Elliot Scott

Content, Social Media & Marketing

Founder & CEO at ElliotDigital | Retention marketing for DTC brands | Email & SMS marketing

Hey, I’m Elliot — founder of ElliotDigital, a multi award-winning retention marketing agency helping leading eCommerce brands turn browsers into loyal customers through world-class email & SMS.

Since launching in 2021, we’ve had the pleasure of working with some of the most loved DTC brands on the planet, including:

- CRAFTD London
- Candy Kittens
- Magic Mind
- Untamed
- Cake Box
- Heights
- Free Soul
- SURREAL
- Days brewing

Too many brands treat retention as an afterthought. They pour time and budget into paid ads, but leave money on the table with clunky email design, shallow segmentation, or disconnected customer journeys.

That’s where we come in.

We combine data-driven strategy with beautiful, high-converting creative, to boost LTV, drive repeat orders, and make retention a brand-building channel.

Founder & Owner

Every one of these started as a blank screen.

No templates. No shortcuts.

Our in-house strategy & creative teams really crushed it in January.

We shipped deep, long-term benefit breakdowns…

and simple, scroll-stopping product moments.

A few of my favourites from the month. But which one’s your pick? 👇

__
__

#retention #emailmarketing #ecommerce #klaviyo #emaildesign

Retention marketing for DTC brands | Founder & CEO at ElliotDigital | Email & SMS marketing

It might be Lent…
But we’re not giving up these tasty creatives 🍬 

Sweet drops.
Bold flavours.
And promos that actually earn the click.

Different brands. Different tones. All built from scratch.

Here are a few of my favourite emails we ideated, designed and shipped in February. As usual, the team killed it!!

Which one’s your pick? 👇

__
__

#retention #emailmarketing #ecommerce #klaviyo #emaildesign

POV: Our team Slack channel when we share our favourite monthly emails.

A team with a shared vision.

The reactions say it all.

Not many people know this, but ElliotDigital was my Fiverr name. 

Before building the business to where it is now, I was freelancing. I spent my early days saying yes to everything. 

Shopify builds. Paid ads. Social media. Email. 

If someone on Fiverr was willing to pay for it, I was doing it. 

But here's what I noticed. Every brand I worked with was obsessing over their ad dashboards. The numbers were up, down, always at the mercy of the ever-changing algorithm - one iOS update and everything shifted. 

Meanwhile, email was quietly generating serious revenue. Stable, consistent, and when brands needed to rely on it the numbers were crazy. 

It was an undervalued channel. 

One night, walking home from the pub, my partner Chloe said something I still think about five years later. 

"Why don't you just go all in on email? It's what you enjoy the most" 

It was my lightbulb moment. 

Almost overnight, I tried to convert every freelance client to retention only. 

I lost all of them but one. 

One client. That was my entire business - a client that we still have a great relationship with now. 

But it was enough to prove the model, and enough to start building. 

Today we're a 12-person in-house team in London, working with leading DTC brands. 

I still think about that lightbulb conversation I had with Chloe. 

Probably helped that I'd had a few pints.

Stefan Stefanov

Making magic happen through Email 🦅👁️

You know retention should be a growth engine.
But instead, it’s mostly a source of stress.

👉 If you’re an agency, you’re juggling more accounts - but the systems behind them are patched together and breaking.
👉 If you’re a brand, in-house retention sounds smart… until you’re buried in clunky ESPs, missing data, and slow handoffs.
👉 Or maybe you're running retention - but something feels off. Results are flat. Ops are messy. Team’s flying blind.

You’re not alone. And the pain is real.

Fragmented flows.
Campaigns delayed.
No clear ownership.
And every “quick fix” breaks something else.

You know it could run smoother. Perform better. Without the constant drag.

