Matt here with your weekly Subscription Prescription 💊

This week’s dose is inspired by what we uncover during our audits - big opportunities across the board for email and sms. While we often spend a lot of time with billing reminder emails, onboarding series, and winback flows, this week is about going even deeper. We talk intentionality in campaigns, transactional touchpoints, and leveraging SMS for better subscription control.

This week’s dose is also a podcast. Listen to me go deeper on the topic on your favorite platform:

💊 Go Beyond the Basics with Email + SMS

If you want higher LTV from your subscribers, you cannot just “set and forget” them once they join. Most brands underuse email and SMS for existing subscribers, thinking they should only communicate when there’s a billing notice or a shipment on the way. The truth is, intentional subscriber communications can drive more revenue, reduce churn, and increase loyalty - if you do them right.

The key here is intentionality.

1. Stop ignoring subscribers in your campaigns

I see so many brands opt subscribers out of sales campaigns to “avoid churn.” The idea here is that when you send them an email, you’re reminding them they have a subscription, and then they cancel.

Inside the first month, this makes a lot of sense. In fact, going one step further, you should be emailing newly acquired subscribers to ensure they’re using the product and having a great experience.

After that, however, you’re losing money by ignoring your biggest and warmest audience.

Also, let me remind you that you may be worried about campaigns, but every time an order renews they get an order confirmation, shipping confirmation, delivered confirmation… you’re already sending a ton of emails whether you like it or not!

So, look at special offers for subscribers past their first month. Even better, when you’re running sales or sitewide specials, either think about something extra for existing subscribers that moves the needle, or be ready to match that offer for them anyway.

2. Upgrade your transactional touchpoints

Your highest open rates are not from your marketing emails, they are from your transactional emails - order confirmations, shipping updates, failed payment notices.

Most brands treat these like plain receipts. That is wasted real estate. If a shipping confirmation is the most opened email you send (it is), why not use it to tell your story, introduce an upsell, or share product education?

Even cancellation confirmations can be an opportunity to win back a customer with an exclusive reactivation offer. Every one of these touchpoints can be designed to build connection or drive another purchase.

These are the places I like to start:

• Order confirmation emails (basic, so keep it simple)

• Shipping confirmation/tracking emails (most opened email - look at 3rd party solutions like Aftership, Wonderment, and Malomo)

• Out of stock emails

• Failed Paymnet Notices

3. Use SMS for more than promotions

SMS is not just for flash sales. It can make subscription management easier and more valuable. Giving subscribers the ability to change delivery dates, swap products, or adjust frequency from their phone increases satisfaction and retention.

From our own research, we see that subscribers who change their frequency 3 times have 200% higher LTV.

If people love your product, but want to get the frequency of shipments nailed down, then SMS is a great play. Furthermore, I like taking the easy cancel button OUT of the SMS messages - leave that for your customer portal. Just keep the simple schedule, quantity, frequency, and upsell opportunities inside SMS.

When you treat email and SMS as strategic retention tools, not just one-time marketing channels, your subscribers will stick around longer and buy more. That is good for your customers, and it is great for your business.

Until next Tuesday, that’s your Subscription Prescription. 💊

 - Matt Holman 🩺

The Subscription Doc