Episode Details
Back to Episodes171 - Why Your Email List Is Your Most Underused Asset (And How to Fix It)
Description
Email is the channel sports teams use the most and get the least out of. In Episode 171, Jeremy Neisser breaks down why batch-and-blast sending leaves money on the table — 70 to 75% cart abandonment, 80 to 85% of single-game fans never returning — and lays out the fix: a lifecycle email system built on six behavior-triggered journeys, layered with persona-specific messaging. If you want higher open rates, higher click-through rates, and conversion that's 3 to 5 times a generic send, this is the blueprint.
KEY TOPICS COVERED
- The real difference between using email as a blast and building email as a system that responds to fan behavior
- Why 70 to 75% of fans abandon their cart — and how to catch them automatically instead of paying twice to reacquire them
- The retention problem hiding in your data: 80 to 85% of minor league single-game fans don't return the next year
- The six core lifecycle journeys every team should run, and the exact behavior that triggers each one
- How win-back and lapsed-buyer journeys quietly outperform every other automation you'll build
- Why the "first known attendee" message matters even when it converts lower — and what it does for fan loyalty
- How the "one more game" journey moves single-game buyers up the ladder toward mini plans
- Why "Know Before You Go" is the most overlooked journey — and how it doubles as an upsell and a sender-reputation booster
- Turning the post-game survey from a self-serving feedback form into a warm-lead engine for groups and season tickets
- The persona layer: how the same Bluey Night email should read completely differently for a young family vs. empty nesters
- The core personas for minor league and summer collegiate teams: young families, empty nesters, young professionals, diehards, and corporate buyers
- The real-world results teams are seeing: open rates of 35 to 65% and conversion 3 to 5 times a generic promo blast
TIMESTAMPS
[00:00] – Why email is the most-used and least-leveraged channel in sports marketing
[00:58] – Blast vs. system: the difference that's quietly costing you ticket revenue
[01:57] – The hidden price tag: cart abandonment, one-and-done fans, and zero automated follow-up
[02:39] – How most teams actually use email — the batch-and-blast calendar
[03:33] – Why one generic blast fails a list full of very different fans
[04:01] – The megaphone problem: communication that doesn't respond to behavior
[05:00] – A quick history lesson: how email-to-fans started in minor league baseball
[05:21] – The fix — send the right email at the right moment, triggered by fan behavior
[06:49] – Introducing the lifecycle system and the six core journeys
[07:18] – Journey 1: Win back — reactivate fans before they forget you exist
[08:04] – Journey 2: Lapsed buyer — bring back fans who bought in prior seasons
[09:03] – Journey 3: First known attendee — convert a one-timer before they go cold
[10:26] – Journey 4: One more game — turn single-game buyers into multi-game fans
[11:53] – Journey 5: Know Before You Go — reduce friction and unlock pre-game upsells
[14:12] – The six journeys recapped in order
[15:00] – Why "Know Before You Go" matters more than teams think (new fans don't know the basics)
[16:31] – The post-game survey done right: catch unhappy fans, flag happy ones for upsell
[17:22] – The persona layer: why the same email to everyone fails
[18:41] – Bluey Night example: young family vs. empty nester messaging side by side
[21:03] – Tired parents need logistics; grandparents want a memory — write to each
[24:00] – The core personas for minor league and summer collegiate teams
[25:38] – Recap: the problem, the six journeys, and the persona layer that makes it land
[26:30] – The done-for-you setup an