In today’s crowded inboxes, it isn’t enough to simply send emails. Readers expect relevance, timeliness, and a human touch. This is where generative AI truly excels: enabling marketers to craft emails that feel personal, insightful, and timely.
Why engagement matters now more than ever
Email remains a top-performing channel for customer acquisition and retention. According to Salesforce, personalised emails yield almost six times higher transaction rates, 29% higher open rates and 41% higher click-through rates than generic messages :contentReference[oaicite:2]{index=2}. With inbox competition increasing, brands can’t rely on mass dispatches—they need to speak directly to individual recipient needs.
How generative AI improves engagement
- Custom subject lines
AI platforms, such as Brevo’s subject line tools, review past performance automatically and can boost open rates up to 10% :contentReference[oaicite:3]{index=3}. - Dynamic content at scale
Instead of static copy blocks, AI can weave personalised product suggestions or content snippets based on user history—on the fly—for each recipient :contentReference[oaicite:4]{index=4}. - Perfect timing
Machine learning algorithms calculate the ideal send time for each individual subscriber, saving marketing teams from guesswork and helping improve engagement rates. - Behaviour-based triggers
AI can activate highly relevant drip campaigns—such as cart abandonment or post-purchase messages—triggered automatically by customer actions at scale.
Real-world results
Data from Artsmart.ai reveals that AI-assisted campaigns deliver a 13% increase in click-through rates and a 41% boost in revenue :contentReference[oaicite:5]{index=5}. Companies like Sephora have reported an 86% uplift in open rates on personalised emails :contentReference[oaicite:6]{index=6}.
| Metric | Impact |
|---|---|
| Open rate | +26% with personalisation; +10% using AI-created subject lines :contentReference[oaicite:7]{index=7} |
| Click-through rate | +13% with AI‑driven content :contentReference[oaicite:8]{index=8} |
| Revenue | +41% with AI-assisted campaigns :contentReference[oaicite:9]{index=9} |
Key tools and their roles
Marketers commonly use tools like Jasper.ai and Copy.ai (51%), and platforms like ChatGPT (51%) and DALL·E (16%) for generating subject lines, copy snippets or visuals :contentReference[oaicite:10]{index=10}.
- Jasper.ai – Tailors tone and creates email bodies.
- ChatGPT / Copy.ai – Generates variants and taglines.
- HubSpot AI – Integrates AI insights with CRM for robust segmentation.
- Mailchimp AI – Predicts optimal timing and segments.
Considerations for successful rollout
As Amal emphasises from a content creator’s perspective:
- Guard brand voice
Use mood and tone briefs so AI matches your brand’s style. - Maintain transparency
Let recipients know that AI may assist in personalisation. - Review outputs
Always check AI-generated copy for accuracy or bias. - Protect privacy
Ensure data handling complies with GDPR and consumer standards.
Step-by-step plan to implement AI in your email strategy
- Audit your current campaigns to establish benchmarks.
- Select a pilot campaign (e.g. welcome series) and choose your tool.
- Provide AI with relevant data and brand guidelines.
- Generate variants—subject lines, body, CTAs—and A/B test performance.
- Analyse results, refine prompts, then scale across campaigns.
Challenges and risks
Be aware of some pitfalls:
- Generic tone – AI can default to blandness; human input remains essential.
- Data bias – Ensure your input doesn’t skew outputs unfairly.
- Compliance risks – Emails must explicitly obey data protection laws.
Future outlook
According to SurveyMonkey, 88% of marketing professionals already use AI in daily operations and 70% expect its influence to grow further :contentReference[oaicite:11]{index=11}. Businesses that integrate AI effectively will gain a clear competitive edge.
Conclusion
Generative AI is not here to replace marketers—it’s here to empower them. It enhances personalisation, accelerates production and increases ROI when guided by human insight. For email marketers, the shift is clear: better content, faster delivery, stronger engagement.
Want to explore how AI transforms digital advertising too? Check out my companion piece on generative AI in ad campaigns.
Also, deepen your understanding with our pillar article: Introduction to Generative AI in Content Marketing.