Show notes

♻️ This is a replay episode originally aired on June 19, 2024. I’m resurfacing it because – as much as we love fresh content – replaying smart ideas deepens the insights. And a second listen usually surfaces something you missed the first time ‘round. So, earbuds in — pen out. Let’s make this listen actionable. ♻️

How do you bid farewell to your subscribers after building a fan base who consistently posts your emails to social? Oh, and you’re not tasked with sending one or two goodbyes – your brief includes 19 (!) reminders. If you’re Jared Jones, formerly of Drizly, you lean into the humor of the situation and craft a sendoff that perfectly matches the absurdist voice your brand is loved for.

About our guest

Jared Jones is a writer, musician, and one-time podcast guest living in Boston, Massachusetts. He's currently trying to sell his first screenplay so if you happen to know any famous movie producers, well, that'd be pretty neat.

Ideas you don’t want to miss

(05:25) How Jared used his comedy background to develop the Drizly voice – and his “test the fences” barometer

(11:43) How the team planned the 19-email-20-push (!) Drizly goodbye – and how the idea was borne from the absurd amount of emails they had to send

(12:49) How the “last Western” movie influenced the idea and imagery of the campaign

(16:55) Jared’s brainstorming strategy – and elusive methods for defining a creative process

(21:25) The results of the goodbye emails (and other fun subscriber reactions over the years)

(28:30) How Jared is transitioning to a new role at a 100-year old brand that has tighter fences

(30:13) Jared’s favorite brands to swipe emails from

(32:14) A neat trick Jared uses to build loyalty with his readers

Links from this episode

Take a look at the emails we’re talking about today

Plan more effective campaigns with my Promo and Launches Playbook or with my Campaign Ideation Masterclass

Check out the product description pages (PDps) on Firebox’s site

Follow Jared’s journey as he shapes the evolving Stanley Black and Decker Craftsman voice

See how Liquid Death’s voice touches everything they do

Replace your Drizly fix with another “absurdist” brand, Goodr

Check out how Chubbies speaks straight to their audience

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Let me know what you thought about the episode by emailing podcast@nikkielbaz.com

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Let's dive into the strategies and methods used in the Rev holiday email, featured in Episode 9.

Takeaways

(2:32) Takeaway#1: Creativity isn’t magic

(3:25) Takeaway #2: Safe risks are the name of the game

(4:28) Takeaway #3: Humor is a vehicle for building connection – not just likeability

(7:03) Takeaway #4: Be understanding of clients/boss’ hesitations to risk

Links from this episode:

Take another look at the email we featured in Episode 7

Get access to Nick's class on creativity when you join Email Mastery.

Get really jealous of Dr. Eric's Fier's patients when you take a look at his site.

Grow your business when you join the Creative CEO Academy (I'll earn a commission.)

Get Nikki's email musings at ⁠nikkielbaz.com/subscribe

Subscribe to Email Swipes and never miss another episode:

Apple Podcasts

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Google Podcasts

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Read less

Show notes

♻️ This is a replay episode originally aired on Mar 14, 2024. I’m resurfacing it because – as much as we love fresh content – replaying smart ideas deepens the insights. And a second listen usually surfaces something you missed the first time ‘round. So, earbuds in — pen out. Let’s make this listen actionable. ♻️

How do you win back public favor when the NY Times slams your company? They say no press is bad press, and for Nick, the NYT thumbs-down was just the opportunity he'd been waiting for. Here's how his overhaul of the Rev email program rebuilt brand equity, reinvigorated the dispirited team, and grew a cult-like following.

Timestamps:

(3:14) Why the New York Times slammed Rev – and how Nick took the opportunity to turn around the brand voice by the (sled) reigns

(4:32) How they reduced risk pre-send

(6:59) The follow up email that snowballed the campaign viral-ity

(10:31) Why you shouldn’t plan an airtight content calendar

(13:00) How Nick reapplied media principles and community building methodology to bust expectations

(15:28) The benign violation theory that gives these emails their magic

(19:19) The craziest job offer story that sounds too crazy to be true

(22:23) Why Nick's favorite email lists change so frequently

About our guest

Nick Gaudio is a native West Virginian, ENFJ, Ravenclaw, Scorpio, Wood Ox, and Chaotic Good. He's earned an MFA from The University of Michigan, as well as seven awards from the Press Association as a reporter. Nick has served as a writer and/or email expert for many companies, large to small, B2B to B2C, ecom to SaaS: including theCHIVE.com, Saatva, Rev, Infinite Ranges, RunYourPool, and most recently, Rattle. He lives in Austin with his very patient wife and three toddlers.

