Don't rely solely on automated sequences. Sending occasional, manually written, one-off emails to the same audience—without pausing the automation—can dramatically improve results. This "over the top" approach breaks the pattern and re-engages users who have become accustomed to the automated flow, waking them up.
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From Nov 20th to Dec 20th, sending a personal letter-style email from a founder or executive to unengaged contacts can increase open rates by 40%. The key is changing the "from name" to a person, not the brand, and using a subject line that acknowledges their absence. This strategy works for both B2B and B2C brands.
In an era of mass automation, customers notice and value actions they know can't be easily scaled. Instead of another automated email, send a personal video via text, a handwritten note, or "lumpy mail." These high-effort signals cut through the noise and show genuine appreciation.
Outbound AI tools fail without dedicated human oversight. Qualified found success by having a person manage the AI agent daily, ensuring its personalized emails are better than a human's. The secret is treating the AI as a tool to be managed, not an autonomous replacement.
Sending all your automated emails at a predictable time, like 9 AM, trains your audience to ignore them, turning them into "wallpaper." To break this pattern and make automations feel less robotic, vary the send times significantly, even using unconventional hours like 8 PM.
Instead of relying solely on automated sequences, send sporadic, manually written emails to the same audience without pausing the automation. This unexpected, human touch can "wake up" subscribers, leading to significantly higher engagement and business results compared to pure automation.
Instead of asking an LLM to generate a full email, create a workflow where it produces individual sections, each with its own specific strategy and prompt. A human editor then reviews the assembled piece for tone and adds "spontaneity elements" like GIFs or timely references to retain a human feel.
Avoid list-cleaning automations with a small subscriber base (e.g., under 1,000). Instead of deleting inactive subscribers, personally email them to ask what they're struggling with. This approach turns a technical cleanup task into a valuable user research and re-engagement opportunity.
To prevent automations from feeling robotic, inject your brand's personality. Use conversational language, like saying "I saw you scrolling," and incorporate fun media like GIFs or memes. This approach makes automated messages feel more like a personal interaction, leading to higher engagement and positive brand perception.
Avoid sending all your automated communications at standard, predictable times like 9 a.m. By scheduling some automations to go out at unconventional hours, such as 8:07 p.m., you can cut through the noise and prevent your messages from becoming "wallpaper" that customers are conditioned to ignore.
Avoid the overwhelm of writing automated sequences from scratch. Instead, categorize your previously sent broadcast emails by the offer they promoted. Then, assemble your most effective, evergreen emails into a 'greatest hits' sequence for new subscribers interested in that topic.
