After more than a decade writing copy for surf brands (from indie surfboard shapers to legacy wetsuit companies), I’ve seen the same painful pattern play out over and over:
An email goes out. It’s got a great offer. The visuals are slick.
And the team is PUMPED.
And then… silence.
No clicks. No replies.
Just a brutal reminder that landing in someone’s inbox doesn’t mean landing their attention.
If that’s happening to you, you’re not alone. But you are probably making a few fixable mistakes.
Here’s why your emails might be getting ghosted (and what to do instead).
You’re forgettable (ouch, the truth!)
One of the first lessons I learned working with emerging surf startups is that brand familiarity trumps cleverness.
If your audience doesn’t immediately recognise who you are, they won’t stick around to find out.
Forgettable sender names, dry subject lines and no real voice?
Your email is going the way of 6 fin surfboards (i.e. the trash).
What to do: Use a human name or a brand persona people can connect with. Stick to a tone that builds familiarity. Back when I helped a new wetsuit brand launch, we made every email sound like it came from a mate because that’s what actually got opens. Familiarity breeds trust and trust gets clicks.
You’re boring
Your email doesn’t need to win a literary award, but it does need a pulse.
Whether I was writing for a grassroots surf camp in Byron or an eco-board label in Northern Spain, one thing stayed true: boring emails die fast.
What to do: Write like you speak. Inject energy. Your subject line should spark curiosity or stir emotion. One of the best-performing subject lines I’ve ever written? It was three words long and sounded like it came straight from a beach carpark conversation. You don’t need gimmicks. You need real talk that cuts through.
You’re not giving them a reason to care
Here’s a copywriting truth from the trenches: most brand emails focus on the brand, not the reader.
I’ve had to shift that mindset with nearly every client I’ve worked with… even the big players.
“New drop”! isn’t a reason to care.
“Here’s how to build more confidence in scary waves” is.
What to do: Frame everything around the reader. How does this product make them surf better or enjoy their sessions more? How does this tee solve their sunburned shoulders? Back when I was working with a surf skincare line, we rewrote their launch email to focus on post-surf skin feel, not product features. More on features vs. benefits.
You’re not following up
I’ve seen brands blow their entire budget on a beautifully designed one-off email… then never follow up.
No reminder.
No angle shift.
Nada.
People are distracted. Your audience might actually want what you’re offering, but your email caught them in a busy moment.
What to do: Build sequences. Space them. Reframe the story. One campaign I wrote for a surf forecasting company brought in more replies from the third email than the first. All because that’s when the reader was finally ready to act.
You sound like everyone else
Here’s something I tell every brand I work with: in a sea of inbox sameness, voice is your secret weapon.
Surf culture is full of soul and character. Your emails should be too.
If you sound like every other DTC brand pushing product drops and urgency cliches, you’re getting lost.
What to do: Find your rhythm. Use slang, surf metaphors, behind-the-scenes banter (without being exclusive). Whatever feels natural to your brand. I’ve helped brands develop a “Brand DNA Playbook” just for email and once they commit, the difference is night and day. People want to read stuff that sounds human. One inspiration for me is Matt Warshaw who publishes a weekly Encyclopaedia of Surfing newsletter. Candy for your eyeballs and frontal lobe.
Final thoughts
If you’re reading this thinking, “Holy mid-length… I’ve done all of these”, you’re not alone.
I’ve worked with surf brands of all shapes and sizes (from fresh-out-the-garage startups to household names with global reach) and these email mistakes pop up everywhere.
Even the best brands fall into the trap of sounding flat, forgettable or just… off.
But the good news?
It’s fixable, my friend.
With the right strategy, tone and structure, your emails can become something your audience actually looks forward to.
That’s what I’ve spent the last 11+ years doing. Helping surf brands find their voice, connect with their crew and turn email from a chore into a powerful, high-converting channel.
Feel stuck when it comes to your newsletters? Hit me up now!