Email Marketing Tutorial for Beginners: The $10,000/Month Strategy (Forget What You’ve Been Told!)

Most email marketing tutorials hand you a list of tips and send you off to figure out the platform yourself. This one is different. In this walkthrough, Alston logs into ClickFunnels, builds a real email list, designs a live opt-in page, wires up a Thank You page, and writes the first two automated emails — all on screen, all from scratch. If you have been staring at an empty autoresponder account wondering where to even start, this is the tutorial you needed an hour ago.

The tools cost money, but ClickFunnels offers a two-week free trial (linked in the video description) so you can follow every step without spending a dollar today. By the time the trial ends, you will either have subscribers coming in or you will know exactly what to fix. Either way you will be further than you were before you pressed play.

What You’ll Walk Out With

A working email list inside ClickFunnels Actionetics ready to collect subscribers
A live opt-in landing page built from a template, customized with your branding
A Thank You page that redirects subscribers after they sign up
A Day 0 automated email that delivers your lead magnet the moment someone joins
A Day 1 follow-up email that keeps the conversation going
An SMTP configuration using SendGrid so your emails actually reach inboxes
A clear mental model of how autoresponders work so you can keep adding emails forever without re-doing anything
A sense of which business model is worth building around your specific skills — use finder.platformproof.com to find yours

Why ClickFunnels? Here Is Alston’s Reasoning

Alston calls ClickFunnels his autoresponder, email list generation tool, and page builder of choice. That is three jobs in one platform, which matters when you are just starting out and do not want to duct-tape four different tools together. ClickFunnels handles the landing page, the list, the automation, and the email editor inside one dashboard.

There are other options — Mailchimp, ConvertKit, ActiveCampaign, Kartra — and Alston acknowledges that in the video, saying he is open to discussing the pros and cons of each in the comments. But for this tutorial, ClickFunnels is the tool in the screen recording, and every step maps directly to what you will see when you log in. The two-week free trial removes the risk of committing to a paid plan before you know if the platform fits your workflow.

One thing worth flagging: Alston mentions that the link in the description is an affiliate link. He earns a commission if you sign up through it. That is a transparent disclosure, and it is also how email marketing works in practice — you build a list, you recommend tools you actually use, and the list pays you over time. Watching him set it up live is watching the strategy in motion.

Step 1: Create the Email List in Actionetics

Once you are inside the ClickFunnels dashboard, the first destination is Actionetics, which is ClickFunnels’ built-in email and automation system. Click Actionetics, then Email Lists, then Add New List. Give the list a name — Alston calls his “Email Marketing for Beginners” — and assign it a tag. He uses “EMTB” as the tag shorthand. Leave Smart List off, then click Create New List.

That is the whole first step. You now have a container that will hold every subscriber who opts in through your funnel. The list itself does nothing yet — it is just a labeled bucket. The magic comes in the next steps when you connect the opt-in form to this list so that new subscribers land here automatically.

Step 2: Build the Opt-In Funnel and Landing Page

From the dashboard, click Funnels, then Add New, then Classic Funnel Builder. Set your goal to Collect Emails. Give the funnel a name and a tag — Alston keeps his consistent with the list name so everything is easy to find later. Then click Build Funnels.

Here is where beginners usually freeze: the blank funnel. ClickFunnels solves this by giving you a library of pre-built templates. Pick one that looks clean and close to what you want — Alston picks a basic one and notes that the goal is to get it working fast, not perfect. You can always redesign later. Select the template and you will see two steps: an opt-in page and a Thank You page.

Before you touch the page design, go into Settings and do two things: add your domain and configure your SMTP. ClickFunnels gives you one free domain for the first year. Alston uses “alstongodboldt.click” as his domain for this tutorial. Without a domain attached, your funnel cannot send emails — you will just get errors. For SMTP, Alston uses SendGrid, which is free at the level he needs. Set it in the dropdown, save, and move on.

