Why You Need to Write Great Nurture Emails in PLG Strategy
Product-led growth sounds quite like the dream come true, doesn’t it? Build something amazing and it will sell itself. Oh, if only it were that simple. We’d all be so very rich. But it isn’t.
The problem with a product-led strategy isn’t usually getting people to sign up for the free trial. It’s convincing them to buy off the shelf completely independently, after the trial. How do you convert a curious user into a loyal customer without a sales team nudging them along and pitching the stardust? What does nurturing look like when the product is supposed to speak for itself?
This question was asked recently in MicroConf Connect (an epic community for any bootstrapped founder). And the answer is: use the data you’ve got. Which is usually an email address.
Not just any email, though. Not the tired “5 reasons to use our product” sequences or desperate 20%-off blasts. You need to think sales-led and execute product-led to guide people toward value, not the autopilot campaigns that don’t work. You need to THINK.
So here’s what to think about.
Make emails special
The emails I’ve seen that result in the highest percentile of conversions aren’t generic. They’re mega relevant.
I find job applications a good analogy. You post a role and get a pile of CVs. Sixty percent are one-click-apply, thoughtless applications from LinkedIn. Thirty percent don’t understand the problem the role is solving. Then (if you’re lucky and the benefits stack), maybe 10% send the cover letter you asked for and explain why they’re a fit. And that’s where you want to be. When you nurture your leads, you’re applying to the role of doing a job for your customers. Bob Moesta talks about this a lot (see Jobs to be Done).
Being intentional about how you reach out to customers is your clearest shot at showing users why your product matters.
By all means, automate the sending of emails to ensure timely outreach. But what gets sent to whom should align directly with what the buyer needs and wants.
So how do you do that?
Segment the audience
First, get those leads into interest buckets and ask a few really simple questions when a buyer starts a free trial. For example:
What are you using [the product] for?
What is your role?
These light-touch questions should give you just a little insight into what they’re trying to achieve.
Tag them or categorise them in whatever platform you’re using for email.
Write the content
Now it’s time to write your nurture emails.
If a free trial user doesn’t convert, they’re usually asking these three questions:
Is this going to be hard?
What’s the payoff if I stick with it?
Why should I switch from what I’m already doing?
Answering these clearly is a great place to start. Maybe not all in one email, but spread across formats like:
Quick help videos, GIFs, screenshots
Product updates (current and upcoming)
Stories that connect your product expertise to the problem they’re trying to solve. For example, if you have software for pet stores, maybe mention that you used to own one (if that’s true, of course).
Also, I can’t bang the drum on this enough, write in your voice THEN clean it up with AI, not the other way around. The last thing you want is to come across like a bot and get marked as junk.
The best nurture emails:
Get users back into the product
Teach them how to win with it based on their use case and job to be done
Build trust and open a conversation between the buyer and the brand
Are updated regularly. Too many founders launch a drip campaign and forget it exists (trust me, I’ve seen it all). Months go by, and what was once helpful becomes outdated or irrelevant. Stay on it.
You’re also going to have to write more emails than you think.
For each audience segment, create three emails to send in whatever order makes the most sense (test different variations).
An email about a feature they’ll care deeply about and why
An email showing how they can self-serve with help, and access the library of demos you’ve built (right?)
An email that celebrates a key outcome, with case studies, testimonials, videos, interviews, the works
I’ve sent my nurture campaign, so now what?
After the three nurture emails have been sent and seen, add the lead to a marketing newsletter that keeps them engaged, excited, and on your radar. And yes, this should be a marketing newsletter, not a plain-text email. I’m talkin’ logo in the header, links, colours, branding.
Bonus points if you only send relevant newsletters based on their tag. And make sure your opt-in is set up properly!
This all sounds like a lot of effort
Yeah, it is. That’s probably why it works so well. Marketing isn’t a one-trick pony. If it were easy, everyone would crush it and I’d be running a rock climbing gym instead of writing this (hey, maybe one day I will). Putting in the effort helps you stand out. Even basic segmentation ("cares about analytics" vs. "wants better UX") can make a huge difference in how effective your follow-ups are.
If there’s one big takeaway here, it’s this: don’t be afraid to cut stuff. If you wouldn’t read it, your leads won’t either.
Treat your lead list — and it is still a lead list even if you’re chasing product-led growth like Coyote chasing Roadrunner — like the valuable audience it is. Show up with something interesting, helpful, or delightful. And if you’re not sure whether something is worth sending, ask yourself: would you open it?
Related Questions
Should you link, attach, or use plain-text links?
This one stumped me at first. But after thinking about it (for over a week), I landed on: use links. If someone starts a trial, they expect an email from you. As long as your emails are set up properly (authenticated domains and all), you’ll be fine. Sending plain-text links looks like a mistake.
How often should you email?
I feel very Liam Neeson saying this: I don’t know who you are, I don’t know what you want, but if you’re the person who told founders to send follow-up emails or LinkedIn messages every 24 hours until leads crack under inbox pressure into a bazillion tiny pixels of human… I will find you.
You should send emails as often as you have something worth saying. If that’s just one absolutely banging “Where do I sign?” email sent when the trial ends, then, in the wise words of Shrek, that’ll do, Donkey.
