I’m a copywriter and tend to notice when people are screwing up on their email.
This time I’ve noticed someone who has room to grow: UBER.
Love the service.
Love the company.
Meh on the emails.
I pulled a big list of the emails Uber has sent me since I signed up for Uber in July 2013 when I needed a looong ride from the Seattle airport to the suburbs:
Of all these emails, the only inherently interesting emails I really get are when they send my receipt.
The receipt email is great because it’s all about ME! I even save them in a special expenses folder.
These receipt emails are inherently helpful to me:
But if you take a look at some of the other Uber email marketing attempts, they’re not inherently interesting:
This email I thought was actually on the higher-end of being interesting, but it fell flat.
Problems with this email:
- Doesn’t particularly teach you anything useful.
- There was a chance to tell a good emotional story, but it seemed like someone at Uber “wanted to keep the email short” and cut it off. It lost all the emotions because it was so short. (Guy gives ride to another guy to jump-start his car. BFD). If there’s a great story to tell, don’t worry about the length. Keep it long if necessary to tell a good story.
“Ok Neville, how do you KNOW FOR SURE these emails could be better?? You don’t know their actual stats…..”
I started poking around to see if I could find some “pseudo-stats” from the emails. Time-and-time again I found results such as this:
Checkout this “#WomenMoveUs” campaign email:
Ok, that’s a noble cause…..but the message is all over the place and not correctly explained.
But more troubling was that I checked the “psedudo-stats” from a lot of emails like this, and the numbers were surprisingly low for some of them….like the view count on the YouTube video from the email:
That video is 4+ months old and barely has any views for a company on the size of Uber.
Even if this video was only sent to Uber subscribers in Seattle, this number still seems jokingly-small for how much effort must’ve been put into that campaign.
So how can we make Uber emails better….and actually get people to use the service more?
Let’s play a simple thought-experiment:
Let’s pretend you have been named Uber’s VP of Email Marketing Growth, and you have to get people ACTUALLY READING the Uber emails or else Travis Kalanick will bitch-slap you.
How would we do this?
I think the key point is to make Uber’s emails inherently interesting. This means writing about topics such as:
- Showing alternate uses for Uber people may not have thought of. This helps ME.
- Stories of people using Uber in unique and useful ways. This helps ME think of new ways to use Uber.
- Cool features customers may not know of. This helps ME understand the product better.
- How Uber dramatically improved someone’s life. This gets ME emotionally involved.
- A case study of how much money someone saved because they take Uber instead of owning a car. This helps ME make decisions about my vehicle situation.
It’s very tempting to “brag” about how cool your company is, but it’s far more effective to show what the services can do for THEM.
Let’s take a couple of examples.
In the blue boxes below I’ve made a sample email in the same format Uber currently sends it’s emails:
[[Headline]]
[[Image]]
[[Text]]
This email is meant to show the email subscriber some cool ideas for using an Uber Black (they may have never even THOUGHT of using the service for these):
“Want to roll in style? Order an Uber Black and get a luxury car picking you up.”
An Uber Black will only cost you 20% more than an UberX, but you get a Black Car (either Mercedes, Jaguar, BMW, or Audi) picking you up.
An Uber Black car is great for:
- Date nights.
- Looking baller at the club.
- Transporting wedding parties.
- Picking up VIP guests from the airport in style.
Next time you want to feel like a million bucks, order yourself an Uber Black.
This email shows some cool uses about Uber XL. A lot of people may not even know you could carry this many people in an Uber. This pops the idea into their brain that for their next group outing, everyone could take a single vehicle:
“Did you know you can take up to 7 people in an Uber XL?”
When you’ve got a group of people going somewhere and don’t want to split up, just select “Uber XL” on your app. We’ll send a van or SUV capable of taking 7 adults.
A taxi will normally take only 4 passengers. But you my friend have FAR more friends than that to shuttle around.
- Use an Uber XL when going out on the town with a group of friends.
- Shuttle your big family around on a rainy day.
- Have tons of bags from shopping? They’ll easily fit in an Uber XL.
Just select “Uber XL” when calling your Uber, and a big SUV or van will come your way with plenty of room!
This email shows “unique uses” of the service. Most people think of Uber as only “a car service kind of like a taxi.” So giving real life examples like this of “alternate uses” expands someone’s view of what Uber is:
“Uber helped us move the big stuff!”
“All of our friends live in the city and no one has a truck or car big enough to move stuff.
We only had a couch and a dresser that needed a large van to be moved. We selected “Uber XL” and got a Honda Odyssey van big enough to fit the couch with no problem!
The cheapest moving service we could find was $300…….but our Uber XL trip only cost $12! Thanks Uber!”
Sincerely,
Ashlee Tacohm – Happy Uber Rider
This is another “alternate use” email which people may not have even realized. A large number of teenagers are using Uber with their parents permission, this could bolster more of that use by letting parents know some crucial info:
“Jason’s new ride home from school is Uber”
Our oldest son is 15 and part of over 6 different after-school activities.
Between 3 different kids, we end up shuttling the kids across the city…..and sometimes literally couldn’t make some activities. Thanks to Uber, we sometimes have our 15 year old grab an Uber to wherever he needs to go.
It’s comforting to know that even when swamped with errands for the other kids, he can still safely get where he needs to.
The best part is that Uber tracks the entire trip for us. We know where his pickup location was, drop-off point, who the driver is, and the route they took. As parents this is a must-have for our peace of mind. We’d never let him take a random taxi.
Thanks to Uber Jason can be active as he wants.
Before these email marketing campaigns, a person signed up to Uber may think of it just in this little circle:
…..but after getting a bunch of USEFUL emails from Uber, someone’s scope of what the product will be FAR LARGER like this!
Now you don’t have to be a genius to figure out that the person who is well-informed of all the cool uses of the product will use it more.
Sincerely,
Neville Medhora
P.S. Comment below with some ways YOU think you could improve the Uber newsletter, I would love to help get them more feedback!
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Thank you for this interesting breakdown of a popular, and thriving, company’s marketing emails. I think all companies, regardless of their niche, can take something away from the tips you have presented. I love, for example, the fact you mention things like adding cool new features, positive testimonials or case studies, and emotional stories. Bottom line, all of these tips include one major thing – the customer. Salespeople should know that their customers should come at the forefront of all marketing strategies, emails included. Thanks so much for sharing this very specific example.
I’m really annoyed that I stumbled upon this blog so late. I must say that this is the best copywriting blog I have ever read. I can’t thank you enough for all the tips, exercises, and suggestions you have been giving us for free.
You are inspiring many through your blog, and we all want you to keep doing it. Is there any book that you have written? If so, I want to buy it.
Thanks and keep up the good work, Neville!
Thank you Kiran for the kind words, hope you continue to enjoy the content :)
A cool option for black car Uber’s is if for a group or a celebrity or a client you want to impress- have an option drop down list of special items to have on board( a favorite drink-music titles- a select of gum candy snack accessories /staples .. )???
Great stuff, Nev. If I didn’t know you encouraged it, I’d feel so guilty lifting these ideas and passing them on to my next victims – sorry, I mean clients.
Being an old Austinite (and unfortunately, a Shenzhenian now), I’d do an email with a map of Austin as the image. Title: My Uber weekend, and I’d show trips to various Austin hotspots, all with a price from my South Austin crib. Maybe even have a link to some of the places I went ~ Whole Foods, Cactus Cafe, Bats under the bridge, etc.
Does two things: shows how handy Uber is to use everywhere and also shows how much you save. Maybe add some thumbnails of me and my fun crew.
Thanks for all you do, man; you’re an inspiration.
Hey, Nev..
Great post… But I wonder what we can write (and applying these tips) for email if:
1. We are running an e-commerce website that sells “other people’s products”.
2. We dont make new features that often
hope I can get some revelation from you :(
HAHA, I think you and everybody in the comments just grew Uber’s revenue by a few million. Great stuff.
I really enjoy your posts, and this had to be one of my favorites. Your emails were so much more interesting and engaging.
Why thank you Mariana, so glad you liked and learned!
Neville,
Your posts are great! It shows concrete example of how Uber could do it better.
Hope Uber is watching along with all your subscribers who can learn from this.
The second hook here is your giving away free several NevBox’s to motivate and involve your readership.
Best,
Randell
Thanks Randell!
Glad you enjoyed, and hope Uber uses these principles to boost their email readership!
They should really send out a comparison of the cost of Uber vs. the cost of car ownership. Particularly for families, Uber could replace the 2nd car. They could even direct traffic to a little web app that had a calculator where people could put in their driving info (miles/year, state of residence, etc.) and the calculator would make a comparison of buying a car vs. going Uber. They could also have a discount for Uber customers that travel a certain number of miles per year, further encouraging people to not purchase a new car.
If you live in a city without a long commute, using Uber all the time is really compelling. I am looking to replace 1 of our family’s 2 cars and have a budget in mind of $30k. Thing is, if I used Uber 365 days a year with a average per day spend of $25 (this is arguably fair since I wouldn’t use Uber every single day – e.g. vacation, some weekends, any time the entire family was going somewhere we would take the car we owned) that’s $9,125/ year spent on Uber.
$30,000/$9,125 = 3.2 years worth of Uber
Now consider the guesstimated yearly costs of car ownership below:
Insurance = $2000/yr
Gas = $2,400/yr
Maintenance = $500/yr
Parking = $1,200/yr
Tag renewal = $80/yr
Total = $6,480
$9,125 – $6,480 = $2,645 of savings per year by owning a car.
$30,000/$2,645 = 11.3 years before owning a car pays for itself and this doesn’t even consider interest on a car note or time value of $30k if I pay cash or that the car I purchase probably will be replaced sooner than 11 years.
It also doesn’t consider that, as a lawyer, that is time that I could be working/billing time. So at a rate of $250/hr, if I can get in, on average, another .25 of billable work per week (.25*52 weeks * $250 = $3,250), Uber actually makes me more money than if I drove myself. Now that I think about it, law firms should just buy corporate plans and let their lawyers commute to work via Uber.
Great points, Dan!
As an analytical type person.. I would LOVE a simple widget emailed to me where I could punch in a few numbers and see if Uber could save me $$.
And yeah, for high billable earners… it make SO much sense to hitch a ride.