Now imagine this:

✅ Your lifecycle automations just work - logic is tight, handoffs are seamless
✅ Campaigns go out on time, on brand, without bugs or bottlenecks
✅ Your team knows what to do, and when - without Slack chaos or last-minute scrambles
✅ Strategy, tech, and execution are finally aligned

That’s what I help agencies and brands build:

→ Retention systems that grow without fires
→ Flawless backend ops across email, SMS, and CRM
→ Consulting that turns scattered teams into calm executors

Whether you need a deep audit, help structuring your in-house retention ops, or a partner who knows what “done right” really looks like:

Send me a DM.
Let’s make retention flow again.

Email Production Manager

I’m seeing a shift with agency founders lately.

Less “how do we get to 50 clients?”

More “how do we build a boutique?”

And it makes sense.

No one wakes up thinking “I’d love 47 Slack threads and 12 fires before lunch.”

The old model was: More clients = more revenue = more success.

The new model?

Fewer clients. Higher leverage. Deeper value. Premium pricing.

Why?

Because everything is getting commoditized.

Tech is moving fast. AI can spin up campaigns. Platforms are adding built-in features weekly.

Soon, you’ll click a few buttons and launch “good enough” marketing.

So the real question is: What are you adding that the platform can’t?

Strategy? Judgment? Context? Integration across systems? Hard conversations clients avoid?

If your value lives inside the tool… You’re replaceable by the tool.

Boutique isn’t about ego. It’s about depth.

Fewer relationships. More ownership. Higher standards. Better outcomes.

And ironically? That’s usually what makes you more profitable.

Are you building for volume… Or for leverage?

Retention systems that run without you | Precision-built ops for growing teams | C.E.G. (Certified Email Geek)

“𝘍𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘥𝘦𝘳𝘴 𝘴𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥 𝘯𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳 𝘣𝘦 𝘪𝘯𝘷𝘰𝘭𝘷𝘦𝘥 𝘪𝘯 𝘥𝘦𝘭𝘪𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘺.”

You hear this advice a lot.

And sometimes it’s right.

But more often than not… The real answer is: It depends.

A founder’s 𝘂𝗻𝗶𝗾𝘂𝗲 𝗮𝗯𝗶𝗹𝗶𝘁𝘆 matters.

If you can elevate the service in a way nobody else can, removing yourself completely might actually hurt the business.

So instead of forcing distance:

Engineer the system around that strength. The real risk isn’t founder involvement.

It’s this:

• You being the only one who can do it
• The system breaks without you
• Growth stalls because everything depends on you

That’s a 𝘀𝗶𝗻𝗴𝗹𝗲 𝗽𝗼𝗶𝗻𝘁 𝗼𝗳 𝗳𝗮𝗶𝗹𝘂𝗿𝗲. And that’s the thing worth fixing.

Curious: Is there something in the day-to-day that still gives you that spark? (I've seen it too many times to just dismiss it 😉).

*Likes my comment under their lead magnet post and doesn't send me the resource*

This sh*t makes me sad, man! 😞

Most founders don’t fail because of lack of vision.

They fail because of what they tolerate.

There’s a line I heard recently that stuck with me:
You don’t rise to your goals.
You fall to your minimum acceptable standard.

Let that sink in.

If your minimum acceptable standard is:
• “They’re loyal.”
• “They’ve been here since day one.”
• “They’re trying.”

You’ll build a loyal B-team. And B-teams cap A-level growth.

I’ve seen this stall companies.

Not because the founder wasn’t smart. Not because the product wasn’t good.

But because:
• The role outgrew the person
• The company needed a leader, not just a doer
• Every real decision still had to go through the founder

So what happens?

The founder compensates.

They review everything. They fix things. They jump in because “it’s faster if I just do it.”

Short term fix. Long term ceiling.

Here’s the part we don’t talk about enough:

When you don’t raise the bar, your best people feel it first.

A-players want to work with other A-players. If you tolerate mediocre output, they either:
• Lower their own standard
• Burn out covering gaps
• Or leave

So how do you actually raise the bar?

