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

Looking at the comment sections on LinkedIn… It’s getting crazy!

AI convos ftw lol 🤖

Even making them look more “natural”. with a small letter at the start of a sentence here and there. Long ass comments too.

Sh*t… it’s funny what this has turned into and I’m not questioning the authenticity of anyone but are you? 😆

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

Most marketers are addicted to quick wins.

Results this week. ROI this month. A/B tests that must show something by EOD.

But most meaningful progress compounds.

Take Zero-Party Data.

It takes time to collect.
Even more time to analyze.
But once it clicks, it can reshape:

• How you segment and message
• How your flows convert
• Who you attract in the first place

Delayed gratification isn’t a flaw in the system.
It 𝘪𝘴 the system.

What long game are you playing in your marketing right now?

The most misunderstood thing in email?

You tell me 🫵 

IMHO, thinking it’s all about sending emails.

Treating email like a send button means:
Write copy → hit send → tweak subject lines → optimize opens.

Staying top of mind is a big part but don’t get me wrong.

Email isn’t purely a channel.
It’s a system.

And when that system is broken, no amount of clever copy or AI will save it.

What breaks most often?

• Chasing “winning” metrics that lose money
• Testing popups, flows, and campaigns in isolation
• Prioritizing output over structure
• Chasing retention on the expense of acquisition and quantity over quality

Email only works when you build for 𝗲𝗻𝗱-𝘁𝗼-𝗲𝗻𝗱 𝗱𝗲𝗰𝗶𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀, not isolated tactics.

What’s the most common email misconception you keep running into - with teams, clients, or leadership? Let’s make a list in the comments 🗒️

AI will save you time... until it doesn’t.

Here’s what I keep seeing:
• AI-generated SOPs missing key steps
• Summaries that include made-up “facts”
• Action items based on information that doesn’t exist

Why?
Because the person using AI hit copy/paste... and never checked the output.

We 𝘭𝘰𝘷𝘦 the speed AI offers.
But unless you build internal guardrails, you’re just speeding into chaos faster.

What’s worked for us:

✅ Teach the team how to prompt 𝘢𝘯𝘥 QA
✅ Never use output without reading every line
✅ Create a simple AI-use policy (summaries, docs, outlines - what’s okay, what’s not)

AI isn’t the problem.
Undefined usage is.

Does your org have an internal AI playbook? Or winging it for now?

Most walls are made of paper.

If there’s one belief I’d want to build into every team I work with - it’s that.

That just because something 𝘴𝘦𝘦𝘮𝘴 fixed, doesn’t mean it is.

That constraints often aren’t real.
That policies can be rewritten.
That “we’ve always done it this way” is the weakest argument in any meeting.

The teams that move fast?
They poke at the wall.
They ask better questions.
They assume improvement is possible.

It’s a mindset thing.
Not ego. Not rebellion. Just... forward energy.

That belief is contagious.
And it spreads fastest from leadership down.

Do your people feel like they can push boundaries?

P.S. Shout out Steven Bartlett for the phrase. Love it!

Do you know your numbers?

Most leadership teams think this just means financials.

But what about the 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘭 deliverables?

• How many emails did you actually send?
• How many versions, translations, and last-minute clones?
• How much troubleshooting and app setup work quietly piles up?

Not everything needs to be counted as a single “unit.” But if you don’t have a way to scope the invisible work, it’s going to cost you - in capacity, morale, and retention.

A quantifiable scope = predictable workload = less chaos.

And everything outside that scope?

Well… there's no free lunch (as we say here).

How do you track the “untrackable” in your team?

Been thinking about this lately:

Agency roles used to feel... fixed.

Account manager does this. Copywriter does that. Strategy stays over here.
Clean boxes. Clear swim lanes.

But lately?

I’m seeing the opposite.

More fluidity.

And it could work - as long as two things are true:
1. Boundaries are clear enough to avoid chaos
2. Redundancy is avoided (no one’s tripping over each other)

The old rigid structure?

Might be holding teams back more than it’s helping so I'm curious... What are you seeing inside your org or with agency partners?

“𝘏𝘰𝘸 𝘥𝘰 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘴𝘤𝘰𝘱𝘦 𝘴𝘶𝘳𝘱𝘳𝘪𝘴𝘦?”

Everyone loves the idea of “surprise and delight.”
But when you’re managing client work, it’s not that simple.

