Your Marketing Emails Aren’t Competing with people anymore- they are competing with AI
Remember when email marketing was just about writing a catchy subject line, a decent offer, and hoping your subscribers would click? Ah, the simpler days.
Now? Things have changed. A lot.
You’re not just fighting for attention against other brands. You’re competing with AI email marketing engines that can generate and send better, faster, and more optimised emails than most human teams ever could.
And here’s the twist — you’re also competing with the AI managing the inbox itself.
Yes, your email might be perfectly crafted, but if the machine learning behind Gmail or Outlook doesn’t like it, it might never even be seen.
Welcome to the new game of email marketing.
A little while back, I noticed something odd while checking my inbox. Nearly every promotional email I opened had a tone so eerily perfect, so algorithmically aligned with my interests, that it didn’t feel like a coincidence. It wasn’t.
Most of those emails weren’t written by people. They were the result of AI email marketing platforms doing their thing — analysing behaviour, optimising send times, and crafting content with laser-focused personalisation.
I’ve been in marketing long enough to see trends come and go. But the rise of AI-powered email creation and inbox filtering? That’s not just another trend — it’s a complete transformation.
Let’s talk about why AI-powered emails are working so well — and what that means for the rest of us.
AI tools can go way beyond “Hi, [First Name]”. They segment your audience into micro-groups, analyse behavioural data, and tailor language based on your subscribers’ unique psychology.
Platforms like Klaviyo have taken this concept to the next level. With its AI-powered predictive analytics, you can forecast customerbehaviourr — even predict when someone’s likely to make their next purchase.
One of the most powerful tools in AI email marketing is subject line generation. Tools like Phrasee and Copy. Specialise in writing subject lines that perform, and they do it quickly.
They test emotional tone, curiosity, urgency — all the elements that drive opens. I’ve run campaigns using AI-generated subject lines that outperformed mine by over 30%. And I’ve been writing for years.
When is your subscriber likely to open your email? AI already does.
Platforms like Mailchimp, powered by AI, study past user behaviour to pinpoint the perfect moment to send your message — no more guesswork, just data-driven precision built on millions of real sends.
The result? Higher engagement, fewer unsubscribes, and inbox placement that gets seen.
Even if you nail the message, there’s no guarantee it’ll be seen. That’s because AI isn’t just crafting emails anymore — it’s guarding the gates.
Platforms like Gmail use machine learning to sort emails into Primary, Promotions, Social, or even Spam — based on engagement rates, sender reputation, and relevance.
Low open rates? A few too many exclamation points? You might get flagged.
Email platforms are becoming more selective. And while AI email marketing can help you play by those rules, it also means you need to prove your value with each send constantly.
Absolutely. I’d argue that human emails have never been more important.
AI can write “on-brand.” It can guess at emotions. But it doesn’t have stories. It doesn’t have personality quirks, or the memory of that time your cat walked across your keyboard mid-sentence and caused an accidental send.
I shared that story once in a plain-text email. The replies? Through the roof.
People still crave connection. And that’s where you, a real human, have the upper hand.
We’re reaching a point of automation fatigue. Consumers are starting to recognise robotic cadence and overly polished messaging. That’s your window. A conversational tone, a typo that feels real, or a quirky reference to something niche — those are the tiny cues that say, “Hey, a real person wrote this.”
Here’s the good news: AI email marketing doesn’t have to be the enemy. It can be your sidekick.
Think of it like this:
But when it comes to tone, voice, and story, don’t give that up.
That’s what makes your brand feel alive.
Back in the day, we obsessed over open rates. Now, with Apple Mail privacy updates and Gmail filters, they’re not the full picture.
Start measuring:
These are signals that AI can’t fake, but people remember.
Here’s where I’ve seen the most impact:
I once compared our newsletter strategy to assembling IKEA furniture without the manual. That email had a 78% higher reply rate than average. Why? Because it was weirdly relatable.
A short paragraph about failing at sourdough during lockdown did more for engagement than any bullet list of features ever could.
AI doesn’t riff. It doesn’t ramble charmingly. It doesn’t take risks. You can.
You don’t always need banners, buttons, or a fancy layout.
Plain-text, letter-style emails are making a comeback. They feel like something a friend would send. They get better deliverability. And they’re harder to ignore.
In an inbox full of flashy graphics and slick design, a message that reads like a handwritten note can feel surprisingly refreshing.
One topic that often gets overlooked is the role of the AI embedded within email platforms themselves — it’s just as influential as the AI tools used to create your message.
These systems prioritise based on signals like:
If you’re not getting opens or clicks? That inbox AI will start burying your messages.
So, every email you send is either building or damaging your sender reputation.
Here’s what’s working right now:
1. Combine AI optimisation with human creativity
2. Prioritise engagement over perfection
3. Write like you’re talking to one person, not a list
4. Tell real stories
5. Avoid sounding too polished or too “templated”
While AI email marketing can write a technically perfect message, you can write one that matters.
You’re no longer just competing with other marketers. You’re competing with algorithms that can write, analyse, sort, and suppress your email — all before your reader ever opens it.
But don’t let that intimidate you. Use the best of both worlds. Let AI do what it’s great at — testing, optimising, and scaling. But never let it replace your voice.
Because in this new inbox ecosystem, the most powerful tool you have is still the most human one: Connection.
