When consultant and keynote speaker Ryan Estis and his team began reviewing their existing newsletter, they realized that, while it was performing well, there was potential to improve upon its success as a regular resource for sales and business leaders. Ryan and his team turned to Rep Cap to develop a new experience for their subscribers that would take their newsletter to the next level.

Background

Ryan and his team had an existing monthly email newsletter with over 20,000 subscribers and strong engagement, but there was more opportunity to expand their audience and provide unique, informative content for sales and business leaders.

The client partnered with Rep Cap to help develop a strategy to grow the newsletter and provide new insights for its audience. 

Challenge

With Ryan’s role as a keynote speaker and consultant, it was important to align the newsletter content with similar messaging and an experience that mirrored live events as closely as possible. Capturing the energy of an in-person event would be no small feat, requiring an overhaul of the existing newsletter while still remaining true to the brand. 

Solution

The solution was “Prepare for Impact,” a new branded experience that shifted to a weekly email newsletter highlighting the best advice on how to prepare for a successful week. The new format also included an overhauled design, a brief video each week and new sections offering valuable resources.

Video was critical for mirroring the live experience. In addition to the videos being featured in the weekly newsletters, they’re also hosted on the client’s YouTube channel. Rep Cap assisted in strategically planning the video topics and content for the following quarter and helped Ryan and his team prepare in advance for filming. Due to the client’s busy schedule, Rep Cap filmed the 12 videos in a single session.

Results

Engagement immediately improved across all metrics (open rates, click-through rates, social shares and email forwards) after the initial email was sent in the new “Prepare for Impact” format. The final result was a more sustainable production process that could accommodate the client’s busy schedule while continuing to appeal to the target audience of sales and business leaders.

The subscriber list, currently over 23,000, continues to grow while maintaining strong engagement overall. Recent campaigns have seen average open rates of 42.9% and average click rates of 4.4%. Prepare for Impact continues to be a weekly source for information and industry resources, as well as a core aspect of the client’s overall strategy.

“As a keynote speaker, my vision was to touch an audience during the presentation and then bring them forward to continue the learning journey together. Rep Cap has provided the thinking and execution to fulfill that vision and create meaningful engagement in our community every week that fosters connection, professional development and personal growth.”

— Ryan Estis