Process: To create a meaningful newsletter, I first needed to understand what data mattered to hosts and how (if) I could use it to influence behavior. So, I researched the problem through monthly surveys and customer interviews and used this feedback to push out iterations over a period of six months. To bring the final solution to life, I partnered with our Growth Analytics Manager, Email Specialist, Designer, and Director of Product.

Challenges:

• Email, while a cost-effective and efficient solution, has limitations: How can we display the data in a meaningful way, given email constraints like merge tags and clipping?

• Not all hosts are data-savvy: How can we talk to them about their listing metrics in a simple way that is actionable and prescriptive?

• The amount of data varies widely from host to host: How do we create an automated email that fills the diverse, individual needs of 13,000+ hosts?

Solution:

• Content-led design map to establish hierarchy of information

• Performance-based segmentation and lots of dynamic merge tags

• Three automated templates & a full-year editorial calendar

Performance:

• Email - Avg 37% open rate, 4.5% click rate (compared to internal average of 21% open, 2.6% click)

• Host Performance - Over 3 months, hosts who consistently engaged with the email maintained or moved up a stage, indicating an improvement in performance.

• Business Impact - The newsletter removed the need for manual consultations (lasting an average of 15 minutes per host) by automating and providing information at scale

  • Over 3 months, 18,000 unique opens reached hosts with information that would have otherwise required 4,500+ hours of consultations.