Did you know that email marketing generates an average ROI of $38 for every dollar spent? This impressive performance explains why the cost of email marketing campaign is an investment that many businesses consider essential.
However, prices vary considerably. An email marketing campaign can cost anywhere from $9 to $5,000 per month, depending on the platform chosen and the number of subscribers. Small businesses typically invest between $17 and $1,950 per month, either managing their campaigns in-house or hiring a specialized agency.
In addition, companies allocate approximately 7.8% of their marketing budget to email strategies. This reflects the importance of this digital tool to connect with potential customers, although the average cost per lead stood at $198 during 2020.
Wondering how much a really effective marketing campaign costs? The final budget will depend on factors such as the number of subscribers, the frequency of sending, and the quality of your contact list. For example, verifying a list of 1,000 subscribers can cost around 10 euros, while for 100,000 subscribers the price amounts to about 150 euros.
In this article, we’ll take a closer look at all the costs associated with a successful email marketing campaign, from basic tools to advanced professional services.
Basic costs of an email marketing campaign
“On average, a medium-sized business can spend anywhere from $9 to $5.00 per month on email marketing if they manage their campaigns (depending on the platform and number of subscribers).”
— Alexey Bogdanov, CEO of SendPulse
The cost of implementing an email marketing campaign varies considerably depending on your specific needs. The initial investment can be minimal, taking advantage of tools with free basic features, or scale according to the growth of your database and the complexity of your campaigns.
Price of the most popular tools
The main email marketing platforms offer different pricing structures that adapt to different business sizes:
- Mailchimp: Its free plan allows you to manage up to 500 subscribers with a limit of 1,000 emails per month. Their paid plans start from €19.08 per month and scale according to the number of contacts.
- Brevo (formerly Sendinblue): Offers a free plan with 300 emails per day (approximately 9,000 per month) with no limit on contacts. Their paid plans start at €19 per month for 10,000 contacts.
- Mailjet: The free plan allows up to 6,000 emails per month with a daily limit of 200. Paid plans start at €14 for 10,000 monthly shipments.
- Mailrelay: It stands out for its generous free plan that allows you to send up to 80,000 emails per month to a maximum of 20,000 contacts.
- GetResponse: Offers a free account for up to 500 subscribers, with paid plans starting at €50 per month for 10,000 subscribers.
Differences Between Free and Paid Plans
The free plans, while useful to get started, have significant limitations compared to the paid versions:
- Sending limitations: Most place restrictions on the volume of emails sent daily or monthly. For example, Brevo limits it to 300 per day, while Mailjet to 200.
- Restricted functionalities: Free plans generally lack advanced options such as:
- Complex automations
- A/B Testing
- Detailed reports
- Integration with other platforms
- Platform branding: Some tools like Mailchimp insert your logo into all emails sent from free accounts.
On the other hand, paid plans offer advantages such as:
- Unlimited or higher installment shipments
- Personalized technical support
- Advanced segmentation capabilities
- Removing Logos from the Platform
Relationship between number of subscribers and cost
The number of subscribers is one of the most determining factors in the final cost. The platforms mainly use two pricing models:
- Subscriber-based: Tools like Mailchimp and ActiveCampaign charge based on the size of your database. For example, with 10,000 subscribers, ActiveCampaign costs approximately $139 per month.
- Based on sending volume: Platforms like Brevo and Mailjet set their prices based on the number of emails sent monthly, no matter how many contacts you have.
As your database grows, so does the investment needed. For a list of 5,000 contacts, the average monthly cost is €59.16, while for 50,000 subscribers, it amounts to €257.64.
In addition, the frequency of shipping directly influences the final cost. More regular campaigns can significantly increase spending on platforms that charge per send.
Content Design and Creation: How Much Does It Cost?
Content is the lifeblood of any email marketing campaign. Despite having an excellent tool, without an attractive design and persuasive texts, the results will be limited. Let’s look at the costs associated with these fundamental elements.
Custom template design
The visual appearance of your emails directly impacts the results. There are two main paths:
DIY option: Most platforms include free customizable templates. SendPulse offers over 100 free templates that you update monthly depending on the season. Acumbamail has 89 free responsive and customizable templates. This option has zero cost if you already pay for the platform.
Custom Professional Design: Costs vary significantly depending on the complexity and professional:
- Basic template design: Between 95€ and 190€
- Complete design with coding: Between 477€ and 950€
- Specialized agency service: Between €200 and €300 during the first months
Some platforms offer this service as an add-on. For example, Acumbamail provides custom designs through its design team.
