Zero Conversions from Your Launch Emails? Read This.
I wrote 18 emails for a high-ticket launch. Not one of them converted.
Wild, right? The good news is the program sold out. The client was happy with my work. The open rates were good (important!) and the click rate was decent. But the sales email sequence didn’t drive a single direct conversion.
This is the story of how it all happened — and why I’d still call it one of my favorite projects to date.
The client was (and still is) dreamy. A seasoned business owner with a small team, way past the DIY phase, clear about her goals, solid offer suite, smart and easy to work with — my favorite! She’d been following me on Instagram for a while and knew she wanted to work with me at some point.
When she wanted to relaunch her signature offer, she was ready. She booked a VIP Copy Week so I could write her full email sales sequence. (I’m keeping the details vague because if someone doesn’t want the world to know they hired a copywriter, I’m not out here breaking NDAs.)
So I got to work. I wrote eighteen emails, each crafted to hit a different point in the buyer journey and appeal to different kinds of decision-makers. Facts and results for the data-driven buyers. The feelers got vision and transformation; they got future-pacing. And I had receipts lined up for the skeptics.
The sequence was thoughtful, well-timed, and on-brand. We were both proud of the final product.
And still: not one person booked from the emails alone.
Shame Spirals Come At Ya Fast
When my client and I debriefed on the launch, she shared the results: the solid open rates, decent click-throughs, the sold out program. But again: zero conversions directly from email.
And my brain did what brains do when they care deeply about work that doesn’t land the way they hoped.
“I’m bad at my job.”
“I don’t actually know what I’m doing.”
“I would be a better Waffle House waitress than I am a copywriter.”
(Yes, it was dramatic. Yes, I took it personally. And??)
It took me a day or two to recover but then I decided to get curious. Because as someone who helps coaches, founders, and experts with email marketing strategy, I needed to understand what went wrong and how to do better next time.
So…what exactly happened?
Good Copy Can’t Defeat a Cold List
Here’s one of the first things my client said during our planning session:
“Let’s just send these and see what they do. We haven’t emailed about this offer in a long time.”
Major clue. Wish I’d paid more attention at the time. Because you can have the sharpest, smartest, selling-est email campaign in the world. But if the list is cold, disengaged, or no longer aligned, it won’t convert.
The reality is, not everyone on your list is a buyer.
Some people got on your list when they signed up for that one freebie years ago.
Some met you at a conference and wanted to stay in touch.
Some read your emails because they like you and think you’re interesting. (It happens!)
And that’s not to say you need a big list. You don’t. But you do need a warm, relevant one.
Different offers and different audiences require different conversion paths. My client even speculated that maybe people need to hear about this once-a-year program multiple times before they’re ready. She’s right: some people need to be wooed for more than one sales cycle before they convert.
So while the conversion copy didn’t do the heavy lifting this time, it was still part of the ecosystem of a really good offer. This audience, this list, just needed a different path to get to yes.
Relationship > Funnel (Well, At Least In This Case)
During our post-launch chat, my client shared another piece of the puzzle:
“I had to do a little more relationship work to close the sales this time.”
(Side note: thank little baby Jesus for AI note-takers. Our whole conversation was preserved — unclouded by my shame spiral — so I could return to it later!)
Some offers — especially high-touch, high-ticket ones — require a lot of nurturing. Conversations. Face to face time.
And they may require a different CTA than “book a call.” For some buyers, the invitation to “book a call” can actually feel intimidating. They may worry they’re going to get hit with a hard sell. They may feel they’re taking up a coach’s time if they’re not sure they’re going to buy. They might not be sure what they want to ask.
For these buyers, a well-structured email campaign may not be enough on its own. They may need:
Direct calls
Follow-up DMs
Live Q&As or webinars
Face time with the founder
An invitation to connect in the DMs
Next time, I’ll suggest we structure additional nurturing and alternative CTAs into the overall strategy. I’ll also advise segmenting the list and having the founder send a personalized video to people who clicked the link but didn’t buy.
Copy Is One Part of the Conversion System
This experience reshaped my understanding of my own work.
I used to think “if the copy is good enough, it’ll convert.” Now I know even great copy needs to be aligned with the whole system to make a real impact.
If you’re wondering why your email campaign didn’t convert, zoom out and look at the bigger picture:
Was the list warm and engaged?
Was there a pre-launch nurture period?
Did the audience know this offer was coming?
Were questions or objections also handled elsewhere (like in DMs or webinars)?
Did the emails work alongside other sales tools, like retargeting or founder-led outreach?
I’ve adapted my onboarding process to ask clients deeper discovery questions upfront. Before I write a word, I want to know:
How often you email your list
How often people find and join it
How do they get on your list
Whether this offer is familiar to them or brand new
What past buyers needed to feel confident saying yes
Because if we want your emails to sell, we need to know what’s happening outside the inbox, too.
TL;DR
If your email campaign didn’t convert, it’s not necessarily because your copy was bad.
Sometimes it’s because the list was cold. Or because the offer needed more context or connection.
When you want copy that works with your strategy, good news: I’ve already figured out everywhere it could possibly go wrong! So this is the part where you fill out my contact form and we decide if we want to get on a call or just send Instagram voice notes back and forth. Either way, I’m ready when you are!