Sweet email Dan!!
This would be AWESOME for people in some sort of infographic-style image. People would even SAVE AND SHARE something useful as that!
They could even break it down by big city like:
–Cost of having a car in San Francisco vs. UBER
–Cost of having a car in Chicago vs. UBER
–etc etc….
Very very NevBox-worthy post Dan!
Cool. Very cool. I just used Uber myself and was impressed.
I’m a Kopy Writer for my Real Estate company and steal your sh@t all the time.
Thanks,
Mike
Hey Mike,
I’m considering the idea of doing copywriting work (email to be exact) and have looked at the real estate niche.
Is there any way we can connect to discuss more about it?
Adam
707-534-4481 please leave your contact info. I don’t do (direct mail kopy) email but it’s not much different.
Awesome! Just left you a message. Also, you can email me at tilsleymarketing (at) gmail.com
Thanks, man. I appreciate it.
Nice Mike!
If you ever wanna do a guest post on the blog to 20,000+ people, lemme know. If you could show emails that work or some numbers, that would be super interesting to a lot of people!
Thanks Nev. Makes a lot of sense when you’ve put it like that.
Thanks Justin, glad this helped!
Neville,
Unfortunately, I just discovered you. I love the emails and all of the posts I read. I am trying to get into copywriting and see alot of posts about getting paid more, standing out, and did I say getting paid more?. That’s great, but I need a template, I need examples, I need a format. You have done jst that my friend. I enjoy youur style and humor. I feel we have a similar style. Your ideas for Uber’s emails blew me away. I always thought they were a boot leg taxi company. I can really see the power of words
Jasson Lowe
Why thank you sir :)
Glad you like these emails, and I hope to keep em coming for you!
Your copywriting lessons, examples, and emails are baller. I want to mimic your business model, but I’m a yoga teacher. I used lessons from you to rewrite my “Private Yoga” page – and actually got an inquiry. Brilliant.
Nice job Vera!
So glad to have helped :)
Duuuuuddeee… If they even knew.
After moving to big Seattle from a little town in Florida, the first thing I noticed was that getting a car would suck balls due to the parking, break-ins, steep hills etc. Now that I’ve used both services (Lift & Uber) for a year plus, I can throw in a few gems…
– Riding to the movie theater two blocks away in an Escalade, we get in and the driver says where to? My buddy & I tell him he’s taking us to Jurassic World in style. He just chuckles.
– On date nights.. START with the black car and FINISH with the UberX, by that point, you ca laugh together about what a big difference there is in each.. Also kudos if you tell the driver that you took a Black car on the way out but his service is just as good if not better.. makes you look like a caring stud.
– Temporary therapist / shrink.. seriously, just start talking about it and watch the drivers listen and engage.
– Most important.. Uber makes you money, it’s not a car service, it’s a way for you to buy time.. parking, gas, etc. Big bummers.
The best emails I got from each car sharing service were:
– A log of how many trips I took in one year
– My rating as a passenger
Best thing I got from this post..
– Even the big guys have little guy problems
Great suggestions Mikel! Very NevBox-worthy suggestions :)
Hi Neville,
I really like your post, a few time ago i quite my email suscribe to Uber because i got a lots of emails that i didn’t read or weren’t interesting.
I would improve their emails by testing different types and making a little bit more personalize list to send the right information. Why not send personal stories about their drivers or passengers and about #UberSeQueda is a TT to support uber againts taxis on México an any emails saying thanks to people who support them :-/ They could really improve their email marketing a lot!!
Love your blog, specially your videos with the breakdown kopy!!
I would really
Thank you for the kind words Andrea!
I agree a lot of people might be unsubscribing to the Uber email because of this. If you keep sending irrelevant or bad emails, people will soon tire of them.
AND THEN when a good email comes, they might not even open it because they know it’ll likely suck anyways.
LIVE SAVER: How Uber saves lives by driving home drunk socialites…stats on DUI and how you can have that extra drink without concern for driving
KEEPER OF PEACE: Never have to pick up your mother in law at midnight because Uber will…and will keep her entertained, feeling stylish, and catered too. Bonus points!!!
TRAVEL GUIDE: Use Uber to see the sights of an unfamiliar town and have the driver take you to the hotspots….or settle for drive thru food?
Nice William! You’re definitely thinking along the right lines!!
This post really caught my attention because I’ve written about Uber’s awesome receipts on the Vero blog several times. What’s interesting is that I’ve noticed many businesses send really great product-related emails and awful marketing emails.
TripAdvisor has basically abandoned traditional email marketing in favor of highly personalized, pseudo product emails. Instead of just blasting crap out, they use your location to serve up recommendations, then follow up to see if you visited any of the restuarants/hotels you checked out. Then, as you start leaving reviews, they send ‘reports’ that show you how many people have read your reviews, and encourage you to leave more. All they need it a small behavior to trigger a long series of pretty interesting emails.
Yeah it’s how it tends to happen when they assign the email marketing to a big group of people or a marketing department.
Cool thing TripAdvisor did….no wonder they’re #1!
I would have read the emails in their entirety if they put emotion in to the stories. That’s the beauty of keeping the person reading it in the loop. They probably want to feel that emotion and think of a similar event they’ve been through.
If I were Uber’s VP of Email Marketing, I wouldn’t shorten it for fear of losing the reader, but I wouldn’t write it “War and Peace” long (as in epically long).
Here’s how I would have wrote it:
“I was flying in late from New York. I was tired from the long flight and couldn’t wait to get home to my comfy bed. I ordered an Uber and was greeted within 10 minutes by my friendly driver Dahir. I loved the personalized service instantly when he said, “Good evening, Nick”. I told Dahir to drive me to a friend’s house where I parked my car. I didn’t want to pay the airport’s ridiculous parking fee.
We arrive at my friend Jason’s house. Just when I was getting ready to go home, my car battery dies. I was frustrated. Here I was, tired from a long flight and now this happens. Dahir without hesitation offered to take me to a nearby store to get jumper cables. When we returned, Dahir and Jason helped me jump the car and it came to life. I was relieved beyond belief. I thanked Dahir for his hospitality and willingness to go above and beyond. I’d definitely use him as a driver again and again.
I drove home and was happily reunited with my big comfy bed. If not for Uber, that night would have been more frightening.”
And scene…
Lol thanks Adam! NevBox-worthy effort here!
Actually Uber does send out some emails like this.
I would go a step further and COMPARE this story to “Sarah” or someone who DIDN’T USE UBER.
Her outcome would suck, but yours would be great…..because of Uber!
I’ve been thinking about this even after I wrote a comment above.
If Uber is offering a new service, they should just announce; they should pre-sell. So, if they’re starting, for example, “UberXLT” and send out an email about it. Right then let me reserve and pay (at a discount) for XLT. Uber stop asking the customer to remember and want a service. Make it so I can get it immediately.
Again, thanks Neville.
Great idea and a way for any copywriter to get some business.
Judy
Interesting, thanks Judy!
It’s interesting how Uber can stage such interesting PR stunts yet sound so bland in their emails.
Here’s how they introed uberX…
“We would like to take this opportunity to introduce uberX, the low-cost Uber. Cars on Uber are hybrids or mid-range vehicles in a variety of colors, with rates cheapter than an NYC taxi.”
So…does it really matter uberX comes in a variety of colors? Like am I gonna go out one night and be like, my car color needs to coordinate with my outfit! How about something like “save on average X% per trip”. Pay ONLY a $3-6 premium to never have to walk out into the middle of the street again, straining to see if your bus is on its way.
Fingers crossed I receive the honor of being sent one of your legendary NevBoxes. What can I say, I’m cheap and I need new lining for my litterbox. Just kidding I don’t have a cat ;)
Bahhahaa….thanks Sapph!
I think UberX about the colors was a relatively big deal because the original Uber rejected ALL CARS that weren’t black.
But yes, they should’ve focused on “We can now add 85% more to our fleet and make our prices way cheaper than taxi’s”
Uber should segment its data and send ultra personalized emails in their most popular categories, whether it’s daily commuters, night clubbers, or tourists.
1.) Daily commuters could get a series of email newsletters that provide new suggestions of best bites around town, local events, and work/life hack tips. Special discounts for continuous Uber requested trips could be an option as a loyalty program.
2.) Night clubbers (or anyone who orders at certain times and days of the week) could get messages about the upcoming DJ schedules, hotel discounts, and best late night food stops around the area.
3.) Tourists can receive popular destinations and “must have” stops.
Uber’s backend data shows the popular routes taken and thus the most frequently visited stops along the way. Calling people by name, remembering what their last stop was, and just asking them how their experience was in a genuine way, will change the game of personalized marketing.
Eco friendly is always great, and a stat showing how much carbon they decreased by carpooling with Uber could be a rejuvenating and organically marketable dual stat. I think the goal is to make this feel as comfortable and fun as possible…ratings and comments given to and from drivers to uber riders can only help with transparency.
Nice one Ed!
Definitely a NevBox-worthy comment!
Those are amazing takes on Uber emails.
I know many Start Ups who are starting to copy everything Uber does down to their email template. Their intro email, every email, eggggg.
Yours are amazin’!
Thanks Bobby!
Lol…..they should take business lessons from Uber, but not all of their emails are great. Definitely room for improvement.
Tell them to copy THESE emails at an early stage!
Great thread. Great topic. I worked for a few years as a part-time taxi driver in a small college town. (And always treated the guys and gals with total respect. :>). From the other side of the “vehicle”, I can tell you that I’ve been trying to sign up as an Uber driver and their driver communications are just as vague as some of their consumer emails. If you start at the web site – good luck trying to find what their rules are compared to the state-mandated taxi (and other commercial carrier) regulations. Good luck finding out what the rates and territories are so you can make an informed decision about proceeding.
Moving ahead anyway, I’m currently in Uber-hell. Submit this document. Then a week later – submit this information. – Then – here is a 4th. of July weekend special – make an extra 1,500.00 – start driving this weekend. OK. But – you can’t. We didn’t mention we need 3 more submissions from you. They should not offer the impossible just to draw people in. It leaves a negative impression on motivated potential drivers.
