Best practices for relational email campaigns

📊 Over the years of auditing thousands of email campaigns across various industries, I've noticed a concerning trend: The perpetual "sale spiral." 🌀 Companies are trapped in an endless cycle of discounting, each trying to outshout the other in increasingly crowded inboxes. Recently, I worked with a DTC brand whose open rates had declined over 30% over six months despite increasing their promotional frequency. Their customer lifetime value was dropping, and unsubscribe rates were climbing. The diagnosis? Discount fatigue. 😫 Here's what we implemented: We introduced what I call the "70/30 Value Rule" - 70% pure value content, 30% promotional. ⚖️ For the value portion, we created: ➜ Industry insight newsletters ➜ Behind-the-scenes glimpses into product development ➜ Customer success stories ➜ Actionable tips related to their product category ➜ Community spotlights The results after 90 days were compelling: ⭐ Open rates increased by 32% ⭐ Customer feedback emails jumped 215% ⭐ When promotional emails were sent, conversion rates improved by 28% ⭐ Unsubscribe rates dropped by 41% Key Learning: The most successful brands understand that email isn't just a sales channel—it's a relationship builder. By giving your audience "breathing room" between promotions, you create anticipation and trust that translates into stronger campaign performance when you do make offers. This approach requires patience and a shift in metrics. While immediate sales might dip initially, the long-term engagement metrics and customer lifetime value typically show significant improvement within 3-4 months. For companies looking to break free from the discount cycle, start small: Replace one promotional email per week with pure value content. Track not just opens and clicks, but also replies, shares, and sentiment. The data will speak for itself. Remember: In a world where everyone is shouting "BUY NOW," sometimes the most powerful message is simply "We're here to help."

Is your email marketing actually building relationships — or just filling inboxes? If your open rates are dropping and conversions are flat, it’s time to rethink your strategy. Here are 6 smart rules that can transform your email campaigns into valuable conversations: 1. Divide and Conquer Don’t treat your audience as one giant group. Segment them by age, interests, location, or buying behavior to make your emails more relevant and targeted. 2. Make It Personal Use details like names, preferences, or birthdays to customize your emails. A personalized touch can dramatically improve engagement and click-through rates. 3. Build Trust First, Sell Later Avoid jumping straight into sales mode. Share helpful content, insights, or updates before making any offers. Relationships come before revenue. 4. Give Before You Ask People are more likely to share their email if there’s value in it for them. Think exclusive deals, useful downloads, or insider access. 5. Let People Unsubscribe Easily An easy-to-find unsubscribe button isn’t a threat—it’s a sign of respect. If they want to leave, let them go without friction. 6. Start Real Conversations Encourage replies, ask for feedback, and respond to your audience. Email shouldn’t be a one-way broadcast—it’s a dialogue. Email marketing is more than sending messages—it’s about delivering meaning. Refine your strategy. Respect your audience. Reap the rewards.

Forget "set it and forget it." I talk to multiple Shopify owners each week and the one thing I see it that they look at Klaviyo flows as just another set of emails. What, How, and Why: Dynamic Welcome Series This is your first chance to impress. It's more than just a simple "hi" to new subscribers. Start with a warm welcome and a slight discount. Go deeper with your brand's story and showcase top products. Why? Because you want to captivate them from the start and set expectations. Use conditional logic based on their actions. If they click but don’t buy, follow up with more compelling content. Keep them hooked. Smart Abandoned Cart Essential but requires experience. When someone abandons their cart, jump in with a timely reminder. Timing is crucial—send that email within the hour. Don’t just remind them; give them a reason to return. Whether it's a limited-time offer or a nudge about what they left behind. Personalize it by suggesting complementary products based on their browsing history. This isn't just about recovering sales; it's about increasing the total order value. Savvy Post-Purchase Cross-Sell The real relationship starts after the purchase. Begin with a heartfelt thank you email. Follow up with product care tips or suggestions for related items. Keep the dialogue going and your brand fresh in their minds. If they bought a camera, suggest accessories like a tripod or extra memory. Segment your audience by their purchase habits and offer irresistible deals. Special treatment for high-value customers can mean early access to new products or exclusive offers, building long-term loyalty. The Klaviyo Edge Klaviyo’s predictive analytics lets you anticipate who's likely to buy again. It's all about delivering personalized experiences at scale, making every customer feel unique. Why bother? These flows are the cornerstone of a powerful email marketing strategy. They automate communication, ensuring each message hits the mark and is perfectly timed. When customers feel recognized and valued, they’re more inclined to return and make repeat purchases. In every campaign or email flow, the goal is to: Shine a light on a problem Spark a desire Counter a hesitation Show them how your product is the answer they've been looking for. It’s all about guiding them from where they are to where they want to be, with your product as the bridge.

