If you’ve ever thought, “I know I should send emails, but where do I even start?” then keep reading, my friend!

I’m Kelsie—a sugar flower artist and former burnt-out cake decorator who also loves to nerd out about tech systems that support creativity without the chaos. I’ve been in the kitchen at 1am trying to finish petals. I’ve forgotten to follow up with clients. I’ve had amazing work buried by the algorithm.

When I’m talking about email marketing here, I’m not just telling you to “build a list” cuz that’s what everyone else is saying. I’m talking about improving client communication and expectations, staying booked, and giving future you a bit of a break!

You don’t need to become a marketing expert, you just need some tools in your back pocket to make things easy and simple.

Why Email Still Matters (Yup, Even in 2025)

Instagram is probably where most of your people discover you. But it’s also probably where your cakes get lots in a doomscroll of too much content. Email can be the place where your people remember + connect with you.

We’ve all seen social posts tank thanks to the algorithm. Meanwhile, your email lands in the inbox of someone who literally signed up to hear from you. It’s focused, direct, and dependable, even when your posting schedule goes quiet during wedding season.

Email keeps working, even when you’re off baking, delivering, or (oh ya know) resting.

And guess what? You don’t have to be techy to get started.

My first recommendation is to sign up for Flodesk.

Flodesk is a simple, visual, and beginner-friendly email marketing platform. You don’t need to be techy or learn coding. It’s built for creative business owners who want it to just work. (Get a free 14 day trial + get 50% your first year with my link and also there’s a free version!)

Strategy First, Then Emails

Before you send a single email, it helps to have a plan.

Last year, I started using Enji to create a marketing strategy. Ya know, instead of just throwing spaghetti at walls.

It helps me map out what I’m trying to say, why it matters, and how it fits into my bigger goals. I can brainstorm content with their built-in AI copywriter, save my professional bio and marketing details in one place, and track real results so I’m not just guessing what’s working.

If you’ve ever felt scattered or like your marketing is just… reactionary? Enji helps you zoom out and focus on what matters. (Bonus: it’s built for creative businesses, and a ton of wedding pros already use it.)

The best part? It helps me take action without adding a bajillion new decisions to my week. That’s a big deal when your brain is managing client projects, oven timers, and three (hundred?) unfinished captions.

(also the founder, Tayler, is really good about reminding people to keep their marketing simple! Like in this podcast episode — which I need to listen to periodically to remind myself to stop overcommitting lol)

Email Doesn’t Have to Be Spammy or Gross

If “email marketing” makes you think of pushy sales funnels or coupon blasts, I don’t blame you. But also, that’s not what we’re doing here.

I can’t find a ton of resources online specifically for wedding cake makers, but there lots of resources out there for wedding vendors in general, and I wanted to share some info I found about email marketing for florists (I think bakers and florists have a lot in common– service based businesses with physical product overhead, lots of artistic design choices, and short shelf-life to deal with)

As marketing expert Sarah Mullins puts it in Florists’ Review: ‘Think of email marketing as relationship marketing—not transactional.’ That’s exactly how we’re approaching email with our cake clients, too! We’re not trying to blast them with a million coupons or sales—we just want to remind them that we exist and can make them something beautiful and tasty when the time is right.

So back to us cake people! 

Some of the easy, relationship building emails we can create are things like:

• A welcome message that sets expectations and saves you inbox time
• A behind-the-scenes look at a cake design you loved
• A reminder that your calendar fills up three months in advance
• A teaser about your Thanksgiving pie sale

Don’t focus on creating emails that are long and fancy and perfect. Just remember you’re sending emails to be helpful.

Also remember that when someone signs up to get emails from you, it’s because they want to hear from you!

A Few Emails to Start With

No pressure to write a monthly newsletter if that’s not your vibe or in your schedule right now. (Maybe it’s something we can add to the “some day” list, though!)

Instead, you could set up some “evergreen” emails to get sent out to your clients behind the scenes.

(Evergreen, in this case, means that you don’t have to manually send these messages out. Whenever someone signs on to your email list, they’ll automatically get the messages based on the settings you gave your email marketing provider.)

The Welcome Email

Introduce yourself, share what you do, and let them know what kind of emails to expect. You can share some links, like your most popular blog post, your FAQ pages, or a wedding that was featured in Martha Stewart weddings that you’re so freaking proud of. (as you should be!)