I applaud Uber for their concern for safety and doing thorough personal and background checks on their potential drivers. They should make that an entire human interest theme to put out to their consumers. But in addition, they should be clear upfront with potential drivers with what will be needed – simply to expedite the process. Sending out enticing bonus offers, which are impossible to meet because of their own rules, and not offering a clear and simple way to communicate and ask questions is frustrating at best and makes one wonder about the overall business logic of the whole company.
I do apologize. This turned into a bit of a personal rant. My real point being, they need to not only effectively communicate with their drivers and potential drivers but also need to let the public know of all of the safety checks and regulations that are imposed on the drivers. It’s really just another angle to add to the list of the many easy ways they could improve customer service and push positive public perception so much with more interesting and more organized and targeted content.
Thank you.
Thanks John….not much I can help with there, but yes I agree some better emails would help them.
Hi Nev,
Thanks for this. I’d be interested to see how useful your Nevbox is.
James
Thanks James!
Terrifik.
Thank you Naomi!
Love the post as usual. Another possible angle could be using it as a delivery service.
Your car isn’t big enough for that TV you just bought from a discount store that doesn’t have delivery.
Your favorite restaurant is across town and you are working with your team late. You decide to order out and have your driver pick up the food for you so that your team can meet the deadline.
Nice Dustin!
I’m sure in the near future Uber will probably even be promoting services like this.
They already have the distribution of drivers….”stronger” drivers could maybe even make an extra $10+ for helping someone load a TV.
Nice Neville-
I learned something. A thought- you said you often reply to emails that you get from uber.
Do you find that doing this over and over as an exercise helps you become a better copywriter? I feel like it’d be pretty good practice to take emails and pick apart what they’re doing well vs what needs improvement.
I reply to emails I get from Uber?
I’m not sure if I said that.
HOWEVER, I do frequently see marketing (of any type) and think “How could I sell that better??”
I especially do it with the SkyMall magazine in planes :)
Great write up, but be careful Neville, Uber doesn’t take criticism well…
http://www.foxbusiness.com/technology/2014/11/18/report-uber-exec-discussed-strategy-for-silencing-critics/
I’m not criticizing them, just trying to help!
….actually I was just trying to make a simple case study of improving email for my own peeps!
Hi Neville,
As a part time Uber driver and a full time student at the end of my last semester in computer engineering I was looking for a full time job to pay off my Uber sized student loan. I reached out to everyone I knew and one of my sorority sisters who was working on the “left” coast reached out to me. She said she could arrange an interview for me. We spoke on June 25th and she was leaving for a vacation and so asked me to be there on July 7th.
I did not want to spend four car payments on a last minute ticket to LAX. I quickly packed my bag with my few belongings and took my car. I decided that I would earn money while driving for my interview. I started from Iselin, New Jersey and started picking up rides heading west.
I took rides during the commuter hours as the money was good. There were a few times when I did not get any rides. On July 3th, I was in Fremont, CA. I earned enough money to pay for gas, motel and food. I also had enough left over for motel and food until my interview on July 7th.
Today was my interview and my last ride as an Uber driver !
To all my Uber driver friends all I will say is BELIEVE.
Wow Niloufer that’s an awesome story!
That would be the kind of thing to send out in emails for people who maybe interesting in getting Uber certified to make some extra cash on the side!
Ha Nev, you’ve given me some great new reasons to use an Uber!
I live in South Africa, but live about 50km (~25mi) out of Cape Town, where I work. Uber recently launched UberChopper (I think that was what they called it) and I’ve wanted to catch an Uber Chopper into work ever since.
I think it’ll cost in the region of $1000 just for the single trip, but dammit it’ll be worth it!
hahhha yeah I think they’ve done some promotions with helicopters and private jets……not sure if they are real parts of the business yet or just promotions!
Kool post Nev!
Some great advice there – reframing “taxi” is pure krugerrands! (Uber could do with a Nev special konsult for sure)
Also kudos for using one of the great sales tactics too… ie. me showy not telly (sure to get bumps on konversions)
Can’t wait for that Nevbox :)
K’mon – Max
Ooops… I just caught your request for how I would improve these emails. Here goes:
Macro – Focus on what makes Uber unique and better from taxi’s, and other transportation public and private.
When writing stories, try using present tense; gets the reader closer to the action.
Example:
“Nick just wants to collapse into his own bed after a loooong 10-hour flight from Asia.
As arranged, Dahir meets him at the airport. They drive to Nick’s car which he’d parked at his friend’s place. When they get there, Nick’s engine won’t start. Not even a whirrr…
Dead battery.
Even though the trip is officially over, Dahir drives Nick to a nearby store for jumper cables, drives him back and helps get him moving again.
That was July 1st, 2015. We get stories like this every day…”
[Note: I also added some context to tweak the emotions a bit]
Micro – Choosing better verbs – you can often replace verbs like: went, is, make, etc… with more exciting verbs. This raises the interest/excitement factor.
Nice job Max!
Thanks Nev!
This lesson helps me think about how I can make my emails more “inherently interesting” to my target audience(s). I have to make it about THEM!
~Love your stuff
Yes yes yes! Always make them more inherently interesting!
It’s good for both you and your readers.
These blog posts are pure gold Nev
Why thank you Jordan, I appreciate that :)
Thanks Nev!
I’ve been getting on board with longer emails, and found myself sucked into great ones.
Do you have any posts on deciding if the story needs to be longer?
What do you think about measurement for longer emails?
– I’m sure click rates go down… but how do you know if the reader is engaged with the content?
Scratch that – I”m not sure click rates go down… but i’d guess.
The story needs to be long if:
….the story NEEDS to be long.
If you can summarize something shorter, then do it. Only keep something long if you NEED to.
Click rates don’t go down, they often go up.
Keep Austin WEIRD!
YOU’RE weird!
Love the breakdown posts. How would you write the email when Uber announces they’re firing all the drivers because they perfected the robot car?
Lol….I’d let the robot write it ;)
I couldn’t come up with any constructive comments. Good post.
Well at least thanks for letting me know you liked it Glenn!
I want the NevBox as much as you, Neville want a cushy 6 figure consulting contract with Uber (which by all means you have to get, as you are clearly a genius at this). Thanks for reminding me to order Uber XL for next time a bunch of drunken us trying to get crosstown (in NYC) and have fun at it.
I actually never meant for this to be any sort of contract-getting post. Originally this post was just a dump of different Uber emails.
However halfway through writing it I realized I could improve lots of he posts.
And yes, use Uber when you’re drunk :)
Keep up the awesome breakdowns!! I love these :)
Thanks Tam, more coming :)
I love how simple your revisions were. You made the text way bigger, you kept it brief, you used one photo and you told a story. I don’t have any specific examples of how I’d improve Uber’s emails, but I would definitely use those four techniques. Thanks for the lesson!
Glad you learned something Laura!
I’m a big believer that you should do more with less…..and that’s completely true in Uber’s case with their emails too!
Thanks, Neville! As always, your articles are easy to follow and very informative. Very practical. I’m so glad I decided to subscribe after watching your webinar with Noah Kagan on kopywriting.
Why thanks for the kind words Chris :)
Re: UBER
You know, taxi companies are often run by very shady people and *oddly enough* none of them came up with UBER. It is no surprise at all that UBER is having trouble in certain countries. The fear of losing a mostly cash-based business with very loose reporting-after all, you can always just say the money was never made, right?-versus a business that receives its’ payments via trackable methods like credit cards is what is behind alot of this violence. The one thing I would focus on if I were UBER is the fact that CUSTOMERS, also known as THE MARKET, choose them over cabs. Everywhere in every city in which they have a choice. Even Courtney Love choose UBER in Paris and she has enough money to vote with her wallet.
I personally don’t drive and have never wanted to because I’m easily distracted. So to me, UBER would mean “FREEDOM”- I could finally go look at real estate or make a business meeting. Currently, though UBER isn’t in my city. So I’m still out of luck. For those of you that have access to UBER…count your blessings. It means that less crime is happening in your city.
I usually vastly prefer an Uber to a taxi……usually because when I want a taxi I can’t find one (unless I’m in New York).
I can also use different credit cards with uber, split the bill, do an uber pool…it’s awesome!
Dang dude, serious comment overload on this article – and a huge # of responses by you. I got on your email list last year, and haven’t clicked a link for some months now, but opened up this one and am happy I did. A good reminder that not only in email copy, but in blog posts, and in general, people are looking for the “how does this benefit me” side of the story. I got on Uber’s email list, read two of their emails and promptly unsubscribed… boriiiiing zzZzZzZz….
Always love your copy, thanks for the reminder to keep copy interesting and different. It’s like we’re all in highschool again and 90% of the copy out there is that same boring teacher with the monotone voice droning on and on. Another reminder to develop our unique voices and keep with it. Fingers crossed your international shipping game is strong, I live in Chile haha.
Take care,
Zac
Lol….I love the analogy of the boring teacher :)
Glad you liked this one Zac!!
Great post Neville. How much would you charge Uber to take over their email marketing campaign?
Looking forward to that NevBox. Good looking out. ;)
Uber could also promote the driver-employment part of the company by sharing stories of how working for Uber changed someone’s financial life.
Yea, I think that’s a great angle they can make.
I think the reason they don’t is that some people DON’T make a lot of money.
Hey Nev,
I’m going to forgive the fact that you sent me two emails today because they were both very interesting.
I’d love to interview you for my podcast (http://www.toodifficult.com/podcasts), so I can introduce you to my (small) audience, let me know how we can make that happen.
-Daniel
1.) No thanks :)
2.) Maybe you could’ve emailed this instead of leaving a comment that irrelevant to the post?
I, personally, am not a huge fan of email, as you could probably tell from my post. I think we all get enough email already, why add to it?
Thanks for the response sir.
This is a great breakdown of how you analyze the emails. You make it seem so simple too. I’m going to try to follow your thinking structure the next time I’m faced with writing a newsletter.
Excellent, just SHOW THE READER cool stuff they can do immediately, and it’ll be an inherently more interesting email.
Wow. This post totally made me want to use Uber…and I have a car!!
You’re right about their emails. They SUCK! I usually delete all of their emails on the spot..If they were in the style that you wrote them, I would even look forward to receiving them.
Excellent post Neville.
Lol….I have a car too and still use them all the time, so convenient!
