Kevin Boxer
New Member
Hey guys. I'll be honest - I always thought email marketing was for big brands with huge lists. I had Mailchimp connected to my AliDropship store since day one but literally never sent a single campaign. The list just sat there growing slowly while I kept pouring money into Facebook ads.
Two months ago I finally decided to actually use it. I had 1,140 subscribers built up from a popup offering 10% off. I sent 4 emails over 7 days. Total revenue from those emails: $873. Zero ad spend. People already knew my store, they just needed a reason to come back.
Here is exactly what I sent and what happened.
Email 1 - The "we're still here" email
Subject: Hey, it's been a while
Short email, no heavy selling. Just said hi, reminded them what the store sells, showed 3 popular products with photos. Nothing fancy. Open rate: 38%. Click rate: 6.2%. Two sales same day.
Email 2 - The flash sale (48 hours only)
Subject: 48-hour sale - 15% off everything
Sent this 2 days after Email 1 to people who opened but didn't buy. Clear deadline, one big banner, three products, countdown language like "ends Thursday midnight." This one drove the most revenue - around $410 in 48 hours. Open rate: 41%. The deadline worked.
Email 3 - The story email
Subject: Why I started this store
Told a short personal story about why I got into the outdoor niche. No product links in the first half - just a story. Then at the bottom: "anyway, here's what people are buying this week." Open rate: 44% - highest of all four. People are hungry for a human behind the store. Sales were lower than Email 2 but engagement was through the roof and I got three reply emails from actual customers which never happens.
Email 4 - The "last chance" email
Subject: Last chance - sale ends tonight
Sent only to people who opened Email 2 but didn't buy. Very short - just 5 lines, one button, "tonight at midnight it's over." Converted about 3% of opens into sales. Small but free money.
Total from 4 emails over 7 days: $873 revenue, roughly $340 profit. List size: 1,140 people. No new ad spend.
What I learned
Your email list is an asset you already own. Every subscriber is someone who liked your store enough to give you their email - that's warm traffic that most people including me were completely ignoring.
The story email performing best surprised me. People don't just buy products, they buy from people they feel something about. A 3-paragraph personal story outperformed a polished product email on open rate.
One more thing - since switching my bestsellers to Sellvia for US orders, the emails are easier to write because I can say "order today and get it by the weekend" instead of giving vague shipping estimates. That specific line appeared in Email 2 and I think it helped conversions.
I now send one email per week. Nothing crazy. Just consistent.
How many of you have an email list sitting unused? What's stopping you from sending?
Two months ago I finally decided to actually use it. I had 1,140 subscribers built up from a popup offering 10% off. I sent 4 emails over 7 days. Total revenue from those emails: $873. Zero ad spend. People already knew my store, they just needed a reason to come back.
Here is exactly what I sent and what happened.
Email 1 - The "we're still here" email
Subject: Hey, it's been a while
Short email, no heavy selling. Just said hi, reminded them what the store sells, showed 3 popular products with photos. Nothing fancy. Open rate: 38%. Click rate: 6.2%. Two sales same day.
Email 2 - The flash sale (48 hours only)
Subject: 48-hour sale - 15% off everything
Sent this 2 days after Email 1 to people who opened but didn't buy. Clear deadline, one big banner, three products, countdown language like "ends Thursday midnight." This one drove the most revenue - around $410 in 48 hours. Open rate: 41%. The deadline worked.
Email 3 - The story email
Subject: Why I started this store
Told a short personal story about why I got into the outdoor niche. No product links in the first half - just a story. Then at the bottom: "anyway, here's what people are buying this week." Open rate: 44% - highest of all four. People are hungry for a human behind the store. Sales were lower than Email 2 but engagement was through the roof and I got three reply emails from actual customers which never happens.
Email 4 - The "last chance" email
Subject: Last chance - sale ends tonight
Sent only to people who opened Email 2 but didn't buy. Very short - just 5 lines, one button, "tonight at midnight it's over." Converted about 3% of opens into sales. Small but free money.
Total from 4 emails over 7 days: $873 revenue, roughly $340 profit. List size: 1,140 people. No new ad spend.
What I learned
Your email list is an asset you already own. Every subscriber is someone who liked your store enough to give you their email - that's warm traffic that most people including me were completely ignoring.
The story email performing best surprised me. People don't just buy products, they buy from people they feel something about. A 3-paragraph personal story outperformed a polished product email on open rate.
One more thing - since switching my bestsellers to Sellvia for US orders, the emails are easier to write because I can say "order today and get it by the weekend" instead of giving vague shipping estimates. That specific line appeared in Email 2 and I think it helped conversions.
I now send one email per week. Nothing crazy. Just consistent.
How many of you have an email list sitting unused? What's stopping you from sending?