The “How It Works” Email

This is great for your potential wedding cake clients, especially. But honestly, everyone loves a little peek behind the curtain! 

This of this as a way to answer questions before they come up, like what your booking process is like, how tastings work, or what cities and venues you travel to.

Bonus points if you have some fun photos to share of you in the kitchen or even some behind-the-scenes youtube content!

The “Here’s What I’m Working On” Email

Instead of a monthly newsletter, maybe you could update this email seasonally to let folks know what you’re up to! This is a good time to remind clients about when to order their Christmas cookie platters or to highlight some of your recently published weddings or photoshoots. Or, if you create a lot of content for your blog or youtube channel, you can share about some of your favorite or most popular posts!

If you want these to go out automatically when someone joins your list, Kit is a great option for setting up simple automations. You can tag clients by interest or service type and send them exactly what they need, when they need it.

Use Event Dates to Your Advantage

This is a super smart thing you can do for future bookings.

When a client books with you, add their wedding date or event date into your email marketing system. Then you can set up automations to touch base with them.

A florist company that I love, Bloom Shakalaka, has a program called “Forget Me Not” which is a similar concept. Basically, your job as the vendor is to remind people to order their cakes before your schedule books up.

This works really well for…

• Anniversaries
• Holiday desserts
• Birthdays

Here’s a quick example:

“Hi, [client’s first name]! Your anniversary is coming up! Ready to celebrate with some cake? Before my schedule books up for the season, I wanted to share with you the order form to book your anniversary cake.”

This one system can turn a one-time client into a loyal repeat, and it doens’t add more to your to-do list.

 Kit makes it easy to filter clients by date or service type, and schedule automated follow-ups.

Growing Your List (Without Feeling Weird)

Yes, you need permission before emailing someone. No, it doesn’t have to be complicated.

Option one is to offer a small, genuinely helpful freebie that makes your dream client’s life easier. In marketing terms, aka a lead magnet or a freebie or an opt-in.

Ideas cake decorators can use for lead magnets…

• Your pricing + booking guide
• A one-page PDF like “When to Order Your Wedding Cake (and Why It Matters)”
• Or a PDF about “Cake Flavors That Totally Work for Summer Weddings”
• A visual lookbook: “2025 Wedding Cake Styles to Watch”

Keep it short. Make it beautiful. Link to the resource on your homepage, in your insta bio, even make a QR code for your shopfront or window display (if we wanna get super fancy).

(And yes I totally did the lookbook option, and it’s been one of my most popular freebies ever in my business! Highly recommend!)

Another idea: ask clients if they want to sign up when they’re booking with you. If you use a CRM like Dubsado, you can ask them to opt-in as part of your onboarding process. This is even easier because you don’t have to create anything new for your “lead magnet.”

BDOW! is a popup tool that blends with your branding and helps people join your list without interrupting their experience.

What Software To Use to Keep It Simple

You don’t need all of these (or any of these…but probably at least one of these) but knowing your options can save you time and money.

• Flodesk – super easy to set up and super gorgeous with no coding required. This is my recommendation for any wedding vendor who doesn’t want to get to techy!
• Kit – a bit more advanced than Flodesk with the ability to really automate the heck out of it. That’s what I’m using for my business right now.
• BDOW! – create lead captures & opt-ins on your website and make them look cute not annoying. I’m also using this service right now and it natively integrates with showit!
• Showit – this is what I recommend for your website platform! It’s beautiful and a favorite of wedding vendors for a reason.
• Dubsado – client management for booking, invoicing, scheduling, and systematizing your wedding cake and custom order clients.
• Enji – marketing software for creating strategy, organizing marketing campaigns, and scheduling your posts

Don’t feel like you gotta use all of these programs! Just start with what works for your brain. Then layer in what makes things easier as time goes on!

Read this next: How cake decorators can use Dubsado

You Don’t Need a Marketing Degree, You Just Need a Plan!

Email doesn’t have to be perfect. Done is better than perfect.

Most cake decorators don’t lose clients because their work isn’t good. They lose them because they forgot to follow up, or they waited too long to say, “Hey, I’m booking now.”

You can use email marketing to set up a system that sends the right message to the right client at the right time! And for the love of god, don’t just depend on your memory cuz you’ve got more important stuff stored in there right now!

Do I hear your oven timer going off? You’ve got cakes to make!