Most people know about the big email automations, like
- Welcome sequences
- Winback sequences
- Abandoned carts
- Abandoned browse
But those aren’t the only automated flows. Many companies overlook their automated confirmation emails.
This is one of the easiest upgrades you can make to your email marketing.
Granted, punching up your confirmation emails won’t make you a millionaire…
But they can help you leave a strong first impression on customers, increase your brand voice consistency/congruence across brands, and even make more sales right then and there.
Read the following Email Breakdown for ideas on enhancing your order/giveaway/other confirmation emails…
About RY Outfitters
RY Outfitters is “an outdoor hub dedicated to supporting outdoor organizations who are making phenomenal gear, engaging in environmentally conscious manufacturing, and/or dedicated to social action to push the outdoor sports we know and love forward,” according to its website.
It’s not a marketing agency, digital publication, or even an eCommerce site (although it looks a bit like the latter).
It instead is an online hub for all things outdoors. It publishes reviews of outdoor products, does giveaways, and hosts a podcast.
It was founded/co-founded by Josh Salvo. According to LinkedIn, Salvo is their email marketing specialist.
I got on their list via a giveaway they did through another brand. Although I enjoy the outdoors, I wouldn’t say I’m a proper outdoorsman.
But I appreciate brands that do email well, and you’re about to see just how awesome this brand’s email is…
The Email: A Masterwork in Writing “Confirmation” Emails
Too many brands send a “Your order has been confirmed” email with nothing in it.
They’re missing out. They should instead make their order confirmation (or any “confirmation email”) look a little more like this one:
That text might be too small for you to read (you’ll see the sections in higher quality below), but you can just tell this one’s more than “your entry has been confirmed.”
Looks more like someone introducing themselves to you personally — a great way to start a relationship with a new subscriber.
Let’s see each section in particular…
The Subject Line: “Confirm your entry: RY Outfitters Giveaway”
The subject line does not appear unique to the undiscerning eye. There’s no promised benefit or curiosity or anything…
However, notice how it doesn’t say “entry confirmed.” It says “confirm your entry.”
Not only is “Confirm” an action word and a command on its own (definitely some psychology at work there)…
But it follows naturally from the giveaway. You must confirm your entry. The reader must crack open the email to confirm their entry (theoretically — you’ll see what I mean in the next section).
The Body Copy
Once you open, you immediately get a friendly introduction from none other than the cofounder himself:
Look at all that conversational copy. It’s like you’re talking to a real human being. Like a friend who wrote you a nice letter.
I can’t be sure if replying actually verifies your entry, but that’s fine. It doesn’t cost or hurt people to respond. Yet it helps you boost deliverability. Replies tell email providers you probably aren’t some spammer.
Oh, and then we have a GIF (which I pray doesn’t stop working as this is uploaded into WordPress.
GIFs can add humor and personality. Laughter brings us together (it’s science), so what a way to start the customer relationship on the right foot!
This is a well-known GIF — it’s Chris Pratt’s character, Andy Dwyer, from Parks and Rec. That show is basically The Office but in a municipal government office instead of a private paper company. Pop culture references further the connection with the reader.
We smoothly move back into the copy:
I love how Josh liberally applies italics, asterisks, and bold. I write like that, too. It makes your copy more lively and fun to engage with. Plus, better readability.
But even better:
You almost get an image in your head of yourself high-fiving Josh. I’m sure there’s some NLP or deep psychological term for this, but I’ll call it mental interactivity.
Speaking of, Josh almost knows your next thought. What does it mean to be “here” on the email list/in the RY community? He uses a lot of 2nd-person language to keep you engaged.
Then, Josh explains what being on the list means…
You’re a member of a group of people dedicated or, dare I say, obsessed with the niche interest RY Outfitters serves.
This will turn away some but pull in other outdoor gear enthusiasts. Belonging and social acceptance is a POWERFUL drive, so when you find a group who *gets* you, you WANT to hang around with them.
And of course we have those bullets. Each has features and benefits, and you’ll notice the benefits tend to be italicized in some bullets. Classic. Lots of expressive language and personality, too.
