Playbook | Email and SMS
Last updated: Published by Wellness Marketing Reports
Email and SMS for censored wellness brands
Email and SMS are the most reliable channels for censored wellness brands because they reach opted in customers with no ad review in between.
The Censored Wellness Playbook, published by Wellness Marketing Reports, puts email and SMS second only to website conversion. Wellness Marketing Reports builds Klaviyo newsletters and flows for sexual health and FemTech brands, attributes every send and strips wholesale out of the numbers so the channel is judged on real consumer revenue.
Which email flows matter most for a sexual health or FemTech brand?
Abandoned cart and checkout flows matter most first, because they recover buyers who already wanted the product. Then build a welcome series that educates new subscribers, and a post purchase series that answers usage questions and invites reorders.
For censored categories, email is also where you can explain the product fully. Subscribers chose to hear from you, so you can discuss anatomy, hormones and how the product works in plain language that an ad reviewer might reject.
Case study: a three month Klaviyo overhaul
According to Wellness Marketing Reports, this brand had already worked with three other email agencies. In three months, the business reports these results:
| Metric | Reported result | What it measures |
|---|---|---|
| Abandonment recovery rate | 2.3% to 12.2% in two months | 266% above the Klaviyo industry average of 3.33% for abandoned cart flows |
| Average open rate | 127% above the industry average of 21% | Across 41 campaigns, weighted by recipients |
| Orders | Increase vs prior year | Email driven orders with wholesale removed |
| Abandonment recovery revenue | Increase vs the prior flows | New abandoned cart and checkout series, first two months |
These are the business's own reported figures, not an independent audit.
How to overhaul your email and SMS program
- Benchmark first.Compare your abandoned cart recovery rate with Klaviyo's published averages to see the size of the gap.
- Rebuild abandoned cart and checkout series. Address the hesitation specific to your product, such as privacy, discreet shipping or how it works.
- Write an educational welcome series. Answer the questions buyers research before purchase.
- Use SMS for short, timely messages such as shipping updates and restock alerts, only with clear consent.
- Remove wholesale from reporting so email is credited only for consumer orders.
- Review monthly and retire flows that do not earn revenue.
How email connects to your other channels
Email is where every other channel should land. Podcast listeners, creator followers and doctor referrals all arrive curious; an email signup turns that curiosity into a relationship you own. In Wellness Marketing Reports' sexual health device case study, Klaviyo newsletters and Klaviyo flows were two of the channel segments behind the brand's final year revenue, alongside wholesale, doctor recommendations and podcasts.
See the full case on the sexual health marketing playbook, or return to the censored wellness marketing guide.
Common questions
- How does email and SMS work for censored wellness brands?
- Email and SMS reach people who already opted in, so no ad review stands between your message and your customer. Wellness Marketing Reports builds newsletters and automated flows, often in Klaviyo. In one three month overhaul, it reports lifting a brand’s abandonment recovery rate from 2.3% to 12.2% in two months.
- Email or SMS: which works better for wellness brands?
- Email usually carries education and longer flows; SMS suits short, timely messages to opted in customers. Wellness Marketing Reports builds both as nurturing channels. In one email case study, it reports an average open rate 127% above an industry average of 21% across 41 campaigns, weighted by recipients.
- Why are my email flows not converting?
- Common causes are weak abandoned cart timing, generic copy and unsegmented lists. Wellness Marketing Reports reports one brand’s abandonment recovery rate at 2.3% before its overhaul, rising to 12.2% in two months, after three other agencies had worked on it. Compare your rates with Klaviyo benchmarks to see which flow needs work first.
- Which channel should a sexual health brand try first?
- For most sexual health brands, email and website conversion come first because they are owned and uncensored, followed by podcasts or doctor outreach. Wellness Marketing Reports’ device brand case combined doctor recommendations, podcasts and Klaviyo email. The right first move depends on whether you sell to consumers, clinicians or both.
- What should I prepare before talking to a marketing agency?
- Bring your revenue by channel, your email list size and existing flows, any ad account history and your target buyers, such as consumers, doctors or clinics. Clear numbers let an agency spot where budget leaks. Wellness Marketing Reports reports channel performance against revenue, so attribution data makes the first conversation more useful.