Most emails miss the mark because they’re built on guesswork, not real customer needs. This guide shows you how to mine support tickets, comments, and search data to uncover what your audience actually wants. You’ll walk away with practical strategies and tools to create emails that drive engagement, conversions, and trust.
Why Your Emails Aren’t Getting the Response You Want
You’re putting time into writing emails. Maybe even using templates, catchy subject lines, or AI tools to help with the copy. But the results? Low open rates. Fewer clicks. Little to no replies. It’s frustrating, especially when you know your product or service can help people.
The problem usually isn’t the writing. It’s the topic.
Most emails underperform because they’re answering questions no one’s asking. Or worse, they’re solving problems your audience doesn’t even have. That disconnect is what kills engagement.
Here’s what that looks like in practice:
- You send a newsletter about “5 Productivity Hacks for Remote Teams” but your audience is mostly solo consultants who don’t manage teams.
- You write a feature update email about a new dashboard view, but your users are still confused about how to use the basic features.
- You promote a “Getting Started” guide, but most of your readers are already power users looking for advanced tips.
In each case, the email might be well-written. But it’s not relevant. And relevance is everything.
Let’s say you run a small CRM platform. You notice that your onboarding emails get ignored. You assume people just don’t care about onboarding. But when you check your support tickets, you find dozens of users asking the same thing: “How do I import my contacts from Google Sheets?” That’s your email topic. Not “Welcome to our CRM,” but “How to Import Your Google Sheet Contacts in 2 Minutes.”
When you build emails around real questions, you’re not guessing. You’re responding. That’s what makes people open, read, and act.
Here’s a quick comparison of how most people approach email topics vs. what actually works:
| Common Approach | What Actually Works |
|---|---|
| Guessing what sounds interesting | Using real customer questions as your guide |
| Writing about features | Writing about problems people are trying to solve |
| Using generic productivity or business tips | Addressing specific pain points from support or search data |
| Sending the same email to everyone | Tailoring topics to match audience segments |
You don’t need to be a data scientist to do this. You just need to know where to look—and how to listen.
Start by checking your support inbox. If you use a tool like Help Scout, you can tag and filter conversations by topic. Look for repeated questions. What are people asking in their first week? What do they keep getting stuck on? These are your most valuable email prompts.
Next, look at your blog comments, social media replies, or product reviews. If you’re short on time, tools like SentiSum can automatically scan and categorize feedback by sentiment and topic. You’ll quickly see what people are confused about, what they love, and what they wish they understood better.
Search data is another goldmine. Tools like AlsoAsked and Semrush show you what people are typing into Google. These aren’t just keywords—they’re real questions. If you see “how to write a follow-up email after a sales call” getting searched often, that’s a perfect email topic. You’re not just writing for your list—you’re writing for the questions they already have in their heads.
Here’s a breakdown of where to find these questions and what they’re best for:
| Source | What You’ll Find | Best For | Tool to Use |
|---|---|---|---|
| Support tickets | Repeated pain points, onboarding confusion | Educational and trust-building emails | Help Scout, Front |
| Comments & reviews | Frustrations, feature requests, praise | Engagement and feedback loops | SentiSum, Notion AI |
| Search data | High-volume questions, trending topics | Discovery and lead-nurturing emails | AlsoAsked, Semrush |
Once you start pulling from these sources, you’ll notice a shift. Your emails won’t just be content—they’ll feel like answers. And when your emails feel like answers, people open them, read them, and act on them. That’s when email stops being a chore and starts becoming a growth engine.
How to Find the Questions Your Audience Is Already Asking
You don’t need to guess what your audience wants to know. They’re already asking—just not always directly to you. The key is knowing where to look and how to organize what you find.
Start with your support inbox. If you’re using a platform like Help Scout or Front, you can tag and filter conversations by topic. Look for repeated questions, especially those that show up in the first few days of a customer’s journey. These are often onboarding gaps or early friction points. If you see “How do I reset my password?” 20 times a week, that’s not just a help doc—it’s a perfect email topic. You’re solving a real problem before they even ask.
Comments and reviews are another goldmine. YouTube, blog posts, app stores, even LinkedIn threads—people leave clues everywhere. You can manually scan for patterns, but if you’re short on time, use SentiSum to automatically categorize feedback by sentiment and topic. It’s especially useful for spotting recurring frustrations or praise. If people keep saying “I wish this tool had a better way to export reports,” that’s your angle: “How to Export Reports Without the Headache.”
Search data gives you a broader lens. Tools like AlsoAsked and Semrush show you what people are typing into Google. These aren’t just keywords—they’re questions. If you’re in the productivity space and see “how to stop wasting time on email,” that’s a signal. You can turn that into a topic like “3 Ways to Cut Your Email Time in Half Using Smart Filters.”
