English for marketing agencies
Email marketing, CRM and lifecycle English for marketers
The words, phrases and templates you need to run email and lifecycle work for US clients: metrics, deliverability, flows, revenue, tools, analytics and the conversations around them.
Book a trial classEmail metrics and deliverability
Say what you measure and how. Apple Mail Privacy Protection can load images automatically, so some opens are not real. Many teams now look at clicks and revenue first.
| Term | What it means | In a sentence |
|---|---|---|
| open rate | Share of delivered emails that were opened | Open rate is a rough signal now, so we also watch clicks. |
| Apple Mail Privacy Protection (MPP) | An Apple Mail feature that can load images automatically, so some opens are not real | MPP inflates opens, so let's not judge the test on open rate alone. |
| click rate | Share of delivered emails that got a click | The click rate is strongest on the second link. |
| CTOR | Click-to-open rate: clicks divided by opens | CTOR shows how good the content is for people who opened. |
| delivery rate | Share of sent emails that the receiving server accepted | Delivery rate is fine, but are we reaching the inbox? |
| hard bounce | A permanent failure, like an address that does not exist | Remove every hard bounce right away. |
| soft bounce | A temporary failure, like a full inbox | Soft bounces usually clear up on their own. |
| unsubscribe rate | Share of recipients who opted out after an email | The unsubscribe rate went up after the promo. |
| spam complaint | When a recipient marks your email as spam | Keep spam complaints very low or inbox providers will notice. |
| sender reputation | How mailbox providers judge the trustworthiness of your sending | A bad sender reputation sends everything to spam. |
| deliverability | How likely your emails are to reach the inbox, not spam | We need to fix deliverability before the next send. |
| inbox placement | Whether an email lands in the inbox, promotions tab or spam | Inbox placement dropped after we changed domains. |
| SPF | A DNS record that lists which servers may send email for your domain | SPF is set up, but DKIM is missing. |
| DKIM | A signature on each email that proves it was not altered and comes from your domain | Please add the DKIM record our platform gave us. |
| DMARC | A policy that tells inbox providers what to do when SPF or DKIM checks fail | We start DMARC in monitoring mode, then tighten it. |
| sending domain | The domain your emails are sent from | Let's use a subdomain as the sending domain. |
| warm-up | Slowly raising send volume on a new domain or address to build reputation | The new domain needs a warm-up plan before the big launch. |
| list hygiene | Cleaning the list: removing bounces and people who never engage | List hygiene is the cheapest deliverability fix. |
| engagement | Opens, clicks and replies from your subscribers | Low engagement hurts inbox placement. |
Lists and segmentation
| Term | What it means | In a sentence |
|---|---|---|
| list | The set of contacts you can email | The main list has [number] subscribers. |
| segment | A group of contacts that share a trait or behavior | Let's build a segment of customers who bought in the last 90 days. |
| tag | A label you add to a contact to group or filter them | We tag everyone who downloads the guide. |
| opt-in | When a person agrees to receive your emails | The form has a clear opt-in checkbox. |
| double opt-in | The person confirms by clicking a link in a first email | We use double opt-in to keep the list clean. |
| suppression list | Contacts you must not email: unsubscribes, bounces, complaints | Upload the unsubscribes to the suppression list. |
| cohort | A group of users who share a starting point, like their signup month | The January cohort retains better. |
| persona | A profile of a typical customer, based on research | We write different emails for each persona. |
| RFM | Recency, frequency, monetary value: a way to score customers by how they buy | We used RFM to find our best customers. |
| first-party data | Data you collect yourself from your own customers | First-party data is what we can rely on. |
| custom field | An extra piece of data stored on a contact, like birthday or plan | We need a custom field for the last order date. |
| personalization | Changing an email based on what you know about the person | Personalization goes beyond using the first name. |
| dynamic content | Blocks in an email that change by segment | We use dynamic content for the hero image. |
| engaged segment | Contacts who opened or clicked recently | Send to the engaged segment first. |
| sunset policy | A rule for when to stop emailing inactive contacts | Our sunset policy is [number] months without engagement. |
Flows and automation
| Term | What it means | In a sentence |
|---|---|---|
| flow | An automated series of messages (also called an automation or workflow) | The welcome flow has four emails. |
| welcome series | The first emails a new subscriber gets | The welcome series introduces the brand and the best sellers. |
| abandoned cart | Someone added items to the cart and did not buy | The abandoned cart flow brings back a good share of sales. |
