Flogging wine - through email only

by The Copy Nazi Banned

Posted: 12 years ago 25 replies

COPY WRITING

Rimmerman’s personal theory about how it all works — how the Garagiste business model and those idiosyncratic e-mails compel such vigorous spending — fetishizes the human element, the obvious imperfections, like telling his administrative assistant to leave typos and grammatical errors in his e-mail offers — preserving the immediacy of his writing — and never including photographs. “Psychologically, it’s very important,” he says. “If I told you that story but you didn’t like the look of the label” — Animale’s cat, say — you might doubt the pitch. (“This is something I’ve carried for 18 years,” Rimmerman told me, as if confessing a terrible secret. “I’ve never told anybody this.”) He also cites a broader cultural shift working in his favor — “It’s almost like ‘everything old is new again,’ ” he wrote in a personal e-mail to me. “Or the music scene going back to turntables or . . . vintage 1960s tube amplifiers — people crave warmth, whether its auditory or in business, and eventually they come around to what makes them feel good, what keeps them warm — sensory or mentally.”

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/10/14/ma...garagiste.html

Read a sample email here - http://garagiste.com/signup

#email #flogging #wine

RickDuris

12 years ago

Thank you. THANK YOU. THANK YOU!

Thanks
2 replies

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Pusateri

12 years ago

Fantastic! Find of the year.

Email can be so intimate, yet most marketers treat it as a yard sign.

Long form email works beautifully if done right. This is a brilliant example.

Thanks
1 reply

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The Copy Nazi

Banned 12 years ago

Originally Posted by Pusateri

Fantastic! Find of the year.

Email can be so intimate, yet most marketers treat it as a yard sign.

Long form email works beautifully if done right. This is a brilliant example.

Love that bit about leaving in the typos...never adding a photo...just leaving it up to the words to paint the picture. And the really interesting bit - DAILY emails.

Thanks

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The Copy Nazi

Banned 12 years ago

Originally Posted by RickDuris

Thank you. THANK YOU. THANK YOU!

Thought you'd like that. This cat can write - about the most obscure stuff too. So many lessons in this for all of us. Starting with "Be yourself - find your own voice". (Obviously doesn't apply to you Rick - you found yours years ago as did I - in the outhouse)

Thanks
1 reply

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RickDuris

12 years ago

Originally Posted by The Copy Nazi

Thank you again for sharing.

So original. So many lessons. So many sacred cows slaughtered at one time.

- Rick Duris

PS: I bet that NYT article doubles his top line. It' s great as well.

Thanks
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marciayudkin 12 years ago

I read the article yesterday, but the sample (which I didn't look then for but read now) really drives home the whole point.

Thanks,
Marcia Yudkin
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Check out Marcia Yudkin's No-Hype Marketing Academy for courses on copywriting, publicity, infomarketing, marketing plans, naming, and branding - not to mention the popular "Marketing for Introverts" course.
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KingOfContentMarketing

12 years ago

They ship twice a year! wow.

Loved it. Signed up right away. A real success run by real people, under the radar, making bank and loving the adventure. Doesn't get any better.

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1 reply

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The Copy Nazi

Banned 12 years ago

Originally Posted by Joe Ditzel

They ship twice a year! wow.

Loved it. Signed up right away. A real success run by real people, under the radar, making bank and loving the adventure. Doesn't get any better.

Mate I'm gonna borrow that for IM. Send me your $997 now and I'll ship in the Fall.

Thanks

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The Copy Nazi

Banned 12 years ago

Just got my first email. What a trip. This guy knows his stuff. Here's a snippet -

If you enjoy low-alcohol varietal Cabernet (not just oak, fluff and sauce), while Sant’Elena remains undervalued and undiscovered, allow this Friulian mineral and tabacco-laced throwback to guide you though an evening of the Old World – regardless of left or right...

Your ossobucco will thank you.

Thanks

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Steve The Copywriter 12 years ago

Wonderful, the most beautifully written, entertaining and friendly emails and no need for an inter web site and store with videos, pop ups, hype and all the baloney...

Proving that brilliant advertising only has to have a fabulous product and the right words- that are so good you just don't need anything else.

136,000 delighted Garagiste customers spending $30,000,000 a year agree.

It really doesn't get much better than that.

Steve
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copyassassin

12 years ago

Originally Posted by The Copy Nazi

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/10/14/ma...garagiste.html

Read a sample email here - Sign Up | Garagiste Wine

Mal,

This is the copywriting post of the year!

There's more "secrets" in that nytimes articles than many of the WSOs that get puked out (with a hint of coco in the upper nostril area) on a daily basis.

And to do it with a crappy site. With a shitty chart. With an insane time delay. With bad gramar.

Honestly, its truly inspiring.

And all with the power of email.

I wonder if he thinks email is dead, lol.

Great find.

Adam

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The Copy Nazi Banned 12 years ago

Originally Posted by copyassassin

Mal,

This is the copywriting post of the year!

Mate when I grow up I want to be a whine writer.
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- 1 reply
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- copyassassin 12 years ago
  
  Originally Posted by The Copy Nazi
  
  Mate when I grow up I want to be a whine writer.
  
  me too. I figure he's netting at least $3MM.
  
  Just imagine if he optimized his income streams!
  
  Thanks
  
  1 reply
  
  Signature
  
  The Most Bad-Ass Tax Reduction Strategist for Internet Marketers who HATE paying taxes. See my happy clients
  
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  The Copy Nazi Banned 12 years ago
  
  Originally Posted by copyassassin
  
  me too. I figure he's netting at least $3MM.
  
  Just imagine if he optimized his income streams!
  