Now go into the page editor. The opt-in form Alston creates asks for a name and email address. He edits the copy to say “You are joining a one-of-a-kind group — enter your email now.” He also updates the SEO title for the page, because if someone searches your domain name, you do not want the ClickFunnels default title showing up in results. Once you have made your edits, click Save and then Preview to confirm everything looks right before moving on.

Step 3: Set Up Automation So Subscribers Land in Your List

Having an opt-in page and a list is not enough. You need a rule that says: when someone submits this form, add them to that list. That rule lives in the Automation tab of your funnel. Click Automation, then Add New Action.

Give the action a name, set the Condition to Everyone, and set the Action to ClickFunnels Internal: Add to List. Select the list you just created. Save it. Now every time someone fills out your opt-in form, they are automatically added to the Email Marketing for Beginners list and will start receiving the automated emails you set up next. No manual CSV exports, no copy-paste, no manual imports — the whole thing runs itself.

Step 4: Design the Thank You Page

When someone clicks Submit on your opt-in form, they need to go somewhere. That somewhere is your Thank You page. ClickFunnels creates this as the second step in your funnel automatically, and again gives you templates to start from.

Alston picks a clean template and edits the headline to something simple — “Congratulations, you are on your way.” He adds a button that links to his website (alstongodbolt.com) and opens in a new window. He also notes that you can embed a video on the Thank You page to keep new subscribers engaged right away, or add a digital asset like a document directly on the page.

His preference, though, is to send the digital asset (the lead magnet) via email rather than putting it on the Thank You page. The reason: when you make someone click an email link to get their freebie, you confirm that the email address they gave you is real and active. People who enter fake or disposable email addresses just to grab a PDF will not get it, which keeps your list cleaner and your open rates healthier.

The Lead Magnet: What It Is and Why Two Pieces of Content

A lead magnet is the thing you give away in exchange for an email address — a PDF guide, a checklist, a private YouTube video, a webinar recording. Alston calls it a digital asset. The concept is simple: you are not just asking for an email address, you are trading something of value for it.

Alston shares a useful mental model here. He tells his customers that in most cases you need to provide at least two pieces of content before someone will give you one thing back (their email). In this tutorial, the first piece is the YouTube video itself — the tutorial that brought the viewer to the funnel in the first place. The second piece is the lead magnet, the PDF or asset they get after signing up. Two out, one in. Keep that ratio in mind when you are wondering why your opt-in rate feels low.

Step 5: Create the Day 0 Email (The Lead Magnet Delivery)

Once your funnel is set up, go to Actionetics, then Action Funnels, and create a new Action Funnel. Give it a name, tag, and assign it to your list. Set your SMTP configuration and click Create Action Funnel.

Now click Add Step. Label this step “Digital Asset” and set it to Day 0. Day 0 means this email fires the moment someone submits a valid email address. This is the delivery email — the one that gives them what they were promised.

Click New Funnel Step, choose a template, and click Open Email Editor. Delete anything you do not need from the template. Add your logo. Then add an HTML block with your message. Alston’s example reads:

Subject: First Email
Body: “Hi, it’s Alston. Below is your free PDF. [words, words, more words] Thank you. — Alston. P.S. [more words]”

The actual PDF link goes in via a Digital Asset path. In ClickFunnels, go to Account Settings, then Digital Assets. Click the three dots next to your file and click Copy Asset Path. Go back to your email, highlight the text where the link should go, click the link button (it looks like a chain link), paste the asset path, and hit Enter. Click Save.

Finally, go into the email’s Settings tab. Fill in the From name, the Subject line, and confirm the SMTP configuration. Then change the status from Paused to Live. That toggle is easy to miss, but without it the email will never send no matter how many people join your list.

Step 6: Create the Day 1 Follow-Up Email

Go back to your Action Funnel and click Add Step again. This time label it “Day 1” and set it to fire one day after the subscriber joined. The action is Send Email. Click New Funnel Step, choose a template, and open the editor.