| post-purchase flow | Emails after a sale: thanks, tips, review request, cross-sell | The post-purchase flow asks for a review after delivery. |
| win-back | A campaign that tries to reactivate lapsed customers | The win-back email goes out after [number] days of no purchase. |
| drip campaign | A series of emails sent automatically over time | New leads enter a five-email drip campaign. |
| trigger | The event that starts a flow, like a signup or a purchase | The trigger is a form submission. |
| branching | Splitting a flow into paths based on a condition | We added branching by whether they opened the first email. |
| delay | The wait between two steps of a flow | Add a two-day delay after the welcome email. |
| exit condition | A rule that removes someone from a flow, like buying | Set an exit condition so buyers stop getting cart emails. |
| lead scoring | Giving points to leads for their profile and actions | Lead scoring adds points for a pricing page visit. |
| nurture | To build a relationship with leads until they are ready to buy | We nurture leads with a monthly newsletter. |
| MQL | Marketing qualified lead: a lead marketing considers ready for a closer look | An MQL is someone who downloaded the guide and visited pricing. |
| SQL | Sales qualified lead: a lead sales agrees is worth a conversation | Sales accepted [number] SQLs this month. |
| handoff to sales | The moment a lead moves from marketing to the sales team | The handoff to sales happens at [score] points. |
| sequence | A set of emails a sales rep sends to a lead over time | The rep enrolled the lead in a sequence. |
| send time | The day and hour an email goes out | Let's test send time in Eastern time. |
Lifecycle and revenue metrics
Name the period and the comparison. Say repeat purchase rate is [x] percent, up [y] points quarter over quarter. Numbers in the examples are placeholders.
| Term | What it means | In a sentence |
|---|---|---|
| LTV | Lifetime value: total revenue (or margin) expected from one customer | Their LTV is [x] times their CAC. |
| CAC | Customer acquisition cost: what it costs to win one customer | We need to lower CAC without cutting quality. |
| payback period | How long it takes for a customer to repay their acquisition cost | The payback period is [number] months. |
| churn | Customers who cancel or stop buying in a period | Churn is higher in the first month. |
| retention | Customers who stay or keep buying | Retention improved after the onboarding flow. |
| activation | A new user reaching the first moment of real value | Activation means they created their first project. |
| onboarding | The first steps that help a new customer get value | The onboarding emails are triggered by signup. |
| AOV | Average order value: revenue divided by number of orders | AOV went up after we added a free shipping threshold. |
| repeat purchase rate | Share of customers who buy more than once | The repeat purchase rate is our main lifecycle KPI. |
| revenue per recipient | Revenue from a campaign divided by emails delivered | Revenue per recipient is a better test metric than opens. |
| conversion rate | Share of people who complete the action you want | The conversion rate on the cart flow is [x] percent. |
| attribution | Deciding which channel or message gets credit for a sale | Email often gets less credit than it deserves in last click. |
| incremental | Results that would not have happened without the campaign | We want to know what is incremental, not just what email touched. |
| lifecycle marketing | Messaging based on where a person is in their relationship with the brand | Lifecycle marketing covers welcome, onboarding, retention and win-back. |
Tools vocabulary
| Term | What it means | In a sentence |
|---|---|---|
| Klaviyo | An email and SMS platform, widely used by online stores | Our Klaviyo flows are connected to the store. |
| Mailchimp | An email marketing platform with lists, campaigns and automations | The newsletter goes out from Mailchimp. |
| HubSpot | A CRM with marketing, sales and service tools | Leads sync from the form to HubSpot. |
| Salesforce | A CRM widely used by sales teams, especially in larger companies | The sales team lives in Salesforce. |
| Braze | A customer engagement platform for email, push and in-app messages | Braze sends the push and the email from one journey. |
| Customer.io | A platform for messages triggered by user behavior | Events from the app trigger the Customer.io campaign. |
| GA4 | Google Analytics 4: the Google Analytics version built around events | We check email traffic in GA4. |
| ESP | Email service provider: the tool you send email from | Are we changing ESP this year? |
| CDP | Customer data platform: a tool that unifies customer data from many sources | The CDP feeds the segments. |
| integration | A connection between two tools that shares data | The store integration syncs orders every few minutes. |
| template | A reusable email layout | Please use the approved template. |
| preview | A test view of an email before sending | Send me a preview before you schedule it. |
Compliance in plain words
One sentence each. This is vocabulary, not legal advice. For a real question, ask the client's legal team.
