Module 10

Email, SMS and messaging

13 lessons, 46 stepsOne instruction at a time, each with the result to expect. Tick steps as you go; Helix remembers.

Outcome: automatic emails (flows) that earn money every day, a regular email schedule that does not wear out your list, and text and chat messages used where they help.

Related SOPs: 13 Email and SMS flows, 14 List growth and campaigns

In plain words

Stage: Convert (turn visits into sales). Every lesson below is tagged with its stage; see Attract, Convert, Grow.

What it is: Emails and texts that send themselves when someone does something, plus regular newsletters.

Why it matters: Your list is free to reach. Good automatic emails earn money every day while you sleep.

Do this:

  1. Turn on the welcome, abandoned checkout and thank-you emails first.
  2. Send a helpful email to your list once or twice a week.
  3. Check sales from email each week and fix the weakest flow.

Words to know:

  • Flow: An email or text series that sends by itself when something happens, like a new sign-up.
  • Abandoned checkout: When someone starts checkout but does not finish. A reminder email can bring them back.
  • Segment: A smaller group of your list, like people who bought in the last 90 days.
  • Campaign email: A one-off email you send to your list, like a new arrival announcement.

All words are explained in the glossary.

Lesson 10.1: Sign-up formsConvert

Why this matters

A sign-up form (often a pop-up) asks visitors for their email or phone number, and it feeds every flow and campaign you send. A good form signs up 3 to 10 of every 100 visitors. A weak one wastes your traffic.

0 of 5 steps done

Step 1 of 5

Pick one incentive: dollars off (for example $10 off) if your orders are big, percent off (10% off) if they are small, a free gift, early access or a competition entry.

Expected result

Your form has one clear reason to sign up.

Lesson 10.2: The five core flows and extrasConvert

Why this matters

A flow is a series of emails or texts that sends itself when someone does something. Five core flows earn money every day without you lifting a finger. Timings are in SOP 13.

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Step 1 of 6

Set up the Welcome flow, triggered when someone joins your list.

Expected result

New subscribers get your first email within minutes.

Lesson 10.3: Writing emails that get clicksConvert

Why this matters

Emails that get clicks feel personal and have one clear job. Mixing plain founder emails with designed ones keeps your list interested.

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Step 1 of 3

Alternate plain-text style emails from the founder (images are fine) with designed emails.

Expected result

Your next four campaigns include at least one founder-style email.

Lesson 10.4: SegmentsGrow

Why this matters

A segment is a group of people on your list who share something. Sending to the right segment keeps emails out of spam folders and makes each message more relevant.

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Step 1 of 3

In your email app, create segments: engaged in the last 30, 60 and 90 days, buyers, repeat buyers and VIPs (your best customers).

Expected result

The segments show live counts.

Lesson 10.5: Campaign cadence and ideasGrow

Why this matters

A campaign email is a one-off email to your list, like a newsletter, and cadence means how often you send. Building up slowly keeps your list healthy while you learn what they like.

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Start at 2 campaign emails a month, move to weekly after a month, then 2 to 4 a week if engagement holds.

Expected result

You have a written send schedule.

Add it to your calendar

Lesson 10.6: Reviewing performanceConvert

Why this matters

Monthly reviews show where emails leak money. Fixing the weakest step first gives the biggest gain for the least work.

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Step 1 of 2

Open your email app's reports and record the flow and campaign numbers shown in the table below for last month.

Expected result

You have one line of numbers for flows and one for campaigns.

Good to know

Open rate Click rate Other
Flows Above 35% Above 1% Revenue per recipient going up
Campaigns About 35 to 40% About 1.3% Unsubscribes under 0.3%

Lesson 10.7: A/B testing frameworkConvert

Why this matters

Email A/B tests show what your list responds to. One change, two big enough groups and a written guess make results trustworthy.

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Step 1 of 3

Write a hypothesis (your guess), for example "a question in the subject line gets more opens".

Expected result

The test has a written guess.

Lesson 10.8: DeliverabilityConvert

Why this matters

Deliverability means your emails reach the inbox, not spam. Without it, the best email in the world earns nothing. Most of it is one-time setup.

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Step 1 of 4

In your email app's domain settings, follow the guide to add SPF, DKIM and DMARC records (settings that prove your emails really come from you) at your domain host.

Expected result

The email app shows your sending domain as verified or authenticated.

Lesson 10.9: Platform costsGrow

Why this matters

Email platforms often charge by the number of people (profiles) on your list. Cleaning the list saves money and improves deliverability at the same time.

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Step 1 of 3

Suppress or remove people who have not opened or clicked in 180 days.

Expected result

Your billable profile count drops.

Lesson 10.10: SMSConvert

Why this matters

Text messages get read fast but cost more than email. Used for big moments only, they earn well; used every day, they drive unsubscribes.

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Step 1 of 3

Add a text step in the welcome flow and checkout reminder, for people who did not act on the email.

Expected result

SMS only goes out where email did not work.

Lesson 10.11: WhatsApp and chat commerceConvert

Why this matters

WhatsApp and similar chat apps work well where your customers already use them, especially for VIPs and expensive products people want to ask about first.

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Step 1 of 3

Set up WhatsApp Business and only message people who opted in.

Expected result

You have an opted-in WhatsApp list.

Lesson 10.12: LoyaltyGrow

Why this matters

A loyalty program rewards people who buy again. It only pays off when enough customers already come back, and it must be measured by repeat purchases, not points.

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Check your repeat purchase rate in Shopify Analytics > Reports > Customers over time. Start a loyalty program only if more than about 15 to 20% of customers already buy again.

Expected result

You know whether loyalty is worth it yet.

Lesson 10.13: Sale email and SMS scheduleConvert

Why this matters

Big sales live or die on email and SMS. A fixed schedule from tease to thank-you makes sure every phase gets a message, and nobody gets spammed.

0 of 5 steps done

Step 1 of 5

Before the sale, run sign-ups and send teasers.

Expected result

Your early-access list is growing.

Open your sale prep plan

Self-check

  1. What is a micro-commitment form?
  2. Which segment gets most campaign emails?
  3. When does a loyalty program make sense?
  4. How fast should you grow sends when warming up a new account?
Answers
  1. A form that starts with an easy one-click question before asking for an email or phone number.
  2. Engaged subscribers.
  3. When more than about 15 to 20% of customers already buy again.
  4. Each send to about 1.5 times as many people as the last one, engaged people first.

Words to know in this module

Abandoned checkout
When someone starts checkout but does not finish. A reminder email can bring them back.
Flow
An email or text series that sends by itself when something happens, like a new sign-up.
Segment
A smaller group of your list, like people who bought in the last 90 days.
Campaign
The top level in an ad account. It holds the goal, like getting sales.
Campaign email
A one-off email you send to your list, like a new arrival announcement.
Landing page
The page someone lands on after clicking an ad.
Revenue
All the money customers paid. It looks good, but it is not what you keep.
Domain
Your store's web address, like yourbrand.com.
Margin
The share of each sale you keep after product cost. A $100 sale with $40 product cost is a 60% margin.
All words to know