Email Marketing Best Practices for Insurance Agencies

Email is one of the most powerful tools for insurance agencies to cultivate leads, build trust, and promote retention. Yet many agents don't know where to start or how to market with intention. Having to plan for what to send, how often to communicate, and compliance can complicate even the most basic of email campaigns.

We’ve outlined the most effective email marketing best practices for health, senior, and benefits agencies. It doesn’t matter if you're just getting started or looking to improve your outreach, these strategies will help you build stronger client relationships while maintaining compliance and saving time.

Create A Messaging Strategy

Before you even consider hitting send on that first email, understand what you want to achieve and how you want to support your subscribers. For example, are you looking to nurture new leads, help current clients enroll with new coverage, or reengage interest from lapsed clients? All of those communications would include different messaging, calls to action, and recipient lists.

Each campaign should have a clear purpose, whether that’s education, retention, cross-selling, or conversion. The goal of the email should dictate the content, tone, and timing. Using a tool with pre-built content and built-in communication tools can help your team better manage this process. AgencyBloc’s Engage+ marketing solution centralizes your efforts and reduces your tool load, making it easy to identify valuable opportunities for meaningful communications.

Decide On A Schedule

Consistency is crucial to establishing authority. But it’s also important to consider value. Is what you’re sending bringing value? Is it providing education that is impactful to your clients? Does it include an actionable CTA?

For most health insurance agencies, 1–2 marketing emails per month is the sweet spot. This allows you to stay present in your audience’s inbox without overwhelming them. It also gives you an opportunity to build trust, as subscribers come to expect your emails at a specific time and frequency. 

With tools like AMS+ and Engage+, your team can monitor campaign performance and refine your send times based on real user behavior, not guesses. The sooner you start your e-mail marketing campaign, the sooner you can start observing data like open and click-through rates to inform your send schedule for greater success. 

Follow Email Best Practices

Whether you’re representing a team, or acting as an individual, you’re still considered a brand. That means you have your own style of communication when it comes to emails, the same way you have your own way of talking on the phone. Maintain authenticity by avoiding flashy slogans you’d never say out loud. Instead, focus on clarity and write messages that offer immediate value.

For starters, an uncomplicated subject line will let your readers know explicitly what they're getting. No caps, no clickbait, and no teasers necessary. This behavior will only flag your domain's reputation and encourage more spam complaints. Use a casual yet professional tone and avoid industry jargon that might be confusing for your readers. 

Automate Communication Touchpoints

No one has time to manually send follow-ups or birthday emails every week, especially when your subscriber list continues to grow. Automation allows you to plan your campaigns more efficiently and add a touch of personalization. With AMS+ and Engage+, you can set up workflows that deliver consistent, personalized communication triggered by real data — like turning 26/65, policy renewals, meeting reminders, etc.

High-impact email automations include:

• Welcome series for new leads
• Birthday and milestone emails
• Cross-sell opportunities based on policy gaps
• Renewal countdown reminders
• Medicare enrollment guidance at key ages

Frequently Asked Questions About Email Marketing

How often should my agency send marketing emails?
Aim for one to two strategic marketing emails per month, and use automated workflows triggered by specific events or milestones. Less is more, especially when your content is clear, helpful, and timely. Only send emails when you have something useful to communicate, even if it means less frequency.

What types of emails should insurance agents send?
Educational content that answers common client questions or highlights timely topics (like enrollment dates or benefit changes) works best. Cross-sell nudges, client spotlights, or updates about your agency are great secondary options, but value should always come first. You should also consider placing clients into different subscriber lists, such as by age, location, or product, so you can send the most relevant content possible.

What’s the best time to send emails?
In general, scheduling for the late morning (9–11 a.m.) on Tuesdays and Thursdays is a great place to start. Performance varies based on the industry and your audience, so you’ll want to adjust after observing how your audience reacts to the first few sends. Monitor the email metrics in AMS+ to identify which times generate the highest engagement for your communications.

What metrics mean success in email marketing?
An email is considered successful if the recipient opens it, reads it, and engages with its content. Open rates shed light on subject line effectiveness, and click-through rates indicate whether the content is  relevant and interesting. If unsubscribe/spam rates are high or suddenly increase, consider whether you’re sending the right content to the right list.

How do I make sure my email campaigns are compliant?
Compliance management is built into Engage+. From email templates that follow CMS guidelines to secure opt-in tracking and message logging inside AMS+, everything is designed to protect your agency while helping you stay visible and engaged.

Ready to Launch Smarter Email Marketing?

For a health insurance agency, having all the content, tools, and automation you need all in one place can have a significant impact on your communication strategy. Spend less time managing marketing and more time growing relationships with streamlined planning and data dashboards that let you see how effective your email strategy really is.

Schedule a demo today to see how Engage+ makes email marketing easier, safer, and more effective for your insurance agency.

Posted by Allison Babberl on Tuesday, June 3, 2025 in Engage+