You make it measurable.

Not vibes. Not gut feel. Not “I think they’re doing fine.”

You define:
1. What does success in this role look like in numbers?
2. What outcomes must this person own without me?
3. What KPI tells me, objectively, that we’re on track?

Example:

Head of Ops:
• 30%+ margin
• Revenue per employee above X
• 95%+ on-time delivery

Now it’s not emotional.

There’s either a gap. Or there isn’t.

And once you see the gap clearly, you can’t hide behind loyalty or comfort.

Yes, it’s uncomfortable to raise the bar. But you know what’s more expensive?

• Months of stalled growth
• You becoming the bottleneck
• A-players quietly disengaging

Your company will never outperform what you’re willing to tolerate.

Where are you accepting less than you should right now?

P.S. Inspired by a great breakdown from Jhana Li that reframed this for me.

Question for all email marketing pros:

Do you maintain a design library with all sent emails in an account and if so how?

Talking on an account level, including emails that were not sent by you (e.g. in-house if they do that). So not just designs you already have in Figma.

Lmk if there's an app or some other cool solution you came up with to have everything in a centralized swipe file. If that can be tied to data, even better.

Do you practice what you preach?

Be honest.

I’ve seen this pattern way too often:

• The “systems” expert with no internal SOPs
• The hiring coach who can’t retain talent
• The strategy guy who can’t articulate his own offer

It’s flabbergasting how common this is.

And look… no one’s perfect. But if your business is built on teaching…

Your execution should at least match your advice. Otherwise it’s just content.

Here’s something most people don’t realize:

Some of the people who look ahead of you - are just louder than you.

That’s it.

Different path. Different timing. Different skill set.

So instead of comparing…

Build. Learn. Refine. Improve.

Every single day. That compounds.

Are you optimizing for appearance… Or alignment?

Most teams treat SOPs like a single thing.

It’s not.

“SOP” is just shorthand for:
“What’s our current best way of doing this?”

And depending on what you’re trying to solve, you need different formats.

Here’s how I think about it:

𝟭) 𝗙𝗿𝗮𝗺𝗲𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗸𝘀

Use these when the situation changes every time.

It’s not step-by-step. It’s how to think.

Example: prioritizing A/B tests, deciding what matters, spotting tradeoffs.

If you try to force a framework into a checklist, you’ll get fake compliance and bad decisions.

𝟮) 𝗣𝗹𝗮𝘆𝗯𝗼𝗼𝗸𝘀

Use these when the steps are repeatable. This is your “do this, then that” guide.

Great for onboarding flows, QA checks, campaign builds, handoffs. Anything you want done the same way every time.

𝟯) 𝗧𝗲𝗺𝗽𝗹𝗮𝘁𝗲𝘀

Use these when you want consistency in output. Messages, briefs, client updates, escalation notes, reviews.

Templates reduce decision fatigue and remove the “how do I phrase this?” tax.

Big takeaway:
If your SOP doesn’t match the job, people won’t use it. Or worse, they’ll use it and still get it wrong.

So before you write the SOP, ask: Are we trying to standardize thinking, steps, or communication?

That answer tells you what to build.

And remember: SOPs are just our best guess at the time. It’s the owner’s job to run it, stress-test it, and make it better.

How do you structure SOPs right now?

Lifestyle content on LinkedIn is getting weird.

If it’s not your thing… it shows.

It just doesn't hit if it’s not you.

End of rant (but if you felt a certain way, you might want to revisit your content lol).

Something Ryan Deiss said recently stuck with me:

“My goal isn’t to hire rockstars and A-players.
My goal is to build a company that doesn’t require them.”

At first that sounds counterintuitive.

Don’t we all want A-players? But the point is deeper.

If your company needs rockstars to function, your systems are broken.

Great companies design systems where:
• average people can perform well
• processes reduce chaos
• knowledge isn’t locked in someone’s head

Ironically… That’s exactly the kind of environment A-players want to work in.

