There's a follow up question to this:
I have a list about 2000 contacts and I don't know if I should email people. I already used mailchimp. But I don't think it's the right way to do it.
Should I email people personally and tell them about the product?
To answer this question on its most basic level – Yes, it's OK to market your new startup via email … and you should!
However, since you're asking this question … I feel like there's more to it … like, you're really asking something else. So, let me try and answer what I think you're really asking.
Firstly, you need to have permission to email those 2,000 people. Did they opt-in to receive emails from you? Where did you get their email addresses from? Do you know them personally? There is a lot of gray area when it comes to sending emails to people who did not opt-in. Some are illegal – like scraping or harvesting email addresses.
So, just be careful and make sure you're following the laws. If in doubt … I'd say, start over … and/or at least consult a lawyer that's familiar with the topic.
Secondly, let's assume you have permission to email these 2,000 contacts. My next question would be … would they care about your startup? If you build a list about fitness, but your startup is about dog training … emailing your fitness list probably wouldn't be too effective.
So, make sure that your list's interests match those of your startup.
As for emailing people personally. I wouldn't email all 2,000 people personally, because that'll take forever and I'm sure it wouldn't be worth the time. However, picking the top 50 to 100 people you think will convert … may be worth emailing personally.
In conclusion – yes, email is a great way to market your startup if your list is legal and they want to hear about it!