About Casey Hill

In this episode we have Casey Hill, a growth veteran with over 10 years of experience helping software companies scale fast. He has over 10 million views across LinkedIn, Reddit and Quora and has pioneered new growth levers like booking his team on hundreds of podcasts. He’s always looking for creative and value led ways to get attention and break from the mold.

At ActiveCampaign he leads growth and is building organic growth engines to get the team to $1 billion in ARR. On the consulting side he works with some of the world’s biggest firms including McKinsey, BlackRock, Coleman’s, GLG, GuidePoint and more. He provides institutional guidance to P.E. and V.C. teams on topics like SMB marketing selection, SaaS pricing, SaaS marketing, CRM tool differentiation, market analysis, inbound marketing and marketing automation.

Casey also teaches at UCSD and Stanford extension on demand creation, email marketing and content marketing. Join us today as we get into email marketing where Casey teaches us why most B2B newsletters suck and how you can fix yours moving forward.

Table of Contents

• Who is Casey Hill?
• Current Projects that Excite Casey Hill
• Tactical and Strategic Email Marketing Advice from Casey Hill
• Where Does Casey Hill See the Future of Email and Newsletters?
• How to Get in Contact with Casey Hill
• Conclusion

Who is Casey Hill?

Background

Casey Hill is from Southern California and has lived all over the state his whole life. He went to college at Berkeley and ended up in San Diego. From a young age he wanted to be a writer, a passion that has led him to write a couple of books (yet to be published).

Tech and Marketing Journey

Casey got into the tech industry during college with internships. He worked for a company called TechValidate which was later acquired by SurveyMonkey. This led him to work extensively in the B2B and SaaS space.

Entrepreneurial Ventures

In 2018 he launched a Kickstarter campaign for a card game which was 800% funded. He’s also done consulting work with small businesses directly and on an institutional level with Series A and Series B companies. He specializes in marketing automation and email marketing.

Sharing and Teaching

He’s been teaching for about a year and a half. 😊👋

Current Projects that Excite Casey Hill

Influencer Initiatives at ActiveCampaign

At ActiveCampaign, Casey is deeply involved in setting up influencer initiatives. He’s learned a great deal from the experiments he’s run since the beginning of the year, describing the progress as “night and day.”

Short-Form Video Content

Casey is particularly excited about delving into short-form video content. He launched a project called “Impromptu Chats,” which he describes as similar to a podcast but with quick, short snippets. The project has generated around 800,000 views on these clips over just seven weeks.

LinkedIn Engagement

Casey has seen significant success on LinkedIn, projecting to end the year with about 10 million impressions on the platform. He’s found his unique style and form, focusing on sharing actionable, experiment-based content rather than clickbait.

Tactical and Strategic Email Marketing Advice from Casey Hill

Understanding Newsletters vs. Email Marketing

Casey emphasizes the importance of distinguishing between newsletters and email marketing:

• Newsletters are specific instruments often used for pipeline generation or sharing unique information.
• Email marketing is a wider net that can include various purposes such as instilling urgency or driving specific promotions.

Key Elements of Effective Newsletters

1. Personal Voice: Move away from generic, repurposed blog content. Use a personal tone that creates an emotional connection with readers.
2. Unique Information: Deliver content that people can’t get anywhere else. This could be first-hand data, unique research, or exclusive insights.
3. Consistent Delivery: Set clear expectations about when and what subscribers will receive. For example, “Each Friday at 8 AM PST, I’ll send you a case study on scaling e-commerce stores from zero to $1 million.”
4. Engaging Welcome Message: Casey recommends following the example of Kyle Poirier’s “Growth Unhinged” newsletter, which:
• Reiterates what subscribers will receive and when
• Provides related content for immediate consumption
• Asks a targeted question to encourage replies
5. Design for Clarity and Skimmability: Use visuals that add clarity and make the content easy to skim. Avoid fluff or stock images that don’t contribute to understanding.

Measuring Newsletter Effectiveness

Casey outlines a hierarchy of engagement metrics, from least to most reliable:

1. Opens (least reliable due to inflation from Apple’s Mail Privacy Protection)
2. Clicks
3. Page views (tracked via pixel on landing pages)
4. Replies (most reliable indicator of engagement)

Segmentation and Personalization

• Use both static (information gathered upfront) and dynamic (based on subscriber behavior) segmentation.
• Only ask for information you’ll use to meaningfully differentiate content.
• Use dynamic segmentation based on subscriber actions like clicks, website visits, and replies.

Subject Lines and Preview Text

• Focus on clarity first, then experiment with compelling hooks.
• Avoid clickbait by ensuring your content delivers on the promise of your subject line.
• Leverage both the subject line and preview text to provide context and intrigue readers.

Legal Considerations and List Hygiene

• Ensure compliance with regulations like GDPR, especially for EU-based businesses.
• Always include an easy-to-find unsubscribe button.
• Consider using a preference center to allow subscribers to choose what types of content they receive.
• Clean your list every 60-90 days, removing completely disengaged subscribers.

Where Does Casey Hill See the Future of Email and Newsletters?

Casey identifies several trends shaping the future of email marketing and newsletters:

1. Personality-Led Content: The future of newsletters lies in authentic, personality-driven content that allows writers to express themselves genuinely.
2. Creator Ecosystem: Third-party authority will continue to be compelling, with authentic brand ambassadors building in public and talking about their experiences.
3. Distribution Strategies: Successful newsletter creators will focus on both internal and external activation strategies to amplify their content.
4. Targeted Questions for Distribution: Asking strategic questions in content (like podcasts or newsletters) can lead to increased distribution when notable guests or interviewees share their responses.
5. Integration with Other Channels: Email marketing will increasingly be part of a broader, multi-channel marketing strategy, integrating with website analytics, SMS, personal video, and other communication channels.

How to Get in Contact with Casey Hill

While the transcript doesn’t provide direct contact information for Casey Hill, you can likely connect with him through the following channels:

• LinkedIn: Casey is active on LinkedIn, sharing insights and engaging with his audience.
• ActiveCampaign: As the growth lead at ActiveCampaign, you may be able to reach out to him through the company’s website.
• Twitter: Casey may be active on Twitter, sharing his thoughts on growth and marketing.

For the most up-to-date contact information, it’s best to check Casey’s LinkedIn profile or the ActiveCampaign website.

Conclusion

Casey Hill’s insights into B2B newsletters and email marketing provide valuable guidance for businesses looking to improve their digital marketing strategies. By focusing on personal voice, unique content, and strategic distribution, companies can create newsletters that truly engage their audience and drive results.

The future of email marketing is bright, with opportunities for personality-led content, creator collaborations, and multi-channel integration. As the digital landscape continues to evolve, staying attuned to these trends and implementing best practices will be crucial for success in email marketing and beyond.

Whether you’re just starting with newsletters or looking to optimize your existing strategy, Casey’s advice offers a solid foundation for creating impactful, engaging content that resonates with your audience and drives business growth.