So here’s the question I’ve been thinking about:

𝗛𝗼𝘄 𝗱𝗼 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝘀𝗰𝗼𝗽𝗲 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗸 𝗶𝗻 𝗮 𝘄𝗮𝘆 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗮𝗹𝗹𝗼𝘄𝘀 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝘂𝗻𝘀𝗰𝗼𝗽𝗲𝗱 𝗺𝗮𝗴𝗶𝗰?

You know the kind:
• A quick dive into an analytics tool to explore something adjacent
• A one-off Loom with a strategy tweak
• A deliverable they didn’t expect - but actually needed

Small moments.
High leverage.
Zero expectation.

But if you’re not careful, these turn into scope creep.
Which means they either stress your team…
Or train clients to expect more than they’re paying for.

So here’s how I’ve started approaching it:

A 3-part framework to protect margin and enable surprise:

1. Baseline clarity - lock down what’s in scope, clearly and early.
2. Buffer zone - build 10-15% bandwidth into your process for “discretionary effort.”
3. Use it intentionally - don’t throw extras randomly. Use them to reinforce trust or momentum when it matters most.

This way, surprise is a strategy - not a burnout driver.

Curious how you approach this.
Do you intentionally leave room for “unscoped value”?

Stop chasing shiny tools. Start asking better questions.

I’ve seen teams throw money and time at new tech stacks…
Only to realize the real issue wasn’t the tool.
It was their thinking.

❌ “Tool X will fix our lifecycle”
❌ “Let’s just buy Y - it works for [cool brand]”

But pause. Ask:

✅ What core problem are we solving?
✅ Is this helping the customer experience?
✅ Could we do this with what we already have?

Because 80% of the time?
You can.

You either already have the feature,
Or a workaround exists - if you’re willing to dig.

Before the next big purchase or “urgent” implementation:
Ask how it improves what’s already working.

Optimization beats overhaul.
Systems over novelty.

Your turn:
What’s a tool your team bought… just to optimize (the lately so popular buzz word) “vanity metrics”?

Incrementally getting better in any (ideally all) of these will bring you the highest ROI.

Not talking about money and work but what fuels them and being the best version of yourself.

Not only for you but for the people around you.

And this might be the best post on LinkedIn ever cause all the work strategies and "hacks" don't matter if you feel like crap.

Master these 10 habits in 2026. 
Feel amazing, reclaim agency + self-respect. 

1. final food 4 hr before bed 
2. screens off 30 min before bed 
3. avoid blue light 2hr before bed, use red/amber
4. book in hand 10 min before sleep 
5. go to bed same time every night 
6. light in eyes when waking (sun or 10k lux)
7. walk for 10 min immediately following eating 
8. daily exercise (even if for 20 min)
9. eat good stuff, ditch the junk 
10. foster friends, family and love 

They read as simple. I promise they'll change your life. Make them non-negotiate life habits. Do them every_single_day.  Once you establish the habits, it is very easy to maintain. Stick with it for two weeks and start getting the dividends.

Founder @ In-box | Email Marketing, Klaviyo Certified In-box.co.nz

If you’re an e-commerce brand doing $100K+/month, we need to talk. 

I run In-box, an email + SMS agency that helps brands turn browsers into buyers and buyers into repeat customers using smart automations and campaign strategy. 

No fluff. 

No spammy hacks. 

Just clean systems that drive consistent revenue.

If you want to take your email to the next level with high-converting flows, campaigns that people actually want to open and a strategy that works across all channels, not just email, we need to talk.

Gavin Hewitson

300 pieces of content per month, starting Feb 1st on Instagram alone

And then to be repurposed on Tiktok and YT shorts

Wish me luck

Founder of In-box | Email Marketing & SMS Marketing | Klaviyo Certified In-box.co.nz

We are hiring a new designer for our email marketing agency.

Interested?

Apply by filling in the form in the comments section

Note, you must be able to work in an EST timezone

Since launching this Skool community

We have had 

- 36 members join
- Hosted 5 group calls
- Ranked 1 for email marketing 
- Had zero churn 
- Created over 50 video guides
- Created 8 specific modules on different topics

We just hit 40 members in our Skool community

We have been seeing some really solid engagement within our group calls, and along with general email marketing strategy discussions

We have also been talking a bunch about how to grow and maintain an agency

This was one of the best things we have done at In-box since starting

Super happy with the turn

Wanna join?

Link in the comments

Is there a sales coach out there who teaches salespeople how to not act like a d****

And how to not play with two cans of Zynn's on a phone call with me

I got a referral for you.

