Earlier this week, I was helping a client set up his email campaigns, and this happened:
I open my Gdoc file, copy the words, and paste them into Klaviyo.
“Huh… that’s weird?”
I stare at a blank screen – nothing is showing up.
Ctrl+C
Ctrl+V
“WTF?!”
Instead of copying over my email…
The system duplicates a placeholder paragraph from the template.
I select the duplicate and delete it.
The whole email disappears, leaving only an empty bullet point:
(^^just like this^^)
“Maybe it’s a glitch… let me delete this email and create a new one.”
Doesn’t work.
This time, it lets me update the new email… tells me everything is saved… and then reverts to a blank email with only a personalization tag left:
{{ first_name|title|default:’friend’ }}
For the next 30 minutes…
It’s like a showcase of “every bug that can happen.”
I wasted 30 minutes trying to copy and paste a single email campaign.
*sigh*
And Klaviyo is supposed to be the “best” email software for e-commerce.
🤷
But this was my fault.
I used to have a rule –
When I build flows and campaigns for clients, I use a strict plain-text style.
Forget about the design.
Ignore the HTML.
Avoid the drag-and-drop editor.
And focus on writing great stories.
This is how I beat the boring “flyers” most brands are sending – because my emails are fun to read… feel genuine… and don’t look like an ad.
But this time, I gave in and allowed the client to request a “pretty template.”
100% my fault.
I’ll do better next time.
Cheering for you,
Wuyen
P.S. – When something is popular, it doesn’t mean it’s good.
🚬 is popular, and it gives you cancer.
🥤 is popular, and it gives you diabetes.
Pretty HTML is popular, and it screams “ADVERTISING.”
So, if you’re open to testing it – see how my plain text story emails can make it rain every month, then reach out at my email “wy<@>wuyenhsu.com“.