Here are 3 B2B email campaigns that I’ve found drive pipeline growth and expansion that you probably aren’t running… 1) Offer an unconverted trial/lead an introduction to a customer email -> Take a cohort of high interest leads, or unconverted trials and send an email with the subject line “Want to talk to a [brand] [their industry] customer?”. You get a small group of actual customers as ambassadors that take these calls and get them on a monthly retainer. The conversion on these calls is phenomenal and I’ve heard again and again this is helpful in understanding exactly how a similar business is using the platform. 2) Check-in email (just because) -> So often when brands reach out, there is an agenda. But an amazing thing is to email customers, offer up a call and just have the intent be to answer any questions, review any flows and overall just help support them. Here are some stats from this campaign: 6% of recipients booked calls AND +38% expansion rate (over next 12 months) for folks who took calls vs. baseline upgrade rate (for same account type cohort). Amazing way to build customer confidence and improve NRR (Net Revenue Retention). 3) Annual upgrade email -> Send an email to customers to upgrade to an annual account at month 2 and month 10 (as well as around renewal). Instead of generic headlines like “You could be saving 20% on an annual plan!”, the best performing emails give the exact amount they could be saving for THEIR account with a merge field, “Did you know you could be saving $4,560/year?”. Trigger that psychology of loss with them. It’s important to note that you want to send these upgrade emails to active accounts, with good customer health, and not to inactive or “at-risk” accounts. It’s also a great idea to send these emails after “advocacy” events, i.e. when a customer leaves a good review or gives you a positive shout on socials.

Most email marketing “best practices” are just common sense dressed up as strategy. But these 6 rules? They’re the difference between emails that convert and emails that get ignored. Just created this breakdown of what actually moves the needle: 1. Segment Your List Stop sending the same email to your VIP customer and someone who signed up yesterday. Age, gender, purchase history - use what you know. 2. Personalize Beyond [FIRST_NAME] Collect real data: interests, birthdays, purchase behavior. Then use it. Personalized emails get opened, read, and clicked. 3. Don’t Sell Right Away Give value first. Content, advice, knowledge, recommendations. Build trust, then ask for the sale. 4. Offer Something Valuable Your “join our newsletter” isn’t compelling. Give them a discount, ebook, exclusive access - something worth their email address. 5. Make Unsubscribing Easy Hidden unsubscribe links don’t keep subscribers. They create hostages. Clear, visible, functional - let people leave when they want. 6. Start Conversations Email isn’t a broadcast channel. Ask questions, encourage replies, listen to feedback. Two-way conversation beats one-way promotion. The reality: Most brands nail 2-3 of these and wonder why their email revenue is flat. Master all 6, and your list becomes your most profitable channel. Which of these rules do you see brands mess up most often?

Most people think email marketing is about having a big list. Wrong. The money isn’t in the list. The money is in the relationship with the list. Your subscribers are not just numbers. They are real people—with real problems, real desires, and real emotions. Here’s how to do it right: 1️⃣ Talk to People, Not Just “Subscribers” ↳ Write like you're emailing a friend. ↳ Ditch the corporate tone—be real, be human. 2️⃣ Build Trust First, Sell Second ↳ Provide value before you pitch. ↳ Educate, entertain, and engage. 3️⃣ Segment & Personalize ↳ Not everyone wants the same thing. ↳ Send the right message to the right people at the right time. 4️⃣ Make Every Email Worth Opening ↳ If they don’t enjoy reading your emails, they’ll stop opening them. ↳ Keep it interesting, helpful, and relevant. 5️⃣ Sell Like a Trusted Advisor, Not a Pushy Salesman ↳ People buy from those they trust. ↳ Focus on helping, and sales will follow naturally. If you treat your list like numbers, don’t be surprised when they ignore you. Treat them like people, and you’ll build an asset that prints money for years.