Everyone has holiday traditions.
Setting up Christmas trees, baking cookies, running 5ks (bleh), caroling, and so much more.
What if you, as a brand, could turn your product into a holiday tradition?
Not just any holiday tradition…
But one that reliably sells a huge swath of your product catalog on a routine basis…
Without discounting EVERYTHING in your store?
I think In Good Taste managed to pull such a thing off with its wine advent calendar offer.
They presell the calendars ahead of time, then ship them in time for Christmas.
Customers then sip a different wine daily for the 24 days leading up to Christmas.
Today’s email is merely an “update” email regarding the statue of the advent calendar, but it packs a HUGE selling punch.
Read the full breakdown to get the scoop…
| Table of Contents |
| About In Good Taste The Email: A Clever “Update” Email… That Sells The Subject Line and Send Name: The Body Copy Takeaways What to Do Next |
About In Good Taste
In Good Taste Is a wine company that aims to make wine more accessible to the everyday wine enjoyer.
(Ahem, kind of like this brand.)
The brand gives off the vibe of a “virtual” winery, given its product range.
See, the brand’s flagship product is its tasting flights. That’s right — In Good Taste lets you buy a “flight” of several of its patented 187ml mini bottles.
This allows you to sample several wines from the comfort of your home before committing to a full bottle. Makes it easier to “speedrun” your way into developing a taste for wine, too.
Of course, In Good Taste sells full bottles as well. Plus:
- Advent calendars
- Gift baskets
- Virtual wine tastings (again, almost like a virtual winery experience)
It was founded in 2020 by Joe Welch (current CEO) and Zach Feinberg (current CRO), two close friends, for the accessibility mission I stated earlier.
They collaborated with Matt Smith and Neely Ashley to curate their initial collection for launch. As the brand gained customers, it needed to expand to address a wider array of palates.
Only in 2022, when they had a raving fanbase, did they decide it was time to introduce full bottles of wine.
Smart! If customers love some of their “sample” wines, why not sell ‘em a full bottle on the backend?
Lesson in there…
And funny enough, that’s something the advent calendar allows them to do.
The Email: A Clever “Update” Email… That Sells
Today’s email offers readers an “update” on how one of In Good Taste’s customer favorites — the advent calendar — is coming along…
Yet also uses the opportunity to sell some of those calendars.
Great email from a visual/graphic standpoint.
It’s readable but also doesn’t look “LinkedIn guru-esque” in terms of copy spacing. It uses brand colors and white space. It’s not visually “busy.” You can see the co-founder’s face at the bottom.
Let’s sink our teeth into the copy…
The Subject Line and Send Name:
The subject line caught me by surprise because I forgot I was on this brand’s list:
This works well for re-engaging with subscribers if you haven’t mailed in a while (given your cadence).
It also conveys that some exciting changes have happened, revving up the curiosity.
Good move on the all-caps “CRAZY,” too. Drives the point home.
The ellipsis draws the reader into the email by making it feel like an unfinished thought the reader can only complete by opening.
How about the send name:
Straight from the cofounder. Much more personal than just the brand name.
Using the brand name is fine. In Good Taste does that. But using the cofounder’s name here makes it the “exception” to the rule of using the brand name…
So the reader assumes it’s important.
The Body Copy
In Good Taste opens the email by referencing the subject line and delivering some news immediately:
In Good Taste now has the reader’s attention — especially those (like myself) unaware of the advent calendar.
The brand opened a loop for nonbuyers. Calendars? What calendars? Where can I get one?
More on that in a second…
I love how the brand’s personality (or, rather, the cofounder’s) shines through with the “tipsy elves” bit.
Nothing is stopping you from giving your reader a little chuckle.
Back to the calendars. I love how In Good Taste builds up the calendars here:
A LOT is happening in this section:
- Social proof: They thank customers who pre-ordered the calendar, indicating to non-buyers that this product is popular.
- Features/benefits: Notice how In Good Taste slides in the breadth of wines and regions. Instead of just saying “Our calendars have 24 blah blah blah…” they make it about being excited for the customer getting to taste the wines. Sounds more natural. Speaking of…
- Future-pacing: Buyers are sold even more on their calendar, diffusing buyer’s remorse by getting excited about their calendar. This section also future-paces their accompanying wine purchases.
- FOMO: “…cannot wait for you to taste the…” makes the nonbuyer feel like they’re about to miss out on an experience that others will enjoy. They want to be part of the action, too! Oh, and nonbuyers experience similar future-pacing as buyers, only on top of the FOMO.
Good copy isn’t just words. It packs a lot into a little.