I’m glad you would prefer my versions, hope they implement them!
Now I know what Uber is! And it does sound funner then before.
Lol….glad you learned what it is from THIS post!
Nice takedown Neville!
I only have one critique. I don’t know that UBER is a valid substitute for picking kids up after school. I am not a parent yet, but I have many friends who are parents, and they would never let their children drive in a car with a complete stranger, even if its the friendly neighborhood UBER driver…
Well not ALL parents would do that of course, but A LOT of teenagers already use Uber. It’s pretty common…..and actually far safer than a random Taxi.
Thanks Neville for the post!
Just for fun and as a practice, I thought I would write my own testimonial story for Uber.
—
Subject: Not in the mood to walk 15 minutes in this HOT BURNING WEATHER?
—
1:35 PM, August 28, 2014, Downtown Los Angeles.
It had been an “unusual” hot summer (by LA’s standard that is) and it was LITERALLY 1000 DEGREES OUTSIDE!
I had to meet up with an important client in 20 minutes and his office was just a little over half a mile away (according to Google Maps, it would take roughly 10-15 minutes to walk there).
Did a quick mental analysis and came up with three options:
1. Walk
2. Drive
3. Uber
Well…I was dressed up in my dark suit and tie. I knew the minute I stepped outside of the air-conditioned building, my dress shirt would get drenched in sweat.
I figured it was probably not a good idea to show up at an important meeting looking like I just came out of a swimming pool.
So walking is out of the question.
How about driving?
Turned out that the parking in that area were usually difficult to find. I wasn’t going to spend 5 minutes to drive there only to spend another 20-30 minutes looking for parking and be late to the meeting.
Not to mention the additional time needed to walk (under the sun) from my car to the client’s office.
Only option left is to take Uber.
“It’s going to cost me a fortune…but I have no choice :-(“, I said to myself (with a sad face).
Pulled out my phone and entered the address.
…
Estimated time for the driver to get here…3 minutes. (Great I’ll be there early).
…
Estimated fare cost…$4. (OK I can take the hit).
WAIT WHAT!? FOUR DOLLARS!
SWEEEEET!
Turned out that Uber was a lot less expensive than I had expected.
I ended up showing up 10 minutes early to my meeting, looking nice and dandy.
Four dollars… I would pull out my wallet ANY DAY to not look like a sweaty ogre.
Would you?
Andy – Happy Uber Rider
Nice!
I think for an Uber email it might be a BIT long (I’m sure you can convey how hot it is and the cheap price in a shorter amount of time).
But NevBox-worthy attempt though! Thanks for commenting Andy!
Neville, you’re improvements are solid, but I’m not sure I would have opened the emails in the first place. The subject lines/headlines are just as boring. Improving the content is a good step forward. How about improving the subject lines so I actually want to read the content? Uber has a lot of work to do here.
-rm
Those subject lines would be interesting to a group of people.
Also people tend to randomly open A LOT of newsletters, but reading them is another thing.
If you constantly have great emails, people will WANT to open them regardless.
WOW Neville! When I opened the email I didn’t expect to see so many great examples of how Uber could improve their email marketing. Those are very good ideas! I’ve just saved this link for a reminder of what good copy is all about :)
Thanks Martin!
Yeah I stayed up till like 3am making this post (it was originally supposed to be just a few screenshots, but then ended up going in with real examples).
Glad ya saved, and feel free to share with whomever it may help. Together we can (slightly) rid the internet of Krappy Kopy :)
I’ll pay the $97 even if you don’t select me.
Hahaha…..you can just:
https://copywritingcourse.com/nevbox
I learned oodles from this post… honestly I was the gal who thought it was a more personalized taxi service. I loved considering the different uses and will def. keep this in mind when a friend might need help… thanks
UBER seriously needs to hire you for their online marketing! ;)
P.S. I want a NevBox! Pretty please with sugar on top!
Awesome you learned something from even this “mockup post” of their emails.
Imagine if THEY actually did this on a regular basis!
I’m reading James Altucher’s book “Choose Yourself” and he talks about how to approach potential customers by offering free amazing ideas for improving their businesses instead of just offering a horrible cold email about what you can do. So, in addition to all the good kopywritting advice, this is a great post that shows how to approach potential customers. I wouldn’t be surprised if you started working for Uber pretty soon. Great post! Thanks!
Thanks Monica!
It’s FAR more interesting to a company to show them what you can do by just DOING IT, rather than telling them a list of boring things.
It’s what I tried to do in this email. SHOW rather than just SAY.
So in none these examples do I see a “Book a Ride with Uber” button. I mean, you send an email for a reason.
That’s not how it works Mark………they’re not going to NEED A RIDE ON UBER soon as they read an email.
If you were selling a product, that would be good, but in this case just sending them an email doesn’t create demand for the product at that moment.
Creative ideas in this Neville, you are spot on with these improvements. I can definitely see the finger-lights influence on how you came up with these examples!
I considered the idea of having more detail about your Uber receipts and overall travel, but remembered the episode of Elementary in which the fictional car service used their tracking of all the vehicles for a crime. Did you see that episode?
From a big data perspective, other policy uses could come from analysis of the driving patterns to avoid transportation building and funding, like Seattle’s recent $16 billion plan voted in last week.
I love the idea of publicly evaluating their email campaign. This helps everyone. Uber can get better and grow their brand faster. Your readers get a tremendous benefit of seeing how to break them down and understand where the deficiencies are in the communications to see what to avoid. And your benefit is twofold. First you have an opportunity to keep your skills sharp and practice and second you gain credibility and perhaps notoriety from Uber and others as the go-to email guy.
Thanks for the article.
-Todd
Make the Uber newsletter more interesting . . .
HEADLINE: You and your BFFs. Designated Driver . . . Uber.
BODY: Have a blast and feel free to fall on your ass. Uber will be there to pick you up! Just order the Girl’s Night package and get a cool escort for the night.
PHOTO: Women drinking, laughing and kicking up their heels.
CAPTION: New dance craze the Uber on display at Girls Night Out
Nice Deb!
I do like the safety of the drinking and driving issue. That’s actually how Uber initially started getting people sign petitions to legalize Uber in certain cities.
LOVE this post! Thanks, Nev, for providing some new insight on not only how to improve copy but also giving me new ideas for how to use Uber. The whole security issue would be a concern for me if I was a parent so I’d totally use them to shuttle my kids around IF I felt more secure about their drivers. So I’d love to see an email about the process they go through to screen their drivers. Thanks again!
Thanks Jenny, glad this helped!
I’m not up-to-date on exact screening methods, but if I had kids I’d sure as hell make them use Uber instead of a taxi.
As always you have great info Neville!
Appreciate that David :)
Hello Nev,
Your kopy points on the
Uber emails and campaigns
are spot on.
Your revisions should
convert higher than their
general, corporate “gobly-gook”.
Coming from the lean-startup
realm to where they are now,
when did their kopy switch
from direct marketing to
corporate general?
Sincerely,
Anthony
P.S.
You’re Nevbox looks fantastic!
If want to put one to good use
(that won’t get thrown on the
shelf), then I’m your man.
Thanks Anthony, glad you liked my suggestions!
Hey Nev!
I would enjoy the Uber emails more if they included some emails that aren’t to get me to donate/use Uber more but instead to tell short funny stories told by Uber drivers. With so many drivers across the world there HAS to be tons of funny stories about people they’ve picked up or situations they’ve been in. This would make me feel more like I wasn’t “being sold” all the time and would also make me think of them more as a “giving Gary” as opposed to a “leeching Larry.”
Thanks a lot for these emails. Peace brotha!
Thanks Stephen!
I don’t know if I’d want to keep featuring funny stories, because it then makes Uber feel like some wacky-ass car service.
I’d like to maintain the image of Uber being super easy, cheap, and reliable.
What a great cover letter to land a job as the next Uber’s VP of Email Marketing Growth (if they already have one that is). If I was the CEO of Uber I would hire you on the spot and even take you out for tacos de la calle.
Great advice for Uber and for all of us, thanks again Sumo Master.
Bahahhha, thanks maing :)
I got a good gig writing over here, but if they ever wanted advice I’d help them out!
Great post! I love how you can turn anything into something better, hope Uber take your advice as is such a great company.
Cheers!!
Well….Uber is easy because they have a GREAT PRODUCT.
I can’t make crappy products better :)
Need that extra 20 minute commute to be productive and hands free so you can prepare for your big pitch this week?
Take Uber.
Let someone else drive and fight through traffic.
So you can you arrive to work calm, confident and a little more prepared to knock your sales pitch out of the park.
Your post was awesome, Neville!
It’s great to see bad/mediocre turned into compelling and interesting all on the same page.
Makes it easy to compare between the posts, and between potential copy we’re writing to make sure we’re falling closer to the compelling side :]
I was trying to think of a non-douchey way of bumping the ‘work while you ride idea… And I figured adding more value/ideas was the best I could think up haha.
———-
“Bad Credit? No Credit? We’ll sell you any hunk of junk [so long as we loan-shark you at 25% interest!]
Look, we’ve all had to struggle in some way or another during the economic bombs that have hit in the last few years.
One Uber rider named Josie, in Los Angeles told us,
“Uber has been my answer to FINALLY getting out of the debt-trap of trashy used cars, from ‘less than honest’ “dealers”, that practically fall apart on your first drive home. I am SO glad to get out that money-pit cycle…. and with Uber, I still have my freedom to go wherever I want, whenever I want.”
We’re here to help. If you need a ride, and don’t feel like the hassle of negotiating with with the “dealers” Josie is talking about, while you get back on your financial feet…
We’re just a click away, ready to serve you.
Hopefully one of my 3 concepts isn’t used by someone else, and is NevBox-Worthy :]
———
How one family saved Hundreds of dollars each month… Without going car-less.
Do you have to have NO car to still save big with Uber?
Absolutely not.
Here’s a great example from Mike and Jessica, who weren’t ready to make the leap to “No Car, 100% Uber”.
“We live in San Francisco, I work full time, and Mike’s a stay-at-home-UH-Mazing Dad. I didn’t feel ready to try and go car-free and get to work 5 days a week without my own. It just felt a little “scary” to make that leap, ya know?