| Term | What it means | In a sentence |
|---|---|---|
| CAN-SPAM | A US law for commercial email: no misleading headers or subject lines, a clear way to opt out and a physical address | Every promo must follow CAN-SPAM. |
| GDPR | A European Union privacy law that requires a legal basis, such as consent, to use personal data | GDPR applies if we email people in the EU. |
| CCPA | A California privacy law that gives residents rights over their personal data | CCPA gives customers the right to ask what data we hold. |
| unsubscribe link | The link in every marketing email that lets a person opt out | Make the unsubscribe link easy to find. |
| physical address | The postal address of the sender that commercial emails must include | The footer needs our physical address. |
| consent | Clear permission from a person to receive your emails | Where did we record consent for this contact? |
Subject lines and preview text
The subject line and the preview text work as a pair. The preview text is the short line shown next to the subject in the inbox. Do not repeat the subject in it.
| Pattern | What it does | Example subject line |
|---|---|---|
| Benefit | Says what the reader gets | Get your first order shipped free |
| Curiosity | Opens a gap the reader wants to close | The one setting most stores forget |
| Question | Asks something the reader answers in their head | Still thinking about it? |
| Urgency | Gives a real deadline | Ends tonight at [time] ET |
| Personal | Uses the name or a known detail | [First name], your cart is waiting |
| Numbers | Uses a specific count or figure | [Number] ideas for your next launch |
| Plain and direct | Says exactly what is inside | Your March newsletter |
| Social proof | Points to what others did or said | What our customers reorder most |
| Reminder | A short nudge after no action | Quick reminder about your order |
Copy templates for five emails
Replace every [placeholder] with your own detail. Keep one email to one main action.
| Part | Template | |
|---|---|---|
| Welcome | Subject | Welcome to [Brand], [First name] |
| Welcome | Preview text | Here is what to expect and a small thank you. |
| Welcome | Body | Thanks for joining [Brand]. Every [day], we send [what you send]. To start, here is [offer or resource]. |
| Welcome | CTA | Start with [action] |
| Promo | Subject | [Offer] on [product or category], until [date] |
| Promo | Preview text | Free shipping over [amount] too. |
| Promo | Body | For a few days, [offer] on [product or category]. Use code [CODE] at checkout. Ends [date] at [time] [time zone]. |
| Promo | CTA | Shop the sale |
| Abandoned cart | Subject | You left something behind, [First name] |
| Abandoned cart | Preview text | Your [product] is still in your cart. |
| Abandoned cart | Body | You left [product] in your cart. It is still there if you want it. Questions about [size, shipping or returns]? Just reply to this email. |
| Abandoned cart | CTA | Return to your cart |
| Win-back | Subject | It has been a while, [First name] |
| Win-back | Preview text | Here is what is new since your last visit. |
| Win-back | Body | We have not seen you since [month]. Since then, we added [new thing]. Want [offer] to come back? It is valid until [date]. |
| Win-back | CTA | See what is new |
| Newsletter intro | Subject | [Brand] in [month]: [main topic] |
| Newsletter intro | Preview text | [Number] things worth your time this month. |
| Newsletter intro | Body | Hi [First name], this month we cover [topic 1], [topic 2] and [topic 3]. If you only read one, start with [topic]. |
| Newsletter intro | CTA | Read the full issue |
A CRM and flows audit call
A call in which you review a client's account. Notice how each finding leads to a next step.
