Staying sharp when it comes to email marketing is no easy task. The technology is constantly changing and the possibilities of what you can do are increasing.

Trying to keep up with all these changes and separate the chaff from the wheat is difficult at best. Not to worry! We’ve done all the hard work for you. Below are 7 of our favorite articles from the past few months.

Read them. Implement them. And use them to up your email marketing game.

1. Email Marketing Rules – email interactivity: opportunities and challenges

At the beginning of the year, marketers said 2017 would be the year of email interactivity. We’re talking being able to click in an email and activate additional content in that email instead of visiting a webpage. And while adventurous email marketers tried a lot of new interactivity tactics, the results weren’t always successful. Sure, hamburger menus, add to cart buttons, and image carousels can add that wow factor to an email. But getting there isn’t always easy.

Dig into the opportunities and challenges email marketers have faced and will face in the future with email interactivity.

2. Digital Trends – spam is about to get worse

The double vs. single opt-in debate is so on right now. While experts have argued for years about which option is better, the topic is now in the spotlight. If you send with double opt in, you’re less likely to be seen as unwanted junk by your subscribers. And that leads to a higher quality list… after all, if someone really wants to hear from you, they’ll click the confirmation email. But it’s painful for a subscriber to do the double-click dance… which is why some email marketers go with the single opt-in.

You can get the entire scoop here. Email marketers who are currently using double opt-in on any ESP should take the time to reconsider which option is better for their customers.

3. Email Design Podcast – Litmus community Q&A rapid fire

Don’t you hate it when the experts talk about what they want to hear about, and not what you want to hear about? Us, too. This podcast turned the tables and gave listeners the chance to “call-in” and get their most pressing questions answered. It covers everything from responsive design problems, to text styling issues, to image rendering. These are real questions from real users – and you have to hand it to the Litmus team – they give real, helpful answers.

Listen in to see if any of your email design questions were answered. Bonus! We’re loving this article they put together about email pixel art, the rarest and coolest defensive design tactic out there.

4. Really Good Emails – the next technology to disrupt email as we know it

If you’re the type of person who combs over your email copy again and again – making sure it’s personalized to the upteenth degree and you’re using the exact right copy for the reaction you want to elicit – then you’ll find this new technology fascinating. It’s a data dump of the most intense kind that lets you potentially personalize every single email you send. We’re not just talking first-name personalization, either. It’s contextual and different for every email subscriber.

Don’t just take our word for it. Read about it and tell us what you think – is this the next technology disruption in email?

5. OnlyInfluencers – transition to helpful marketing this holiday season

It’s never too early to start talking about holiday email marketing, right? Right. And during a season that’s focused on giving, marketers seem to be focused only on taking. We tell our customers we love them, we appreciate them, they’re the best. Then we barrage them with messages during the holidays – messages that ask, ask, ask.

Is there a better way to do holiday email marketing? You bet. This article dives into the details and is well worth the read.

6. GrowthHackers.com – email marketing for eCommerce: the 8 campaigns that have generated over $140M

Here’s another reminder – the holidays are fast approaching. And if you’re an eCommerce company, you’re especially laser-focused on your email marketing game. Wouldn’t it be nice if someone spelled out exactly how to make boatloads of extra cash this holiday season? This article is your wish come true. It shows you what other companies have done with their email marketing to bring in the big bucks and includes strategies, practical tips, and examples for each type of campaign.

So whether you want to make window shoppers lifetime customers, increase returning shoppers, or just make sure all your t’s are crossed and i’s are dotted, you’ll be set to go. Read it now!

7. SumoMe: 8 persuasive words that will instantly help you sell more

You’re right, you’re right. This isn’t an article about email marketing, per say. But what it talks about – the highest converting words in the English language – will do wonders for your messages. Because of the way our human brains are wired, we’re more likely to read and react to copy with these words in it. Should you use all of them in every email you send? Not unless you want to give yourself a severe headache. Should you try to incorporate one or two? Only if you want a higher conversion rate. (So, yes.)

Get the list of these words, see examples of how they can be used, and work them into your email copy. You won’t regret it.

get ready to score big

We hope these articles from industry experts taught you something you didn’t know or turned on a light bulb in your brain for your next campaign. This one channel presents so many possibilities – from strategy, to design, to copywriting. Taking the best of what others have done and learning from their lessons will help you to score big in your own email marketing.