Links from this episode:

Take a look at the first email we’re talking about today

Take a look at the second email we’re talking about today

Follow Nick on ⁠LinkedIn⁠

Plan more effective campaigns with my Email Playbooks or with my SaaS Success Pack.

Free consult when you sign up for Kit (formerly ConvertKit) using this affiliate link. Terms and conditions here.

Follow Nikki on LinkedIn

Get Nikki's email musings at ⁠nikkielbaz.com/subscribe ⁠

Subscribe to Email Swipes and never miss another episode

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Or find on your favorite podcast player

♻️ This is a replay episode originally aired on May 8, 2024. I’m resurfacing it because – as much as we love fresh content – replaying smart ideas deepens the insights. And a second listen usually surfaces something you missed the first time ‘round. So, earbuds in — pen out. Let’s make this listen actionable. ♻️

Timestamps

(3:23) Takeaway 1: Convert users by helping them to get to the aha moment

(5:13) Takeaway 2: Use fun to increase engagement, but temper it with relevance

(6:34) Takeaway 3: Use future pacing to help readers get over barriers and into their dreams

(7:19) Takeaway 4: Challenge your defaults to keep yourself fresh

(7:57) Takeaway 5: Get readers hooked with a micro-commitment

(8:45) Listen in on Dawn’s experience collaborating on this project – and her insightful thoughts on the email and flow

Links from this episode

Take a look at the email we’re talking about today

Plan more effective onboarding sequences with my SaaS Onboarding Success Pack

Be more persuasive with the 7 persuasion principles presented in Influence by Robert Cialdini (Pre-fluence is his latest, but I haven't read it, so I can't recommend it.)

Grow your business when you join the Creative CEO Academy (I'll earn a commission.)

Follow Nikki on LinkedIn

Get Nikki's email musings at ⁠nikkielbaz.com/subscribe ⁠

Let me know what you thought about the episode by emailing podcast@nikkielbaz.com

Subscribe to Email Swipes and never miss another episode

Apple Podcasts

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Google Podcasts

Or find on your favorite podcast player

Read less

Show notes

♻️ This is a replay episode originally aired on May 2, 2024. I’m resurfacing it because – as much as we love fresh content – replaying smart ideas deepens the insights. And a second listen usually surfaces something you missed the first time ‘round. So, earbuds in — pen out. Let’s make this listen actionable. ♻️

How do you convince your audience to take time out of their busy day to set the goals they need to succeed with your software? You make a crazy ask and intro yourself with a little inbox mediation – complete with visualization GIF! Because when you’re talking to an audience using visuals to grow, what better way to help them see their success than having them paint their own imaginary self portrait for the future?

Ideas you don't want to miss:

(4:27) How I landed on the big idea for this email flow – and the 3 reasons it worked so well

(6:52) The type of email that I find hardest to write – and why

(8:58) What it was like to write an email flow together with another copywriter

(9:53) How this email changed from its original iteration

(10:16) The reactions this email garnered

Links from this episode

Take a look at the email we’re talking about today

Plan more effective campaigns with my Email Playbooks or with my SaaS Success Pack.

Free consult when you sign up for Kit (formerly ConvertKit) using this affiliate link. Terms and conditions here.

Follow Nikki on LinkedIn

Get Nikki's email musings at ⁠nikkielbaz.com/subscribe ⁠

Let me know what you thought about the episode by emailing podcast@nikkielbaz.com

Subscribe to Email Swipes and never miss another episode

Apple Podcasts

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Or find on your favorite podcast player

What do eight email pros across five countries, a DIY team of one, and a ChatGPT pie recipe have in common? In this season wrap-up, we’re talking global email insights, smart teamwork strategies, and why AI still needs your brain to get email right.

