Alex Jones

Helping 7–8 figure DTC brands break their dependence on discounts by turning email & SMS into high-margin, repeatable revenue engines.

[Alex Jones @alexdoesemails]

Born to be a winner

[Alex Jones @alexdoesemails]

@BrendenSentIt

[Alex Jones @alexdoesemails]

@emaildeepdive claude

[Kurt Benkert @KurtBenkert]

Remember, other people can’t see the vision like you can - but that’s okay. They’ll see it one day when you go execute.

The same ones that told me to get off of social media 5 years ago are the ones doing podcast appearances now.

That’s why you should always just do you.

[Alex Jones @alexdoesemails]

40% of revenue from email. $1.3M in 7 months.

Flows: $700K
Campaigns: $649K

Almost 50/50. That is what a healthy email system looks like.

Flows handle the high-intent moments. Someone abandons a cart, joins your list, or hits a milestone. Automated, always running, always converting.

Campaigns keep your brand top of mind. New products, seasonal pushes, content that builds the relationship.

When one carries all the weight, something is broken.

All flows, no campaigns? You are leaving money on the table with your existing list.

All campaigns, no flows? You are missing the highest-intent moments.

The goal is balance. Both systems working together.

That is how you build a backend that actually scales.

[Alex Jones @alexdoesemails]

@BrendenSentIt When can I move in?

[Alex Jones @alexdoesemails]

In need of a thumbnail designer for YouTube

DMs are open

[Alex Jones @alexdoesemails]

Luck has nothing to do with email revenue.

It's math.

Happy St. Patrick's Day! Now let's talk numbers.

Your email revenue comes down to a simple formula:

List size x send frequency x open rate x click rate x conversion rate x AOV.

That's it.

Want more revenue? Improve any of those variables.

Popup converting at 2% instead of 8%? That's a list growth problem.

Sending 1x per week instead of 3-4x? That's a frequency problem.

Beautiful emails with no clicks? That's a CTA problem.

Clicks but no purchases? That's a landing page problem.

Every ""email isn't working for us"" complaint I've heard comes down to one of these variables being broken.

Find the broken variable. Fix it. Revenue goes up.

No luck required.

[Alex Jones @alexdoesemails]

Your customers aren't cheap.

You trained them to be.

Every time you send a "20% off everything" email, you're teaching your list to wait for the next one.

And they will.

I've seen brands that literally cannot sell at full price. Every campaign needs a code, or revenue flatlines.

That's not a customer problem. That's a strategy problem.

The fix is shifting the ratio:

80% of your campaigns focused on value, education, and product stories.

20% promotional. Strategic. Time-limited. Not the default.

This doesn't happen overnight. It takes consistent value-first sending before your list starts trusting that your emails are worth opening without a code attached.

But when it clicks, it clicks. Full-price purchases climb. Margins improve. And you stop being held hostage by your own discount calendar.

[Alex Jones @alexdoesemails]

$77K/mo to $318K/mo in email revenue.

Not from one change.

From rebuilding everything.

When we stepped in, this brand was sending the same blast to their entire list, had a popup converting under 2%, and had 3 basic flows running.

We rebuilt all 9 flows from scratch.

Redesigned the popup (went from 1.8% to 11% conversion rate).

And overhauled the entire campaign strategy - from random sends to a structured 3-4x/week calendar with actual segmentation.

The popup fed more subscribers into the flows.

The flows converted those subscribers into buyers.

The campaigns kept those buyers coming back.

We pulled all 3 levers together.

That's what a real retention system looks like. Not one tweak. The whole machine working as one.

What's the first thing you'd rebuild if you had to start your retention system from scratch?

[Alex Jones @alexdoesemails]

Open rates are vanity. Revenue is sanity.

I see brands obsess over open rates. "We got 45% open rate!"

Cool. How much revenue did it generate?

The metrics that actually matter:

1. Revenue per recipient (RPR) - How much you make per email sent
2. Email attributed revenue - What percentage of store revenue comes from email
3. Flow vs campaign split - Are both systems working?
4. List growth rate - Is your list growing or shrinking?

Open rates are unreliable anyway. Apple privacy changes made them inflated.

That said, you should still be hitting 40% open rate minimum. If you are below that, something is wrong.

But click rates matter more. And revenue matters most.

A 40% open rate email that drives $10k beats a 60% open rate email that drives $1k.

Always.

Track what matters. Ignore vanity metrics.

[Alex Jones @alexdoesemails]

The difference between brands that scale and brands that struggle with email:

A campaign calendar.

Struggling brands: "What should we send this week?" every Monday.

Scaling brands: Campaigns planned 4-6 weeks out. Content batched. Design queued.

Why it matters:

1. Consistency - Your list expects to hear from you
2. Quality - Rushed campaigns = mediocre campaigns
3. Strategic timing - Plan around launches, holidays, inventory
4. Resource management - Designers and copywriters need lead time

The calendar does not need to be complicated. It just needs to exist.

Know what is going out next week. Know what is going out the week after. Have a rough idea of the month.

That is it.

Random blasts when you "feel like it" is not a strategy. It is a recipe for inconsistency and burnout.

[Alex Jones @alexdoesemails]

Welcome flow email 1 has one job.

Deliver what you promised on the popup.

If you offered a mystery discount, reveal it.
If you offered a free gift, explain how to claim it.
If you offered a giveaway entry, confirm it.

Do not bury the offer. Do not make them hunt for it. Lead with the incentive.

Then below that, you can show off bestsellers and introduce the brand. But the offer comes first.

