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Designer to Decaf: Rethinking Email and Caffeine Culture with Matthew Smith
Episode Summary:
Two things need your attention right now:
- Your relationship with caffeine — who, me?
- The way you write and send emails
Because while you may be sending emails… are you actually building relationships?
In this episode, Matthew Smith — founder of Really Good Emails and Wimp Decaf Coffee Company — is here to challenge our thinking on both fronts.
And let me tell you… he’s convincing. 😂
Matthew says that how we speak to our customers through email shapes how they feel about us — especially in a time of AI overload (I’m sensing a theme here…).
“Email is relationship delivered.”
In this episode, you’ll learn about:
- The narcissistic nature of most email copy and why that turns readers off
- Using “empathy guesses” to make your emails feel more personal and your readers more understood
- How to be “programmatically relational” (yes, even in automations!) to better serve your readers and your bottom line
- Defeating decision fatigue with ONE clear offer for new subscribers
- Why educating your audience about their purchase and your brand builds real trust
About Matthew
Matthew creates brands, decks, and sites that make early-stage companies feel like they’ve already arrived. But calling him a designer is insufficient when he’s just as much a copywriter, strategist, and builder. He’s the kind of person who can craft your identity, write your pitch, and redesign your onboarding flow without breaking a sweat.
He’s yet to work for his dream client, Ben Stiller, but he’s glad to have Designed ecommerce for Walmart, emails for MailChimp, and hundreds of sites for amazing startups along the way. Matthew collects side projects the way some people collect lego sets — enthusiastically and with zero regard for shelf space.
The best known (so far) is Really Good Emails, which he co-founded in 2013 and sold in 2024. Then, instead of retiring to a beach with a cocktail, he launched Wimp Decaf Coffee Co: A calm little rebellion in a cup, helping the underdog of the coffee world have it’s rightful place.
CONNECT WITH MATTHEW:
Website (Use code: HAPPY SUBS for 20% off!)
Instagram
RESOURCES MENTIONED:
The Challenger Sale by Matthew Dixon and Brent Adamson
Beefree Email Template Builder
Term mentioned: Non-violent communication framework
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About Allea
Allea Grummert is an email marketing strategist & conversion copywriter who helps bloggers make a lasting first impression through automated welcome & nurture sequences. She helps her clients create strategic email sequences that engage email subscribers, build brand loyalty and optimize conversions for sales and site traffic.
Looking for more ways I can help you?
Book a free call with me (no-pressure zone, promise!) and we’ll chat more about what would benefit your business most in this season.
If you’re not welcoming new subscribers and pointing them in the direction of your best, most beloved content — or you feel like the one you have isn’t doing the trick — it’s time we fix that. Use this free 5-part framework to make a meaningful & lasting first impression as you write your first welcome sequence for new email subscribers!
Is Your Welcome Sequence Making a Lasting First Impression?
