Email Breakdown #51: AmmoSquared Part 1

Finding great emails in the wild is fun. But finding great emails from innovative companies within my hobbies and interests is WAY better.

For my own sake, sure…

But also, my content is more valuable because I can give more insight into what the target customer is thinking.

Enter: Today’s Email Breakdown. 

A company I will soon be a customer with. 

A company called AmmoSquared.

About AmmoSquared

AmmoSquared, or AMMO², is best described as an ammunition depository and bank. 

You put money into the account to buy that AmmoSquared stores for you. You can exchange calibers, take delivery, and send it to others digitally (aka transfer the ownership to someone else).

You can set up auto-transfers to stockpile on autopilot and take advantage of dollar-cost averaging.

In short, it works like a precious metals depository/storage company. I mean, it kind of is a precious metals depository/storage company. Because, you know, brass, copper, lead, and steel are involved if you know what I’m saying.

I just heard of this company like two weeks before writing this post. But according to the home page, they’ve been around since 2015.

This is an incredibly useful service. Gun enthusiasts who live in apartments (and even some homeowners) don’t necessarily have tons of room to store ammunition. Furthermore, disasters, moisture, etc. could damage ammunition. So AmmoSquared fixes all that.

The Email: A Short But Effective Welcome Email

This welcome email is nice, short, and straightforward:

Just a couple of quick paragraphs with some visuals. 

Plus, the structure of this email is quite nice. Each paragraph is a separate enough idea to get its own screenshot. Makes this post easier for you to read.

Let’s see how the copy holds up.

The Subject Line: Thanks for Joining the AMMO² Newsletter!

Some people love to get creative with welcome emails, and that’s fine.

But it’s not always necessary:

There’s no lead magnet or anything. The customer simply subscribes to the newsletter via signup block at the bottom of every page.

So the customer knows what they’re getting. There’s no need to tell them, “Here’s your discount/free eBook/other lead magnet!” All you need to do is reassure them that they successfully subscribed.

The Body Copy

The email starts with a nice branded visual:

Once again, there’s no lead magnet. The whole goal of this email is to get the purchase or, at least, get the customer on the site.

Helps with SEO. And offers the customer a chance to learn how the company works. Hence the menu items at the top of this visual.

Then, the email gets into the body copy — and immediately ties back to the subject line:

Right away, AmmoSquared gains credibility with the reader by noting that they’ve been in the ammunition space since 2015…

And not just selling, but innovating in the space.

They’re an authority. You can trust them.

They aren’t just telling you, either. They’re posing it as a “fun fact,” which makes it a bit more natural.

Then, AmmoSquared introduces its mission to connect with the reader immediately:

That’s a pain point right there. Lacking a convenient, simple way to store thousands (or more) of rounds safely.

AmmoSquared built their company around solving that pain point. It then introduces its offer as the solution. 

They don’t get into all the technical details about how it works. Too early for that. Instead, they focus on demonstrating why they solve this painful problem in a way the customer understands. The “How it Works” can be explained later, now that the customer’s interested.

Moving on, we add another more proof point:

Mentioning the number of customers and the geographical span helps establish trust. 

Further: AmmoSquared doesn’t follow up the proof point with “have used AmmoSquared” or “are loyal customers of AmmoSquared.” Booooooring.

No — they say all these customers have experienced XYZ benefit with AmmoSquared.

Proof + benefit.

I also like how AmmoSquared bolded that last sentence, too. It’s a catchy enough slogan that conveys the customer experience quite well — definitely worth emphasizing.

AmmoSquared finishes strong by tying back to the subject line and setting expectations:

Thanks to this paragraph, the reader knows what to expect each time they see “AmmoSquared” in their inbox. Some of those things are quite enticing — specials and giveaways.

Naturally, AmmoSquared urges readers to sign up if they’re ready to experience their offer’s benefits. They also direct readers to:

• The FAQ page if they have any questions (smart, as long as you have a signup link/button on the FAQ page)
• Email AmmoSquared with questions: Big bumps to deliverability and creates the opportunity to connect (and close sales).

One more button to check out the site, too. Minor change — I would make sure that button instead urges signup for the skimmers whose eyes are caught by the button.

And below that CTA button are the social media links. Never hurts since this company’s business model can benefit from long-term connections across many channels.

Takeaways

Here are some big takeaways:

1. The Copy Mechanics

There are three big copy-related takeaways here.

First, conversational copy. The email says “you”, which is especially critical in a welcome email. Email readers don’t see themselves in a digital crowd — the email’s a 1-on-1 conversation.

Second, social proof. AmmoSquared points out how long it’s been in the business and how many customers it has served. This allows AmmoSquared to build trust with the reader and help them learn a bit instead of just nakedly bragging.

Third, benefits instead of features. Whenever AmmoSquared refers to its main service/offer, it refers to it as a benefit. For example, “Today over 20,000 customers across the country have experienced how easy and flexible accumulating ammunition through AmmoSquared can be.” Not “20,000 customers have an AmmoSquared bank account.” 

The reader doesn’t want an account. They want the ease and convenience of stacking ammo in a secure warehouse outside their home.

2. The Email Structure

Email starts with a graphic that includes links to the site. Adds some visual flair without being a graphics-focused email. Multiple CTAs in the graphic is good since the business model does depend a lot on familiarizing the reader with the brand instead of an immediate account opening. 

Below that is the body copy, which is split into three main chunks:

• A quick welcome
• Benefits and social proof
• Familiarization

I like this order because you want to reinforce the reader’s decision to subscribe first. You want them to be sure they’re in the right place. THEN, when you’ve made them feel welcome, you can “show them around.”

3. The Overall Strategy

This does the job well as a welcome email without being too long. 

It goes beyond merely thanking the reader for signing up. Instead, it reinforces the reader’s decision to hop on the list by reiterating the big benefit/USP and helps get them familiar/comfortable with the brand. Works well for a banking/depository business model 

I didn’t receive any welcome emails after this one, but it’s definitely a good base to build from.

What to Do Next

1. Get on my email list using the signup form below.
2. Reach out to me if you want help writing emails like this one.
3. Share this post with someone who would find it helpful or insightful.
4. Check out AmmoSquared if you want to own some precious metals — aka brass, lead, and copper! 😉