They signed up for something specific. Give it to them immediately. Then earn their attention for everything else.

Emails 2-9 do the heavy lifting:
- Brand story
- Social proof
- Urgency around that initial offer
- Product education

But email 1? Incentive first. Always.

Keep it simple. Build trust by following through.

Then you have earned the right to sell.

[Alex Jones @alexdoesemails]

Site abandonment and browse abandonment are not the same thing.

Site abandonment:
- They landed on your site
- They left without viewing a product
- Very early in the journey

Browse abandonment:
- They viewed specific products
- They left without adding to cart
- Further along, more intent

Your site abandonment flow should be broad:
- Bestsellers
- Category highlights
- Brand story

Your browse abandonment flow should be specific:
- The exact products they viewed
- Reviews for those products
- Related items

Some brands only have one "abandonment" flow that treats everyone the same.

That is like giving the same sales pitch to someone who walked past your store vs someone who came in and tried things on.

Different stage = different message.

[Alex Jones @alexdoesemails]

Most winback flows trigger at the wrong time.

The goal of a winback flow is to reactivate people who should have bought again and did not.

Not to get the second purchase. To capture people who missed the second purchase window.

How to find the right trigger: Look at your analytics. When does the average customer make their second purchase? Trigger your winback slightly after that window.

If most customers reorder at 45 days, trigger at 60. You are not chasing the sale. We have other flows for that. You are catching people who fell off.

The flow (4 emails):

Email 1: "We miss you" + reminder of what they bought
Email 2: What is new since they left
Email 3: Small discount to reactivate
Email 4: Last chance

The discount is not the strategy. The discount is a last resort for people who did not respond to the first two emails.

Know your repurchase window. Set your trigger just past it.

[Alex Jones @alexdoesemails]

Your VIP flow should not just say thanks.

Someone hits 3+ orders. They are officially a repeat customer. Your best segment.

Most brands send one email: "Thanks for being a VIP!"

That is a wasted opportunity.

Our VIP flow (3 emails) does this:

Email 1: Recognition + exclusive early access to new drops
Email 2: Behind-the-scenes content or founder story
Email 3: Referral program push (if you have one)

Why? Because VIPs do not need discounts. They already buy at full price. They are loyal.

What they want: to feel special. To be part of something.

Give them insider access. Make them feel like they matter.

That is how you turn repeat buyers into brand advocates who bring in new customers for free.

[Alex Jones @alexdoesemails]

Sending the same email to your entire list is lazy. And expensive.

Not everyone on your list is the same:
- Some bought last week
- Some have not bought in 6 months
- Some are VIPs with 10+ orders
- Some never opened a single email

Why would they all get the same message?

Basic segmentation that matters:

Engaged vs unengaged (opened/clicked in last 90 days)
Buyers vs non-buyers
One-time vs repeat customers
VIPs (3+ orders)

Start simple. Segment your campaigns by engaged vs unengaged.

Your engaged segment will have higher open rates. Better deliverability. More revenue per send.

Your unengaged segment needs different treatment. Re-engagement. Or sunset.

Stop blasting everyone with everything. It hurts your deliverability and your revenue.

[Alex Jones @alexdoesemails]

One email in your welcome flow should pay for itself immediately.

Email 1 is usually the highest converting email in your entire retention system.

Why? They just signed up. They are at peak intent. They want the offer. They are ready to act.

Lead with the incentive. Deliver what you promised on the popup first.

Then below that:
- Introduce the brand
- Show off bestsellers
- Give them a reason to explore

You are not just delivering a discount. You are converting a subscriber into a customer while they are paying attention.

This one email often drives more revenue than any other. Do not overthink it. Do not bury the offer.

Incentive first. Brand and bestsellers below. Let it convert.

[Alex Jones @alexdoesemails]

"How often should we email our list?"

The real answer: it depends.

Massive brands with huge product catalogs (think e.l.f., Fashion Nova) can email daily. They have enough new products, content, and news to keep it interesting.

Most brands? 3-4x per week is the sweet spot.

But what matters more than frequency:

Relevance.

A brand that sends 2 highly relevant emails per week will outperform a brand that sends 7 generic blasts.

Start with 2-3x per week. Then, if you can swing it, scale to 3-4x and watch your engagement and unsubscribe rates.

There is no universal "right" answer. There is only the right answer for YOUR list.

[Alex Jones @alexdoesemails]

Post-purchase is where most brands completely drop the ball.

Someone just gave you money. They trust you. They are excited.

And your response is... radio silence until the next sale?

A strong post-purchase flow does three things:

1. Confirms the decision - "You made a great choice"
2. Educates on the product - Usage tips, FAQs, care instructions
3. Sets up the next purchase - Cross-sells, reviews, referrals

The key: segment by order count.

First-time buyers need more hand-holding. They need to fall in love with your brand.

Repeat buyers? They already love you. Different message entirely.

One-size-fits-all post-purchase is lazy.

Segment it. Personalize it. Turn one-time buyers into lifetime customers.

[Alex Jones @alexdoesemails]

Browse abandonment is not cart abandonment.

Most brands treat them the same. That is a mistake.

Browse abandonment:
- They looked at a product
- They did not add to cart
- They are curious, not committed

Cart abandonment:
- They added to cart
- Clear purchase intent
- Much closer to buying

Your browse abandonment flow should be softer:
- Remind them what they looked at
- Share product benefits and reviews
- Build desire before pushing urgency

Your cart abandonment flow can be more direct:
- They already want it
- Focus on removing friction
- Address common objections

Different intent requires different messaging.