But you know what we DID realize? Mike’s suburban was costing us over $600 a month [Mike shouted: “$672!!- yeah, I’m the family math nerd”].
And he was only using it 1-2 times a week for small errands for him and the kids.
Mike pointed out.. .that those 4-8 Suburban trips were costing us $84-168 EACH!!!
Then it became incredibly obvious to us. We both thought, ‘we aren’t ready to give up our daily-driver [our 2 year old Prius V], but why in the WORLD do we need TWO CARS? We barely even drive the second one!’
So, we sold it. Now mike spends a *Fraction* taking Uber during the week when I’m at work with the Prius. And, we still have the prius when we make our long trip down to LA each month to visit my parents.”
Nice job Brent! I like the effort you put in.
Very NevBox-worthy :)
Thanks, Nev. The teardown was very helpful for me.
Thanks Mickey, very glad you enjoyed it!
Dang, how is Uber not knocking down your door to have you manage their marketing?
You should require the NevBox winners to write some short kopy on the product after they’ve had a few days with it.
I just want to award the boxes to people who write good comments. No work required :)
It would be fun to read FML style Uber Stories.
I read a story about how two drunk friends took Uber home and the friend who got dropped off first texted the other to make sure she got home safe because, “That Uber driver was creepy!” Turns out the friend accidentally left her phone in the car and the Uber driver texted back, “Your friend forgot her phone in the car.” Awkward!
I don’t know. I’m not telling it as good as it was originally written, but hopefully you get the point. The idea being that Uber can use the stories to demonstrate how Uber saved the day, was professional, or showed discretion. Tell stories and entertain.
BAHAHHAHAHA!!!
I think Uber’s next big thing is selling their services to large corporations who need to shuttle around employees, and Uber would be better than having the risk of people rent cars and driver themselves.
Hey Neville,
I always find your posts inherently interesting :)
I’m wondering if you are looking to rank for a certain couple of words with this post..
Thanks Jamie!
I wasn’t planning on trying to rank for anything in this post. It was literally just supposed to be a short post about Uber’s emails, but then I ended up making a bunch of examples.
I’ve received Uber emails and I quickly glance and delete just because they didn’t appear relevant to me. I think they need to have different email sequences for those who have already used Uber at least a few times, and those that are “newbies.” IE, for me, I’m still trying to figure out exactly how I would go about using Uber, using their referral promos, etc. I am too busy to read a lot of detail so I need more of a list series – break it down, give me a reason to read and a reason to want to read. For example, in email 1, tell me that over the next three emails I will learn the simplest, quickest, way to use Uber and it’s as simple as 1, 2, 3. And dangle a carrot for a reward – at the end of the email sequence I get a free ride coupon or something like that. Not sure if I explained that too well, but I think you get the gist of my idea.
Yeah I agree, I tend not to read Uber emails (except my receipts) because they’re not super helpful.
I wouldn’t add a free ride coupon on EVERY email….but maybe during promotion times yes.
I feel that if they provided even more benefit to their email subs (ie discounts for people who read) for specific events they would really ramp there awesomeness up! For instance
‘ The best Friday night of your LIFE’
Everybody loves having more money in their pockets, and everybody loves the feeling as if their an A list celebrity!
And because Uber wants you and your friends to look like a celebrity entourage, (and your wallet to feel a celebrity) this Friday when you select an Uber XL and have more than 4 people with you, you will get 40% off your ride!!!!
Make sure to call an Uber XL this Friday night!
Love the emails Neville they’re by far the most useful that pop up in my inbox!!
Cooper
Thanks Cooper! Hope these continue to be your fav, lemme know if they ever start to suck!
I really do like the Uber Black concept of going out in a nice car….I think a lot of people don’t even realize that’s an option.
Nev, Your blog posts are so much helpful. I’m not a native English speaker, and it is so useful to read your posts and follow your guidelines when I’m writing to prospects and customers. Keep up the good work. Thanks.
Why thank you!
Hopefully I can continue cranking out good posts for you Itzik!
So what about showing ridiculous things that you CAN’T do with Uber.
– Like taking your puppy Great Dane which has an uncontrollable bladder.
– Picking up a young family each armed with a kebab
– Or wearing a hook instead of your normal prosthetic limb when you get picked up
Or the top ten rude things you shouldn’t say to your driver.
Bahahahahah…….at first I thought this was hilarious, then I thought “oh wait, that last one can actually be used!”
…..NevBox worthy comment for your opposite-way of thinking :)
Maybe feature some “Hilarious” stories from Uber drivers everywhere.
Uber is such a new company, they are young and vibrant – they need to incorporate more humor – they can pull it off. As a content person – I think “can I make them laugh” or “can I give them something useful.”
They should start a campaign to get people talking about their most hilarious Uber stories or throw a cat in the Uber driver seat “get an Uber meow, and take a ride to the nearest kitty cafe that just opened up in the Hayes where you can sip your tea with real kitties in need of homes!”
I’d re work the content – but you get the idea.
I just made a hilarious info graphic people will love and likely pass aroun – and told the community of a new spot they can visit this weekend!
The Kitty Cafe is real.
I think in Uber’s case it’s not about making people laugh, but showing them a genuine benefit to their life.
Making some laugh = nice.
Making someone use your service a whole bunch = GREAT!
I WANT A NEVBOX!!
Just kidding, but I’d be glad to get one ;-)
I’ve shared this post with my team, to teach them the basics of copywriting. You made it really easy for me to address the “Me First” problem forever, and now they all admire you for such a wonderful post on “Customer-centric” copy.
Stay Awesome, bro.
Rk
Thank you so much Rk!
The best way I helped improve Uber’s newsletter was by tweeting this link to Tim Ferriss who is an advisor for Uber. I hope everyone benefits from your great work in this post.
My personal addition would be to create content highlighting the “Top 5 tips for getting the most out of Uber.” Then leave a comments section at the bottom where you ask readers to submit their best tips. Have someone review all of the tips and turn the best ones into future email marketing content. Sort of like you did here but with a slightly different spin.
NICE AARON!! Appreciate that :)
I like your suggestions here too.
A “top 5 tips” email from them would be great.
NevBox-worthy comment Aaron!
I’m always a fan of cleverness.
Throwing in some cultural references and goofiness would probably increase engagement with Uber Users.
Bahahah…….I would actually keep it relatively professional (yet in a casual voice), because Uber’s audience is so big and varied.
There’s teenagers that get the emails and grandma’s as well.
I would focus on how Uber could benefit them rather than just try to make it goofy.
This is interesting because it has me thinking of applying for my biz. As you said, BFD, another yoga teacher. But, did you know yoga has many useful purposes beyond improving physical flexibility?
1. It improves sex. (seriously)
2. It keeps you calm when you’re in traffic- in fact, you get to breathing just right and you can essentially experience a bliss filled euphoria that is completely street legal.
3. It gives you lean, sexy muscles that amp’s your opportunity to practice #1.
4. It helps you deal with your shit sans counseling (though that IS often helpful) or medications (though they can sometimes be useful or even fun).
5. Helps you deal with other people’s shit without losing the plot.
6. Helps alleviate back pain, shoulder pain, hip pain…. okay, pain’s in the ass (a la breathing blissfulness and actually getting up and off said ass)
7. Gives you a different point of view or perspective- especially when literally upside down (which, btw, could very well be the prevention for Alzheimer)
8. Brings balance off the mat which could save you when you trip and stumble next time rather than tripping and FALLING
9. Improves health by wringing out toxins… not a bad thing if you live a gleefully toxic lifestyle at the clubs.
10. Read #1 again, because that’s worth mentioning twice!
Cool that you’re promoting yoga, but is there a service you could provide that would benefit a SPECIFIC PERSON with these benefits?
Hi Neville,
You know, I kind of hate Uber – which is sort of a branding problem. The management seems like snide, privileged startuppy jerks. I do not want them to succeed. However – if they marketed with this kind of content instead of “We’re disruptive! We are very very alternative!” I’d – at the very least – rethink my stance. For example, I’d love someone to cart my son from one place to another.
Yeah, some people have that perception of Uber (which I don’t totally agree with).
I think they’ve grown a HUGE COMPANY in a SUPER SMALL amount of time. This means making decisions that sometime rub a portion of the population the wrong way.
I get it.
However if they could make your customer experience amazing and help you life, those haters would eventually come around.
Even amazing companies like Google who only try to do good….generate a HUGE amount of haters. You can’t please 7 Billion people :-/
I love this post, Nev. It’s so refreshing. I think these days it can be so easy to get preoccupied with building a brand’s story (and so on…) that marketers can end up losing sight of the basics. Sometimes, all you really need to do is forget the fancy and the fluff and focus on the very basics – goold old customer needs and wants, and how we can go about fulfilling those. Your emails are like a breath of fresh air. Thanks!
Thanks Jen!
It happens all the time. The marketing department will “want to share what an impact they’re making” or some crap like that.
Those nearly 99% of the time fall flat.
Instead just focus on how to make the customers life better.
If I win a NevBox, I’ll forward your post with surgical precision to 5 friends that are most likely to become your customers. One of the guys owns a small independent pharmacy that sends out a monthly email newsletter. Email is already part of his marketing budget and I know he would spend some money to make it better.
Lol….THAT’S your pitch??
Sending me to a small pharmacy list? Nice try Dan.
Next time why not just actually write a good comment, and I might naturally select you for a free NevBox!
Yo Nev
Pretty cool post, I also thought that the Uber emails were super lame.
I actually like the whole emotional spiel they give you with their stories, but I’d go one step further and link it to the different drivers. We all know that Taxi (or Uber in this case) drivers experience the weirdest stories when working, so I’d love to read about some of the drivers stories!
Also: Put the entire story into the email, I don’t want to leave my email program, I want to read a cool story!
Apparently they already do this in their emails to drivers.
However to their RIDERS this kinda stuff doesn’t matter.
As a rider I don’t wanna hear crazy-ass things happening. And honestly sometimes I like the drivers that just drive me. I’m sometimes ok with chatting, other times I’m not.
I would think they should stay away from featuring an overly-large number of driver stories.
I think that Uber needs to change up their subject lines as well – so many of their emails go straight to my trash. Their generic nature makes it seem like a robot is emailing me – something fresh and unique would go a long way.
