♻️ 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.)

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

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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

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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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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

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Or find on your favorite podcast player

Shownotes:

Let’s dive into the strategies and methods used in the South Mountain Bees holiday tease email, featured in Episode 46.

Ideas you don’t want to miss

(02:35) Takeaway #1: Outsource to systems, not just people

(03:41) Takeaway #2: Don't hate on pop-ups, but time them right so they aren’t hateful

(04:11) Takeaway #3: Know your audience's unique engagement signals

(07:06) Takeaway #4: Keep testing on social, but keep some exclusivity for your subscribers

(07:44) Takeaway #5: Make your One Reader someone in your life

(08:18) Takeaway #6: Avoid tease emails if you need measurable results

(08:47) Takeaway #7: There’s no avoiding “primed” spending periods

(09:37) Takeaway #8: Look beyond subject lines - optimize all four inbox "open me" elements

(11:01) Takeaway #9: Use "sell vs. tell" when the product is highly anticipated

Links from this episode

Take a look at the emails we featured in Ep. 46

Grab my free Reengagement Playbook to design your unique re-engagement strategy

Take 10% off the Playbook that inspired this email (the Promos and Launches Playbook) with code BEE10

Hear Heather’s take on subscribers who will never buy in Episode 44

Dig into how to test ideas on social in Episode 37

Get the full discussion on the pros and cons of tease emails in Episode 2

Learn the Show vs. Tell feature highlighted in Episode 43

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

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

Shownotes:

When your dad's birthday is November 30, how do you pull off a successful holiday season without sacrificing precious family time? If you're Adriana Compagnoni, you launch an exclusive pre-sale that not only builds buzz – but also carves out space to enjoy the season.

About our guest

Adriana became a beekeeper in 2012 with two hives and a lot of enthusiasm. Having over 20 years of academic experience in computer science, and being an avid gardener, she approaches beekeeping with a scientist's eye and a gardener’s mind. Because of the susceptibility of bees to pesticides, the synergy between gardening and beekeeping leads to environmentally friendly gardening practices. Her bees forage in the South Mountain Reservation, stopping at their favorite flowers in the yards and trees of SOMa. From linden, poplar, Japanese bamboo, and a variety of wild and garden flowers, the bees collect nectar to produce delicious honey, which won Best in Extracted Honey Division at the New Jersey Honey Show in 2020. Using the surplus of honey and beeswax the bees produce, she strives to offer top quality soaps, lip balm, and other cosmetic products, which have earned numerous awards at the New Jersey Honey Show over the years, including Best in Cosmetics Division four years in a row.

Ideas you don’t want to miss

(3:07) The idyllic first encounters that turned this computer science professor into a beekeeper

(8:39) Adriana’s unique perspective on outsourcing

(11:34) How Adriana found her cadence and voice

(15:27) The top 3 tricks Adriana uses to write better emails

(22:37) How this email evolved over 3 years of Black Friday promos

(25:50) How prioritizing family time actually increased her sales

(32:29) How she writes her highest performing emails (i.e. the ones with the double-digit conversion rates!)

Links from this episode

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

Get 20% off Adriana’s award-winning bee products with code NIKKI20 at South Mountain Bees

Get the Promo and Launches Playbook that inspired Adriana’s successful Black Friday pre-sale

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

Check out the one-liner emails that inspire Adriana’s honey sales

Connect with Adriana on Facebook

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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Shownotes:

Let’s dive into the strategies and methods used in the Webroot lead gen email, featured in Episode 44.

Ideas you don’t want to miss

(02:26) Takeaway #1: Email is not an end, it's a means

(04:15) Takeaway #2: Identify your product as a solution or a delighter to plan your approach accordingly

(05:14) Takeaway #3: You can only forego email basics if you're small

(05:40) Takeaway #4: Strategy-first - copy, code, and design second

(08:12) Takeaway #5: Value alignment is often just a differentiator, not a purpose driver

Links from this episode

Take a look at the emails we featured in Ep. 44

Be more strategy driven by joining Email Mastery

Listen to Jasper's take on value alignment in Ep. 40

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

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