Our next section builds on the excitement and sprinkles some of the founder’s personal thoughts on the calendar:
That first block of copy is an awesome example of dimensionalization. Rather than a “way to track the wines” or something boring, In Good Taste frames it as a way to start a family tradition that connects loved ones near and far.
This seeds the idea of buying from In Good Taste regularly. It also reveals that In Good Taste values family and human connection.
I also like how the founder explains that it’s one of HIS favorite things. Not “our customers’ or “a cool thing to do”… but HIS favorite thing.
Makes it feel more authentic. Like he’s giving you advice.
Notice how In Good Taste inserts an implicit CTA. Makes sense to drop one in when you’re talking about what you like about the product.
This section’s second chunk of copy builds more value by introducing a new feature — videos with tips, tricks, and fun facts.
Non-email lesson here… create an experience around your product. It’ll involve your customer more in “your world.”
Onto our closing:
The CTA copy here is fantastic. It engages the senses to a small degree and, more specifically, describes the ultimate desired action…
Tasting the wine!
One small change:
I’d urge nonbuyers to buy calendars too. Some will buy anyway, but others may think they can’t buy just due to how the section sounds.
So this little tweak may make some more sales.
Next is the signature block:
“Cheers” is how I sign off MY emails, so I like how it’s used here.
The signature block itself is neat and uncluttered. It has Zach’s name, title, and picture, plus the company logo.
Adds a touch of personability and friendliness.
Finally, we have the bottom block:
Everything they need is there without cluttering things up.
Readers can now follow them on the social media and ask questions. Each marketing channel points to the other, ensuring customers see In Good Taste across channels…
Keeping the brand top-of-mind.
I like how In Good Taste mentions that they are in stores. Adds another avenue for customers to buy — especially the ones who prefer to see and feel the bottle before buying.
Takeaways
Here are some big takeaways:
1. The Copy Mechanics
Some mechanical takeaways:
Future-Pacing and Future Buying
In Good Taste future-paces the customer’s receiving of their calendar in a few ways:
- Expressing their excitement for the customer to enjoy the associated wines
- Introducing a new feature they’re adding (video tips + tricks + fun facts)
Both of these make the customer imagine themselves enjoying their wines as they follow along the calendar and check out the tips/tricks/fun facts.
The brand also seeds the idea of creating a family holiday tradition around their calendar… dimensionalizing the benefits of having the calendar AND seeding the idea of annual purchases.
Smart.
Social Proof + FOMO
In Good Taste leverages social proof subtly, alluding to the fact that many people have already bought the calendar…
Without just saying so.
Instead, they frame it as thanking their “wine friends” for preorders. Communicates demand sans an overbearing mention of “X people have ordered the product.”
Sneaking in Benefits
In Good Taste smuggles in the benefit copy the same way they do the social proof. They’re “excited” for the customer to taste the 24 wines from all the different regions around the world…
Hint hint: That’s the benefit. The variety of wines and regions.
Personality and Personability
The email came from the cofounder, but more importantly, felt like it came from him.
Funny bits about “tipsy elves,” personal mentions of the cofounders favorite aspect of the product, and heartfelt “thank-you” copy make it feel like you’re hearing from a real person.
Quite refreshing in a sea of “BUY BUY BUY” emails.
Clarity (a change I’d make)
One thing I’d change is to be more clear that nonbuyers CAN still buy calendars.
I think you can still buy them, but clarity almost ALWAYS helps get more sales.
That said, they could send this email specifically to a segment of advent calendar buyers. Then, they could repurpose some aspects and send a different email to nonbuyers.
2. The Email Structure
This email’s structure is as follows:
- Company update/product reminder
- Future-pacing/FOMO
- Benefit
- Dimensionalization
- More Benefits
- CTA
Fairly simple.
3. The Overall Strategy
The strategy here is fourfold:
- Remind buyers of their order (to get them excited for it)
- Help buyers get the most out of their order (to buy again in the future and purchase wines)
- Encourage those buyers to buy more as gifts (increasing revenue/customer)
- Getting orders from new buyers
So yeah, this email’s doing a LOT of heavy lifting.
But I think each aspect comes together into a nice, neat, cohesive holiday strategy.
If you’re in a similar niche, you may be able to pull off a similar email. One that gets more of a special product sold AND indirectly boosts sales of your other products.
What to Do Next
- Get on my email list using the signup form below for more Email Breakdowns and other helpful marketing content.
- Share this with someone who might find it helpful (or entertaining).
- Reach out to me if you want help writing emails like this one.
- Check out In Good Taste to explore the brand’s range and consider joining their Wine Club!
Great content! Super high-quality! Keep it up!
Thank you