I remember the very first time I took a copywriting course.
It was a free YouTube course by Copy That.
I had just quit my marketing job.
I knew I liked to write, and if I was going to make this freelance thing work, it was going to be around this one skill.
But this copy thing? I had no idea what I was getting myself into, frankly.
All I knew was that I was eager to learn.
Anyway, one of the first concepts that stuck with me from that course was the Rule of One.
I still use it to this day.
What is the Rule of One?
Well, it’s pretty damn simple.
Every good piece of copy starts with one big idea, one audience, one offer, and one action.
For example: you craft a landing page targeting new homeowners (one audience), offering them a home security system (one offer), and getting them to opt in for a free home security assessment (one action).
If you write copy hoping to target new home owners AND renters, your message would likely get lost.
I believe there are many use cases for this rule, including email marketing.
Whenever an e-commerce brand owner comes to me saying they’ve ran out of email ideas, it’s usually because they’re trying to send five emails in one.
I just tell them to focus on one thing.
One ingredient.
One benefit.
One myth.
One objection.
One fact.
Then write emails around these topics.
It’s great because you can just keep re-doing this and have endless email campaigns.
Today, we’re looking at one of these email campaigns by Olipop.
This campaign answers a very important question:
“Which ONE moment does your product transform in your customer’s life?”
I love these kind of email campaigns.
Before we get into it, here’s what this article is all about:
What is Emails That Sell?
Each week, I break down an email from a DTC e-commerce 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.
Let’s get into it now:
Subject line:
Time for your OLIPOP break🥤
IYKYK — I prefer lowercase subject lines.
It gives me hope that the email was written by a human, not a robot or some other lifeless creature.
If you asked ChatGPT to write a subject line for this email, it would probably go something like this:
“Unlock Irresistible Flavor: Here’s Your OLIPOP Break 🥤”
See the difference?
Anyway, since most of the emails I analyze are text-heavy, I haven’t talked much about email design, so here we go:
Each designed email should have a hero, bridge, and an offer/CTA section.
Let’s break down each one:
Hero — when someone opens your email, you have about a split second to grab their attention. Your hero section needs to be clear, and most importantly, it needs a strong hook. If you don’t, your reader will move on with their day. It’s that simple.
Sometimes, a strong hook is enough to make the user click-through, so it’s best to have a CTA button already here.
Bridge — you’ve hooked your reader, now you need to build on that momentum. This is where you let your copy shine. Elaborate on your hook (your big idea) to make them even more interested.
Offer/CTA — now it’s time to convert. Obviously, you can’t land a sale IN the email, but what you can do is direct them to the next step (which usually is your website). You can have one simple CTA here, or an array of products with “Shop now” buttons.
Here’s Olipop’s hero section:
Not bad.
Notice what’s missing here is the CTA button.
Some people will never make it past the hero section. If they do, it means they have to scroll (which equals friction).
You want to give readers at least a chance to start shopping.
Let’s look at the bridge:
I love the visualization here:
“Your to-do list is halfway done, and you need a pick-me-up.”
Back when I used to work in the office, 3pm is the time when most people kinda doze off and start looking at the clock.
Boredom kicks in, which usually signals a need for a quick dopamine hit.
And that’s when people start eating all the shit the’re not supposed to be eating.
That’s exactly the one moment OLIPOP transforms.
You can have a refreshing, delicious, guilt-free break.
Mentioning 6-9g of fiber, 2-5g of sugar is a smart move here.
Specific copy is more powerful than vague statements.
There isn’t much to talk about the CTA here…
Sometimes, it’s better to have a soft CTA like “Explore our flavors” instead of “Shop now”.
To recap, here’s what we learned:
TL;DR
Key takeaway #1: Use the Rule of One to brainstorm email ideas
Key takeaway #2: A well-designed email consists of a hero, bridge, and offer section.
Key takeaway #3: Your hero section needs a strong hook.
Key takeaway #4: Don’t forget a CTA button in the hero section.
Key takeaway #5: Use the bridge section to create desire
Key takeaway #6: Transform a moment in your reader’s life
Key takeaway #7: Experiment with soft CTAs
What’s next
What moment does your product transform in your customer’s life?
Pick ONE moment and zoom in on it.
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