I would actually suggest they make them shorter and more casual also.
How could I improve Uber newsletter?
You can also travel like Donald Trump.
Picture of Donald Trump in a limo.
Uber provides limo service. When you want to impress your date or a client get Uber limo and travel in style.
Bahahahhaha….with Donald Trump running for president, I’d stay FAR away from that political hot button if I was Uber!!
You’re right Nev. I thought of this after I have posted my comment.
I found another way of emailing clients.
Whether you are in NYC, San Francisco, Austin, Miami, Chicago or even in London, UK Uber is waiting for you.
You save time searching for taxis and you have high standard everywhere.
They can add other cities in other countries too.
It appears to me that Uber is trying to project the “Corporate” look, to overcome the “we’re just a bunch of nutty drivers” image. So, in their attempt to look “Professional” they’ve lost that personal, more intimate, non-stuffy quality in their emails. Nev’s going the less formal, light-hearted route, while still looking professional. And the pictures are essential to enhancing the professional image, in contrast to the copy. Professional, yet personal. It’s a fine line.
I understand why…….as you get bigger you have teams that “discuss” these emails in meetings, and they end up getting watered down.
They can actually leave a lot of the templates they have, but they HAVE to increase the “interestingness” of the email content.
Hi Nev,
This is great idea. You just inspired me to send emails to my clients. I have just sent a short email to Italian restaurant owner in Fulham in London, UK.
I have added the image as you described and pointed out what the new website will give to his clients so he could benefit from it.
I will send at least 10 of those emails to different restaurants to upgrade their websites.
I can feel so much more power emailing my potential clients after reading your blog post.
Thank you sooooooooooooo MUCH!!!!
Robert
Nice, good job Robert!
You might also wanna include your phone number, and say something like:
“Give me a call and I can tell you some other easy website changes that will get you better reviewed in Google and Yelp” (or something like that…)
Getting them on the phone is a powerful way to drum up business.
Lemme hear an update!
Holy crap you are good at this, Neville. I’ve never used Uber before, but after reading your version of emails, I really want to try it. That moving furniture bit is brilliant!!
Thanks Eric!
See? Even the mock-emails made you wanna use it….imaging if Uber actually took these scripts and ran with it!
Great post. Uber could engage with their subscribers in exchange for a bonus (kinda like you’re doing with this post Neville).
So they could ask readers to send pictures via email or social media sharing new ways to use the service, and offer free luxury upgrade for a certain period of time. This way they would get engagement and TONS of ideas for their future newsletters!
That stuff is cool for engagement, but it doesn’t TEACH PEOPLE other uses and give them more excuses to use Uber.
It’s fun stuff and all, but I’d stick with just education for the near future.
Love the ways you highlight how this could work, and also make it so applicable for other industries – just how to think “outside the [Nev]Box” is priceless!
Bahahah….OUTSIDE THE NEVBOX!
Don’t ever worry about being stuck at a boring party again.
Who else has carpooled with a group of people and only 1 hour later thought,
‘I wish I drove myself so I could leave?’
With Uber, now you can…whenever you want!
Leave the boredom behind and pursue excitement with Uber.
Thanks for all your help Neville Medhora, looking forward to the box! :)
– David Ruess
Ohhhh, good angle David!
Loved this post. Amazing lesson in how to think outside the box. The Nev Box..? ;)
Thanks Glynis!
I lol’d at your domain name!
I started reading this email during my morning constitutional and it kept me on the can way longer than necessary…(a sign of an engaging email)… But all these ads told me was what Uber can do ,but assuming I know nothing about it ,they don’t tell me what it is exactly…how much it costs and how to get it. Those are some things as a first time user I’d like to know.
Bahahaha….I love that I made you sit on the toilet for longer than usual!
So I am assuming anyone on the Uber email list ALREADY KNOWS WHAT UBER DOES.
In fact most people already do, so I wouldn’t spend more than one email on it.
Uber just picks you up from wherever through their app. That part is pretty simple.
I would further reinforce over time the things uber can ALSO do for them to make them use it more.
Nev, I totally agree about making the emails inherently useful, and that’s sometihng I’ve been working on. I try to ask, is this email taking up space or is it adding value? I’m currently working on a new autoresponder series where every email imparts some useful insights and gives a link to free info for more.
And I second the commenter on the breakdown posts being cool. More of these, please. Try a b2b service.
Glad ya like these Tristan!
And that’s a great way of looking at it:
“Are these taking up space?” “…..or do they genuinely ADD something?”
Neville,
This was great!!!
How about using Uber for a wedding?
An email re that would definitely get people thinking!!
Thanks for the nudge.
Judy
I actually already wrote that example in the Uber Black mock-email I made!
Glad you liked this post :)
In addition to what you suggested, I would hire few design/writing interns and create Uberrama, a short comic book that features the Uber-driver as the main hero in the most funniest situations that actually happened during the drive.
This will engage readers, make them want to open and read every email.
It will make them laugh, and share the comic with their friends.
Lol
Maybe Uber can encourage their customers to take photos with Uber drivers and post them on social media for a discount in future use?
I reckon this will help build the interaction between the customer and Uber….
I think…
Well maybe…..I’d be more interested in getting them educated about MORE WAYS they can use Uber.
Awesome work Nev! The thing is, until you wrote those emails I’d NEVER thought of using Uber in the ways you just described. Okay, so NOW I’m probably going to start Ubering!
Welp, I guess it worked swimmingly then 8-)
Funny enough I too thought that Uber emails weren’t up to par. This is a great detailed example. Now time to send this to Uber?
Thanks Neville!
I think they’ve probably heard about it by now, I hope they implement it!!
These are good. Another is to sell people on the value of their time, and more importantly what they could do with that time.
Big cheese CEO has a personal assistant, a butler, and a DRIVER so that they can spend time focused on more important tasks, which makes them more money in the long term…
Because Uber is so cheap even Joe can make a profit on Uber. Use the time you’d spend driving to make phone calls, get some uninterrupted time to plan, respond to emails, or just clear your mind.
Is the stress of driving in rush hour traffic keeping you from the right state of mind before that big interview or event?
What could you do with that extra half hour of you time?
True dat…..I would probably do a thing about how you can work in the car or make phone calls in the car to improve productivity.
I just stumbled on your blog a couple of weeks ago and LOVE the content. I am always trying to make our marketing and emails more creative. Thanks for the great ideas and I look forward to reading and learning more!
Well hope this one pointed you in the right direction Liz!
Subject: Why you DON’T tip with Uber…
It’s true.
Uber is not just about conveniently making you a baller; it’s about conveniently saving you cash, too. With rates cheaper than a yellow cab, never again waste time:
– fumbling to take out your wallet.
– handling loose change and calculating how much you need to tip.
– worrying about whether your driver is happy or sad with the tip you’re leaving!
With Uber, we do it all. Ensuring both you *and* your driver’s happiness.
Never tip again. And never worry about the right way to travel, either.
Nice Jonathan!
I would probably do more reasons AGAINST tipping also (a system which I’m already not a fan of because it actually screws over the people it’s actually trying to help).
Great mock-email. Perhaps NevBox-Worthy!
Hi Neville, it’s amazing how much I learned about Uber’s services based on your “fake” emails rather than the emails that Uber actually sends out! Just looking at some of the Uber emails that I’ve opened and essentially ignored, the copy just doesn’t stand out. I’d recommend getting rid of the centered text and use more images and bullet points to break things out.
Exactly!
Actually a lot of people have said that today…..which means these emails actually kinda work!
Uber could do a lot by promoting their community (ex. drivers of the month) or even their services. When Uber launched Uber Eats in NYC they sent me 1 email that was long and convoluted. They should have shown me the delicious food they could have delivered and a big call to action button
YUP!
I think for those special promotions where they have an Uber deliver you something….they should have a giant button that sends: “SEND A CUPCAKE TO ME RIGHT NOW!!”
….or some obvious call to action to drum up some biz!
Scott from England here… even our emails over here suck.
I love the Uber XL advert you did – “How to look awesome in front of your date…”
Giggity
Lol……I thought that one was great on so many levels :)
I would do emails with “suggested uber rides.” It would suggest that you visit a museum exhibit, have a picnic in specific park, or participate in an event, tell and you how much it would cost to uber there.
Or – it could suggest an “uber tour” – give you a specific route to take in your uber with notes along the way about what you’re seeing, and drop off points along to route to stop for a meal, or see other cool sites. So it’s a way to tour your own city (or one your visiting).
I love these “how to improve” emails! thanks Neville!
Thanks Samantha, great suggestion!
Want to finally do those microbrew tours you and your crew have been talking about forever? No one wants to DD, and you were too lazy to find a shuttle service. No worries, Let UberXL DD. Save some $$ over that crappy shuttle service, and get your crew to the brews all through the Uber app. Cheers!
Ohh nice, a whole craft-brew thing with Uber as the driver. I like it!!
I’m bettin’ that the person at UBER who writes those emails is feeling either pissed at you or is looking for you on FIVERR…Nicely said Neville
Bahahhaha……I bet it’s actually a big team, and MULTIPLE one’s at that.
I’ve wondered how copywriting could draw in clients in law, where communication is highly regulated. Showing alternative use cases for additional services is one possibility.
Lawyers often WANT the language to be vague and confusing so they can twist it whichever way they want.
In the past, every deal I’ve had that was SUPER CLEAR AND SUPER SIMPLE did the best and no one got screwed over.
Complex deals often create tension.
“….. and you have to get people ACTUALLY READING the Uber emails or else Travis Kalanick will bitch-slap you.”
Well there is an email idea right there. Wouldn’t it be cool for a hipster company like Uber to do a reprise of National Lampoon’s classic cover from 1973? The cover had a pic of a border collie (I think) with a gun to its head. Caption read: “If you don’t buy this magazine, we’ll kill this dog”.
Uber subject line: “Read this email or Travis Kalanick will bitch-slap me”.
Not sure if that’s right for Uber *now*. But two years ago that could definitely have worked.
I literally laughing out loud after reading this comment! bwahahaha…
“Read this email or Travis Kalanick will bitch-slap me”.. WTH
HAHAHAHAHA!!! My favorite line also :)
Great breakdown. You’re kind to say they’re not “inherently interesting”…
Those subject lines could use some life support, too…especially since a bunch of the messages are still unread in your pic at the top.