Next, we get another interesting tidbit that I had to isolate from the rest of the copy because a lot is packed into it:
Josh reiterates the welcome, then a bunch of critical stuff happens. He urges the reader to open emails quickly with a reason to do so — getting those great deals ASAP.
But he doesn’t just appeal to saving money or engaging in your interest. He also appeals to exclusivity and status.
Scoring these deals will make your friends jealous. They’ll want to know where the hell you’re getting all this great outdoor gear! And since you’ll have that great outdoor gear, your status among hobby peers goes up.
Finally, those four words in the second line add a warmth and personal touch that even the previous copy did not. “Make yourself at home.” Subtly inviting the reader to participate and really get into RY’s content by replying to emails, listening to podcasts, etc.
A lot in two sentences. We still have more to go, such as the obligatory “unsubscribe if you want” section:
Don’t worry — offering readers an easy way to unsubscribe won’t destroy your email list. It will cause the less dedicated readers to unsubscribe…
But that’s fine. If those people won’t stick around for one email, they definitely won’t buy. Many readers who made it this far, well, made it this far because they’re interested in the brand.
That line demonstrates transparency to them. This boosts their trust in and attitude toward you.
I love how Josh managed to make text drip with semi-ironic sarcasm. And I also enjoy that second line about the fursuit. Adds yet another bit of laughter and imagery.
Onto the CTA, which isn’t selling anything…
But is instead attempting to grow the list even more.
This is, after all, a brand that doesn’t sell its own products. It mostly provides information and sells affiliate offers. So growing the email list is paramount (as if it isn’t in other types of businesses, lol).
Plus, it’s the most logical CTA to use in a giveaway confirmation email. The reader entered the giveaway, so why not share it with friends and acquaintances who may be interested?
Bolding and italics emphasize what Josh wants the reader to do — plus a fun bit of copy around the “Yeti” theme permeating this email.
How can we forget the PS:
Another way to improve deliverability… AND gain a bit of customer research. Learning how and where customers use the giveaway product could pay off when devising future copy or strategy for that product.
Oh, and a nice little finger-pointing emoji for some personality and readability. Speaking of, the instructions in the PS are also bolded. More readability and emphasizing the action.
Takeaways
Here are some big takeaways:
1. The Copy Mechanics
I bet the biggest thing you noticed was the conversational copy. It feels not just like a letter from a friend… but like Josh is actually talking to you. He managed to convey things like sarcasm through text and painted images in your head.
The liberal use of bold and italics enhances readability and draws attention to important information. Other ways Josh/RY improve readability include some emojis and bulleted lists.
One last note: All the CTAs to reply can help boost deliverability and trust. The cofounder wants to talk to you, after all.
2. The Email Structure
Josh was quite clever when devising the subject line. You “must” open the email to confirm your entry. Basically irresistible for anyone who cares about potentially winning.
Josh immediately pays off that subject line before getting into the meat of the copy. But I like how the GIF is a nice dividing line between that first part and the rest of the email. It draws the eyes past the gif and TO that copy.
The rest of the email is basically “familiarization” copy — aiming to acquaint the reader with RY Outfitters and the benefits of being on the list. But the order matters.
That’s why Josh explains what it means to be on the list and demonstrates the benefits first. THEN he offers an unsubscribe opportunity and hits the CTA.
Those first two sections help get the reader excited for more content and filter out good leads from bad. Do that out of order, and you might lose some good leads.
3. The Overall Strategy
Giveaways are excellent ways to add tons of new subscribers to your list. Some freebie seekers will fall off, but many customers who jive with your niche and brand voice will stay.
This is especially true if you connect with the reader in the copy and urge them to share the giveaway.
Plus, the cost of some valuable product is almost always worth the returns you could potentially earn with a zillion new subscribers.
Hey, you could even work in a sales pitch or some rotating product blocks in a giveaway confirmation email. Score some extra sales from your new subscribers.
What to Do Next
- Get on my email list using the signup form below.
- Reach out to me if you want help writing emails like this one.
- Share this post with someone who would find it helpful or insightful.
- Check out RY Outfitters for all your outdoor gear needs!