A B2C Newsletter With Some Bite

Going fishing for fun

Hammermill has traditionally sold through channel partners, but after launching a direct-to-consumer e-commerce store, the brand found itself with a growing first-party database of contacts — customers who were open to communication directly from the brand. Engaging this audience via email required a more creative approach than the brand’s standard B2B communications. To meet this need, we created SharkBites, a monthly email newsletter that uses humor to connect with customers — and encourage repeat purchases.

SharkBites is written from the point of view of Nibbles, a cheeky little shark with big feelings about the quality, value, and versatility of Hammermill paper. Each installment of SharkBites features interesting facts about the history of paper, downloadable templates that put Hammermill paper to use, real customer reviews, and a unique discount code to incentivize purchases.

With an emphasis on bite-size copy and breezy visuals, SharkBites is an offbeat email newsletter that has become a real revenue machine for Hammermill, contributing to $32,000+ in orders in its first six months.

Writing in the voice of Nibbles the shark gives this newsletter a sense of whimsy that makes people want to open and engage. To keep things fresh, we’re now experimenting with bringing in other Hammermill characters and voices. Our goal: to increase brand loyalty by bringing fun to customer inboxes.

Nick Ostdick, Content Strategist

SharkBites: The first six months

20% average open rate
12% average click-through rate
960+ engaged contacts
200+ online shop sessions
50+ orders