In this edition:

→ Designing email journeys with TFDS

→ Why cold email is dying

→ Why you've got abandonment emails all wrong (scroll)

→ Get rid of vague copy and introduce copy frameworks (scroll) 

Hello 👋

I’d like to formally request a year-long holiday. Failing that, a slightly quieter inbox would also be nice.

Anyway, I’ve got something VERY useful for you today.

And, just so I know you're actually reading this, can you do me a favour and reply to this email? Tell me your favourite biscuit (and it can't be a Jaffa cake because that's no biscuit). 

Designing email journeys using TFDS

A simple exercise to create high performing email 'flows' 

Most email journeys fail for one simple reason...

They’re designed from the brand’s perspective, not the human’s.

TFDS is a simple exercise I use to design email journeys around what people are actually thinking, feeling, doing, and saying, so you stop sending the wrong message at the wrong time.

What the *BLEEP* is TFDS?

TFDS stands for:

• Think: what’s actually going through their head?

• Feel: what emotions are present right now?

• Do: what are they doing in the real world?

• Say: what are they saying (to themselves or others)?

It forces a powerful shift: from marketer mode → to human mode.

This exercise is great for:

• welcome flows

• lead magnet journeys

• abandoned basket

• onboarding

• renewals

• B2B or B2C

• (…and most marketing beyond email too)

Want the full framework + exercise?

In the blog, I break down:

• When you do (and don’t) need a journey

• How to run the TFDS exercise step-by-step

• Real B2B and B2C examples

• How to turn TFDS into actual journey emails

• How to avoid repetition, collision, and “why are we emailing them again?” 

How to get more opens and clicks

You've been doing it all wrong and asking the wrong questions. 

There's only one way to get more opens and clicks...

From the Vault

A blog a day keeps the spam filter away 

⌚ 5 min read:

→  Why Cold Email Is Dying (and Why It’ll Be Dead by 2030)

⌚ 8 min read:

→ Essential Email Marketing Skills for 2026 Onwards

⌚ 10 min read:

→ Email Marketing Attribution and Measuring Impact

From the Queen’s Court

Voiceover video verdicts 

Marketing agency B2B emails - what could be better

Why you've got abandonment emails all wrong

The Inbox Drop

Get rid of vague copy and introduce copy frameworks

If an email has a job (register, buy, attend, download, act), the subject line and opening line need to name a real problem (or need) your audience already has,  ideally in the words they’d actually use.

Not clever, or cute and defo not “we’re excited to announce”.

Specific!! 

What this looks like in practice

Instead of: “Introducing our new solution”

Try: “Why your open rates drop every time you promote something”

Instead of: “Last chance to register”

Try: “Is worth your time?”

Instead of: “Webinar reminder”

Try: “How to fix X without doing Y”

When someone reads a subject line and thinks “I’ve literally been asking that”, you’ve won. 

One simple rule to use this week

For any goal-driven email (not newsletters), ask yourself before you send:

What question is already in their head right now?

Then make that the subject line and keep enforcing this through your entire email messaging. 

If you can’t answer that, the email probably doesn’t need sending yet.

I’ve broken down the exact copy frameworks I use (PAS, BAB, PPPP, AIDA) - with examples, in this guide below. 

Quick win for you

Check your colour contrast (and dark mode)

If your email is hard to read and see, people won’t struggle through it; they’ll just ignore it (and that hurts engagement and accessibility).

How to fix it (5 minutes):

• Preview your email in dark mode using tools like Litmus or Email on Acid

• Check your text + background colour contrast here using the WebAIM Contrast Checker

• If it fails, tweak the text colour, background colour, or weight until it passes (WCAG AA is the baseline)

This one small check makes your emails easier to read, more inclusive, and more likely to get acted on, especially on mobile and in dark mode.

One slot left for a full email audit in Q1

Plug of the week

If you’re heading into this year wanting more confidence in your email strategy, I’ve got one audit space left in Q1.

Get a clear view of what’s helping, what’s hurting, and what to fix first.

May your emails land and your boss stop asking, “can we just send it to everyone?”

See you around,

Beth ✌️

I have ADHD (IFYKYK) so please excuse any typos and spelling errors in this email.

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