Ever heard of the Dream 100 strategy?
It’s a marketing concept I learned from Russell Brunson’s book called Traffic Secrets.
It involves identifying your 100 dream clients and then focusing your marketing on them, in hopes of one day working with them.
It’s a pretty cool approach, especially if you’re an agency or a freelancer.
Anyway, one of the brands on my Dream 100 list is Neutonic.
It’s mainly because I’m a big fan of Chris Williamson’s podcast Modern Wisdom.
I started listening to Chris’s podcast back when I trained for my first marathon.
I’d go on these 20-30 km training sessions, with each run lasting about two to three hours.
And trust me, when you’re on your fifth run of the week, listening to music kinda becomes repetitive and boring.
You just wanna stimulate your brain in other ways.
So what I’d do most times is just turn on a Modern Wisdom podcast.
It would make running three hours at zone 2 pace a lil’ more bearable.
The point is, not too long ago, Chris launched a productivity drink called Neutonic.
I’ll be honest, I’ve been trying to reach out to him and his team ever since.
Unsuccessfully, I must add…
I’ve tried different channels – LinkedIn, email, Twitter – heck, I even sent them a browse abandonment email I designed.
*crickets*
Then, a few days ago, I was on Mailboard trying to find some banger emails to analyze.
Guess what I see?
A bloody email from Neutonic.
ARGGHHH.
And the worst part is … IT’S DAMN GOOD AS WELL.
Did they find an email marketing partner?
Did I miss my chance?
Should I have sent that direct mail as well?
Who knows…
All I know is that today we’re breaking down an email campaign from Neutonic.
Before we get into it, here are the rules of Emails that Sell:
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:
Let’s look at the hero section:
Remember, a great hero section usually consists of the follow four:
✅ Image
✅ Headline
✅ Sub-heading
✅ Clear CTA
The first thing that pops out is the readability.
You can’t go wrong with a black font on a white canvas.
I’ve seen a lot of brands have these quirky hero sections, and they’re so difficult to read because the color scheme just doesn’t work.
The headline “Made with science (not just fizz & hope)” grabs my attention.
“(Not just fizz & hope)” adds a bit of personality as well.
I’m not a huge fan of the sub-heading(s), though:
“Our nootropic blend is built on optimal dosages, using human-tested ingredients backed by clinical trials.”
Remember, the goal here is to get the user to click, or at the very least, read the rest of the email.
Does it make me want to do either? Not really.
The subheading drags a bit, and it feels GPT-like.
The same thing applies here:
“Neutonic will help you reclaim your focus.”
“Amplify your productivity.”
“Heighten your concentration.”
All these bullets mean the same thing more or less. There are no three distinct benefits here.
Whenever I edit the first draft of anything that I’ve written, I ask myself:
“Can I convey the same message in fewer words?”
If the answer is yes, I know I have more editing to do.
Could the subheading have been a one-liner?
Yeah, probably…
It could have said:
“Neutonic helps you reclaim your focus with science-backed ingredients in doses that work.”
Now, let’s look at the graph:
There’s a lot of valuable information here, especially the “Zero Sugar” and “120mg Natural Caffeine.”
My question is, though, if it doesn’t have any sugar — then WTH does it have? Sucralose? Stevia? Something else?
People are much more informed about these things nowadays. And it’s important to answer these objections.
The rest of the bullets, “Proven Ingredients,” “Made for Productivity,” “Research-backed formula,” feel more like buzzwords than anything else.
These don’t really mean much…
I would have added info about calories here. Cause I’m curious, if I replace my morning black coffee with Neutonic, will it break my fast?
Anyway, let’s look at the bridge section:
This section is very important.
Now, we’re actually talking about the formula that the email has hyped up.
Unless you work in the beverage industry, or you’re Andrew Huberman’s cousin, you probably don’t know what any of these ingredients are.
It’s super important to educate the reader about the purpose behind each of these.
I would even create a separate email campaign around each ingredient.
What Neutonic has done well here is make it about the reader.
You don’t want this to be a Wikipedia page on “L-Theanine”
Instead, they jump straight into the benefits:
“Increases alpha-wave activity in the brain, associated with creativity, focus, and attention.”
That’s super smart.
It’s also great that they are referencing studies. I would even link to the research studies. I know the golden rule in email marketing is only having one CTA, but in this case, it would give them a lot more credibility.
Even better, if they had the study on their website, it would be a win-win.
Now, it’s a pity this email is missing a final product section.
I would’ve CTA’d a few flavor options, or framed one as a community favorite.
At the very least, I would’ve added a few testimonials describing the flavor of Neutonic.
Cause my question still is … if it doesn’t have sugar, or any replacements, how does it really taste?
Anyway, solid email from Neutonic.
TL;DR
Key takeaway #1: Make your hero section readable
Key takeaway #2: “Can I convey the same message in fewer words?”
Key takeaway #3: Anticipate reader objections
Key takeaway #4: Educate, but make it about the reader
Key takeaway #5: Link to research where you can
Key takeaway #6: Always highlight your products
What’s next
In your next email campaign, explain the science behind your product.
Also, go order a pack of Neutonic. Or listen to the Modern Wisdom podcast. If you haven’t already, subscribe to my email list and get notified of every Emails That Sell analysis + my weekly newsletter.
