Story-Led Email Series
Created and owned a 12-week story-driven email series to build user relationships beyond transactions that maintained 25%+ open rates and turned email into a direct channel for user insight.
The Context
Every email users received was transactional: product updates, feature announcements, and account notifications. There was no touchpoint that actually built a relationship. I identified this gap and proposed a weekly email series designed to connect with users as people, not just account holders. The goal was to shift email from a broadcast channel to a two-way relationship that could eventually support product adoption.
What I Did
I created and owned the series end-to-end, from concept and content strategy to copywriting and execution over 12 weeks.
Each edition told relatable stories about freelancer and remote worker realities, career pivots, money tips, and remote work life, written in a warm, conversational tone from a brand persona that users already recognized. I ran the series across two segments: an active batch of verified, transacting users and an inactive batch of verified but dormant users, and tracked engagement across both to understand what resonated with each group.
The series followed a deliberate funnel progression, starting with top-of-funnel relationship building through stories and engagement prompts, then gradually introducing product touchpoints and activation nudges as trust grew. It also became a channel to amplify other initiatives, like new feature launches and campaigns, in a way that felt natural rather than promotional.
The Results
Open rates across all 12 weeks
Click-through rates per edition
Users regularly replied to engagement prompts sharing personal stories and pain points, which became a direct source of user insight that informed broader product and messaging decisions.
