How I Emailed 100 Famous Fashion Companies and Got Replies

In the world of marketing, crafting the perfect email campaign can make all the difference. Recently, I embarked on a journey to reach out to 100 famous fashion companies, and the results were fascinating. Here's what happened and how I managed to get replies from giants like Ralph Lauren and The North Face.

The Strategy Behind the Campaign

The campaign was designed for a company that aggregates user-generated content for consumer brands. The goal was simple: connect with companies that had upcoming fashion collections. By targeting the heads of social media at these brands, we aimed to demonstrate the need for a tool that could aggregate their user-generated content right when they needed it most.

Finding the Right Contacts

The first step was to compile a list of the biggest fashion companies. Using OpenAI, I generated a list of 163 fashion companies. From there, I needed to find their LinkedIn profiles. And I did it using Clay, a powerful tool for creating an enriched list of companies and use it to craft personalized email campaigns.

Personalizing the Approach

With LinkedIn profiles in hand, I used various integrations to gather detailed company data. This included descriptions, employee counts, and follower counts. The next step was to identify the name of each company's upcoming collection, a crucial detail for personalizing each email.

And I did it using a Google search integration within Clay. Watch the video to see how I did that.

Getting their Instagram

To further personalize the emails, I tracked down each company's Instagram account. This was vital for crafting messages that felt unique and relevant to each brand's current focus. By extracting Instagram handles with high accuracy, I ensured that our emails would stand out.

Building the Email List

Once the company data was gathered, the next task was to find the right people to contact. Using a "people table" in Clay, I identified key individuals such as CEOs and CMOs across these fashion brands. This resulted in a list of 249 people, of which I successfully retrieved 173 verified work emails.

Executing the Campaign

With all the data in place, I uploaded the campaign to Smart Lead. The personalized approach paid off, with response rates exceeding expectations. By targeting fewer, but more relevant, individuals, the campaign achieved a level of engagement that larger, more generic campaigns often miss.

The Results and Key Takeaways

The campaign's success was marked by positive replies from several high-profile brands. This experience reinforced the importance of personalization and timing in email marketing. By focusing on the right people at the right time, and leveraging detailed data, we were able to build meaningful connections.