What’s in a (from) name?

Hey, I'm Eman! Founder & Head Email Strategist at Eman Copy Co. If you're ready to take your email list from "has potential" to highly profitable... get in touch. We can help :)

When I was doing emails for a charity (back in my charity copywriting days), we realised this organisation had a problem.

A revolving door problem.

It was hard to keep their email marketing on track when their marketing department was always changing and people were constantly leaving.

We knew we wanted their emails to come “from” a specific person at the organisation, so that subscribers (and potentially future donors in this case) would feel like they were talking to and connecting with an actual human being.

Because, statistically, emails get more engagement when the From Name (or Sender Name) is an actual human being versus just the brand or company name.?

E.g. Holly at Zoom vs Zoom.

But since this charity’s email marketing person kept changing, we couldn’t pin down who exactly would be sending their emails.

That’s when we decided to create a persona.

We created a fictitious email marketing persona called Hannah (not the real name we used), so their email marketing would finally feel consistent.

‘Hannah at NameOfCharity’ was our new From Name and we signed off every email with her name.

(In case you're not sure what a From/Sender Name is, here's a visual example below. The From Name tells your subscribers WHO the email is from).

The goal of creating “Hannah” wasn’t to mislead or manipulate subscribers, but to create a stable email marketing situation where subscribers weren’t being sent emails from random people every month (every time someone else left the company).?

We wanted subscribers to feel like they had one point of contact that they could trust would always be there, and would always be the one sending them emails.

Now, this ‘From Name’ strategy was so successful that it created a few new problems for us.?

We had subscribers calling the charity’s office asking to speak to “Hannah” because they felt like they knew her.

We had subscribers replying to “Hannah” and asking her questions.

Basically, we had subscribers who felt like they knew “Hannah”.

But, of course, Hannah didn’t exist.

I stopped working with this company years ago, but the last time I checked they were still using ‘Hannah at NameofCharity’ as their From Name. (Though that might not be the case anymore).

So…6 years later: would I recommend this creating-a-persona strategy?

Maybe? But also maybe not.

My issue is that it feels weird in today’s marketing landscape. Trust and connection is so important, and I don’t like the idea of (even unintentionally) misleading subscribers.

But also, it really depends on the type of emails you’re sending.

“Hannah” wasn’t sharing any part of herself or her personality (because she didn’t exist).?

She was only telling stories about the charity’s impact and beneficiaries, and everything she shared was the absolute truth.?

But whether or not you agree with creating a persona to keep your email marketing consistent and your connection with subscribers strong…

I want you to take ONE thing away from this story:

The power of the From/Sender Name.

See, most people think the Subject Line is the deciding factor in whether a subscriber chooses to open an email – but it’s not.

Before even looking at the Subject Line, we look at the From Name.?

We ask ourselves:

Who is this email from?

Do I like this person/brand?

Do I want to hear from this person/brand?

Should I just ignore them?

So, if you're someone who signs off on your emails with your own name, but your From Name is your brand/company name…you might consider changing that.

My options for my From Name, for example, might be:

Eman Ismail

Eman at Eman Copy Co.

Eman @ Eman Copy Co.?

Eman

It all depends on whether I want people to think of just me OR me and the agency I’ve built.

As it happens, I’ll be changing my email From Name to “Eman at Eman Copy Co.” soon (so look out for that change!)

Why??

Because when you think of me, I want you to think of my agency too.

Note: this is the right move for me, but it might not be the right move for you.

Tori Dunlap from HerFirst100K often signs off on her emails to subscribers, but her From Name is her company’s name instead of her name.

Probably because she’s intentionally building a brand with a HUGE mission that’s bigger than her, rather than building a personal brand.

Same with Rachel Rodgers from who switches between her own name and her company name (The Hello Seven Team) depending on whether she wants the email to feel more personal.

And same with financial media company owner, Katie Gatti Tassin , whose From Name is her brand name: Money With Katie. (Which still has her name in it and creates a sense of personal connection).

All this to say, there is no one right answer.

But if there was one, I’d say the right answer is to be 100% intentional –?whatever you decide.

Often a From Name is something business owners/brands give little to no thought.?

But it’s a huge part of your subscribers’ email experience and it absolutely does impact your engagement.?

So do give it the consideration it deserves.

Eman :)???????

PS. This article was first published on my email newsletter. If you found this helpful, you'll love my free 35-minute email class, The Email Rules. You'll learn some actionable strategies to boost your conversions and sales through email.