Sending an email to reactive subscribers? Here’s an example of how not to do it – with tips for improvement.
I got an email tonight – from a brand I’m not familiar with. I’ve blurred the identifying details to avoid publicly shaming them. But I do hope they see this post – there are so many ways they could make this more effective.
Let’s start with the inbox view:
Tip #1: Don’t be vague
To put this in context: I did not recognize the company name, which appeared in the from line.
So this is an email from a company I’m not familiar with, with a subject line saying they haven’t heard from me (but again, I don’t know who they are) and asking to reconnect (but I don’t remember connecting in the first place).
I know that some people are purposely vague – they believe that the ‘intrigue’ will drive recipients to open. Maybe this is true, but I’ve found that straightforward subject lines and preheader text work better. Because remember – it’s not about getting the open, it’s about getting the click now and about getting me to engage with future emails.
Tip #2: Get personalization right
Do you see that in the subject line? Those initials? “Jc?” Those are supposed to be mine. But as you know if you follow me or actually know me, my initials are ‘jj’ – I’ve never been a ‘jc’ and I’ve never had a first, middle, maiden, married, or other name that begins with a ‘c.’
I usually use my full name when I opt-in for things, but lately I’ve gotten a bit lazy, and I sometimes just do ‘jj.’ But it’s unlikely that I would mistakenly type ‘jc’ for ‘jj’ (try it on a QWERTY keyboard – the ‘j’ and ‘c’ keys aren’t near each other).
Hold that thought for now – I think I know how this happened…
Tip #3: Send during business hours
See that time stamp? 8:07 PM. I actually was at my computer – I was just finishing up a planning call for my graduate school reunion later this year (I’m on the committee).
But where are you usually around 8:00 PM on weeknights? The gym (I swam this afternoon since I had a call tonight)? Watching TV? Spending quality time with family? Reading?
Probably not the best time to reach out and ask if you still want to get emails from a brand pursuing you for a business engagement.
My rule of thumb: for business emails, arrive I the inbox during business hours. I’m based in the Eastern Time Zone, so for sends to recipients here in the United States, which gives us a window of 12:00 Noon to 4:30 PM ET (9:00 AM to 1:30 PM PT).
Now on to my first view of the email message:
Once again, I’ve blurred out the company’s name and other identifying information. But even before that, there’s not much to see here.
Tip #4: Fewer images, more copy
Lots of images. Very little copy.
If they were selling something visual, like clothing, this might make sense.
But it rarely makes sense in a B2B email.
(and when you actually see the images, and find out what they do, I think you’ll agree with me that these images aren’t supporting their goal here).
Tip #5: Give me a reason to continue our email relationship
[Side note: There’s that incorrect personalization again!]
Let’s see…
“Time to reconnect” There’s the preheader text, at the top of the email. Got it.
“It’s been a while…” Yes, we established that in the subject line. Got it.
“Could be you’re busy…” Yes, aren’t we all?
“…or you’re no longer interested in receiving communications from [us]” Yes, that could be. Who are you? And what do you do again? And how could it benefit my business? So many questions.
“Let us know.” Ah, okay.
“Thanks!” Ah, you’re welcome, I guess.
And that’s it. Then I have a choice of two buttons – “Yes, keep me in the loop” and “No thank you”
Which would you choose?
Yes, I hear you, dear reader. “But Jeanne, you haven’t enabled images. If you enable images you might get some of your questions answered.”
But based on what we’ve seen so far, would you enable images? There’s not enough here to justify the time.
But I did, so that I could write this article.
Here’s the email with images enabled (and sender information blurred):
Still nothing here to answer my questions and justify clicking ‘Yes, keep me in the loop.”
Tip #6: Include a brief description of who you are and how you can help me
This is one of my ‘in every email’ items when I am working with clients. You can’t assume that every subscriber receiving your email remembers what your company does.
This brief paragraph is like an ‘elevator’ pitch – it should, clearly and succinctly, describe what your company does and how it can help the reader.
This is probably the biggest reason that this email won’t be as successful as it could be.
Tip #7: Don’t Ghost Your Subscribers
I did a search on the company name in my inbox. I would not have bothered, had I not decided to write this blog post. But I thought some research was in order.
I found a total of 6 previous messages from this organization, all sent between August 2 and September 6, 2023. Nothing before that. And nothing since then. It’s July 10, 2024, so their last email to me was 11 months ago.
And they’re saying they haven’t heard from ME in a while?
The best way to keep subscribers from going inactive is to stay in active communication with them.
The best way to do this: a monthly newsletter with content that will benefit the recipient without a purchase (help them do their job better, enjoy a hobby, etc.) and help reinforce the sender as an expert and keep the sender’s company name top of mind.
Is this easy to do well? No. But it’s possible. I have lots of experience doing this for clients; my background in the publishing industry helps. But even a not-so-great newsletter is better than silence.
Since I’d found our prior correspondence, I took a look. I was hoping to learn what this company does.
Here’s the first email they sent me, back on August 2, 2023, again blurred to protect the sender:
There’s that bad personalization again.
It’s not a bad email. It has a lot of good elements. But this does bring us tip #8…
Tip #8: Know Your Audience
Even though it’s not a bad email, it’s not at all relevant to me. Or to Only Influencers (OI), which they’ve mentioned in the paragraph just above the button (OI is an industry organization I run).
Let’s count all the ways it’s not relevant…
“Reduce returns…” This appears in the preheader text and at the top of the email (where the preheader is apparently being pulled from). Only Influencers provides services, it’s a member organization. There aren’t any returns to be reduced.
“…Product Experiences…” This appears prominently in the header. But I don’t sell products. Not for OI, not for my consulting business, not for my workshop trainings, not for the Email Innovations World event that I program, not for my teaching at Georgetown University.
“We help online retailers…” I’m not an online retailer.
“…resulting in reduced returns…” Again, no returns.
Good list of benefits, but none of them apply to me. I’m not even sure what “composable architecture” is (but now I’m going to have to google it – I love to learn!).
Tip #9: Get Opt-in Permission
Maybe they did, I’m not sure. But the fact that I have no use for their product and the personalization is off is making me wonder if I did opt-in to receive emails from this organization.
Regardless, getting opt-in permission increases the chance that recipients will engage with you, at least at the beginning of the email relationship. Here’s a case study on that.
Opt-in is also a good way to make sure that your product or service is relevant to the recipient.
If the sender purchased this list, I’m sure the seller assured them that everyone on it was an online retailer, their target audience. But that wasn’t true in my case; sometimes people selling lists are mistaken. Or just not truthful.
Tip #10: Be Smart About Reactivation Campaigns
If you’re looking to do a reactive campaign, leverage the tips outlined here. Or contact me. This is the type of project I love to work on for clients.
Until next time,
jj
Photo by Shuken Nakamura on Unsplash