Alston’s Day 1 example asks: “Hey — did you enjoy the PDF?” The idea is to check in, get a reply, and start a conversation. You can also embed a YouTube video in this email — ClickFunnels has a video element you can add to any email. The follow-up is also where you can introduce a product or service that is relevant to the lead magnet topic, or ask subscribers to take a specific action: visit your website, reply to the email, watch a video, book a call.

After writing the email, go into Settings, fill in the From, Subject, and SMTP fields, and set it to Live. You now have two emails in a sequence: Day 0 delivers the freebie, Day 1 follows up. You can keep adding steps indefinitely — Day 3, Day 7, Day 14 — by repeating this same process.

Not sure which type of online business fits what you already know?

Email marketing is a tool. It works best when it is pointed at the right model for you. Answer a few questions and get a personalized recommendation at finder.platformproof.com.

How Autoresponders Actually Work (The Key Insight)

Here is the detail Alston walks through that most beginners miss: the Day 0 / Day 1 / Day 7 timing is relative to each subscriber, not to you. If you build a ten-email sequence today, and someone joins your list three months from now, they start at Day 0 that day. They get Day 1 tomorrow. They get Day 7 next week. They move through the entire sequence on their own timeline.

Alston puts it plainly: if today is June 13th and on June 15th you get 20 new subscribers, those 20 people all start their Day 0 on June 15th. You do not have to send anything manually. You do not have to log in and hit Send. The autoresponder handles it. Every new subscriber triggers the same sequence from the beginning, automatically, as long as the sequence is set to Live.

This is the compounding mechanic of email marketing. You build the sequence once. Every subscriber who ever joins your list — today, six months from now, two years from now — receives every email in that sequence. The work you do today keeps running indefinitely. That is why experienced email marketers say their list is their most valuable asset.

Honest Drawbacks of This Setup

ClickFunnels is not free after the trial. The monthly cost is real, and if you are not generating revenue yet, that expense will feel significant. Alston acknowledges this in the video by pointing out that SendGrid is currently free at his usage level, and that ClickFunnels gives a free domain for the first year — both of which soften the upfront cost. But the platform subscription itself requires a commitment.

The setup in this tutorial is deliberately minimal. The opt-in page is a lightly edited template. The emails are placeholder text with “words words more words” as a stand-in. The real work — writing compelling copy, creating a lead magnet people actually want, and building a follow-up sequence that earns trust — happens after the tutorial ends. What Alston gives you here is the technical container. You fill it.

There is also a learning curve if you have never used a page builder before. The ClickFunnels editor requires some trial and error. Alston hits a bug mid-video where a button link does not save correctly the first time. He shows you how he troubleshoots it in real time, which is actually useful — real tools have real quirks, and watching someone work through one calmly is better preparation than a polished no-mistakes demo.

Finally, building a list is only half the job. A list of people who never open your emails is not an asset — it is overhead. Open rates, click rates, and deliverability all matter, and none of that is covered in a setup tutorial. This video gets you to “list exists and first email is live.” The rest is a longer conversation.

The Full Sequence at a Glance

Here is every step from the tutorial compressed into a reference you can check against as you build:

Actionetics: Create a named email list with a tag
Funnels: Add New using Classic Funnel Builder, goal = Collect Emails
Settings: Attach a domain, configure SMTP (SendGrid is a free option)
Opt-in page: Choose template, edit copy and SEO title, add your branding
Automation: Add action — condition: Everyone, action: Add to List
Thank You page: Choose template, add a redirect button or embedded video
Action Funnel Day 0: Deliver the lead magnet via digital asset link, set to Live
Action Funnel Day 1: Follow-up email, check in on the PDF, introduce next step
Keep adding steps: Day 3, Day 7, Day 14 — the sequence runs forever per subscriber

Find Your X

Email marketing is a distribution channel, not a business model on its own. The question underneath all of this is: what are you going to send to that list? If you are not sure which topic, niche, or product model fits your skills and situation, that is the first thing to sort out. The Finder at finder.platformproof.com walks you through a short set of questions and gives you a clear recommendation. Get that answer first, then build the list around it.

