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Send us Fan Mail

Email is the channel sports teams use the most and get the least out of. In Episode 171, Jeremy Neisser breaks down why batch-and-blast sending leaves money on the table — 70 to 75% cart abandonment, 80 to 85% of single-game fans never returning — and lays out the fix: a lifecycle email system built on six behavior-triggered journeys, layered with persona-specific messaging. If you want higher open rates, higher click-through rates, and conversion that's 3 to 5 times a generic send, this is the blueprint.

KEY TOPICS COVERED
- The real difference between using email as a blast and building email as a system that responds to fan behavior
- Why 70 to 75% of fans abandon their cart — and how to catch them automatically instead of paying twice to reacquire them
- The retention problem hiding in your data: 80 to 85% of minor league single-game fans don't return the next year
- The six core lifecycle journeys every team should run, and the exact behavior that triggers each one
- How win-back and lapsed-buyer journeys quietly outperform every other automation you'll build
- Why the "first known attendee" message matters even when it converts lower — and what it does for fan loyalty
- How the "one more game" journey moves single-game buyers up the ladder toward mini plans
- Why "Know Before You Go" is the most overlooked journey — and how it doubles as an upsell and a sender-reputation booster
- Turning the post-game survey from a self-serving feedback form into a warm-lead engine for groups and season tickets
- The persona layer: how the same Bluey Night email should read completely differently for a young family vs. empty nesters
- The core personas for minor league and summer collegiate teams: young families, empty nesters, young professionals, diehards, and corporate buyers
- The real-world results teams are seeing: open rates of 35 to 65% and conversion 3 to 5 times a generic promo blast

TIMESTAMPS
[00:00] – Why email is the most-used and least-leveraged channel in sports marketing
[00:58] – Blast vs. system: the difference that's quietly costing you ticket revenue
[01:57] – The hidden price tag: cart abandonment, one-and-done fans, and zero automated follow-up
[02:39] – How most teams actually use email — the batch-and-blast calendar
[03:33] – Why one generic blast fails a list full of very different fans
[04:01] – The megaphone problem: communication that doesn't respond to behavior
[05:00] – A quick history lesson: how email-to-fans started in minor league baseball
[05:21] – The fix — send the right email at the right moment, triggered by fan behavior
[06:49] – Introducing the lifecycle system and the six core journeys
[07:18] – Journey 1: Win back — reactivate fans before they forget you exist
[08:04] – Journey 2: Lapsed buyer — bring back fans who bought in prior seasons
[09:03] – Journey 3: First known attendee — convert a one-timer before they go cold
[10:26] – Journey 4: One more game — turn single-game buyers into multi-game fans
[11:53] – Journey 5: Know Before You Go — reduce friction and unlock pre-game upsells
[14:12] – The six journeys recapped in order
[15:00] – Why "Know Before You Go" matters more than teams think (new fans don't know the basics)
[16:31] – The post-game survey done right: catch unhappy fans, flag happy ones for upsell
[17:22] – The persona layer: why the same email to everyone fails
[18:41] – Bluey Night example: young family vs. empty nester messaging side by side
[21:03] – Tired parents need logistics; grandparents want a memory — write to each
[24:00] – The core personas for minor league and summer collegiate teams
[25:38] – Recap: the problem, the six journeys, and the persona layer that makes it land
[26:30] – The done-for-you setup and the upcoming free webinar (late July, 100 spots)
[27:59] – The results: 35–65% open rates and 3–5x conversion on triggered email
[29:18] – Final thoughts: personalized marketing always wins

CALL TO ACTION
Jeremy is hosting a free webinar in late July (limited to 100 spots) that walks through how to build this lifecycle email system inside your own email platform. A registration link will be added to the show notes when it goes live. Want help applying it to your team? Jeremy's email is in the show notes — reach out to talk it through.

Jeremy's email - jeremy@sportsmarketingmachine.com

Epsidoe page - https://revelocitysports.com/podcast/episode-171/

QUOTE PULLS
"There's a huge difference between using your email software as an email blast and using email as a system." — Jeremy Neisser
"70 to 75% of your fans get to the cart, put things in, and abandon it. Every one of those numbers is a fan you already paid to acquire." — Jeremy Neisser
"The fix isn't to send more emails. The fix is to send the right email at the right moment, triggered by what the fan actually did." — Jeremy Neisser
"Sending the same email to everyone means you're writing for nobody in particular — which means you're connecting with almost no one." — Jeremy Neisser
"The hill I will die on is that personalized marketing always converts way better than your e-blast marketing. It simply is better." — Jeremy Neisser

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