Before "shoppable" was an understood concept (shoppable video, photo, etc), I had to get thousands of people to sign up for a mobile app that published shoppable photos onto their existing social media accounts and blog platforms. Oh, and I had to do this before the app was published.
Target Audience: fashion bloggers
Method of Reach: cold email
Thoughts: shit
Ultimate Conversion Rate (cold email sent --> sign up for app): ~60%
It wasn't all sweet and dandy. I went through about nine versions of the cold email before reaching this rate. Here are some tips for cold email marketing I learned from the process:
Strategic Punctuation
The Em Dash is a beautiful and versatile punctuation mark. Instead of using tacky BOLD AND BIG TEXT — use an em dash.
Eyes go to it because it's a nice break from text. I like to use it to point out emotionally intriguing points that I want readers to pick out, even if it's not the main point of the email. It helps to let your email stand out as something they can connect with.
Name Dropping
Not just for when you're at da club, name dropping lets the reader attach something they already know and trust to your brand, helping to legitimize it and let it be a part of their lives. I like to keep name dropping at the beginning or end of paragraphs/sections/sentences.
A Trail of (alluring) Details
Give readers small bites of alluring details to digest rather than big hard-to-chew bites. Maybe it's the impressive company you're emailing from, or something that makes them feel special, followed by another thing that makes them feel special, and ending with a cta.
But, whatever you do, keep each bite small and alluring — speaking to a financial, emotional, or social incentive.
Talk with, not At
Put your keyboard away, and don't type a damn thing until you've reached an understanding of how your audience communicates.
Read blogs in their communities, search relevant hashtags on social media, spend a few hours reading related customer reviews... I could go on. After spending at least a week just doing this, you'll be about ready to speak with your audience, not at them. Would you rather email with a friend or solicitor?
Get out of your head, and into theirs.
Here are two versions from my cold email on-boarding campaign. See if you can spot the improvements from the older to newer version.
Hey Olivia Gossett,
I'm Director of Publishers at COMPANY. I manage our top content creators, and I want to extend an invitation to you.
In collaboration with brands like Alexander Wang, Theory, Saks (+200 others) we’ve built an app for fashion + beauty publishers that makes linking your photos with affiliate products on social media and your blog, more like tagging a friend on Instagram -- no more copy and paste. Check out a demo here.
You can request an invite here while we’re still accepting new publishers (please register with this email address as it’s been pre-approved) and I'll ensure you’re on the list for a publisher account.
I’m here day or night just for our Digital Publishers should you have any questions at all, so please don’t hesitate to ask!
Very Best,
Olivia
Version 8 - 7/29
Hey Olivia,
I really like your style and aesthetic on Olivia's Blog. I'm Director of Publishers at COMPANY — I manage our top content creators, and I want to extend an invitation to you.
In collaboration with brands like Alexander Wang, Theory, Saks (+200 others) we’ve built an app for fashion + beauty publishers that makes linking your photos to affiliate products on social media and your blog, more like tagging a friend on Instagram -- no more copy and paste. Check out a demo here.
You can request an invite here while we’re still accepting new publishers (please register with this email address as it’s been pre-approved) and I'll ensure you’re on the list for a publisher account.
I’m here day or night just for our Digital Publishers should you have any questions at all, so please don’t hesitate to ask!
Very Best,
Olivia
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