The Uber marketing dept. must really like the BS giveaway contests (shopping sprees? SPAM) and subject lines that give away the whole message (“Uber now accepts PayPal…” okay great, got it…next).
Here are the Neville-inspired subject lines that I would try:
“Use this flowchart to decide how to get from A to B”
(inside is a graphic with options like just walk, rickshaw, UberX, Uber XL, space shuttle, etc.)
“Hot date out of your league? Pick her up in an Uber Black”
(Who doesn’t want to impress their date and look like a baller?)
“Someone is leaving $100 bills in Ubers”
(This could actually be a relatively cheap and easy marketing stunt…and better than those shopping spree contests. Just put a few $100 dollar bills randomly into Uber cars for a month).
Thanks for the education Nev.
BAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHA!!!!! These were awesome!!
I’m no longer quick to diss someone in a big marketing dept, because it’s tough to pass an email through without 20 sets of eyes (and feedback) going through it.
NevBox worthy post, you made me laugh :)
Not shitty. Not shitty at all.
Thanks, Neville, for another excellent, non-shitty teaching.
Thank you :)
great breakdown and suggestions for improvement. I’ve done some driving for Uber and the emails they send their Drivers are way more interesting than those they send Riders.
Lol…..this is probably true!
And why? Because the emails are about YOU! So of course they’re inherently interesting.
Would be interesting to see the driver emails they send out, haven’t seen those yet.
This is great Neville.
One benefit that they could include in their emails is to familiarize people more with hot places near them to discover and visit. Most people don’t do local tourism or they don’t expand their regular spots for lack of information. This could be an opportunity to have their service fresh in their inbox regularly and, well, a nice call to action to use their cars, or at least mention subtly how many are available, wouldn’t hurt.
I don’t have the service here so I trust you’ll tell me how that would work for you. Sounds good? :)
Thanks
Ohhhh that’s a good idea!
Like if they’re in Seattle, give a cool recommendation….and of course pimp Uber as the way to get there :)
I personally would like to see the following things from Uber emails:
1) Address the issue of safety – many commenters online, whenever the topic of Uber comes up, point out that it may or may not be safe in terms of the drivers not being licensed drivers (like taxi licenses). There have been a few cases of rape charges and assault and Uber could have a campaign showing that using the service is actually much safer than stopping a cab on the street since the company has all the data of the driver, the route being traveled etc. I think many women would be interested in this.
2) Provide an X amount of credits to people that would be willing to show how their life has been improved (not just changed) by using the service. I know a person who sold one of the two cars in the family because keeping two cars was more expensive than taking Uber frequently. (cost for the company – tiny)
Lol…..I always laugh at this, because Uber drivers you know who they are, and they’re usually regular dudes and gals with jobs.
About half the time the taxi drivers I get are HELLA SKETCHY though!
Uber does have campaigns that show the redundant safety.
You also hear about ONE incident, whereas there’s millions of safe rides for each incident.
But yes, they do address is.
Thanks for pitching in Mateusz!!
LOL
Now everyone is frowning at the copywriter/marketing person, going “that Krazy Nev dude totally pwned you, dude/dudette. Like zomg, why don’t you take an Uber down to EMBARRASSMENT LAND and have a ride on the EMBARRASSMENT-A-ROUND. Maybe you can meet your 667 YouTube subscribers there.”
Awwww poor guy/girl!
I’m pretty sure however Uber has different managers for email in each city, and that it’s probably more of a committee of people rather than one person.
If it IS one person, give me a shout dawg. I can help.
Big companies tend to be easy targets, but still a ton of good insights here. Thanks
True.
Getting into “committee mode” and putting out a good email is hard because it gets so watered down with eeeveeerryyone’s suggestions.
This is great! I never used Uber before and wasn’t going to because it seemed like an alternative to a taxi cab. In the last 8 years I used taxi twice. But one of your make-over e-mails mentioned that I can get a larger truck or van to move furniture. Now, that’s something I need all the time and I had no idea Uber provided this service!
EXACTLY!
I’m glad even these examples helped you see Uber as something more than just a taxi service!
They are technically a “distribution” company that can get goods (or people) from Point A to Point B on demand.
In the past they’ve even done “experiences” where you can “rent a puppy” and stuff like that….or even “get a Christmas tree delivered”
Cool stuff!
Great information. Already have some ideas that I will put into action today.
Awesome Dustin! Glad you learned from this Uber analogy!
It’s shocking how bad Uber’s email comms are for a company with its resources.
Just a few tweaks and they could kick ass with their emails!
Love these emails Neville. After signing up for the Kopywriting Kourse and going through it all I was sad it ended, but with mind-expanding emails and posts like this Uber one I’m happy again. I especially love this ecamoke because it’s not a traditional sales letter, but an example of how to use copywriting to drive loyalty and cross-sell people who have already been customers in the past. This is hugely important because its often so much more difficult to get a new customer, and so many companies waste the valuable opportunity to expand their relationship with their current or previous customers.
Neville, are you going to penalize me because I said “ecamoke” instead of “example”? :-)
Bahahah……I will let your misspelling go this time (mainly because I misspell like 10 things per post)!
I think a lot of companies WANT to keep a good email relationship, but I see it happen all the time when a big group of people get together, get in “committee mode” and basically suck the life (or usefulness) out of an email.
’tis what tends to happen in big companies.
Fortunately Uber only needs to SLIGHTLY TWEAK their messaging to get huge results.
Believe me, I was “committeed” out of a job because my emails were too “out there” for a software company targeting nonprofits I was working for.
Well… I think they should take a look at some resources about headlines/subject lines… Maybe I have something around here, I’m not sure: https://copywritingcourse.com/copywriting-headlines-that-sell/
The thing is that Uber has focused on their high-end service and forgotten a bit about why people want to use it. Right now in Brazil there’s a pretty big fight going on with cab drivers and uber drivers because of regulations and all that…
For me? I felt safer when using Uber… friends of mine have been harassed by cab drivers more than once and one drove off with me still on the door because he didn’t have change…
So taking testimonials from users (not just ratings) would be a good way to go as well.
Yes I totally agree (FYI I was JUST in Brazil)!
In places where there’s a big battle, it’s always good to showcase awesome testimonials from happy drivers and customers.
I think a great one would be a taxi driver who quit the taxis to become an Uber driver.
It’s funny that Uber is spending so much effort taking over new markets (both new verticals and new cities), and trying to get new customers, but dropping the ball on selling more to their existing ones.
They probably aren’t MEANING to do it…..it just happens when you have huge marketing teams and everyone watering down the emails.
Uber ride-sharing is a great way to meet people, especially if you’re a new transplant to a city. A friend met his girlfriend this way, true story!
So an interesting angle could be:
“New to Paris and want to make friends on your way to work?”
You just moved to Paris. All your friends are on the other side of the world and you don’t know anyone here. Your new job keeps you busy and it’s hard to carve out time to meet new people.
But even if you’re swamped with work, you can still meet new people without having to make extra time for it in your daily schedule.
Just sign up for Uber ride sharing and make use of your daily commute to shoot the breeze with locals. You’d expand your social circle in no time!
Oh now THAT’S a nice Nevbox-worthy suggestion Arnuad!
Soon as you land in a new city you can:
1.) Save money with a ride share.
2.) Make some friends!
Great suggestion and angle!
Great post Nev!
I actually couldn’t agree more and think it’s really smart how you approached the different content and expanded what Uber is. I try to do this for Ecommerce clients as the always seem to try to send email deals or boring product emails. Anyways, I like your approach and will be borrowing some of this :-)
Best,
Darren
Yes, this definitely works!
Originally I figured this out when I owned HouseOfRave and kind of transformed it from a website catering to ravers, to a website catering to 35 year old moms and wedding planners.
By showing alternative uses for a lot of the products, it brought in a whole new clientele.
You defenitely know how to attract attention Neville, fab emails! :)
Thanks for the inspiration.
Cheers,
Ivy
Thanks Ivy!
I originally was just going to showcase some corporate email from companies like Uber, but then noticed the Uber emails could be sooooo much better.
There are some companies where making their email “interesting” is more difficult. But I really think Uber has some good opportunity to improve here.
That was awesome. Send a Uber Black to take Nana and her Golden Girls to bingo on Tuesday night.
Bahahha……this is a joke, but ACTUALLY IS A REAL USE CASE!
I think Mr. Kalanick now owes you a barrel of beer or so :D
Hmmmm……a barrel of sake would be preferred :P
I think they need to feature the drivers a bit more. All we ever hear about in the UK press is how Uber drivers are being exploited, make very little money etc. It puts me off getting an Uber because I don’t want an angry/sad driver!
If they showed some profiles of drivers in my local area with a brief Q&A it would make the service seem more personal and I’d be more likely to use it.
Yeah that seems to get overly-covered in the press (I personally think if you don’t think it’s fair….THEN DON’T WORK FOR THEM)!
But there’s also a lot of stories where drivers can make a pretty damn good side-income from driving part time.
Uber actually does feature those every once in a while.
I’m honestly starting to wish that all of my professors were copywriters! I just started looking into this field a few weeks ago and so far everything that I’ve read on the subject, I’ve enjoyed. You’re emails, though, have to be my favorite! It’s such a casual way to learn.
As for the #WomenMoveUs campaign, I think they should have started by telling one woman’s story, sort of an example. It’s easy to click away from something like that because you’re not sure if your woman, wife, mother, or sister, would qualify. Asking for inspiring women and describing an average but inspiring woman will elicit two very different responses .
I also agree with you on the first ad. The whole story just seemed very mundane by the end.
Hahhaha, that would be cool :)
Yeah in that #WomenMoveUs campaign they had too much going on. I always suggest that people have ONE MAIN GOAL for their email.
So if it was to get views to that video, that should’ve been the only goal of the email. Not 30 links to other places.
Another helpful post. Thanks Neville.
If Travis Kalanick leaves a comment, send HIM a NevBox!
Have a great day everyone
Bahahah, that would be awesome.
I’m meh on this post.
I think their emails could be more inspirational than just alt use cases.
I totally disagree.
