Today’s email teardown (an email audit, if you will) has two parts -goodies and uglies.

Goodies point out what is excellent about the sequence and why it is so, while the uglies point out mistakes a brand made and how it can be better.

I’ll be reviewing Disco’s welcome sequence. I came across Disco earlier this year.

I enjoyed the email copy I read and the bold messaging.

Curious, I joined their email list.

The teardown covers their list-building strategy and welcome sequence.

The Goodies

1. Great list-building tactics

There are three opt-in options on the website. First is the standard landing page at the end of the scroll on the homepage. The second is a pop-up quiz that appears within 30 seconds to 1 minute of being on the website. The third is a skin-type quiz that requests your email at the end.

Having three well-timed opt-in options is great because it gives the page visitor a lot of chances to opt in. It isn’t in your face. The quiz that helps you find a skincare routine that suits your lifestyle is empathetic to what the target audience wants.

The pop-up that appears after some seconds shows empathy too. I always say that you can’t sell to an empty list. So kudos to the Disco email team.

2. Promises made

The copy on the page promises the visitor something (an enticing lead magnet). There is an offer: 15% off their first purchase and occasional skin care tips. Also, the fact that you get skincare tips with product suggestions is amazing, if I’m into that I’m signing up.

3. Promises delivered

The first email from Disco delivers the 15% discount code and I absolutely love it. I’ve seen a lot of brands (eCommerce business owners and coaches) who promise a certain something as a lead magnet and fail to deliver.

Brands that deliver what they promised, build trust with their audience. I also tried the quiz and got my results.

4. Naming their images

Seasoned email marketers usually advise against using one big image because sometimes the image won’t load.

But eCommerce businesses can’t do without images, and the fact that Disco named each image (they also didn’t use one large image) piques curiosity even when the image or service provider acts up.

5. Bold and smart copywriting

The copywriting is very on-brand. There is the content to the sales pipeline (they delivered on the skin care tip and merged it with their products which is a smart and empathetic move). The welcome email, asides from delivering the goods, introduces the brand, and this introduction is not a message you forget in a hurry.

It tells you why you should stick around. There is also the use of testimonials, five-star reviews, and editorial approval that increase the confidence level in their products.

Brands that deliver what they promised, build trust with their audience.

6. Well-timed emails in the sequence

I can’t remember clearly now but I know I received an email almost immediately after signing up. This is important because people are busy, they get caught up in their pretty lives, and you, your brand, and your product are appendages. When you time your emails well, they don’t get a chance to forget you, and you make it easier for them to make decisions in your favor. They’ll be like let me take advantage of this discount NOW.

7. Great end-of-funnel offer with a bomb up their a**

The last email in the sequence has a 20% discount instead of 15% but only for 24 hours. If you’re into building a list, end-of-the-funnel offers are important. The 24 hours is the bomb up their ass like Jay Crisp Crow likes to call it. It is something that pushes them to take action when you want them to.

8. Synced branding

The website is letsdisco.com. The email address is hi@letsdisco.com, also I checked their Instagram and it’s @letsdisco. This is repeated messaging and it’s important because it’s easy to find you and trust you. No fake websites or pages. The color on the website is a matte blue and the emails reflect that too.

You’re thinking, ‘Well, these things are standard.’ But you’ll be surprised at the many times companies don’t do what is standard practice. Synced branding makes you easy to remember, keeps you (or your brand) top of mind, and reinforces you in your contacts’ minds. So even though it seems pretty normal, it’s a big deal.

9. Deliverability

I always receive their emails in my main inbox, not the promotions tab. While this is a tech thing, it’s great not having to compete with the rest of the promotions tab. It also shows that they clean up their list regularly, don’t spam people (i.e. bought a list), and people like the stuff they send.

10. Smart microcopy

Every copywriter worth their salt will tell you that call-to-actions are very important when it comes to clicks. Disco’s microcopy almost always promises something.

From ‘Unlock Better Skin’ to ‘Get 20% off.’ The promise of a benefit makes it easier for your people to decide in your favor.

The Uglies

11. There are 4 emails in the sequence

While this seems ethical -not bombarding your people with emails, there could have been more. You can’t send too many emails. Jay Crisp Crow, my email copywriting coach, says at least 5 emails should be the baseline in your sequence. That’s because it gives you more opportunities to persuade contacts to buy.

12. My email address wasn’t suppressed

I signed up at a time when they were running promotion campaigns (a campaign is a single sales email). So I got normal email campaigns like everyone else and also the sequence. This is a lot and it defeats the purpose of not bombarding your new contacts. Ideally, that shouldn’t happen. All you have to do at the moment is welcome your new subscriber.

13. The buttons

I’ve talked about the design which I love. But the buttons blended into the emails. And buttons are not supposed to. They need to stand out so the great copy on them is easily noticed. The more people notice, the higher the click rates.

Overall, I think Disco is great at email marketing, the list-building strategy is on fire, and asides from the few uglies they’re amazing. And this has been wonderful.