Because they can focus on improving the system. Not constantly putting out fires.

It’s also why big companies keep getting bigger.

Better systems compound. Heroics don’t.

Curious how you think about this. Do you build around talent or systems?

Nuance is what separates.

Average from elite.
Operators from parrots.
Experience from theory.

Anyone can repeat frameworks.

Few can say:
“It depends… and here’s why.”

That’s the difference.

So the question is: Can you hold nuance?

Operators are an endangered species.

Not the people that 𝘥𝘰 operations.

The ones that live it.

You’ll know what I’m talking about if you’ve ever caught yourself:

- Getting excited about a small workflow tweak that improves something by 3%.
- Or realizing that “process” isn’t just SOPs.
- Or thinking “in systems” when everyone else is thinking in tasks (kinda like speaking in tongues but for operators 😆).

At that point… it’s already over. You’re wired for it.

There’s something to be said about the whole Visionary vs Integrator distinction. And it’s not always so clear cut. But some characteristics are undeniable.

Operators think differently. They see systems where others see chaos.

Which is why all I’m really saying is:

Find your Shaq if you’re Kobe.
Find your Pippen if you’re Jordan.
Or find your Phil Jackson to show you how the triangle works (IYKYK).

Because growth isn’t a solo sport. It takes a team.

𝘈𝘯𝘥 𝘢 𝘨𝘢𝘮𝘦 𝘱𝘭𝘢𝘯.

Dark mode breaks more email designs than people think.

But most teams test it too late.

They build the full email > then check dark mode > then realize half the visuals don’t work.

Logos disappear. Icons lose contrast. Illustrations get muddy.

Now you’re redesigning assets mid-build.

There’s a simpler way to catch this early. Inside Figma, create 3 toggleable background layers:
• Light
• Dark
• Medium grey

Then place your assets on top. Logos. Illustrations. Icons. Photography.

The asset stays the same. Only the background changes.

In seconds you can see:
• if a logo disappears on dark
• if illustration details collapse
• if icons lose contrast
• if visuals rely too heavily on white backgrounds

You’re not redesigning anything. You’re just stress-testing assets before they get embedded in a layout.

Because if a visual doesn’t survive on light and dark backgrounds on its own… it definitely won’t survive inside the full email.

Do you test assets first, or only once the email is built?

P.S. This doesn’t mean switching everything to solid images either. That’s not a true dark mode experience.

#email #design #accessibility

We all want more accountability from our teams.

But do we actually have the infrastructure to support it?

If success in a role isn’t measurable, it’s optional.

“Be more proactive.”
“Take ownership.”
“Step up.”

That’s not accountability. That’s pressure.

Real accountability needs structure.

A scorecard does 3 simple things:
• Defines what winning looks like
• Quantifies it
• Gets reviewed consistently

Not built once. Not buried in a folder. Actively tracked.

Because when KPIs are clear:
• High performers lean in
• Gaps show up early
• Conversations get objective
• You stop being the dashboard

Accountability without metrics creates tension. Accountability with metrics creates clarity.

Does every key role in your company have a tracked scorecard?

taplio

The Battle

Elliot Scott

Stefan Stefanov

Followers

Posts

Engagements

Likes

Performance ScoreElliot Scott's LinkedIn Performance

Performance ScoreStefan Stefanov's LinkedIn Performance

Ready to grow your LinkedIn presence?

taplio

The Battle

Elliot Scott

Stefan Stefanov

Followers

Posts

Engagements

Likes

Performance Score.css-goub6s{font-size:var(--chakra-fontSizes-md);font-weight:500;color:var(--chakra-colors-gray-600);display:block;margin-top:var(--chakra-space-1);}Elliot Scott's LinkedIn Performance

Performance ScoreStefan Stefanov's LinkedIn Performance

Ready to grow your LinkedIn presence?

Performance ScoreElliot Scott's LinkedIn Performance