Stop hoarding subscribers

👋 GM! Paperboy here.

Today's Golden Nugget: Question-Based Popups

Still using a "Get 10% off your first order + Enter your email" popup? Your conversion rate is probably half what it could be. Why? Because you're asking for the email too soon.

The secret fix is something called the Foot-in-the-door technique. Start with a small request (answering a simple question) and people become way more likely to say yes to a bigger ask (sharing their email).

That's why question-based popups crush it. I've seen countless brands implement these and watch their opt-in rates jump 30-40% overnight.

Here are a few examples:

If you’re swamped and don’t have time to set this up, reach out to the team at Alia. They'll hook you up with a professional design and give you 30 days free on their software (tell them Paperboy sent you). It's a no-brainer.

Disclaimer: Alia is a sponsor, but I work with them for several clients.

Today’s Issue: Post-Holiday List Cleaning

BFCM passed, Klaviyo is raising prices, and your open rates have been sliding. It’s time for a list cleanup.

I like to clean up my lists twice a year, once after the holidays, and once in the summer.

Let’s dive into my simple list cleanup guide.

Step 1: Create Your Unengaged Segment

Set it to 500 days unengaged (this captures two BFCM cycles), and include people who have NOT:

• Purchased

• Clicked

• Opened

• Been active on site

• Started checkout

• Subscribed to list

Why 500 days? I like to give folks two BFCM cycles before showing them the door. If you're working with a bigger list or want to be more aggressive, you can dial this number down - but I wouldn't go below 180 days.

Step 2: Triple-Check Your Segment This is crucial, folks. Before you hit that delete button, analyze the segment size (if it looks too big or small, something's probably wrong). Click through random profiles to verify your segment logic. Trust me, spending 10 minutes here can save you hours of headaches later.

Step 3: The Last Chance If you already have a sunset flow, skip this. If not, draft a "we miss you, last chance" style email. Keep it simple: either ask for a click to stay subscribed or offer a sweet discount. Make the action crystal clear. If the audience still hasn’t engaged a few days after sending this email, you can safely hit delete on the unengaged segment.

Step 4: Consider Setting up a Sunset Flow Sunset flows get a bad rap because people say they hurt deliverability. But here's the truth: it's not the flow that's the problem, it's the timing.

Pro tip: AB test different sunset timelines. Test delaying 180 vs 300 vs 400 vs 500 days after lack of engagement. Track which timeline minimizes list drop-off while maximizing engagement.

Email Design Examples Here are a few of my internal team’s examples for sunset campaigns/flows. Get creative - this is your last chance to retain this customer after all.

Meme of the Day

That’s all for now,
Paperboy 🗞

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I use all these tools with brands at my agency and reached out to them for sponsorship based on results. I would never promote a product I don’t personally use.