46% of Email Clicks Come From One Spot. Here's How to Use It
R.J. Talyor, founder of Backstroke, explains why the hero image at the top of a marketing email gets almost half the clicks, and how AI can build a different version of each email for every subscriber.
Topics Covered
Show Notes
Armando J. Perez-Carreno talks with R.J. Talyor, founder of Backstroke. Almost half the clicks in a marketing email come from the hero image at the top, and most brands use that space for a logo. R.J. has spent 24 years in email, including leading the email and mobile teams at Salesforce Marketing Cloud. Backstroke uses AI to build a different version of each email for every subscriber, based on what they’re most likely to open, click, and buy.
R.J. explains why real personalization goes well past merge tags, and why he tells some businesses to hire a contractor for three months before they buy an AI tool at all. He also shares why he visits nearly every customer in person, and talks about a customer who didn’t want AI to take over the part of her job she enjoyed. The conversation also covers the tension between brand rules and revenue targets, why content that teaches keeps people opening your emails, and how to spend the time AI saves on slowing down.
Topics Covered
- Why the hero image gets almost half of email clicks
- Personalization beyond merge tags
- When to hire a contractor before buying an AI tool
- Balancing brand rules with revenue targets
- Why teaching content keeps subscribers opening
- Using the time AI saves to slow down