| Speaker | Line |
|---|---|
| Client | Thanks for joining. Can we walk through the CRM audit today? |
| You | Sure. I reviewed the account and I'd like to start with the flows, then the lists. |
| Client | Sounds good. What did you find in the flows? |
| You | We have a welcome flow and an abandoned cart flow. There is no post-purchase flow and no win-back. |
| Client | Why does that matter? |
| You | After the first order, customers hear nothing until the next promo. A post-purchase flow can ask for a review and suggest a second product. |
| Client | And the abandoned cart flow? |
| You | It sends one email. I'd add a second one after a delay and an exit condition, so buyers stop receiving it. |
| Client | We had complaints about that, actually. |
| You | That fits. Right now the flow keeps going after someone buys, so I'd fix that first. |
| Client | What about the lists? |
| You | Everyone sits in one big list. I'd split it into segments: new subscribers, customers, and people who have not engaged in [number] months. |
| Client | Is deliverability a concern? |
| You | Bounces are low, but I found no DMARC record. I'd ask the developer to check SPF, DKIM and DMARC. |
| Client | Can you rank these by impact? |
| You | Yes. First the exit condition, then the post-purchase flow, then segmentation, and last the list clean-up. |
| Client | What do you need from us? |
| You | Access to the store data, the ESP and the domain settings. I'll send the audit summary by Thursday. |
| Client | Perfect. Let's review it next week. |
Analytics and attribution with a client
Clients often ask why two tools show different numbers. Explain the model before the number.
| Term | What it means | In a sentence |
|---|---|---|
| user | A person (or browser) counted by GA4 | We had [number] users last month. |
| session | One visit to the site | Sessions from email went up MoM. |
| event | An action GA4 records, like a page view or a click | We track add_to_cart as an event. |
| conversion | An event you mark as important, like a purchase | Purchase is our main conversion. |
| channel | A group of traffic sources, like Email or Organic Search | Look at the Email channel in the report. |
| direct traffic | Visits without a known source | Missing UTMs push email visits into direct traffic. |
| Parameter | What it tells you | Example value |
|---|---|---|
| utm_source | Who sent the visit | newsletter |
| utm_medium | The type of channel | |
| utm_campaign | The name of the campaign | spring_promo |
| Speaker | Line |
|---|---|
| Client | Our email revenue looks low in GA4, but the platform reports much more. Why? |
| You | They count differently. The email platform credits a sale to an email click or open. GA4 credits the source of the session. |
| Client | So which one is right? |
| You | Both, under their own rules. What matters is that we pick one for reporting and explain the model. |
| Client | How do we see email traffic in GA4? |
| You | Through UTM parameters. Every link needs a source, a medium and a campaign, for example email, newsletter and the campaign name. |
| Client | We forgot them on some links. |
| You | Then those visits show up as direct or under another source. I'd add UTMs to every template and use one naming rule. |
| Client | What is the difference between sessions and users? |
| You | A user is a person, or at least a browser. A session is one visit. One user can have several sessions. |
| Client | And what counts as a conversion? |
| You | An event you mark as important, like a purchase or a form submission. Let's agree on the list before we report. |
| Client | Can we see the numbers by campaign? |
| You | Yes. I'll build a dashboard with sessions, conversions and revenue by utm_campaign, with month over month comparison. |
| Client | Do we trust last click? |
| You | It is simple, but it can hide the role of email earlier in the journey. I'd show it next to the platform numbers. |
| Client | Great. Send it when it's ready. |
Talking about an A/B test
| Speaker | Line |
|---|---|
| You | I'd like to test the subject line on the next promo. Is that okay? |
| Client | Sure. What is the hypothesis? |
| You | A subject line with the discount will get more clicks than one with the product name. |
| Client | Which metric decides the winner? |
| You | Click rate, or revenue per recipient. Open rate is less reliable because of Apple Mail Privacy Protection. |
| Client | How do we split the list? |
| You | Randomly, [number] percent to each version, same send time. We change one variable only. |
| Client | How long do we wait? |
| You | Until each version has enough recipients and a full day of clicks. I'd rather not call it too early. |
| Client | What if the difference is small? |
| You | Then we call it inconclusive and keep the version that fits the brand. Not every test needs a winner. |
| Client | And after we pick a winner? |
| You | We send it to the rest of the list, write down the result, and plan the next test. |
| Client | Good. Let's run it Tuesday. |
