The Email Sound Booth with Liz Wilcox

Episode: SALES EMAIL SUMMIT — Michelle Pontvert – Using Formatting to Make a Sale Exciting
August 19, 2025

Episode Overview

In this episode of The Email Sound Booth, host Liz Wilcox sits down with Michelle Pontvert, an event expert and champion of simple, high-converting email marketing. The conversation zeroes in on how creative email formatting—specifically, creating a “sales page” experience within the body of a sales email—can boost engagement, click rates, and customer satisfaction, especially during multi-product promotions.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Behind Michelle’s Most Lucrative Sales Email

[01:04 – 04:44]

• Michelle recounts a recent big promotion where she retired multiple products and highlighted Notion templates using her ESP's (Kit) layout features.
• Rather than listing products in text, she designed the email to replicate a sales page feel: individual blocks featured each product graphic, bold product names linked to checkout, concise description, and sale pricing.
• Engagement Results:
  • Sent to ~4,000 subscribers, 50% open rate (typical for Michelle).
  • 1.5% click rate (very strong for a pure promo email).
  • Notably, clicks continued over several days, not just at send time.
• Audience Response:
  • Multiple subscribers replied appreciating the format’s clarity and visual appeal.
  • The structure helped customers compare products easily and revisit the email during the sale.
• Iterative Use:
  • The format proved so successful that Michelle began using it for similar sales.

Notable Quote:

"It was a really fun way for me to showcase multiple things at once... giving almost this sales page experience in the email itself without making the email too overly designed." — Michelle [03:22]

2. Structuring Sales Email Series: Focused vs. General Messaging

[04:44 – 08:19]

• Liz notes the sales page style and asks if it was a one-off or part of a sequence.
• Michelle explains it was email #3 in a six-email series for the product retirement sale.
  • Sequence Breakdown:
    • Emails 1 & 2: “Boring” plain text, general announcement and sale explanation.
    • Email 3: The focused, sales page-style email featuring Notion products.
    • Emails 4-6: Mix of last-chance reminders and specific product highlights.
• Why Focused Works:
  • This targeted approach (segmenting and highlighting a product group) gives subscribers clarity and reasons to take action (“what to choose and why”).
  • Michelle is now applying this format to all emails in her current sale series, recognizing its effectiveness in multi-offer scenarios.

Notable Quote:

"It was the first really focused email about a specific category... helping you see all of them at a glance but then also the difference between them and really why you would choose one versus the other." — Michelle [06:07]

3. Mindset Shifts and Deliverability Considerations

[05:23 – 05:50]

• Michelle discusses the balance between design and email deliverability, acknowledging why most marketing emails are “a little bland,” but illustrating that added structure can enhance user experience without harming performance.

Notable Quote:

"I've always felt like emails are a little bland, and I think there's a good reason for that. Often it's for deliverability. But it felt really fun to bring some of that logic from a sales page..." — Michelle [05:30]

4. Practical Takeaways: Applying "Sales Page" Formatting to Email

[Throughout]

• Simple layout tweaks (blocks, visuals, bold headings, direct links) make multi-product sales less overwhelming.
• Customers appreciate clear navigation, direct product links, and visually organized content.
• This “sales page in an email” strategy is especially valuable for product retirement or multi-offer events.

Memorable Moments & Quotes

• Liz’s endorsement:

  "I love that you described this as a sales page experience within the email. That's exactly what I was thinking..." — Liz [04:44]

• Michelle's recurring strategy:

  "Because this email was such a hit... I decided in this email series for the new sale... to use that format again but from pretty much all of the emails." — Michelle [07:31]

• On changing seasons in business:

  "I was very prolific in a season of my business, created a whole bunch of products, and now I'm in a season of sort of refinement..." — Michelle [07:00]

Resources & Where to Find Michelle

[08:38 – 09:26]

• Website: michellepontvert.com
• Signup for emails and see the format live: michellepontvert.com/signup
• Take her film-themed event quiz: michellepontvert.com/quiz
• Socials: Most active on Threads as “Michelle Pontvert”

Actionable Takeaways

• For Multi-Product Sales:
  Implement visually distinct “blocks” for each product, giving subscribers a quick, at-a-glance comparison, with direct checkout links and succinct value props.
• For List Management:
  Don’t be afraid to add more visual formatting in important promo emails, even if your norm is “bland” text—for multi-offer events, it can substantially increase engagement.
• For Email Series:
  Start with general info, but follow up with focused, category-specific breakdowns to help guide customers’ choices.

Template Resource (from Liz):

• Liz offers a “Steal These Sales Emails Template Pack”—including Michelle’s featured email template—for $35, making it easy for listeners to replicate these techniques in their own campaigns.

Summary

This episode is a goldmine for any online marketer faced with presenting multiple offers in one campaign. Michelle Pontvert’s practical experience shows that thoughtful formatting—borrowing from sales page design—can make even the most complex promotions approachable and profitable, without losing the personal touch or damaging deliverability. Both Liz and Michelle champion the notion that “boring” can be beautiful, but bold, intuitive layouts have their place—especially when they help your subscribers say “yes.”