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Email Marketers Using AI Report Vastly Better Returns, Say Analysts

Litmus asked 500 marketers in 2026 how they were getting on with email and artificial intelligence, and the keen ones are pulling well ahead on returns. This includes practices like yours, assuming you still send newsletters, which you should.

Page updated: 14 Aug 2026

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Wellbeing practices that treat their email list as a chore rather than a channel are, according to this research, leaving money quietly on the table while the AI-curious edge further ahead.

Original Research	Marketers who have properly taken up AI tools in their email work report far stronger returns than those who haven't, per Litmus's 2026 survey
Source	https://www.litmus.com/landing-page/state-of-email-2026
Overview	Litmus, the email platform owned by Validity, surveyed 500 marketing professionals in 2026 about their use of AI and the results it was producing.
Year	2026
Publisher	Brand, Litmus (Validity)
Relevance to Wellbeing	Aimed at marketers broadly rather than wellbeing practices specifically, but email is one of the few channels a small practice still owns outright, so the underlying trend is worth noting.
Our Verdict	Too early to tell the numbers are genuinely striking, they're just not aimed at anyone running a therapy room or a retreat centre.
Our Summary	The AI-adoption gap in email returns is large enough to be interesting, not just vendor optimism. Email remains a channel small practices control fully, with no algorithm to keep up with. Nobody in the 500 marketers surveyed is identified as working in coaching, therapy, or healing. The ROI figures are self-reported, and self-reported figures tend to flatter whoever's asking.
Our Geo View	Applies broadly to all countries

Abstract of wellbeing niches and revenue flow

Recognise how this might impact your practice

Why this might matter to you

Coaching: this matters because coaches often lean on newsletters to keep clients warm between sessions, and better tools might make that easier to keep up.
Therapy: this matters because a well-timed automated email can nudge someone back towards booking without anyone typing it out at eleven at night.
Training: this matters because trainers running group sessions live and die by reminder emails, and sharper targeting means fewer no-shows on leg day.
Alternative Healing: this matters because healers who've always found "proper marketing" off-putting might find AI-assisted email less intimidating than expected.
Clinical: this matters because clinics running appointment reminders by email could see real gains from smarter automation, beyond just fewer missed slots.
Retreat/Centre: this matters because retreats sell months ahead, and a sharper email funnel is the difference between a full house and a lot of empty mats.

Where this came from

Litmus says the marketers who've actually got to grips with AI are seeing returns the rest can only envy.

Litmus (Validity), The State of Email 2026 report, published 2026.

Credibility flags: self-reported survey of 500 marketing professionals; methodology disclosed in broad terms, but sample industry breakdown not published.

How we scored this

A relevance score out of 100, built from three things: how well it fits the six practice types, how recent it is, and how solid the methodology behind it is.

55%

Practice fit, 25How new, 100How solid, 50

Marked down on how well it fits wellbeing practices since none of the sample is confirmed to work in the sector, kept high on recency as this is current-year data, and held to a middling score on method confidence because it's a vendor-run survey rather than an independently verified study.

It's worth considering changes to your marketing practices

What this means for your marketing

Check your last three email campaigns and note one thing an AI tool could plausibly have done faster.
Say plainly in your next newsletter that a real person wrote it, before anyone starts wondering.
Put your open rates next to a general benchmark and see if you're the one falling behind.
Brief whoever sends your emails on what "AI-assisted" actually means before you promise it to clients.
Put your booking-reminder emails on the list for review, not just your newsletter.

Who this is most useful for

Practice type	Relevance	Recommended action
Coaching	Medium	Trial one AI-assisted subject line tool this quarter.
Therapy	Low	Keep emails simple and human, note the trend for later.
Training	Medium	Use AI-driven scheduling for class reminders.
Alternative Healing	Low	No urgent action, revisit in a year.
Clinical	Medium	Review appointment reminder emails for automation gaps.
Retreat/Centre	High	Audit your booking-funnel emails for AI-assisted personalisation.

Best before

Best before: the next State of Email report, expected late 2026 or into 2027, from Litmus.

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