How Simon’s Book Became
#1 in the First Week…
The Proof is in the Plants
Book Launch
“This week The Proof is in the Plants was the #1 selling non-fiction book across the country by sales.” – Simon J. Hill
Simon J. Hill is a physiotherapist, nutritionist, and the host of super popular podcast, The Proof with Simon Hill. In 2021, Simon expanded his reach by publishing his first book, The Proof is in the Plants, with Penguin Random House.
The problem was…
Simon was focused on spreading the word across his Instagram and Facebook following. But since the pre-order page was on his website, it took an extra 2 steps to actually get to the link and pre-order the book.
This was a major bottleneck.
Social channels weren’t enough: he needed a more robust marketing funnel that clearly & without friction led to a pre-order page – and made orders as smooth as possible.
The solution…
Create email sequence that’s a cross between a promo and a launch. 7 value-first emails that give prospects the info they need in an easy-to-digest way.
Plus a live FAQ session to answer all the pressing questions prospects might have before ordering a book (and a bonus tease).
The strategy…
Send 3 warm-up emails to the entire list. Simon’s list is used to a weekly “new podcast episode” email, so we didn’t want to overwhelm them with heavy promo.
This is why I segmented Opened & Clicked and sent the rest 4 emails to this segment only.
We started sending out pre-order emails 10 days before the launch.
Simon’s wish was to communicate the long-term value of health for the prospects and their families and how they could share his book with the rest of their families.
The copy: Readability drop from Simon’s usual academic language to grade 6. Medium length (value-intensive). Laser-focused and highly compelling, with plenty of benefits and little-known value bombs.
The core message: No fad diets and no bro science… The Proof is in the Plants is a comprehensive yet easy-to-follow health guide that helps you transform your health with nutritional science only.