At first you need to show people how to use your product more.
Of course inspirational can be mixed in…..but your company don’t grow if people don’t use it more.
Focus on getting a huge distribution, and sprinkle in inspiration along the way.
The amount of views on that YouTube video in relation to how much that campaign must have cost actually made me feel a little bad inside :-O
Until a couple of articles and starter PDFs, Copy was like understanding Chinese. Maybe it is just “over-thought” too much?
Yeah, pretty low huh?
Not ALL of them are that bad, but still there must’ve been hella work put into that video, and nearly ZERO result.
Glad I’ve helped kick you in the right direction for copy Charles!
Some ideas to improve their emails:
1. Some emails should ask for engagement. Like hit reply if you have a cool Uber story, they could use this to feed the “interesting uber use cases” email ideas you had.
2. Have call to actions. Sometimes Uber has special events going on that they email a couple days ahead about. But they have no call to action, like put this in your calendar, or go to this page and schedule it. Uber offered to deliver my unwanted clothes to a donation center, but I forgot to do it when the date came around. Would have remembered if Uber asked me to put it in my calendar, or even better schedule a pickup in advance.
3. Send me emails about Uber in other countries. It would be cool if Uber emailed me about a country they’re in, with a mini travel guide and the cost of an uber from and to popular places.
NevBox-worthy post Ayub!
I got an idea that Uber could plan you a “Day Trip” or something in different locations.
Maybe listing that it would “Cost a total of only $37 to visit the top 3 tourist spot if you took Uber between them.”
….and you’re definitely right about the calls to actions. Theirs are pretty weak usually. I like saying “Tell Siri to remind you about….” or something like that. It gets people to actually put it on their physical or digital calendar.
Great suggestions Ayub!!
Couldn’t agree more.
The most exciting emails I get (and actually bother to read) from Uber are usually the ones about ice cream trucks, bands on the back of a truck, etc – the special stuff!
They definitely need jazzing up and telling their ‘story’ would help to connect with an awful lot more potential customers. Most people don’t know about the Spotify features, the sharing potential (£10 for recommending a friend = winner!), or quite honestly that they’ve being rated by the drivers too.
Got chatting to a real friendly Uber driver recently who showed me my profile on his end and what might cause it to rise or fall. Useful stuff!
Stories = connections = sales.
Go well, Neville!
Whoa….you got to see that?
I wanna see mine!!
Dude that’s an awesome read. I love the uber black example (baller).
Bit surprising those guys don’t have better peeps writing stuff for them!
Thanks Nick!
I like the Uber Black example too.
I actually rode with an Uber Black car in Miami a few months ago, and the dude told me he gets lots of people who like to roll up to the clubs in a nice car, so they always choose Uber Black (especially if they’re with ladies he said).
It’s something I never even thought of.
I think the recommended changes are great. I think the Uber Email Master needs to spend more time in the seat of the consumer for inspiration. What better way to improve than to experience the service? Take a ride and get work done – oh wait there is another benefit to ME! I can work while I ride.
Work While You Ride! That’s a great email topic, thanks Kimberly!
Possibly a NevBox-worthy suggestion!
Comedy always get through to me. Granted what’s funny to one may not be to another but Uber could take a stab at it. Think about the last time you flew Delta Airlines. The folks at Delta have transformed those boring, stale old service announcements (seat-belt fastening, emergency exits and so forth) into comedy gold. Or at least they gave it a go, which makes people pay attention. That’s my two bits, intelligent humor. Uber should try that.
That’s true, humor helps…..HOWEVER sometimes on the corporate level it gets lost.
Also the point of the emails is not to be funny, it’s to SELL!
So I would first focus on getting the point across to the email readers new things they can do with Uber….and maybe throw in some fun stuff in the act.
Good use of “show, don’t tell”. Nice.
Thanks Andy!
I originally had this scheduled as a “nice and easy post” where I just showed some of Uber’s emails……but then stayed up till nearly 3am last night coming up with examples and whatnot :-/
And the thing is, I’d bet the family farm you enjoyed the challenge. Crafting each scenario in your little Neville head. No doubt cracking yourself up when your neurons played out an over the top thought.
Good stuff mate
That’s the stuff Nev!
If businesses would only understand how important and lucrative email-marketing can be if only they had a DS Copywrting mindset…
I had the chance to talk about this with John Carlton (he wrote an amazing post about corporate advertising): It’s really frustrating to see big companies make those mistakes without being able to do anything about it. in Europe it’s even worse since we have not a very, well, “salesy” culture.
However, I changed the copy of emails from a few startups I work with (french startups) and, surprise surprise, european also respond to DS!
Short: I hope that Uber reads your post, implements all of this, and sends you 7 figures because that’s what they could make by implementing this kind of email marketing.
Oh cool Robin! It’d be interesting to see your changes and the results they produced.
Hopefully someone sees this and implements it.
I’m sure email marketing isn’t their TOP PRIORITY right now, but it sure as hell wouldn’t hurt :)
An excellent post. Id improve the uber emails by them including recent reviews of YOU by the driver. So it would make you feel good about being such a good passenger.
Perhaps they can keep stats about how many miles you have done and how much you’ve saved by using Uber.
After a certain amount they might give them specials or gifts.
Oh great ideas Samith, definitely a NevBox-worthy suggestion!
Wow. Showing a passenger a positive review is a pretty darned good idea.
Guess I’ve got a shot at just one of 2 NevBoxes now.
Is it a bad thing if I’m here only for the change to get a free NevBox?
chance*
Lol….it definitely kind of destroys your chances at winning one :)
Great stuff to keep in mind. Keep up the good work!
Thanks John, glad you enjoyed!
Great post!
I guess it would depend on some testing, but telling people new ways to use Uber (like furniture) is a great start to improving their email campaigns. I would also try interesting video content like “How Mothers use Uber” because parents use tech apps in the most hilarious ways (and also gives them data on how to market to the older generation), and also just reminding people why Uber is better than the competition (ie: taxis, Lyft, etc.).
Hell yeah it’s a great way to start!
If you want me to USE UBER MORE. Tell me MORE WAYS I CAN USE IT!
Some people may only think of it as a taxi service, but you can change that perception with just a few emails.
I came here for the Nev Box, and left with some useful ideas I can use in my emails. Thanks.
Lol…..that’s kind of a good testimonial for this post :)
No, I don’t think he needs to worry about fluff like html and pictures. His COPY is the focus and does the job perfectly
Well images are great for grabbing attention.
For example in the “Uber Black” email it’s nice to have a picture of a sharp-looking black car.
It really solidifies the “luxury car” idea in the persons head.
Copy and Images can work together :)
We don’t have Uber where I live yet, but it’s coming soon. Basically the only time I’ve heard about it is when somebody gets assaulted by an Uber driver. So if I were writing an email to introduce Uber to my local area, I’d highlight the fact that Uber cars are driven by our friends and neighbors. I’d probably tell the story of a super non-threatening male driver. Bonus points if I could get a picture of him with a college girl he drove somewhere who didn’t have to call the cops afterwards.
There’s tons of ways that Uber can cover the safety issue.
In fact even as a male I FAR PREFER Uber over shady-ass dudes in taxi’s.
I’ve frequently had super-weirdos driving my taxi, whereas I’ve only had good people driving my Uber’s.
But yes, highlighting safety would be a big one since it seems to be a big (yet overdramaticized in my opinion) topic of discussion.
The original Uber mails were totally boring. Personally I would have unsubscribed from those immediately. You improvements are less boring. But then I think I needed a taxi in the last 10 years like once or so.
And of course, Uber is banned here in Germany as far as I remember. So if we ever get Uber it would be like a Taxi anyway.
Uber is banned in GERMANY??
Oh man, I thought it’d be huge there.
Oh well, give it some time and I bet it’ll come out there, being banned didn’t stop them in other cities!
Hey You Nev !, what’s up :D
same here in France, taxi “loby” gets very hangry about this uber thing, even violent against uber user, this is just crazy !
I think we (all of us) should tweet this to Uber as well :) They are pretty twitter “savvy”
I already did.. ;)
Cheers for the insights Nev.
Love these, hope to see more teardowns.
All the best!
Thanks Sorin, if I see more companies needing teardowns I’d be happy to feature them.
Have you contacted Uber?I’m sure you could make big bucks and improve their sales.
They seem to have a super-capable team. If they need help, I’m here…..but it wasn’t the goal of the email. Just a cool suggestion other could learn from.
But oh yeah, if they ever used me I could def boost their emails ;)
It might not be a good is of your time but other copywriters might be able to contact their local Uber sales teams in order to improve their emails. For example, at the moment I live in australia, it would be cool to see an email like “do you want to go surfing this weekend?” With the body of the message explaining how I could order an Uber xl, get my surfboard ready and get dropped off at the beach.
There must be countless examples based off of locations and events that happen that if you dug deep enough, would lead into endless possibilities for improved copywriting
couldnt agree more. Have been researching “triggered” / transactional email providers for similar reasons. Make it relevant to me; tell me something I don’t know or hadn’t thought of.
Wayne
Exactly.
There’s so many different uses for Uber’s, why not demonstrate them to people?
This is a great post. Thanks for sharing. Reinforces the emphasis you consistently place on providing value for the READER not just spewing facts about the sender. I struggle to remember this often when I’m writing my own copy. This is a helpful reminder. I especially love the piece about how I have so many friends I couldn’t possible fit into a regular sized Uber
Thanks Mike!
Glad this helped you remember. Anytime you put THEIR experience first, you win.
Great post! When you focus on the benefit for the user, everything get better.
For sure! And with a service like Uber, it’s not even that hard!
Hi!
Love to learn from this source! I would advice a different layout in your email. Maybe pictures or html? It would look better that way.
If you introduce the topic a bit more, I think the click rate would go up!
Thank you
Thanks Ruben!
If these were actual emails (not just small examples), I’d definitely write a bit more.
These breakdown email posts are cool. You should start responding to each of the uber emails with your breakdown of how it could be better :-)
Thanks Toby!
I’d rather make just one big one and demonstrate it for everyone.
I actually respond to a lot of emails like that though. It’s DEFINITELY not a good use of my time, so maybe I’ll do more like this for everyone to see!
DEFINITELY not haha