Starting Carnivore in 2018 was ROUGH.
No one understood it. It was right before the Jordan Peterson going Carnivore thing happened.
So I had to explain to everyone the science and my other reasons behind doing it.
I also had classes and in-office jobs, so I had to bring in containers of just meat everyday while getting weird looks.
Then there was lifting. I could no longer consume any protein powder because they’re all loaded with fake crap.
Neither could I drink preworkout, Gatorade, and similar sports/lifting-related drinks/supplements.
Oh, and restaurants. It’s still a bit weird telling the server 100 times “Correct, just bring me the steak — No, I am sure I do not want the 8 lbs of bread and veggies.”
Today, there still aren’t many restaurants with explicit “carnivore-friendly” menus.
You still have to go to breakfast spots, BBQs, or steakhouses and ditch the sides.
However, animal-based health/fitness/supplement companies abound selling:
- Meat bars (like The Carnivore Bar)
- Meat chips (*ahem* Carnivore Snax)
- Organ supplements
- Meat subscriptions (not “animal-based” in the niche sense but hey, it’s all meat)
- Carnivore cookbooks/recipes
- Creatine supplements
- Protein powders
And more.
Yes, that’s right. There are 100% animal-based protein powders without the garbage.
And yes, they taste good, too.
Take Lineage Provisions, for example. This brand’s chocolate protein powder is rigorously tested and has 0 fake crap.
Admittedly, it’s not 100% of animal products. It has some organic fruits, berries, and a few other things for flavor.
But it’s animal-based, not Carnivore. Everything else in it is some sort of whole food.
So I’m impressed with the product and, if I find myself struggling to get more protein, I might buy.
That said, I’m also impressed with some Lineage’s email marketing — particularly, the announcement email that launched this very protein powder.
I tore it apart and dissected it to find what makes it tick. Read on for the full report…
| Table of Contents |
| About Lineage Provisions The Email: A Short, Sweet, Black Friday Product Launch The Subject Line and Preview Text: The Body Copy Takeaways What to Do Next |
About Lineage Provisions
Lineage Provisions is an animal-based nutritional/supplement company that aims to make high-quality, taste, animal-based nutrition easy and accessible in the modern world.
The company was founded by Drs. Paul Saladino, MD and Anthony Gustin, DC in 2023.
Saladino’s a big name in the animal-based health space. I broke down an email from his animal organ supplement brand, Heart & Soil, on my blog.
Gustin’s the founder of Zero Acre Farms, Perfect Keto, and Equip Foods. I broke down an Equip email on my blog more recently.
Saladino and Gustin first sought to make 100% grass-fed beef and organs that actually taste good. No stabilizers, preservatives, flavorings, etc.
They thought it would be easy.
But it took them over two years and 54 batches to produce the highest-quality meat and organs, which were delicious and free of garbage.
Since then, the brand rapidly expanded its product lines. And not just meat, but other adjacent products. Some of its products include items like:
- 100% grass-fed air-dried steak
- 100% grass-fed beef and organ meat sticks
- Raw, organic, unfiltered honey
- Creatine supplements
- Animal-based protein powder
- Beef tallow (to cook with)
- A frother (for mixing protein shakes more effectively)
In short, a great place for an animal-based athlete.
So let’s talk about that animal-based chocolate protein powder by getting into today’s Breakdown…
The Email: A Short, Sweet, Black Friday Product Launch
Today’s email is a short and sweet product launch/announcement email that just so happened to send during Black Friday season.
Fairly pleasing to the eyes. The visuals are there without being overbearing or annoying. They pair well with the copy and are on-brand.
You can clearly see the email itself is split into a Hero section, body copy, and other visual element that convey more information.
Pretty good structure. Let’s dissect each element.
The Subject Line and Preview Text:
The subject line doesn’t hide anything, instead just telling the reader what to expect:
I mean, it’s literally a description of the product.
That might be better than using the product name itself — product names may not always convey the information you want.
Instead, Lineage tells you exactly what the new product is. Interested readers know to open and buy.
I like the 🚨 emoji and the “NEW:”. They catch attention and don’t annoy a reasonable reader when used judiciously.
But on the topic of conveying information, Lineage’s preview text builds on the subject by doing more of that:
That’s what’s in the product.
The average reader on Lineage knows the benefits of at least the first two — maybe not the third.
But they see that it aligns with the other product offerings and can visualize the potential benefits based on the ingredients.
So, the reader now has transparency about the product and wants to learn more.
(Also, good use of the emoji.)
The Body Copy
We open the email with the hero image:
The reader gets an immediate picture of the product with all the “introducing” and “new” copy to accompany.
I like the background photo. Conveys the “all-natural” and “animal-based” themes pretty well.
We move to the copy:
This first section doesn’t do anything fancy.
It merely lists the ingredients customers are familiar with (little more than a product description), then distinguishes this new product’s “key ingredient” — the chocolate flavor.
There is also some copy hinting at its healthiness (since some hear “chocolate” and think “unhealthy”).
As a result, it goes straight for the more knowledgeable customers… and those who just hear the ingredients and say “Yum, that sounds good.”
Of course, Lineage doesn’t forget scarcity and urgency. It mixes the two through “limited inventory” + “Black Friday savings.”
And finally, notice the “early access” language. A reminder that being on the list grants you tangible perks and a bit of “status.”
After the first CTA, however, the copy deepens:
Eating chocolate sometimes bring guilt. Same with chocolate-flavored “health” products since most are packed with garbage.
The headline is great because it tells the customer that guilt-free chocolate protein powder is possible.
