A 3 Email Masterclass In Simplicity

I’m always on the lookout for ecommerce brands that use copy as the backbone of their email strategy.

Don’t get me wrong, I’m not saying that EVERY ecommerce brand needs to do this. Some brands do great with highly designed emails and others just don’t need a lot of compelling copy to sell their product.

But as an email copywriter and list manager by trade, I’m always interested to see how different brands are utilizing copy in their emails.

I’ve found that the brands who utilize copy over design come across as more personal, more approachable, and more trustworthy.

But maybe that’s just me.

Anyways… I’m rambling.

This week’s Made Me Click email breakdown is focused on a three email flow from PEEL.

A brand that sells minimalist phone cases and takes the same approach to email.

Before I jump in, I would love your feedback on these breakdowns. Leave a comment down below or hit me up on LinkedIn and let me know.

As a reminder, every week I am going to pick a different email that I read and that “made me click.” I’ll break down the email from the subject line to CTA and share what I think they did really well. 

Hopefully I can share some insights into what makes a really good email and how you can use these insights to improve your click through rates and email conversions. 

If you have an email that “made you click” and you’d like me to break it down, shoot me an email at ben@henkenmarketing.com.

Now let’s get onto the good stuff…

Email #1 – The Welcome Email.

The welcome email may be the MOST important email that you send to your list.

It welcomes them to your brand and sets the tone for your relationship.

PEEL does a few key things with this email that I want to point out.

First – the email is coming from Marshall. The CEO of PEEL and more importantly, a single person. It’s not coming from the “brand.”

Next – Social proof. “You’re in good company. Over 300,000+…”

Social proof is always a needle mover. By showing how many people are apart of this tribe, PEEL is reinforcing the idea that this is the right place to be.

And this sentence serves to weed out certain subscribers. “300,000+ minimalists…”

If you’re not a minimalist, then this isn’t the tribe for you.

Next – Shares what PEEL stands for.

Three simple bullets. The brand is a minimalist brand and the copy is following up on that vision.

Once again, this is setting the foundation for the tribe and is disqualifying anyone who doesn’t fit.

Finally – what to expect

Lastly, PEEL shares what to expect with future emails. I love that they do this and I don’t see it happen often enough. 

I also love that they have a BIMI set up. Notice that the little circle next to Marshall’s name at the top…

Because of this, they could even get away with just sending the email from Marshall. 

Email #2 – Big Ideas

One of the big things that I think makes a welcome flow do really well is telling the WHY of the brand and founder.

People connect with stories.

They want to know that you’ve built a product for a particular reason. Not just because you wanted to make some extra cash.

In this second email from PEEL they do exactly that.

Once again, it’s minimal but packed full of great copy.

Starting with sharing one of the “big ideas” of PEEL, they introduce you to what makes the brand unique. Here they are still building up what it means to be a part of the PEEL tribe.

Next, they don’t just tell you what they believe in. They SHOW you with their process for living intentionally.

Finally, PEEL shares the “WHY” behind the brand and how they use their WHY as the backbone for everything that they do.

Finally, PEEL leaves you with a “sneak peak” of the next email… Love the open loop.

Email #3 – Building On The Big Idea

Notice how each of these emails builds into the next one.

It’s like you’re watching a TV show.

A very minimalistic TV show… but the principles still apply.

This email does a great job of bringing you back to the product.

Last email shared the WHY. This email shares the connection between the WHY and the product.

Rather than a blatant – “HERE’S OUR BEST SELLING PHONE CASE DESIGN, BUY IT NOW!!!!” email…

PEEL is connecting their WHY, intentional living with intentional design to showcase their product.

This is the longest email that they’ve sent and it does a great job of sharing the benefits of their product without promoting them as benefits.

It’s, in my opinion, a masterclass in storytelling.

Email #4 – Why Choose PEEL?

Ok, I know I initially said this was only going to be 3 emails… but how could I not include this one?

Again, a masterclass in storytelling.

Did Marshall actually write this? Who knows. But in reality it doesn’t matter.

It comes across as if Marshall actually wrote it. And that’s what matters.

The beauty of this email is how it shares another core value AND promotes their Instagram account.

I always believe that social and email go hand in hand. One hand should feed the other.

This is a great way to use your email list to promote social and to show the value to your subscribers for being a part of BOTH communities.

Lessons

This was by far and away one of my favorite breakdowns. Let me know in the comments or on LinkedIn what you thought. 

Here’s some take-aways.

>>Send emails from a person, not a brand

>>Don’t be afraid to share your why

>>Use social media as a complement to your email

Next Steps

1. Leave a comment below – what did you think of this email? What did you like or dislike?
2. Share this breakdown with someone you know – know anyone with a DTC ecom store? Share this breakdown with them and they’ll thank you for it.
3. Follow me on LinkedIn for more content – and connect with me if you are an email marketer, ecommerce business owner, or course creator.

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