The other day, a fashion brand asked my opinion on their email marketing strategy.
They said they send three email campaigns a week.
Tuesday and Thursday are brand awareness campaigns, and Saturday is a sales campaign.
I was a bit confused to say the least, so I asked:
“Why do you only sell on Saturdays?”
“We don’t want to pitch our products all the time.”
I understood what they meant.
And it’s 100% true, you don’t want your emails to sound like constant sales letters.
But that doesn’t necessarily mean you need awareness campaigns.
Here’s how I see it:
You should sell in every email you send.
But there’s a massive difference between soft-selling and hard-selling.
Blasting an email to your list out of nowhere with a discount screaming “buy now” is hard-selling.
I suggest you stay away from sending those types of email campaigns, unless you want to turn off your subscribers completely.
Turns out, that’s pretty much what they were doing each Saturday.
Here’s the problem with that approach:
You’re conditioning your customers to always expect discounts.
Especially when you only do it on one specific day.
That means no matter how good an email you send on Tuesday and Thursday, no one will buy.
And by the time Saturday comes around, most of those people will have already moved on.
Let me tell you something that I practice with my email list and my customers.
Give value first.
Every email you send should provide value in some way.
This could be in the form of:
Education (tips, information, facts about your products).
Or entertainment (storytelling, humor).
When you do that, you don’t have to differentiate between awareness and sales campaigns.
Each email tells them something about you that they didn’t know before.
Your audience feels like they learn something new with each email.
And the truth is, when you give value, it lowers their guard, and they are much more receptive to you asking for a sale.
Now, there are times when you have a special occasion, and you just want to launch a huge sale.
Maybe it’s a shopping holiday, or you have a brand anniversary.
How do you approach it?
Do you do it the conventional way by designing a huge banner template?
That’s not the way I would do it.
In this week’s email breakdown, we’re looking at two plain-text sales emails from US accessories brand Ridge and breaking down what makes them so effective.
We’ll get into it in a moment.
But before:
What is Emails That Sell?
Each week, I break down an email from a fashion or accessories brand. Some of these brands are absolutely killing it when it comes to email marketing.
My goal with this series is to challenge conventional email marketing. Expect to learn different copywriting techniques, sales psychology, and consumer behavior — everything that moves you away from hard-selling discount campaigns and other mass-market tactics.
If you have an email you want me to break down, send it over to me on LinkedIn or at marketing@siimpettai.com
Now, let’s get down to business.
Subject line: kind of surreal
I love this short, punchy, curiosity-provoking headline.
In my previous email analysis, I talked about the 4 U’s formula to craft effective subject lines.
This subject line is a great example of it.
Also, since this is a sales email, they could have easily added “40% off” to the subject line, but that would have made it boring.
In fact, it would have sounded like every other email in the reader’s inbox.
It would have also screamed, “THIS IS A SALES PITCH.”
And no one wants to be pitched.
Key takeaway #1: Make your sales emails something people want to read
Now, the body copy:
Here’s what I love about plain-text emails:
When you open them, they look like they were written by a friend.
An email that starts with “Daniel here, founder of Ridge,” is much more likely to get read because it’s super personal.
The first line about the 12th anniversary of Ridge provokes curiosity.
It makes me wonder: “Hmm… where is this going?”
Key takeaway #2: Tease the reader to keep them hooked
What happens next is great …
Daniel reminds you about the brand’s founding story.
He shows that there’s an actual reason Ridge exists, other than to make money.
They’re here to solve a problem: bulky wallets.
People in your email list deal with problems and pains every day, and bulky wallets are one of them.
Key takeaway #3: Remind them what problem your products solve
It’s a great way of answering the question:
“What can these products do for me?”
Key takeaway #4: A sale should always have a reason behind it
If you just come out guns blazing, “Here’s 50% off, buy now,” it feels like bribery.
It doesn’t feel special at all.
In this case, the reason behind the sale is to celebrate the anniversary of Ridge.
I love the subtle hint of urgency as well.
“Consider it a limited time form of minimalism.”
Here’s the thing about sales campaigns.
And this applies to you whether you sell physical products or info products.
You’ll make the most sales when you announce the sale and end the sale.
In other words, when you open the cart and close it.
This is what the graph usually looks like:
You can increase sales in the beginning by offering an extra incentive to early buyers.
Usually, the end of the sale takes care of itself, as long as you send follow-ups and give a deadline.
Back to the email.
I love the use of multiple links, I think that’s smart.
If it were for me, I would have added a 3rd link in the first paragraph as well.
Usually, the more links you add (Important: not CTAs), the higher the chances someone clicks through to your website.
Key takeaway #5: Add more links to plain-text emails
A few days later, Daniel sends a follow-up reminder:
This email is super simple, yet effective.
Let’s break it down:
It gives a reason for reaching out —> sale is ending.
Daniel then reminds the reader what the sale is about (anniversary).
He briefly mentions the brand’s mission (re-imagining everyday essentials).
It drives FOMO by saying, “I don’t want you to miss out.”
It bolds the offer (save up to 40%).
And finishes with a simple call to action.
Key takeaway #6: Drive FOMO in follow-up emails
These plain-text emails from the founder tend to be some of the most effective ways to end a sale.
You’d think these emails wouldn’t work for visual brands, like fashion and luxury, but they actually do (you can read about it here).
Great job, Ridge.
To recap:
TL;DR
Key takeaway #1: Make your sales emails something people want to read
Key takeaway #2: Tease the reader to keep them hooked
Key takeaway #3: Remind them what problem your products solve
Key takeaway #4: A sale should always have a reason behind it
Key takeaway #5: Add more links to plain-text emails
Key takeaway #6: Drive FOMO in follow-up emails
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Read more:
Emails That Sell #6: Plain-Text Re-Engagement Emails (Eight Sleep)
Emails That Sell #5: The No Discount Cart Abandonment Email (Whisky Loot)
Emails that Sell #4: How to Communicate Your Unique Mechanism
