart of this career path, and you can enjoy several ways to enter the field. Many businesses look for candidates with a bachelor’s degree, typically in communication, marketing, or business. However, you may be able to start your career without a four-year degree, provided you can demonstrate your knowledge and skills.  

Consider starting by reviewing your background to see how it fits the day-to-day responsibilities of the role. Many businesses look for professionals with a strong writing background or marketing experience. If you don’t already have one, build a portfolio to display your prior work, either for a company or on your own, to demonstrate you have the foundational skills needed to write marketing emails.

Professionals in similar roles, such as content creators, writers, or marketing specialists, can leverage their experience into an email marketing specialist role. It’s possible to move into the industry from something completely different, but you’ll need a strong resume outlining how your skills and background can transfer into email marketing.

Skills

You’ll need a robust skill set to navigate this role. Examples of an email marketing specialist’s skills include:

Workplace

• Communication skills

• Creative and critical thinking

• Time management

• Attention to detail

Technical

• Writing, editing, and basic design skills

• A/B and B testing

• Email metrics and analysis 

• Basic coding

• Search engine optimization (SEO)

• Project management 

• Familiarity with email marketing platforms

Education requirements

Employers may often require candidates to have at least a bachelor's degree. According to Zippia, 72.3 percent of email marketing specialists have a bachelor’s degree [4]. Relevant degree subjects include digital marketing, data analytics, or communications.

Certificates in email marketing or a similar industry can also help make you a more competitive candidate by showcasing your commitment to this career field. If a four-year degree isn’t an option, a marketing internship can give you hands-on experience and training to prepare you for this job. 

Experience

Email marketing specialists need to have experience in the marketing industry. A demonstrated ability to build and manage email lists, use email marketing software, and write professional and engaging copy will help you succeed. This experience can come from internships, online certifications, or on the job.

Read more: What Is Email Marketing? And How to Do It

Paths to becoming an email marketing specialist

You will find two primary paths to becoming an email marketing specialist. The first is to get an entry-level job in the field after completing a four-year degree. The second involves moving into a job from another industry. If you pursue the second route, you’ll want a strong portfolio to help demonstrate your knowledge and job-relevant skills. 

Working on email campaigns for a current job can help you build the background needed to look into entry-level positions in the digital marketing field. Digital marketers, content creators, and social media managers can all move into an email marketing specialist role, either with their current company or as a move to a new employer.

Read more: How to Make a Portfolio to Land Your Next Job

Companies that hire email marketing specialists

Any company that is looking to reach its audience through email is going to need an email marketing specialist. Some of the more popular industries for this position include hospitality, wellness, beauty, and entertainment. Salesforce, 2U, and GoDaddy are some of the top companies hiring email marketing specialists today, according to Glassdoor [2].

Email marketing specialist career advancement

Once you’ve established yourself in an email marketing specialist role, you can expect to progress upward within the digital marketing industry. Some possible jobs you might consider include marketing specialists, marketing managers, and, finally, directors of digital marketing. Email marketing specialists may also transition into digital creation roles, such as content writing or social media management.

Get started today

Due to the effectiveness of e-mail marketing and digital marketing campaigns used by businesses, e-mail marketing specialists and related careers are in demand. If you have strong writing and digital marketing strategy implementation skills, as well as a background in communication or marketing, this role may be worth pursuing.

On Coursera, you’ll find courses and certificates that will help you prepare for an email marketing specialist career. Some of these include the Google Digital Marketing and E-Commerce Professional Certificate and the Digital Marketing Specialization offered by the University of Illinois-Champaign. You’ll learn more about what it means to be an email marketing specialist and continue to develop the essential skills needed to succeed.