How Ramp T-Shirts Sent The Best Cold Email Ever

In 2017, Ramp, a custom t-shirts ordering site, created a cold email campaign that many consider the best they've ever received.

The Email That Broke the Internet

Ramp sent an email with the subject line: "I'm wearing a [YOUR COMPANY] t-shirt!" Inside, recipients found a photo of Ramp's CEO wearing a t-shirt with their company's logo.

This wasn't a mass email - it was a personalized message sent to 50,000 different companies, each with a unique image.

Why It Worked

1. The Power of Personalization

Ramp's approach stood out from generic sales pitches. They created a custom image for each recipient, showing exceptional effort and attention to detail in their outreach.

2. An Irresistible Subject Line

"I'm wearing a [YOUR COMPANY] t-shirt!" – This subject line is a masterclass in piquing curiosity. It's personal, unexpected, and practically begs to be opened.

3. Visual Appeal

We're visual creatures, and Ramp capitalized on this by making the image the centerpiece of their email. This visual element not only grabbed attention but also showcased their product in action.

4. Clear Value Proposition

While the image did the heavy lifting, the email copy succinctly explained what Ramp offered: an easy way to order custom t-shirts for their team or event.

5. Strong Call-to-Action

The email concluded with a clear next step for interested parties, guiding them towards making a purchase.

The Technical Wizardry Behind the Campaign

You might be wondering how Ramp managed to create 50,000 unique images. The answer lies in clever use of technology. They built a system using Zapier, along with Clearbit and Hunter APIs, to automate the process of gathering company information and creating personalized images. This can be easily automated now with Clay.

This automation allowed them to scale their personalized approach to an impressive degree, demonstrating that with the right tools, even small companies can execute large-scale, highly personalized campaigns.

The Results: More Than Just Sales

The campaign's success extended far beyond immediate sales. Here's what Ramp achieved:

• Viral attention: The email was shared widely on social media and marketing forums.

• Media coverage: The campaign was featured in marketing case studies and blogs.

• Long-term impact: Ramp reported that orders continued to come in months after the initial email.

The campaign's performance metrics were remarkable:

• Open Rate: Consistently above 50%, indicating high engagement.

• Click-Through Rate (CTR): Some campaigns and sectors achieved an impressive 25%+ CTR.

• Total Revenue: The campaign generated tens of thousands of dollars.

Ramp T-Shirts' innovative campaign had second-order effects beyond its initial success:

1. Viral Blog Post: The company wrote a blog about the campaign, which gained widespread attention.

2. International Media Coverage: The blog post was translated into French and German media.

3. Top Quora Answer: The story became the top answer to a Quora question about "What's the best cold email you have ever read?"

4. Speaking Engagements: Neil, the CEO, was invited to speak about the campaign at various events and conferences in 4 different countries.

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Until next time!

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