Know Your List, Own Your Inbox

Why List Quality Is Everything (and Why ESPs Don’t Want You to Understand That)

If there’s one truth in email marketing no one can argue with, it’s this:
The quality of your list is the single most important factor in your success.
Not your ESP. Not your template. Not your A/B test. Just… the list.

Who are you emailing?
Where did they come from?
Do they actually want to hear from you?

If you can’t answer those questions with certainty, you’ve already lost.
If you can, you don’t need to pay $200/month just to press send.

That’s why I built MailBullet—because the entire ESP industry is rigged to punish you for growing your list, even if you grow it clean and the right way.

You Should Always Know Where Your Emails Came From

Let’s be clear:
You should only ever email people who gave you their address in a way you control.

That means:

• Through a form on your site
• Inside a checkout flow
• As part of a lead magnet or funnel
• Through a direct, human interaction
• Via event signups, downloads, or inquiries

Anything outside that—scraped, rented, copied—is risky and wrong.

But here’s the kicker: That’s not hard.
It’s not complex. It’s not some mystical “email marketing best practice.”
It’s common sense.

If someone filled out your form, they’re a warm lead.
If someone bought from you, they’re hot.
If someone downloaded a guide or ebook, they’re cool—but interested.

Classifying Your Leads: Cold, Cool, Warm, Hot

Here’s how to think about it:

• Cold: You don’t know them, and they don’t know you.
  → Never email them. Period.
• Cool: They gave you their email for a freebie, quiz, calculator, etc.
  → You can ask permission to send more. Be respectful. Offer value.
• Warm: They filled out your contact form or inquiry
  → You can follow up, pitch them, and ask if they want to stay in touch.
• Hot: They bought from you
  → You have every reason to stay in touch—just make sure you tell them that you will at checkout.

Don’t guess. Don’t spam. Don’t assume.
And whatever you do, don’t pay an ESP based on your list size.

Why Klaviyo’s Pricing Model Is a Travesty

Here’s where it gets criminal.

Klaviyo, Mailchimp, and most of their clones charge based on:

• Number of contacts
• Number of emails sent
• Features you “unlock” (like automations, forms, or segments)

This means:

• The more people trust you (aka: the bigger your list), the more you pay
• The more you email your own customers, the more you’re punished

Imagine if McDonald’s charged more for a burger depending on how hungry you were.
That’s what these ESPs do.

They gatekeep communication with your own audience.
They scare you into thinking email is hard.
Then they upsell you with tools and analytics you didn’t ask for.

The only logical pricing structure for an ESP should be:

• The actual cost of sending emails
• Reasonable fees for platform use
• Optional features for power users
• (Maybe) storage or verification if applicable

That’s it.

Verification Matters — And It Should Be Affordable

Here’s where things get real.

Even with clean acquisition, you’ll get:

• Typos (“gnail.com”)
• Spam traps
• Invalid or expired domains
• Catch-all servers
• People who still click “Report Spam” after buying from you 🤯

That’s not your fault. It’s just the game.

So yes—you should verify your list. It keeps your deliverability clean and your sender rep high.

But that service should be offered at cost, not marked up as a feature tier.
MailBullet includes list verification tools at cost—not because it makes us rich, but because it keeps you out of trouble.

Your Relationship > Their Platform

Email marketing is about trust.

If someone gave you their email, it’s because they want something from you:

• Offers
• News
• Insights
• Opportunities
• Connection

It’s on you to deliver.
Not your ESP.
Not their automation builder.
Not their AI subject line tester.

It’s about:

• Sending good messages
• With good timing
• To people who actually care
• Using your own voice

That’s the entire game.

ESP Pricing Logic Is Broken. MailBullet Fixes It.

Brevo, Mailchimp, and Klaviyo want $45–$100/month just to let you email 1,500 people.
Double it for 5,000. Triple it for 10,000.

That’s insanity.

MailBullet charges:

• $15/month
• + $0.0001 per email sent
• Unlimited contacts
• Full features. No upsells. No traps.

We don’t tax you for success.
We don’t make you pay extra for growing.
We don’t punish you for wanting to build a business.

Email Is Easy (If You’re Not Being Gaslit)

Forget what they told you.
Email marketing isn’t hard.
It’s just writing something useful and sending it to the right people.

Clean list.
Good message.
Solid offer.
That’s it.

If you’re doing that—and you know where your emails came from—you’re already winning.

MailBullet just makes sure you don’t get ripped off along the way.

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Join MailBullet. Escape the pricing matrix. Send smarter. Spend less. Own your email.