Frequently Asked Questions

Do I have to use ClickFunnels or will another platform work?

You do not have to use ClickFunnels. Alston chooses it because it combines a page builder, list manager, and email automation in one place. Other platforms like ConvertKit, ActiveCampaign, Mailchimp, and Kartra offer similar functionality, sometimes at different price points. The concepts in this tutorial — opt-in form, Thank You page, lead magnet delivery, automated sequence — apply regardless of which tool you use. If you already have a preferred platform, you can follow the same steps inside it.

What is a lead magnet and what should mine be?

A lead magnet is a free piece of value you offer in exchange for an email address. Alston gives examples in the video: a PDF guide, a webinar recording, or a private YouTube video. The best lead magnet is something specific enough to solve one clear problem for your target audience. A generic “newsletter” opt-in without a specific hook tends to convert poorly. A PDF titled “The 5-Step Checklist for [specific thing your audience wants to do]” converts better because the value is immediate and obvious.

What is an autoresponder and why does it matter?

An autoresponder is a sequence of emails that go out automatically based on when each subscriber joins your list, not based on when you manually send them. The key insight from the video is that the timing is subscriber-relative. Day 0 fires when they join, Day 1 fires the next day for them, regardless of what day it is for you. This means you write the sequence once and it runs for every future subscriber without any additional work from you.

What is SMTP and why do I need it?

SMTP stands for Simple Mail Transfer Protocol — it is the technical layer that actually sends emails. ClickFunnels does not send emails on its own; it routes them through an external SMTP service. Without one configured, your emails will not go out. Alston uses SendGrid, which has a free tier. Other options include Mailgun, Amazon SES, and Postmark. You connect your SMTP account inside ClickFunnels Settings so the platform knows where to route outgoing mail.

Why does Alston prefer to email the lead magnet rather than showing it on the Thank You page?

Alston explains this directly in the video: when someone has to click a link inside an email to get their freebie, you confirm that the email address they submitted is real and active. If they entered a disposable or fake address, they will never receive the email and will not get the lead magnet. This keeps your list cleaner. Putting the lead magnet directly on the Thank You page lets anyone grab it without ever confirming they gave you a working email address.

How long should my email sequence be?

Alston says you can keep adding emails to the sequence for as long as you want — “until you are blue in the face,” as he puts it. There is no rule that says a sequence must end. Many marketers run sequences of 30, 60, or 90 days, and some have evergreen sequences that run for years. A practical starting point: build a 7-email sequence first (Day 0 through Day 7), get it working and live, then extend it once you see how subscribers respond.

Do I need a custom domain to send emails through ClickFunnels?

Yes. Alston flags this explicitly in the tutorial: without a domain attached to your funnel, emails will not send and you will get errors. ClickFunnels includes one free domain for the first year of your subscription, which Alston uses in the video. After the first year, you will pay the standard renewal cost for that domain, or you can connect a domain you already own. Either way, the domain must be configured before your emails will go out.

What should my Day 1 follow-up email actually say?

The Day 1 email Alston creates in the video is a simple check-in: “Hey — did you enjoy the PDF?” The goal is to continue the conversation, not to sell immediately. You can ask for a reply, share a related tip, or point subscribers toward a relevant YouTube video or blog post. If you do want to introduce a product or affiliate offer, Day 1 or Day 2 is a reasonable time to mention it briefly — but the emphasis should be on continued value first, offer second. Sequences that lead with value before making an ask tend to keep subscribers longer.

Sources

Alston Godbolt, “Email Marketing Tutorial for Beginners: The $10,000/Month Strategy (Forget What You’ve Been Told!)” — YouTube, youtu.be/2BkbQkjb560
ClickFunnels — clickfunnels.com (page builder and email automation platform referenced in the tutorial)
SendGrid — sendgrid.com (SMTP provider used by Alston in the walkthrough)
Platform Proof Finder — finder.platformproof.com (online business model quiz)