This week was full of surprises. One of which was me leaving with the opening band's merch at a Freya Skye concert.
You don't have to know who Freya Skye is nor who the opening band was for this. (My dignity may stay intact that way. Let's just say #girldad.) But what surprised me is that, occasionally, a band you've never heard of gets your attention and 6 songs later you are at a fold-up table handing a guy named Tyler money you expected to spend on other stuff.
Black Friday can work like that too. Someone is waiting for the "big reveal," but an email gets to them first. It doesn't mean that they won't get what they want later. But the lead-up gives you a chance to earn a smaller yes now, teach them something new, even without a giant discount or a polished production. It may be rare, but so is voluntarily joining a mailing list for four men who share a van. |
|
|
|
A quick ad break before the other stuff... |
|
|
|
|
Featured articles that keep you rocking out all through the weekend. |
| |
|
|
| They’re waiting. Until they aren’t. |
Shoppers say they’re holding out for Black Friday, but their plans aren’t exactly notarized. Optimove’s research explores what gets them shopping earlier-and why repeating the same holiday message can wear them out. |
|
|
|
|
|
| Give them something to care about. |
Before buying from an unfamiliar brand, shoppers often want to know its story, materials, and what makes the product worth it. Baymard’s research gives you useful angles for educational emails beyond “here’s our thing, please acquire it.” |
|
| |
|
| October deserves its own personality. |
Some customers are buying gifts. Others are still figuring out their Halloween situation. Attentive shares campaign ideas for product education, gift discovery, and seasonal needs that give people a reason to engage before November takes over. |
|
|
|
|
| End the 19-tab research residency. |
Sometimes people need help choosing. Nielsen Norman Group explains how clear product comparisons make decisions easier, with design lessons you can borrow for buying-guide emails that finally settle the “which one?” debate. |
|
|
|
|
Weird Poll of the Week Results |
| |
|
|
Question:
What’s the email trend you predict for Q4?
|
|
|
|
Answer: Brands say their emails were made by a real, exhausted human. Apparently, we've reached the point where being a real, exhausted human is becoming a competitive advantage. After years of being told AI would make our jobs easier, email makers are predicting that the next big innovation will be proving a human actually did the work. We've come full circle. The robots were supposed to free us from repetitive tasks, and now we're considering putting “100% human-made, with genuine emotional damage” on our emails. If anything can be learned here, it's this: People don't necessarily hate AI. They hate content that feels like nobody cared enough to make it good. The opportunity isn't to prove you suffered through writing an email. It's to prove there was some actual thought behind it. |
|
|
|
Thanks for reading
and learning since November 2023. |
|
|
|
|