| You | Perfect. I'll send the setup for approval today. |
| You | Once it ends, I'll share a short summary with what we learned. |
Weak and stronger wording
| Weak | Stronger with US clients |
|---|---|
| Our mails have a lot of opens. | Our open rate is [x] percent, but I'd focus on clicks because of Apple Mail Privacy Protection. |
| The list is dirty. | The list needs a clean-up: I'd remove hard bounces and contacts with no engagement in [number] months. |
| We send the mail to everybody. | We send it to the engaged segment first, then to the rest. |
| The clients don't buy again. | Our repeat purchase rate is low, so I'd build a post-purchase flow. |
| The mail goes to spam. | We have a deliverability issue. Let's check SPF, DKIM and DMARC and the sender reputation. |
| The test won. | Version B had a higher click rate, but the sample is small, so I'd call it directional. |
| Sales don't answer our leads. | Let's agree on the MQL definition and the SLA for the handoff to sales. |
| The revenue is different in every tool. | Each tool uses its own attribution model. Let's pick one source of truth for reporting. |
| We put the promo in the newsletter. | We added a promo block to the newsletter, with a UTM on the link. |
Spanish speaker traps and pronunciation
| Word | Sounds like | It really means |
|---|---|---|
| Fine in speech, but email is the standard word for a message. Mail alone can mean postal mail | ||
| newsletter | newsletter | In English it is one word. Say a newsletter, and to send out a newsletter |
| subscriber | suscriptor | A person on your list. Say subscriber, and to subscribe, not to suscribe |
| base | base (de datos) | For your contact list, say list or database. A base is a starting point |
| campaign | campaña | c-a-m-p-a-i-g-n. Campana is a bell |
| actually | actualmente (now) | In fact. For now, say currently |
| target | objetivo | A number to hit, or the group you aim at. For a general aim, say goal |
| lead | líder | A contact interested in buying. For a leader, say leader |
| conversion | conversión (a change) | In marketing, a completed action such as a purchase or a sign-up |
| engagement | compromiso (a promise) | In email, how people interact with your messages. A promise is a commitment |
| retention | retención | Keeping customers. Not to be confused with holding something back |
| to send an email | enviar un mail | Say send an email, not make an email. Also: I'll send you the report |
Say most acronyms letter by letter: C-T-O-R, S-P-F, D-K-I-M, M-Q-L, L-T-V, A-O-V. DMARC is usually said as one word, dee-mark.
Say churn like turn, with a long er sound. Say cohort with the stress on the first syllable: KOH-hort.
Say Klaviyo as KLAV-ee-oh and Braze so it rhymes with days. Say GA4 as G-A-four.
Say the date and time zone out loud in a send plan: Tuesday at 10 am Eastern. It avoids confusion with Buenos Aires time.
Questions
- Is open rate still useful?
- Somewhat. Apple Mail Privacy Protection can load images automatically, so some opens are not real. Use it as a rough signal and lean on clicks and revenue.
- What is the difference between click rate and CTOR?
- Click rate divides clicks by delivered emails. CTOR divides clicks by opens, so it shows how well the content worked for people who opened.
- What is a hard bounce versus a soft bounce?
- A hard bounce is a permanent failure, like an address that does not exist. A soft bounce is temporary, like a full inbox.
- What do SPF, DKIM and DMARC do?
- SPF lists who may send for your domain. DKIM signs each email. DMARC tells inbox providers what to do when those checks fail.
- What does warm-up mean?
- Raising send volume slowly on a new domain or address so mailbox providers learn to trust it.
- What is double opt-in?
- The person confirms their subscription by clicking a link in a first email. It keeps the list clean.
- What is the difference between an MQL and an SQL?
- An MQL is a lead marketing considers ready to look at closely. An SQL is one that sales agrees is worth a conversation.
- What is a suppression list?
- A list of contacts you must not email, such as unsubscribes, hard bounces and spam complaints.
- What is the difference between LTV and CAC?
- LTV is what a customer is expected to bring over time. CAC is what it costs to win them. Teams compare the two.
- What are UTM parameters?
- Tags at the end of a link, such as utm_source, utm_medium and utm_campaign, that tell analytics where a visit came from.
- What is the difference between sessions and users in GA4?
- A user is a person or browser. A session is one visit. One user can have several sessions.
- Do I say newsletter with an article?
- Yes. Say a newsletter, the newsletter, or to send out a newsletter.
- Is this legal advice?
- No. The compliance section is plain vocabulary. Ask the client's legal team for real questions.
- Are the numbers in the examples real benchmarks?
- No. They are placeholders. Use your own account data.
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