What Is an Email Marketing Specialist? 2026 Career Guide

Email marketing specialists design email marketing campaigns to reach a company’s target audience and achieve marketing goals. At a glance, here's what you need to know about this impactful digital marketing profession:

• The median total salary for an email marketing specialist is $76,000 [1].

• Email marketing specialists manage email campaigns, provide reports, and write and design email graphics.

• You can become an email marketing specialist by pursuing relevant certifications or earning a degree in a relevant field.

In this article, you'll explore a career as an email marketing specialist, including day-to-day responsibilities, average salary, job outlook, and the skills and education you’ll need to be successful in this role. Afterward, if you're interested in building job-relevant skills, you might consider enrolling in the Google Digital Marketing and E-commerce Professional Certificate.

What does an email marketing specialist do?

Email marketing specialists typically manage and create all aspects of a business's email marketing strategy. This job may include tasks such as writing emails, managing email contact lists, writing reports on email campaign results, and planning long-term email strategies.

As an email marketing specialist, you will help identify and draft the specific types of emails that are most effective for meeting your employer’s goals; types include:

• Welcome emails

• Blog roundups

• Surveys

• Promotional emails

• Milestone emails

While specific tasks vary based on a business’s needs, you can generally expect to perform the following:

• Create, implement, monitor, and manage email campaigns.

• Write email content or design email graphics.

• Measuring campaign results.

• Manage email templates to ensure proper messaging.

• Build and maintain email contact lists.

• Assess campaign results and analyze performance.

• Provide reports to relevant stakeholders.

• Use email management software.

Email marketing specialist salary and job outlook

According to Glassdoor, the estimated total pay for email marketing specialists in the US is $76,000 per year [1]. This figure includes additional pay, which may represent profit-sharing, commissions, or bonuses [1].

The outlook for this job is promising, with 6 percent growth expected through 2034, according to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics [2]. As more businesses across all industries embrace digital marketing, email marketers have become integral to business success. If a company tries to reach its customer base digitally, it will also likely look to employ email marketing specialists and other digital marketing professionals.

Companies that hire email marketing specialists

Any company that is looking to reach its audience through email is going to need an email marketing specialist. Some of the more popular industries for this position include hospitality, wellness, beauty, and entertainment. Lenovo, Vanguard, and Adobe are some of the top companies hiring email marketing specialists today, according to Glassdoor [1].

How to become an email marketing specialist

Education, experience, and skills are at the heart of this career path, and you can enjoy several ways to enter the field. Here's what you can expect on your journey toward becoming an email marketing specialist:

1. Consider obtaining a credential.

Many businesses look for candidates with a bachelor’s degree. According to Zippia, 72 percent of email marketing specialists have a bachelor’s degree [3]. Relevant degree subjects include digital marketing, data analytics, or communications.

Certificates in email marketing or a similar industry may also help make you a more competitive candidate by showcasing your commitment to this career field. If a four-year degree isn’t an option, a marketing internship can give you hands-on experience and training to prepare you for this job. 

2. Build your email marketing skills

While email marketing roles require creativity and expertise in copywriting, you'll also need to possess a suite of technical skills like data analytics and knowledge of email marketing platforms. Key skills you should consider developing include:

Technical

• Writing, editing, and basic design skills

• A/B testing

• Email metrics and analysis 

• Basic coding

• Search engine optimization (SEO)

• Project management 

• Familiarity with email marketing platforms, such as Mailchimp, Sender, and HubSpot,

Workplace

• Communication skills

• Creative and critical thinking

• Time management

• Attention to detail

Read more: 14 Key Marketing Skills to Boost Your Resume

3. Gain work experience.

Email marketing specialists need to have experience in the marketing industry. A demonstrated ability to build and manage email lists, use email marketing software, and write professional and engaging copy will help you succeed. This experience can come from internships, online certifications, or on-the-job training.

Consider starting by reviewing your background to see how it fits the day-to-day responsibilities of the role. Many businesses look for professionals with a strong writing background or marketing experience. If you don’t already have one, build a portfolio to display your prior work, either for a company or on your own, to demonstrate you have the foundational skills needed to write marketing emails.

Professionals in similar roles, such as content creators, writers, or marketing specialists, can leverage their experience into an email marketing specialist role. It’s possible to move into the industry from something completely different, but you’ll need a strong resume outlining how your skills and background can transfer into email marketing.

Paths to becoming an email marketing specialist

You will find two primary paths to becoming an email marketing specialist. The first is to get an entry-level job in the field after completing a four-year degree. The second involves moving into a job from another industry. If you pursue the second route, you’ll want a strong portfolio to help demonstrate your knowledge and job-relevant skills.

Working on email campaigns for a current job can help you build the background needed to look into entry-level positions in the digital marketing field. Digital marketers, content creators, and social media managers can all move into an email marketing specialist role, either with their current company or as a move to a new employer.

Once you’ve established yourself in an email marketing specialist role, you can expect to progress upward within the digital marketing industry. Some possible jobs you might consider include marketing specialists, marketing managers, and, finally, directors of digital marketing. Email marketing specialists may also transition into digital creation roles, such as content writing or social media management.

Read more: How to Make a Portfolio to Land Your Next Job

Continue your digital marketing journey

Subscribe to our Career Chat newsletter on LinkedIn for industry updates, tips, and trends. Then, explore free, digital career resources:

• Watch on YouTube: 2 AI Email Hacks That Could Save You Hours

• Take a quiz: Career Test: What Career is Right for Me Quiz?

• Expand your vocabulary: Digital Marketing Terms Every Marketer Should Know

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