Here’s a quick breakdown of what each source is best for:
| Source | What You’ll Find | Best For | Tool to Use |
|---|---|---|---|
| Support tickets | Repeated pain points, onboarding confusion | Educational and trust-building emails | Help Scout, Front |
| Comments & reviews | Frustrations, feature requests, praise | Engagement and feedback loops | SentiSum, Notion AI |
| Search data | High-volume questions, trending topics | Discovery and lead-nurturing emails | AlsoAsked, Semrush |
Once you’ve gathered the raw questions, group them by theme. You’ll start to see natural clusters—onboarding, troubleshooting, advanced tips, comparisons. Use Notion AI or ClickUp Brain to help organize and tag these themes. These tools can auto-summarize and sort large volumes of input, saving you hours of manual work.
How to Turn Questions Into Email Topics That Actually Get Read
Now that you’ve got the questions, it’s time to shape them into email topics that feel personal and relevant. The trick is to keep the language simple and direct. Use the exact phrasing your audience uses. Don’t rewrite it to sound clever—just make it clear.
Here’s how to do it:
- Use the question itself as the subject line. Example: “How Do I Import My Contacts from Google Sheets?” It’s specific, familiar, and immediately useful.
- Focus on one question per email. Trying to answer five things at once dilutes the impact. Keep it tight and actionable.
- Match the topic to where your reader is in their journey. Early-stage: “Why Does This Keep Happening?” Mid-stage: “Is This Better Than What I’m Using Now?” Late-stage: “How Do I Get Started Today?”
You can also build mini-series around common themes. If you notice a lot of questions about automation, create a 3-part email series:
- “How to Automate Your Weekly Reports”
- “How to Set Up Smart Triggers Without Coding”
- “How to Avoid Common Automation Mistakes”
This keeps people engaged and builds momentum. It also makes your emails feel like a resource, not just a broadcast.
Use ConvertKit or MailerLite to segment your list based on what people click or ask about. If someone clicks on an email about exporting data, tag them. Next time, send them advanced tips on reporting. This kind of targeting makes your emails feel custom-built.
How to Make Your Emails Feel Like Answers, Not Announcements
People don’t want more content. They want clarity. When your emails feel like answers to their actual questions, they get read, saved, and shared.
Here’s how to make that happen:
- Start with the problem, not the feature. Instead of “New Dashboard Update,” write “Still Struggling to Find Your Weekly Metrics?”
- Use plain language. Skip jargon. Say what you mean. “How to Speed Up Your Workflow” beats “Optimizing Operational Efficiency.”
- Include a clear next step. Link to a guide, a tool, or a feature that solves the problem. Example: “Here’s how to set up smart filters in ClickUp Brain to cut your task time in half.”
- Keep it short. 3–5 sentences is enough. You’re not writing a blog post—you’re solving a problem in their inbox.
You can also use Notion AI to draft quick answers based on the questions you’ve collected. Paste in the question, and let it generate a concise, helpful response. Then tweak it to match your tone. This saves time and keeps your emails focused.
3 Actionable Takeaways
- Start collecting real questions from support tickets, comments, and search data.
- Use tools like Help Scout, SentiSum, and AlsoAsked to organize and validate what matters most.
- Write emails that answer one question at a time, using the customer’s own language and linking to a clear next step.
Top 5 FAQs About Turning Questions Into Email Topics
1. What if I don’t have support tickets or customer data yet? Start with search data. Tools like AlsoAsked and Semrush show you what people are asking online.
2. How often should I send these question-based emails? Once a week is a good rhythm. It keeps you top of mind without overwhelming your audience.
3. Can I reuse questions across different segments? Yes, but tweak the framing. A beginner might need “How to Get Started,” while an advanced user wants “How to Optimize.”
4. What’s the best tool for organizing questions into themes? Notion AI and ClickUp Brain are both excellent for clustering and tagging insights.
5. How do I know which questions are worth turning into emails? Look for repetition. If a question shows up often—in support, comments, or search—it’s worth answering.
Next Steps
- Start tagging and collecting questions from your support inbox using Help Scout or Front.
- Use SentiSum to scan reviews and comments for recurring frustrations or requests.
- Plug those questions into AlsoAsked or Semrush to validate search volume and interest.
- Organize your findings with Notion AI or ClickUp Brain to build a content calendar.
- Draft your first email using the exact question as the subject line, and keep the answer short, clear, and actionable.
You don’t need to reinvent your email strategy. You just need to listen better. The questions are already out there—your job is to turn them into answers people actually want to read.
Once you start doing this consistently, your emails will stop feeling like noise and start becoming a trusted resource. That’s when engagement goes up, trust builds, and your audience starts looking forward to hearing from you.
The best part? You’re not guessing anymore. You’re responding. And that’s what makes your emails work.