The Secret Behind Clay’s 'Week in Review' Email

How many B2B SaaS emails go viral on LinkedIn (for the right reason)? We know it’s a rare feat. But Clay’s “Week in Review” emails are breaking that stereotype. These emails are so well-received that they are being organically shared and praised by customers on LinkedIn.

What’s Clay doing differently, and why do their emails generate such buzz?

Clay is a data-enrichment tool with AI capabilities. Clay embraced the digest email format to keep their customers engaged and informed. By focusing on what matters most to their users—personalized product stats and key insights—they’ve managed to make their emails stand out in a crowded inbox with Inflection.

The Power of Digest Emails in B2B

Digest emails are quickly seeing adoption in B2B. A long time staple in B2C, here’s what makes them great for B2B:

• Illustrating product value: Each week, Clay sends a summary of key metrics and updates relevant to the recipient’s business. This approach not only saves time but also highlights the tangible benefits of their product. Most companies doing regular QBRs are only showcasing their value a few times a year. Clay is doing it constantly. Which software is more likely to churn? Which software more likely would get an upgrade?
• Building a strong customer connection: By celebrating user achievements and providing clear next steps, Clay’s digest emails create a sense of accomplishment and motivate further engagement. The brand is also front and center on a constant basis.
• Encouraging product adoption: Effective call-to-actions (CTAs) are seamlessly woven into the content, encouraging users to log back in, explore new features, or reach new milestones.
• Are highly relevant: Given the level of personalization for digest emails, they tend to have a high open rate and a low unsubscribe rate.

Additionally, digest emails can reach people who are NOT users. Think executives and decision makers, who often don’t show up to QBRs or renewal discussions anyways. Just add them to the email distribution.

How Clay Built A Viral In Review Email With Inflection.io

Clay integrated their product data with Inflection.io via Segment, their customer data platform. This connection allowed them to import key metrics from their product directly into Inflection’s system, creating a central source of truth for customer communication.

The combination of personalization and marketing automation was crucial in maintaining both scale and relevance. By automating their email creation process with Inflection, Clay’s marketing team freed up time for strategic tasks while ensuring high-quality content as they scale.

"Inflection has impressed with its overall platform flexibility and ability to action based on product usage. It has allowed for much greater efficiency from the GTM team without having to constantly bog down our data team with requests.” - Osman

The impact of Clay’s Week in Review emails was apparent almost immediately.

• Over 100K emails sent so far
• 1000s of clicks back into the product
• Deeper brand connection and value understanding among customers
• The emails not only drive engagement but also strengthen the relationship between Clay and its users, reinforcing the sense of partnership and shared success.

TL;DR

Digest emails are more than just a trend—they represent a shift in how B2B SaaS companies connect with their users. By centering on value realization and personalization, digest emails like Clay’s foster a deeper connection between the product and its users, leading to increased loyalty and advocacy.

Inflection is a marketing automation platform that lets you activate your product data and data warehouse to drive more pipeline, improve product onboarding and adoption, and revenue expansion, all from one platform. Request a marketing automation demo today.