Email can pull people in with content they want (inbound marketing), or reach out to people who don’t know you yet (outbound marketing). Most businesses end up using it both ways, and it helps to be clear about which is which, because the rules for each are quite different.

Here’s how to understand inbound and outbound marketing within the context of email marketing, and how you can create a hybrid “Bi-Directional Email Marketing” approach for your own business.

Inbound vs. Outbound: What’s The Difference?

Inbound marketing is when people come to you: through search, content, social media or word of mouth, because they want what you offer. It’s about creating something that draws people in.

Outbound marketing is when you go to them: ads, cold calls and emails to people who haven’t asked to hear from you yet. It’s proactive and usually unsolicited, but done well, it can still be welcome.

So is email an inbound tool or an outbound one? It can be both.

Inbound Marketing With Email

A newsletter is inbound marketing at its best. People signed up because they wanted it, and each issue gives them a reason to stay: useful content, a first look at something new, or an offer as a thank you for being a reader. It works because it’s welcome.

The question to ask is: how can you create newsletter content that draws your subscribers in toward your product or services? What content and value can you provide to push them to the next phase of your sales funnel? We’ve previously written about what we call “Read Magnets”, which are pieces of content that draw readers through your newsletters. These are also a form of inbound marketing.

If you’re a blogger, providing newsletter content that will draw your readers to your posts and paid-for products would be an inbound strategy. If you’re an e-com store, providing personalised product recommendations, or offering tempting incentives to encourage readers to engage with your brand would be inbound, too.

Outbound Marketing With Email

Now, take outbound marketing. Here, you’re reaching out to someone who might not know you yet, or might not know about the new thing you’re launching. In B2B especially, a well-researched cold email to the right person can open the door to partnerships, sponsorships or large sales.

Cold emailing new prospects is an outbound strategy. Reaching out to someone new to let them know about your offer, or your product or service, is outbound. It needs care, though. Keep it personal and low volume, never buy lists to do it (that’s often illegal), and check the rules where your recipients are, since laws like Canada’s CASL and Europe’s GDPR are much stricter about unsolicited email than the US. Above all, never send cold outreach from your newsletter’s sending domain or platform. Complaints from cold email can damage the reputation your newsletter depends on. Send it as normal one-to-one email from your own mailbox, or from a separate domain.

The Hybrid, Bi-Directional Approach to Email Marketing

A hybrid approach combines the trust of inbound with the reach of outbound. I call this approach “Bi-Directional Email Marketing”. You’re using email marketing to reach both in and out to provide as much value to your business (and your subscribers) as possible.

This approach doesn’t just broadcast messages; it listens and responds. It simultaneously pulls people in with great content, and proactively reaches out to let people know what you can offer.

An Example of Bi-Directional Email Marketing

Imagine you run an online publishing brand. Your regular newsletter, which you send out to your growing list of subscribers would be your inbound approach. This would offer links to your best content, extra context, educational resources, fun facts, interesting images, and the like.

Your outbound strategy could involve contacting relevant companies to sell your ad slots, sponsored units, newsletter sponsorships, arrange collaborations, and other newsletter monetization opportunities.

Which Approach Will You Choose?

There’s no single right answer. Most businesses benefit from both: a newsletter that builds trust with people who chose to hear from you, and careful, personal outreach to people who should know about you. Just keep the two separate, so the outbound side never puts the inbound side at risk.