Surprise, surprise. Effing up your marketing or communication definitely ISN’T good for your surf business.
But…
I’m of the staunch opinion that a well-handled email mistake can earn you more credibility than a perfect send nobody remembers.
I open heaps of brand emails. Surf camps, shapers, wetsuit brands, retreats, surf coaches (so I can finally nail my pop-up LOL).
Every so often one lands with broken links. Or the wrong date. Or “Hi {FIRST_NAME}” sitting at the top. Cringe.
But then, an hour later, a second message turns up.
“Oops… we stuffed up!”
And I actually remember that. I like it when a brand is self-aware and self-effacing. When they can admit their mistakes.
Which brings me to the topic of this week’s article.
What the research says about email mistakes
It has a name: The service recovery paradox.
This is the idea that customers whose problem gets handled well can end up happier than customers who never had one.
Sounds like a free pass, no? Welp… it isn’t.
A 2007 meta-analysis of the research found:
- A well-handled mistake reliably lifts customer satisfaction
- It doesn’t reliably lift repurchase intentions, word of mouth or brand image
Later work found the effect only shows up in a small slice of cases. Real, but overrated.
My take is that recovery makes people feel better about you. It doesn’t automatically make them book again.
That matters when your surf biz runs on repeat guests, loyal members or customers and referrals. Especially when economic uncertainty has every customer thinking twice about spending.
Why the oops email is still worth keeping in mind
I reckon a well-written oops email is one of the most underrated sends in surf business email marketing:
- It’s a second touch: Most subscribers skimmed or skipped the first email. The fix gives them another reason to open
- It sounds like a person: A short, honest “we stuffed that up” reads like a human wrote it, not marketing software
- It shows you’re paying attention: Someone noticed, fixed it and cared enough to tell you. That’s gotta be worth something
Your audience is buying trust. A week at your camp. A board they’ll wait months for. A wetsuit they can’t try on first.
Honesty is trust.
You can’t be perfect (and you don’t need to be)
You’re going to stuff up. Everyone does.
Nobody makes every takeoff. Sticks every air (unless your name is Matt Meola). Nails the art of the pop-up first time ’round.
The standard I’d focus on:
- Be really bloody good 99% of the time
- Be excellent at handling the other 1%
That’s business, but that’s life too.
What a good oops email looks like
If you do slip up, do this:
- Send it fast: Same day, not three days later
- Keep it short: What went wrong, the right link, done
- Own it plainly: No “due to a technical issue.” Just say you got it wrong
- Nail the subject line: Let “oops” be your subject line… or something to that effect
- Send it to the same segment: Only the subscribers who got the broken email
Example:
Subject: Oops, wrong link
Hey Sam,
That booking link in this morning’s email went nowhere. Sorry about that. We’ve put our intern on a surf ban for the next 5-star surf forecast.
In the meantime, here’s the right one: [link]
Cheers,
The crew at [Your Camp]
Why one oops email beats three
Inbox fatigue is real. Optimove’s 2025 consumer research found:
- 70% of consumers had unsubscribed from at least 3 brands in 3 months over too many messages
- 55% named email the most overwhelming marketing channel
- 56% said volume only bothers them when the content isn’t relevant
So don’t be too hectic about it. Literally one email will do.
Don’t turn email mistakes into a strategy
Very important. The oops email works because it’s rare and genuine. A broken booking link on a launch email can cost you sales you might never see again.
Your first step before hitting send, whether you’re on Mailchimp, Flodesk or Klaviyo.
- Click every link, including the ones to your landing pages
- Send a test to your phone, since plenty of your list reads on mobile
- Check your merge fields and contact data
- Read the subject line out loud
Consistency is the backbone of good surf marketing and a pre-send checklist is the cheapest consistency tool you’ve got.
FAQ
Q. What is an oops email?
A short follow-up that corrects a mistake in a previous email, like a broken link, wrong date or wrong price.
Q. Is making mistakes good for your surf business?
Not on its own. Research suggests a well-handled mistake can lift satisfaction, but it doesn’t reliably drive repeat bookings or referrals. Your good reputation comes from how you handle it.
Is messing up kinda good for your surf business?
Yes, but no.
A mistake handled with honesty and a bit of humor shows people who’s actually behind the brand. But the goal isn’t to mess up more or manufacture a situation in which you’d use this email. How about this… be consistently good and gracious when you’re not.
If your email campaigns feel more “sent” than “written”, that’s what I help surf businesses fix.
Get in touch and let’s make your next send memorable for the right reasons.