New rule!

If you want to pitch me via cold email or dm's, you have to join my Skool community first.

I'll even sweeten the deal

You can then take the free 30-minute onboarding call, which every new member gets, and I break down a custom strategy for business, and hijack it to pitch your services.

Win, win.

Sometimes things just click

We are at $3,200 USD MRR with the Skool community that we launched on the 25th of Dec

Up until this point, I been just creating strategies for people assuming they had the general know how to get going

But knew people really needed more to fully guide them through the implementation of these strategies

It's interesting, because I have never really seen the compounding effect of just giving value for years and not asking for anything and then, when it comes to asking, the ROI you can get.

This launch was off the back of hundreds youtube videos just providing value for free

Two newsletters a week for two years, just providing value for free

Daily posts on here just providing value for free

And then, after years of having built up that trust and goodwill, when it came time to asking for something exchange, the favour is returned ten fold

This is why building in public and talking about what you know is important

Because when it comes time to ask the market for something

After having built up that trust

It becomes a no brainer for the market to give something in return

If your email deliverability is bad, segmentation is probably the real problem.

Not DNS.
Not “Gmail hates me”.
Not some mythical spam filter conspiracy.

Most brands are just sending to the wrong people.

Here’s the exact segmentation framework we use when open rates drop.

First, confirm you actually have a deliverability problem.

Look at campaigns, not flows.
Flows lie. Campaigns tell the truth.

If you’re seeing opens consistently under 40%, that needs fixing.
Anything under that means inbox placement is slipping.

Next, fix flows before campaigns.

At the very top of every live flow, add one filter:

• Has bounced email zero times in the last 30 days

This alone removes invalid inboxes and gives an immediate uplift.
Do this everywhere. No exceptions.

Then create a bounced segment.

Anyone who has bounced at least once in the last 30 days.
Exclude this segment from every campaign you send.

Now the real work starts.

If campaigns are under 40% open rates, only send to:

• Engaged 90-day customers
• Engaged 90-day non-customers

That means people who have opened, clicked, ordered, been active on site, or recently subscribed.

Nothing else.

If opens are still under 40%, tighten.

Clone those segments and move from 90 days to 60 days.
Smaller audience. Higher engagement. Better inbox placement.

If you land between 40% and 50%, hold steady.
Do not expand. Do not get greedy.

If you’re consistently above 50%, then you can expand to 120 days and scale reach without killing deliverability.

That’s the cadence.

Tighten when needed.

Expand when earned.

One extra layer most brands miss.

Inbox provider analysis.

If Gmail or Outlook tanks, isolate them.

Create a hyper-engaged Gmail-only segment.

Send plain text only. Same offer. Same content.

Plain text cuts through better when deliverability is fragile.

Just don’t overuse it.

This is active campaign management.
Not set-and-forget flows.
Not praying to the inbox gods.

Deliverability is controlled by whom you send to, not how often you complain about it.

Your people want to grow with you

I think one of the reasons our core team has stayed so consistent and stuff with us is because they see the growth potential they have in our company.

Huge shout-out to Elias Castro (who's account I think has been hacked), Caio Tomazoni, MD ARIFUL ISLAM, Holden Glass, Julian Nuñez, Esteban Adriel Pupillo, Mohamed Lachheb, Muhammad Hamza

If you can show your team that there is an opportunity to ascend within you company, they will stick around 

It's one of the key reason our team performs above the rest

Just finished auditing another account that we are taking over from another agency. 

This happens a lot... 

A company hires an agency... and three months later, they are on the phone with us.

The biggest thing this agency forgot to check was the quality of the audience... in fact, it wasn't even really the quality... it was the fact that the people in the list were a mixture of wholesale and D2C customers.

It's so important to clearly identify who is in the list before putting together a plan. 

The plan that was put together was based on assumptions that were brought over from a bunch of other clients. 

Copy and paste strategies.

The result, the plan flopped... to the point where these emails are now landing in spam.

It all could have been prevented, too. 

You need to approach strategy differently for every client, which is why so many agencies fail... they simply copy and paste from one business to another and hope that just on scale, their new client acquisition outpaces churn. 

If you are charging premium rates, you need to deliver a premium plan.

It's like watching a movie; you are going to get the most information in the first 10 minutes. Fail to pay attention at the start, and everything after that wont make sense.

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taplio

The Battle

Stefan Stefanov

Gavin Hewitson

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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);}Stefan Stefanov's LinkedIn Performance

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