Matt Ragland is a 10-year electronic mail marketer, first at ConvertKit and now at Good Folks Digital, the Nashville-based company he launched in early 2023. His method to superior electronic mail efficiency is storytelling.
He instructed me, “Manufacturers that excel at electronic mail advertising often inform a narrative to their superb viewers.”
In our latest dialog, he and I addressed storytelling techniques, electronic mail design, automation methods, and extra. Our total audio is embedded beneath. The transcript is condensed and edited for readability.
Eric Bandholz: Who the heck are you?
Matt Ragland: I run an electronic mail advertising and course-launch company known as Good Folks Digital. We work with creators and ecommerce suppliers. We construct electronic mail and launch newsletters, normally for programs and data merchandise. I’ve been within the electronic mail recreation for nearly 10 years.
I do lots of issues within the creator economic system. I’ve a YouTube channel that’s slightly below 100,000 subscribers.
Bandholz: What’s your method to electronic mail advertising?
Ragland: I deal with a narrative or narrative. For ecommerce, manufacturers that excel at electronic mail advertising often inform a narrative to their superb viewers and embrace their merchandise. I want to see extra ecommerce manufacturers carry their prospects into that story in a pure method.
Creators do a great job with tales, however many are horrible at promoting and selling. After which many ecommerce retailers are good at promoting, promotion, packaging, and positioning however not storytelling. Either side have a lot to study from one another.
Bandholz: Electronic mail e-newsletter manufacturers similar to The Hustle and Morning Brew have grown to eight-figure valuations. Stroll us by means of that enterprise mannequin.
Ragland: Their income mannequin focuses virtually solely on promoting and sponsorships.
It prices little or no to start out an electronic mail e-newsletter. The Hustle and Morning Brew each went to a day by day e-newsletter fairly early. I bear in mind listening to the Morning Brew founders. They launched the e-newsletter whereas college students on the College of Michigan. They requested individuals of their enterprise courses to subscribe on paper.
It began to develop naturally from there by means of referrals. That they had a sturdy referral program. Say I’m studying the Morning Brew, signal as much as be a referral associate, and ship it to you and 10 different individuals who join. I then get a sticker and a shirt. The Hustle did one thing comparable.
The opposite factor Morning Brew and The Hustle did properly was paid acquisition of e-newsletter subscribers. Ecommerce has been nice at this for years. However extra conventional newsletters didn’t perceive the identical method as ecommerce sellers when Fb adverts had been low-cost, round 2015. It felt like free cash.
Bandholz: Is there any new tactic in electronic mail advertising to take inspiration from?
Ragland: Lots of people really feel electronic mail advertising is previous and out of vogue. However it stays amongst the perfect types of direct advertising. By way of new techniques, emphasize the story side and ease — making the newsletters so simple as attainable and chopping again on graphics.
Attempt making a e-newsletter look extra like a private electronic mail message. A buddy of mine runs a design studio known as Late Checkout. He publishes a design e-newsletter and stripped away all the visuals final yr.
He now sends one thing that appears extra like a letter to shareholders, which he calls “Greg’s Letter.”
Bandholz: The largest innovation to me is marketing campaign flows and automation. That’s how Klaviyo obtained traction over Mailchimp.
Ragland: Sure. Additionally, what Klaviyo did so properly and nonetheless does is combine SMS.
The automation piece is large, as is the flexibility to have one entry level as the beginning for a complete move that may upsell, down-sell, and cross-sell. We carried out it for an ecommerce shopper. As an alternative of the preliminary entry level of signing up for the e-newsletter or buying a product, we used a mid-life cycle automation based mostly on curiosity or intent.
For instance, a subscriber who clicks on a selected product or hyperlink in an electronic mail launches an automation just like cart abandonment, with cross-sells and storytelling round that kind of merchandise.
Bandholz: Your spouse is anticipating your fourth little one. What’s your philosophy on how you can be a great dad?
Ragland: I need to be a great instance for my children. I need to present them what I consider in and what being a great man is. I’ve been lucky to have lots of nice examples in my life. I’m shut with my dad, and he’s wonderful. He’s all the time been an enormous supporter and fan of mine. My uncles have been glorious mentors, and I’ve had lots of people in my life who’ve proven me that that is what it’s to be a great man and a great dad.
Bandholz: The place can listeners comply with you and study extra about your electronic mail providers?
Ragland: Our company website is MyGoodPeople.com — AutomaticEvergreen.com is our electronic mail advertising service. They will comply with my YouTube channel or contact me on LinkedIn or X — @mattragland.