They’re curious, so they keep reading.
That first section immediately presents a problem/pain points, while educating the reader and positioning the brand as an expert.
So now the reader understands a major flaw with other products in the space. Apophatic marketing, to borrow a theology term.
After that, Lineage provides scientific proof — “we tested over a dozen cocoa options to find the purest”…
Powerful trust-builder right there. If I hear a company has tested over a dozen options to find the best, I’m confident (as a customer) they found it. Demonstrates commitment to quality.
The last section hits hard only because the first two exist. Without them, it would be a fairly empty claim without proper context to show why the testing matters.
Overall, the reader sees why other options are inferior (and possibly even bad for health)… while Lineage is the best and only option.
Onto the second CTA:
Only now does Lineage add some “flavor” language since customers know they can enjoy that flavor guilt-free. More clever ordering, keeping psychology in mind.
More emphasis on the “guilt-free” is good, too.
I mean, the customer’s eating chocolate protein powder.
After explaining WHY it’s good for them, encapsulating it in “guilt-free” just drives the point home. Customers can load up on them gainz without a bunch of sugar or artificial crap.
We’re not done yet. Just with the copy. We have a neat little addition near the bottom:
The image of the blender on the right is actually a moving image that switches between the blender and two other icons indicating ways to use the powder.
It shows the reader the different “use cases,” giving more people a reason to buy… and to buy MORE.
Below those are the three “checkbox” blocks. Good to include. Sums up the key benefits stated earlier — no garbage, lots of good protein, and plenty of nutrients.
We finally reach the footer:
All the usual suspects here:
- Shop Bestsellers: General interest buyers or restockers can click through.
- Our Story: The brand has a compelling story. Doesn’t hurt to show it. Can lead to sales, too, since the reader will be on the site.
- Become an Affiliate: This is the perfect product for fitness influencers or other animal-based brands to add an income stream… while helping Lineage get some easy sales.
- Help/FAQs: In case readers have questions about anything.
And then at the bottom are all the social links to follow Lineage. That’s good since brands like these do well on social media.
Takeaways
Here are some big takeaways:
1. The Copy Mechanics
Pain point relief
Guilt is a big pain point in flavored protein powders. Many have all sorts of processed crap.
Lineage Provisions consistently hammers that the all-natural, scientifically tested ingredients allow the reader to indulge “guilt-free.”
That creates a sense of relief. The reader finally has a protein powder that doesn’t taste like chemicals or chalk, yet is good to their body and animal-based (for the carnivores and carnivore-adjacent, that’s even better).
Why continue the search when they could just buy this protein powder? After all, this product launched during Black Friday season.
Science proof
Lineage Provisions mentions that rigorously it tests its ingredients and how many different options it tested.
This shows the reader that the product is “stamped with approval” by scientists and that the brand uses care and due diligence to ensure the highest quality.
A powerful reason to buy — especially in a market saturated with the exact bad thing Lineage Provisions claims not to have.
Multiple CTAs
Lineage drops a CTA button after each major “chunk” of email.
This:
- Gives readers at various levels of purchase-readiness a chance to buy
- Reduces friction by eliminating the need to scroll to a CTA button
- Keeps the idea of buying always on the mind
Lineage’s entire email is clickable, yes. But CTA buttons still trigger the brain’s “I have to click this to get to the website” response.
Summary icons
The use cases section of the email has those “summary icons” that say:
✔️ Zero Garbage
✔️ High Protein
✔️ High in Nutrients
This helps recap the benefits the copy lays out above one more time. Thus, the reader sees the benefits of the protein itself AND the use cases for maximum persuasion.
Urgency + scarcity + exclusivity
Early in the email, Lineage mentioned they have a limited quantity of the protein powder — but that readers have “early access” by being on the email list.
Oh, and the Black Friday mention.
Not only do readers have a limited time to buy product in limited supply…
But they get “first dibs.” That’s all the more reason to buy NOW. Take advantage of their special status.
A bonus is that this solidifies customer loyalty by delivering on the “special perks of being on the list” promise. Readers appreciate it and like the brand more as a result.
2. The Email Structure
This email’s structure is as follows:
- Hero Image + Announcement
- Compelling product description
- Urgency + scarcity
- First CTA
- Pain point agitation
- Science proof
- Pain point relief
- Second CTA
- Use cases
- Third CTA
- Footer
As mentioned in the Copy Mechanics takeaways, you’ll notice CTAs spread evenly throughout.
Readers can buy as easily as possible no matter which part they need to read to be persuaded.
For example, readers who already are sold on the benefits can buy right after reading that quantity is limited.
Slightly more skeptical readers can buy at the second CTA after reading the science proof and “guilt-free” copy.
Finally, readers who still aren’t sure can read the “use cases” section to see the different ways they can consume the protein powder (smoothie, water/raw milk, bone broth are the three options that flash).
3. The Overall Strategy
The strategy with this email was simply to release a new product and move as much of it as possible.
I think Lineage chose Black Friday to maximize sales, too.
That way, they’d kill three birds with one stone (and one email instead of a full product launch):
- Launch an anticipated product
- Fill a spot or two in their Black Friday calendar
- Preserve some of the inventory of their OTHER products
The Black Friday discount and “early access for email subs” even gives it an air of “promotional discount for the product launch.”
This is the only time readers will get such a good deal and hey, there’s limited inventory, too.
So this one email becomes like an entire launch campaign. Not bad.
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 Lineage Provisions for some amazing animal-based products, from meat/organ sticks to raw honey and more!