Ideas you don’t want to miss

(0:53) The unintentionally internationality of this season — and why cultural context matters

(2:04) How more guests this season work with teams — and how solo marketers can build a “non-team team”

(2:33) Why AI, templates, or best practices aren’t enough — and what really moves the needle in winning email strategy

(4:08) Give feedback, get pie (i.e. the slightly shameless bribe to fill out the end-of-season survey)

Links from this episode

Share your thoughts – and get pie! – in this Season Wrap Up Survey

Hear how a simple sender name switch changed everything in Ep. 44

Get dizzingly inspired by the BBC’s hyper-personalized campaign featured in Ep. 38

Listen how Anne-Laure leaned into her relationship-building instincts in Ep. 34

Follow the Jasper’s surprising non-best practice winning variation in Ep. 40

Plan more effective campaigns with my Email Playbooks or with my SaaS Success Pack.

Free consult when you sign up for Kit (formerly ConvertKit) using this affiliate link. Terms and conditions here.

Follow Nikki on LinkedIn

Get Nikki's email musings at ⁠nikkielbaz.com/subscribe ⁠

Let me know what you thought about the episode by emailing podcast@nikkielbaz.com

Subscribe to Email Swipes and never miss another episode

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Or find on your favorite podcast player

Let’s dive into the strategies and methods used in the Four Sigmatic Black Friday email, featured in Episode 48.

Ideas you don’t want to miss

(2:04) Takeaway #1: Vet your projects using the Four F’s

(3:02) Takeaway #2: The best copy marries creativity AND data

(4:06) Takeaway #3: Pretty emails can (and should!) be persuasive

(4:43) Takeaway #4: Let your customers fill your content calendar by mining reviews for email ideas

(6:07) Takeaway #5: My creative brainstorming process (lots of words, a little magic)

(7:06) Takeaway #6: Make sure your segmentation strategy is pulling its weight (I know, I’ve said this one 100x before!)

Links from this episode

Take a look at the emails we featured in Ep. 48

Dig into the 4 F's framework in Michal Eisik’s Profitable Freelancer

Listen to how Drizly, PowerUp Toys, and Awara marry pretty and persuasion. There are lots more examples in my Ecomm Playbooks too!

Turn customer reviews into email campaigns with my Campaign Ideation Masterclass - just 31 minutes for $43

Plan more effective emails with my Ecomm Playbooks or SaaS Success Pack

Free consult when you sign up to Kit (formerly ConvertKit) using this affiliate link. Terms and conditions here.

Follow Nikki on LinkedIn

Get Nikki's email musings at ⁠nikkielbaz.com/subscribe ⁠

Let me know what you thought about the episode by emailing podcast@nikkielbaz.com

Subscribe to Email Swipes and never miss another episode

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Or find on your favorite podcast player

When your client has specific email requirements that don’t fit your data-first approach, how do you earn conversions, while still maintaining that creative voice they’re looking for? If you’re me, you mine the customer reviews for punchy copy that speaks directly to the customer’s hesitations.

Ideas you don’t want to miss

(1:14) Why this dizzying campaign was different than any other Black Friday campaigns I’d worked on previously

(1:52) The #1 thing I love about Four Sigmatic emails

(2:29) How I got around the creative-first approach and snuck in some voice of customer data

(4:48) The surprising results of this launch-heavy Black Friday campaign

(5:19) The 2 things I’d change about this email – and how it influenced our work going forward

Links from this episode

Take a look at the emails we’re talking about today

Leverage customer reviews to build your own high-converting campaigns with my $43 masterclass: "Your Customers Should Be Writing Your Emails: How to Use Customer Reviews to Cheat Your Way Through More Email Campaigns"

Plan more effective campaigns with my Promo and Launches Playbook

Free consult when you sign up to Kit (formerly ConvertKit) using this affiliate link. Terms and conditions here.

Follow Nikki on LinkedIn

Get Nikki's email musings at ⁠nikkielbaz.com/subscribe ⁠

Let me know what you thought about the episode by emailing podcast@nikkielbaz.com

Subscribe to Email Swipes and never miss another episode

Apple Podcasts

Spotify

Google Podcasts

Or find on your favorite podcast player