Writing emails and newsletters
The text you send is just as important as its presentation. The costs for content creation vary according to type and complexity:
- Basic email writing: Between €70 and €80 per individual email
- Regular newsletters: Between €100 and €400 per edition
- Newsletters produced: Between €477 and €1,908, depending on the services included (visual design, coding, writing)
In addition, many agencies offer complete packages that include designing, writing, and sending newsletters at a fixed monthly price.
Cost of hiring a copywriter
A professional copywriter doesn’t just write copy, but creates strategic content geared toward conversion. Your rates depend on your experience and specialization:
- Novice copywriter: Between €70 and €100 per email
- Experienced copywriter: Around 100€ per individual email
- Complete email marketing campaigns: Between €150 and €1,500 depending on the number of emails
- Welcome sequences: Between €100 and €500 depending on the length and quantity
For more complex campaigns, some copywriters offer an alternative model of payment by commissions, taking a percentage of the sales generated.
An in-house copywriter usually earns between €20,000 and €26,000 per year, while freelancers set their rates per project. The average salary in Spain according to Glassdoor is approximately €30,000 per year, varying between €22,000 and €37,000 depending on experience.
When budgeting your campaigns, consider that these texts are not a one-off expense but a lasting investment. Many companies use automated email sequences for years, generating customers monthly at no additional cost.
On the other hand, the content requires additional elements such as photographs and graphic resources, the cost of which you should also consider in your general email marketing budget.
External Services and Automation
“An average copywriter can charge you around €400-500 for a first automated welcome and sales sequence of 10 emails.”
— María Márquez, Email Marketing and Digital
Strategy Consultant When email marketing needs grow, many companies consider hiring external services to boost their campaigns. These options considerably increase the costs but also the technical and strategic possibilities.
Cost of hiring an email marketing agency
Hiring a specialized agency can be a significant investment but often justified by the results. The average cost of these services is around €2.39 per month per subscriber. Most agencies work on a retainer contract, usually for periods of more than one year.
The most common value of these contracts during the first 12 months ranges from €4.77 to €46.76. Approximately 49% of agencies set a minimum contract value of €4.77 or higher during the first year.
The services they offer are mainly divided into:
- Content creation
- Analysis and monitoring
- Strategic planning
- Technical and platform support
Pricing for technical and strategic services
Strategic services require a considerable initial investment of at least €858.79, which can be significantly increased according to specific needs. Hourly rates for these strategic services are usually between €71.57 and €262.41.
For technical services such as supplier selection and implementation, technology optimization, or data integration, agencies charge between €95 and €300 per hour. These costs vary depending on the complexity of the project and the experience of the team.
A frequently requested service is the design of email templates. Some agencies charge as little as €95.42 for basic designs, while others can bill up to €1,910 for advanced and optimized designs.
Automation and transactional emails
Transactional emails (purchase confirmations, password resets, etc.) work differently from promotional newsletters, as they are sent individually when a user performs a specific action.
Some platforms include SMTP servers in all their plans:
- Brevo and Sendgrid: They include SMTP servers even in free plans, counting these emails within the overall monthly count.
- Mailjet: It offers SMTP server in all its plans, although automation is only available from the Premium plan.
On the other hand, platforms like Mailchimp and ActiveCampaign charge for these services separately:
- Mailchimp: Each block of 25,000 transactional emails costs €19.08, with discounts according to volume. It offers free demo with up to 500 submissions.
- Doppler Relay: Offers plans from €28.63 per month for transactional sending, with costs per email excess of €0.0072.
When hiring these services, it is essential to evaluate the ease of integration through APIs and SDKs, as well as the actual deliverability rates, as this will determine the effective cost per email received correctly.
Factors Influencing the Final Budget
Beyond tools and services, there are operational factors that significantly determine the cost of email marketing. Knowing them will allow you to optimize your investment in email marketing.
Sending frequency and volume of emails
How often you send emails directly impacts your budget. The more emails you send, the higher the cost associated with your platform. However, the rate you pay by mail decreases as your sending volume increases.
The cost of sending 100,000 emails can vary significantly depending on the provider, ranging from €100 to more than €1,000 per month. Therefore, it is crucial to analyze your real needs before choosing a provider.
Mailing list quality and verification
A list full of inactive contacts is a waste of resources. The average open rate on a healthy list is around 18%, while on uncleaned lists this percentage is considerably reduced.
Verification services work by purchasing packs, with prices varying by volume:
- 1,000 verifications: approximately €7
- 100,000 verifications: around €100
Experts recommend cleaning your list at least once every six months to get higher engagement rates, which will increase the effectiveness of your investment.
