Want to get better open rates and engagement from your email list?
I’ve got a tip just for you:
Craft great consumer-oriented content and be sure to highlight it in the email subject line. The trick here is to think about what your fans want to hear, not just what you want to tell them or sell them.
Here are a few easy email and newsletter topics that wine lovers would love to hear about from YOU:
7 (or 5 or 3) things I never knew until I owned a winery
Wine lovers love to fantasize about living among the grapevines and enjoying gorgeous wines Every. Single. Day.
Sure, you may have started there, too… and now you know it’s taken a lot more work than just what is seen on the glamorous side. Give your fans a peek behind the scenes and tell them about the things they may NOT know about owning or running a winery. Let them in on the good stuff and perhaps even a few challenging things, too.
Here are a few ideas:
- Have you met really amazing people in your tasting room? Been able to recruit a team with global experiences that opened your eyes to new ways of thinking, new foods or new co-workers that feel like family?
- Have you learned new business skills that help you serve your guests better… skills your 20 year-old self never expected you to learn?
- If your winery is a multi-generational experience, what have you learned from those in the generations before you? Or those following you?
Take a step away from your every day and think about the life gifts or challenges you’ve experienced through your work. Then tell your fans all about a few of them.
- Have you learned how to get a tractor out of the mud?
- What to do with grapes that were picked a little too early by mistake?
- How do you keep your kitchen always looking great in the event you need to use it to entertain guests/ customers?
In writing the article, it’s okay (and welcomed) to share the drudgery and challenges, as that makes you more authentic and relatable. Just remember to tie all those experiences into the positives the winery has provided for you, your family and the community, too.
Gardening tips straight from an expert vineyard manager
Your vineyard manager is clearly a rock star when it comes to keeping things healthy in the vineyard.
What tips can she provide for your readers that aspire to garden at home? A story outlining ways to make a home garden thrive is always appreciated… even by those whose garden just may be one potted plant. (We can all dream!!)
Is it okay to put ice cubes in my wine? (and other potentially taboo rules to break)
The first time I saw a winery owner put ice cubes in her glass of rosé, I loved her even more. She was human. The wine needed chilling and she knew how to enjoy the wine right then (while chilling the rest of the bottle.)
What taboos do you break and why? Your fans would love to see this human side of you and feel more comfortable/ less intimidated by the “rules” our industry seems to enforce. So go for it. Break tradition. Tell us that you drink wine in the wrong glassware at times. Or that you might pop an ice cube in from time to time. Or that you love a pinot noir with your pb&j from a paper plate when you’re back home after hosting a big, fancy wine dinner.
Ready to increase your email engagement?
Pour yourself a glass of something delicious and break out your laptop, tablet or pen and paper. Brainstorm a few stories, flesh a few out to see what feels authentic and vow to send a note to your email list within the next two weeks.
Don’t overthink it. Just ponder what your fans would want to know, write about it and share it with them. Then come back and let us know how it goes!