  I see that went right over the top of your head.
  
  Thanks
  
  2 replies
  
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  copyassassin 12 years ago
  
  Originally Posted by The Copy Nazi
  
  I see that went right over the top of your head.
  
  I got it, hahaha.
  
  (i think)
  
  Hey, I make money doing accounting.
  
  Thanks
  
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  Mr. Subtle 12 years ago
  
  Originally Posted by The Copy Nazi
  
  Mate when I grow up I want to be a whine writer.
  
  Originally Posted by copyassassin
  
  me too. I figure he's netting at least $3MM.
  
  Originally Posted by The Copy Nazi
  
  I see that went right over the top of your head.
  
  Indeed. : )
  
  .
  
  [ 2 ] Thanks
  
  Signature
  
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RickDuris

12 years ago

Originally Posted by copyassassin

There's more "secrets" in that nytimes articles than many of the WSOs that get puked out (with a hint of coco in the upper nostril area) on a daily basis.

I bet that gives you like 50,000 ideas for your newsletter, Adam. Plus the inspiration is a bonus.

It's the ultimate in "you make the rules" thinking.

- Rick Duris

[ 1 ] Thanks
1 reply

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copyassassin

12 years ago

Originally Posted by RickDuris

I bet that gives you like 50,000 ideas for your newsletter, Adam. Plus the inspiration is a bonus.

It's the ultimate in "you make the rules" thinking.

- Rick Duris

Ricky,

i don't like wine, but I love the guy already.

one of the take aways for me is how to evalate what we do to its highest emotional benefit and cause.

And use stories. Rich stories.

And especially the part about grammar. I have clients who are teachers and they rip me for it.

But, at least they know I write it. Most of the newsletters by CEOs are crafted by some 3rd year communications girl. Same with inflight magazines. And I know this for a fact because I have friends who that is their job.

When I right something, they know I wrote it. And that matters to my clients. Because if they think I outsourced, then it won't get read.

(hint for copywriters who want to increase your fees: in your copy mention how you learn your clients "voice" and "style" so there is a match. That alone is worth probably another couple of grand per gig, plus will make you different from most of the dumbasses out there)

Thanks

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ASCW 12 years ago

Marketing lessons aside - They're stationed in Seattle which means I can just go pick up my wine!
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Site being revamped.

If you want help with copy stuff, pm me.

Cool.
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arfasaira 12 years ago

I'm teetotal, but opted in for pure reading pleasure! This guy know his stuff and has proven the old adage that stories sell. They do for him - to the tune of millions...

Now that's making me think long and hard about the newsletters I send out to my list...

A gem of a find!
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The Copy Nazi Banned 12 years ago

Pity you're not a sheila Subtle...I'd ditch my wife and marry you. Love your stuff.
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max5ty

12 years ago

Thanks for the post...but I don't think he's better than the Woot writers out of Texas.

Thanks
1 reply

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The Copy Nazi

Banned 11 years ago

Originally Posted by max5ty

Thanks for the post...but I don't think he's better than the Woot writers out of Texas.

Really? This is autoresponder copy. You do know what that is? As in "email". Hardly the same as site content like you find at "Woot".

From what I can see of Woot..."Garagiste" leaves it for dead. I find Woot's copy cheesy. Here's a taste. On wine -

Forbidden Things

This three pack of fine Italian wines is all you need to focus on. Don't worry about the other stuff. It's nothing you need to trouble yourself about.
Please be aware! The following list of items have nothing to do with this Italian Tor de Colle 2007 Montepulciano/Aglianico Biferno Riserva, and should never be considered when you make your decision about whether or not to enjoy the dry, velvety well-balanced tannins:
- Tor Johnson
- Tor, the networking software
- A collie
- A miniature collie
- A Shetland Sheepdog
- Kallie Flynn Childress
- Callie Thorne
- Monte Carlo
- Monte Cristo sandwiches
- Monte & Mortimer
- Acapulco Weather Patterns In The Early 20th Century
- Rudy Giuliani
- Bifocals
- L'Inferno, the silent film by Giuseppe de Liguoro
- The films of Henri-Georges Clouzot
Instead, consider that this three pack of wine will go very well with game, poultry and roasted meat, and offer you a pleasant and ethereal bouquet! That should keep your mind off everything on the list above. And whatever you do, don't seek them out. Just drink the wine, and stay calm. Everything will be fine.

Thanks
1 reply

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max5ty

11 years ago

Originally Posted by The Copy Nazi

Woot is owned by Amazon since 2010.

The amount they purchased it for is undisclosed but most estimates put it around 120 million...not bad for a little start up company.

I agree...some of their offers aren't written the best...most are in my opinion good.

There are millions that get each daily Woot offer in their email.

Guess it's all in what "flips your trigger".

Thanks

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Steve Hill 12 years ago

Nice find!

"...people crave warmth, whether its auditory or in business, and eventually they come around to what makes them feel good, what keeps them warm -- sensory or mentally."

A good lesson here for copywriting - and this reminds me of similar personal-style approaches by J Peterman, Saddleback Leather, Toms of Maine, and others. These may be large businesses, but there's no law that says they have to sound that way.

Warm, friendly, honest, and to the point, e-mails from all of these companies speak to the readers as friends, providing them with adventurous escapes from their everyday lives, and perhaps something new to learn as well.

Subscribers may be in the office when they read these e-mails, but they are briefly transported to exotic adventures in far-away African villages, French vineyards, or Egyptian palaces. Vicarious adventures await in each issue, ready to delight and inform. The only price is the time required to read them - so no wonder they are popular.
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Flogging wine - through email only

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