Segmentation and personalization
Segmentation classifies your database into smaller groups based on specific characteristics. This strategy produces remarkable results: 75% of recipients are more willing to open a segmented campaign email and the click-through rate increases by 100.95%.
The benefits of segmentation include:
- Increased brand relevance when developing tailored content
- Spotlight in the inbox with personalized messages
- Promotions and sales adjusted to different needs
- Avoid repetitions of products already purchased
Avoid bounces and protect your sender reputation by using an email address validator before sending any mass communication. It is a minimal investment with great results.
Real examples of budgets
To better illustrate the real costs, let’s look at three practical examples of email marketing budgets tailored to different business needs and resources.
Basic campaign with free tools
A small business or freelancer can start their campaigns at no cost using free plans. A viable example would be:
- Platform: Brevo with 300 emails per day (9,000 per month) or MailerLite with 1,000 subscribers and unlimited emails
- Design: Predefined templates included in the platform
- Writing: Content created in-house
- Reach: Ideal for businesses with fewer than 500 contacts
- Total cost of email marketing campaign: 0€
However, these free solutions have limitations such as the inclusion of platform logos in your emails and restricted functionalities.
Medium campaign with copywriter and automation
For growing businesses looking to professionalize their communications:
- Platform: ActiveCampaign for 2,500 subscribers (approximately €139/month)
- Copywriter: Professional writing of 3-5 emails per month (80-100€ per email)
- Automation: Welcome and transactional emails included in the platform
- Approximate monthly cost: Between €400 and €650
This investment allows for advanced segmentation, professional emails, and user behavior tracking.
Advanced campaign with agency and custom design
For midsize businesses with complex strategies:
- Specialized agency: Full service for approximately €2.39 per month per subscriber
- Custom design: Between €477 and €950 per professional template
- Strategy: Strategic consulting services from an initial €858
- Advanced writing: Complete campaign between €800 and €1,500
- Automations: Complete sequences for different stages of the funnel
- Monthly cost for 5,000 subscribers: Between €1,000 and €5,000
This level includes services such as advanced analytics, A/B testing, continuous optimization, and multi-step strategies.
The ideal budget will depend not only on your financial capacity, but also on the expected return. For many companies, investing in email marketing generates an average ROI of €36 for every euro invested, making it one of the most profitable digital channels when implemented correctly.
Conclusion
Conclusion: Smart investment in email marketing
Email marketing remains one of the most cost-effective digital strategies available today. After a detailed analysis of the associated costs, it is clear that there is an option for every budget, from free solutions to full professional services.
Without a doubt, the average ROI of $38 for every dollar spent makes this tool indispensable to any effective digital marketing strategy. However, your success will depend on several key factors: the platform chosen, the quality of the content, the segmentation of your audience, and the frequency of your submissions.
Small businesses can start with free plans and gradually evolve into more comprehensive solutions. On the other hand, medium and large companies get better results by investing in professional design, writing, and strategy services.
Remember that the final cost will vary significantly depending on the size of your list, the complexity of your campaigns, and the specific goals you’re pursuing. In addition, automation is a critical component of maximizing efficiency and reducing operating costs in the long term.
Finally, never underestimate the importance of keeping a clean and up-to-date contact list. Avoid bounces and protect your sender reputation by using an email verifier before sending any mass communication. It is a minimal investment with great results.
Take a hard look at your specific needs and choose the combination of tools and services that best suits your budget. Finally, implement your email marketing strategy progressively, measuring results and constantly optimizing to maximize your return on investment.
FAQs
Q1. What is the typical cost range for an email marketing campaign?
The cost of an email marketing campaign generally ranges from €48.66 to €1,431.32 per month. This range varies depending on factors such as the provider chosen, whether an external agency is hired, and the required functionalities of the software.
Q2. What factors influence the final budget of an email marketing campaign?
The main factors that affect the budget are the frequency of sending, the volume of emails, the quality and verification of the contact list, and the level of segmentation and personalization implemented in the campaigns.
Q3. How much does it cost to hire a professional to create email marketing content?
Costs vary depending on the professional’s experience. A novice copywriter can charge between €70 and €100 per email, while an experienced one can charge around €100. For full campaigns, prices can range from €150 to €1,500.
Q4. What is the minimum investment to start a basic email marketing campaign?
It is possible to start a basic campaign at no cost using free plans from platforms such as Brevo or MailerLite. These options are ideal for businesses with fewer than 500 contacts, although they have limitations in functionality and customization.
Q5. What is the average return on investment in email marketing?
Email marketing typically generates an average ROI of €36 for every dollar invested, making it one of the most cost-effective digital marketing channels when implemented correctly.
