What if your email automations could do the heavy lifting of personalisation... without you writing a separate email for every type of subscriber?

That's exactly what we dig into in this hot seat episode with Rachel Smith, freelance journalist, copywriter, and the founder of Rachel's List, a thriving jobs board and membership community for writers of all kinds. Rachel is a Retention Lab member, and came to me with a real headache around her email marketing, and we worked through it together live on the show.

What we cover:

• Why personalisation isn't really about first names (and what to do instead)
• How to use application form data to create conditional content that feels bespoke
• Trigger links and what they can tell you about hot leads sitting in your sequence
• The case for re-engagement flows at the three and six month mark
• How to incentivise feedback so people actually complete your surveys
• Milestone tagging inside your email platform and why it matters for retention
• Activity scoring to spot disengaged members before they quietly cancel

Connect with Rachel Smith:

https://rachelslist.com.au/

https://rachelsmith.com.au/

https://www.instagram.com/rachelslist/

https://www.linkedin.com/in/rachelsmithsydney/

https://rachelslist.com.au/portfolio/the-pay-rates-report/

View the episode transcript here.

Where to from here?

Join Retention Lab🧪, the community to help you build a signature customer experience that keeps people coming back, gets them talking and grows your business without you having to start from scratch every single month. Join here!

Find out how you can get my strategic customer experience brain on your brand here.

Check out my favourite CX tools and resources here.

😍 Love the show?

Hit subscribe or follow so you never miss a new episode.

Submit your question so I can answer it in an upcoming episode (or invite the perfect guest expert!).

Leave a positive review to help the show get found by more small business owners just like you. To leave a review:

👉 Find What Would They Do? on Apple Podcasts

👉 Scroll to ‘Ratings & Reviews’

👉 Tap on the stars to rate the show before writing a review

Post a screenshot with your key takeaway on your IG story and tag me @candocontent and #WWTDpod so I can repost your content.

Most of us think about customer experience as something we do for other people.

But the most intentional brand experiences start with how clear you are about your own direction as a business owner.

In this short and actionable episode, I'm introducing my brand new Love Letter to Future Self concept, a two-minute exercise where you set your intentions today and I send them back to you when you least expect it but probably need it most.

What we cover:

• Why the customer experience you create for others starts with the one you create for yourself
• The one reflection question to sit with today
• How the Love Letter to Future Self works and what happens after you hit submit
• The sneaky on-brand surprise waiting for you on the other side

Write your love letter 💌 to your future self right here.

View the episode transcript here.

Where to from here?

Join Retention Lab🧪, the community to help you build a signature customer experience that keeps people coming back, gets them talking and grows your business without you having to start from scratch every single month. Join here!

Find out how you can get my strategic customer experience brain on your brand here.

Check out my favourite CX tools and resources here.

😍 Love the show?

Hit subscribe or follow so you never miss a new episode.

Submit your question so I can answer it in an upcoming episode (or invite the perfect guest expert!).

Leave a positive review to help the show get found by more small business owners just like you. To leave a review:

👉 Find What Would They Do? on Apple Podcasts

👉 Scroll to ‘Ratings & Reviews’

👉 Tap on the stars to rate the show before writing a review

Post a screenshot with your key takeaway on your IG story and tag me @candocontent and #WWTDpod so I can repost your content.

Last year's State of the Customer Survey fundamentally shifted how I think about what online business owners and their customers need in the online space.

Right now, I'm running it again, because 2026 feels like a very different conversation.

In this short episode, I'm telling you exactly what's in it for you when you take five minutes to add your perspective.

Revisit the 2025 State of the Customer Report in Episode 29 right here.

What we cover:

• Why 2026 needs its own data set and what's shifted since last year
• How the two-hat structure of this survey gives you perspective on your own business
• Why a more diverse respondent group makes the findings more useful for everyone
• What you get for completing the survey and leaving your details
• How your answers shape the conversations happening in the online business space this year

View the episode transcript here.

Where to from here?

Join Retention Lab🧪, the community to help you build a signature customer experience that keeps people coming back, gets them talking and grows your business without you having to start from scratch every single month. Join here!

Find out how you can get my strategic customer experience brain on your brand here.

Check out my favourite CX tools and resources here.

😍 Love the show?

Hit subscribe or follow so you never miss a new episode.

Submit your question so I can answer it in an upcoming episode (or invite the perfect guest expert!).

Leave a positive review to help the show get found by more small business owners just like you. To leave a review:

👉 Find What Would They Do? on Apple Podcasts

👉 Scroll to ‘Ratings & Reviews’

👉 Tap on the stars to rate the show before writing a review

Post a screenshot with your key takeaway on your IG story and tag me @candocontent and #WWTDpod so I can repost your content.