How I envision my email finds you ^
I've been emailing creators about being featured in Scout's pre-launch guest series — 4–6 products on your wishlist, the creators and books you're into, a few places you've loved going lately. The whole point is to put taste in front of taste, which is what Scout is for. They’ll mirror the Madeline’s Recs I’ve been sending weekly in the hopes of a bit of audience arbitrage, brand building and getting Scout in front of a new audience (finally).
The good news: I have an 88% rejection rate. Some don't respond. Some respond and ghost after I send the deck. A few say no kindly. A few say yes, and those have made my week every time.
You may be thinking to yourself: A 88% rejection rate? Why is that good news?
It’s good news because that means eight people are in. I need 15 by launch. At a 12% conversion rate that's 59 more emails — probably more than that— but I know what my conversion rate is, and therefore I know what I need to do (and how many more I need to reach out to) to hit my target.
I'm telling you this because I think founders should be more honest about what audience-building actually looks like. The before-photo of "here's our guest series, isn't it cool" is a spreadsheet, a 12% response rate, and an inbox that goes quiet for days at a time. That's the work. It's not glamorous, and it's also fine.
Starting next month, Scout's newsletter is becoming part me, part the women whose taste I trust most. Each guest feature will be a small window into how someone actually shops — what they're saving, who they're listening to, the wine bar they wish more people knew about. Less listicle. More dinner party with your most stylish friend.
The first few are brides, substackers and creators — taste-driven shoppers in the most taste-driven moments of their lives. I'll tell you who's next as they come in.
If you have someone in mind who'd be a natural fit — or if you're reading this and thinking wait, that's me — reply to this email. I read every one. (And the 12% is going up.) I’d absolutely LOVE to feature anyone in the Scout community who would like to contribute!
— Madeline