The emails making DTC founders the most money right now aren’t written to sell – they’re written to connect.
If that sounds backwards, that’s because most brands get it wrong. They think the secret to sales is the perfect offer, a clever subject line, or another “last chance” blast. It’s not.
The real secret? Make your customer feel understood before you ever ask them to buy. In an inbox full of noise, the brand that says “We get you” is the one that wins.
Discounts don’t build loyalty – they train people to wait for the next discount. Empathy builds loyalty. And loyalty builds revenue that lasts.
If you want customers to read your emails and think, “This brand gets me”, you have to stop writing like a marketer – and start writing like a friend. Here’s how.
1. Write the way your customers talk – not the way marketers write.
Most brands write emails their customers would never say out loud. They fill them with “solutions,” “synergy,” and “exclusive offers.” Fatal mistake.
Your customers use simple, specific language – the kind you’ll find in their product reviews, DMs, and customer service tickets. Use their words. Exactly.
Joanna Wiebe, founder of Copyhackers and the pioneer of “conversion copywriting”, calls this “conversion copy gold” because it’s like speaking your customer’s native language. When you sound like them, they feel like you are them. And people trust people who feel like them.
Most brands try to impress. The best brands try to relate. And customers always choose “relatable” over “impressive.”
2. Lead with their problem, not your product.
Most DTC emails open with product features, discounts, or hype. Meanwhile, your customer is only thinking about their problem.
Name the problem first. If you sell skincare, talk about waking up with irritated skin. If you sell coffee, talk about the pain of starting a morning with a bitter, watery brew. Once they believe you get the problem, they’ll believe you have the right solution.
Kaleigh Moore, a freelance writer for Shopify, BigCommerce, and Forbes, says the best copy feels like a mirror, not a megaphone. And here’s the truth: if your customer only remembers your price, you’ve failed as a storyteller.
When you start with empathy, selling stops feeling like selling. It starts feeling like helping. And people always buy help.
3. Tell micro-stories that make the reader the hero.
Long brand stories are fine. But the DTC brands winning right now? They use micro-stories.
A single sentence can create the spark: “Sarah used to dread her morning routine. Now she wakes up looking forward to it.” That one sentence shifts the focus from your brand to their life after buying. It lets customers imagine their own transformation – and that’s where emotional buy-in happens.
Val Geisler, an email marketing strategist who has worked with brands like Klaviyo and ConvertKit, calls this “putting the cape on your customer.” The more they see themselves in your story, the more they’ll see your product as part of their identity. And identity is the strongest buying trigger of all.
Bonus: Write for one person – and make them feel like you’re in their head.
Trying to speak to everyone makes your emails bland. When you aim at “everyone,” you hit no one.
Instead, write to one ideal customer. Give them a name, a backstory, even a pet. Picture their daily frustrations and desires before you write a single word. Speak to them like you’d speak to a friend over coffee.
When you write to one, you resonate with thousands. Specificity creates universality. And if a customer ever thinks, “This feels like it was written for me” – you’ve already won the sale.
The Sale Starts Long Before the “Buy Now” Button
Great DTC email copy isn’t about clever puns or chasing open rates. It’s about making your customer feel understood, valued, and seen – long before they buy.
When you write the way they talk, lead with their problems, and let them be the hero, you’re not just selling products. You’re selling belonging. And belonging is something people will pay for again and again.
Write like a friend. Listen more than you speak. And remember: in e-commerce, empathy doesn’t just make the sale – it makes the brand.
If this resonated, here’s what to do next:
→ If you’re tired of content that fills space instead of driving sales, let’s talk. Schedule a quick demo.
→ If you’re ready to turn product pages, email flows, landing copy, and more into silent salespeople for your brand, subscribe to either our Unlimited Standard Plan or Unlimited Professional Plan to get started.
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