A dozen thoughtful examples can make a useful starting point for a brand reference. Here is how to choose them and explain what matters.
BEGIN WITH THE BRAND, THEN THE BRIEF. An email carries much more than a headline and a product photograph. Its opening line, choice of details and even the space around a button help a reader recognise who is speaking. Before asking Ivy for a campaign draft, collect a small set of emails that represent those decisions. Twelve is an illustrative starting point, rather than a required number. Create a reference your team can use, with enough variety to separate lasting brand choices from a seasonal campaign.
Choose examples for the different jobs they do. Include a welcome message, a product introduction, a useful piece of advice and a straightforward promotional email. A quieter campaign can be just as revealing as a major launch: it shows how the brand speaks when there is less news to announce. Add a short note to each example explaining why you selected it and what you would keep. If an older email no longer reflects the brand, say so. Your judgement makes the collection more useful than a folder of unexplained examples.
Look at the words your brand uses repeatedly. Are introductions direct or conversational? Do product descriptions favour practical details, sensory language or short explanations? Include a few phrases you would avoid, with an explanation of why they feel out of place. Specific examples are easier to use than a list of broad adjectives.
The visual side deserves the same attention. Record the colours, typography, image treatments and spacing that connect your examples. A brand might use generous space around a single photograph for a launch, then a compact product grid for a collection email. Both can belong to the same visual language. Explain the relationship between the two, and mark any decisions that are essential. Keep approved logos and images close to the reference so a reviewer can find the right versions. When an image is only a placeholder, label it clearly and record what will replace it. The reference gives the next draft a direction.
Keep product facts separate from the language used to describe them. Names, materials, dimensions and availability need a reliable source. A memorable phrase from a previous campaign may be a useful writing example, but it should not become a new product claim by accident. Link current information and identify the details that matter.
Now give the campaign a purpose. Describe who will receive it, what they should understand and the next step you want to offer. A new subscriber may need a simple introduction; a returning customer may already know the story. That difference should shape the opening and the amount of explanation. Add the destination link and any timing that affects the message.
Review the resulting draft alongside the original examples. Read the subject line and preview text together, then follow the email from its first sentence to its final link. Check the voice, the product facts and the visual hierarchy separately. When something feels wrong, describe the specific change you want. A precise comment gives the next revision a much clearer direction.
Keep the reference useful as the brand changes. Save decisions from the review, retire examples that no longer fit and note when a new campaign introduces an intentional variation. Give one person responsibility for keeping the guidance current. A small, considered collection is easier to maintain than a folder of every email the brand has ever sent. Preserve the judgement behind the work so the next draft starts with shared context.
About this approach
This guide describes an editorial approach to preparing brand context for Ivy, an autonomous email marketer for small ecommerce businesses. Ivy learns from your past emails and guidelines, keeps your corrections and creates campaigns in your own templates. The twelve-email example is illustrative; it is not a minimum requirement or a promise of a particular result. Keep your own team involved in checking copy, images, product information and links. Your team should remain responsible for the final campaign. Read the campaign brief walkthrough next.