Hey {{First Name}}, Anthony here from The Retention Report.
If your brand benefits from New Year’s resolution energy…
January probably looks great.
February and March?
Not so much.
This happens every year. People start strong, life gets busy, motivation dips, and a % of customers quietly fall off.
The goal isn’t to save everyone.
It’s to pad the drop-off and pull as much revenue forward as possible without killing margin.
Here’s how we see the best brands do it using email…
1. Change the message (stop screaming about motivation)
January messaging is all about discipline, transformation, and “new you.”
By February? That stuff starts to backfire.
This is when people feel behind, not inspired.
So instead of pushing harder motivation in your email copy, you should start meeting the customers where they are:
It’s okay if you missed a week
You don’t have to start over
Progress still counts
You’re not selling intensity anymore.
You’re selling the feeling of continuation and consistency.
That shift alone can keep people engaged instead of checking out completely.
2. Create a new moment (give them a fresh starting line)
Most people don’t quit because they want to quit, they quit because there’s no reason to restart.
Smart brands manufacture one.
Examples:
A February “6 week challenge”
A “second month reset”
A short, time-bound program that feels doable and fun
This works because it gives customers a new moment, not more pressure.
It doesn’t need to be a new initiative, just something your subscribers can connect in their mind to make the action of buying seem logical.
You’re saying:
“You don’t have to go back to January. Start here.” and sometimes that’s enough to get them to buy again for the boost of dopamine they think they need to keep going.
3. Segment + pull revenue forward (without burning margin)
This is where most brands mess up.
They either:
Blanket discount (and torch margin), or
Do nothing and hope people come back
Instead, focus on specific segments:
Customers who bought in early January
Haven’t reordered yet
Still within a reasonable repurchase window
Give those people only a short, time-bound offer:
24–72 hours
Framed as a continuation, not a sale
Enough incentive to get the second order
Once a customer makes a 2nd order, they’re 2x more likely to make a 3rd.
You’re not training bad behavior.
You’re pulling forward revenue that may never happen otherwise.
Final thought
February and March aren’t about hype.
They’re about:
Better timing
More intentional messaging
And meeting customers where they actually are
You won’t eliminate the drop-off.
But you can soften it, and sometimes that’s the difference between a flat quarter and a strong one.
Questions?
Click HERE to send me a question, and I’ll send a reply in the next few hours.
– Anthony
P.S. If you want help applying this to your email program, you can book a call here → choose.transparentdigital.agency