Behind the Scenes of Your Inbox

Hello, my name is Emma Siegrist! I’m a senior Advertising major at Temple University. I have a concentration in Brand Strategy and Research, along with a minor in Public Relations. I spent my final semester of undergrad as a Copywriting and Content Creation Intern at Staircase Flow.

Staircase Flow is a digital marketing agency that specializes in email campaigns for e-commerce brands. I never expected the behind-the-scenes of email marketing to be so fascinating until I saw firsthand how much strategy goes into each campaign at Staircase Flow.

Working at Staircase Flow allowed me to catch a glimpse into agency life. I worked on multiple accounts that interest me such as jewelry, chocolate and dog apparel. Doing so kept things interesting working in a remote environment and gave me range of experiences with different verticals. I was able to peek into the analytical side of operations and see exactly how each campaign tactic influenced clicks, conversions, etc. 

In my role I was mostly responsible for creating, testing and uploading email flows. Email flows are like the blueprints for email campaigns. They outline what triggers each email to be sent, how often they are sent, which coupon code goes along with the email and much more. Things get more interesting when I implement A/B testing. I create two different versions of an email tactic, send it out and compare which version of email engaged customers more effectively. 

I’ve ended this internship more confident in copywriting and feeling like an almost-expert in terms of email. I understand what composes a great email campaign and proven email copywriting frameworks.

In terms of myself, I confirmed my passion for strategic communication. Strategy is the common thread that runs through the things I enjoy in life, from writing creative briefs in class to defending the goal on the lacrosse field to even analyzing the newest episode of Survivor on Wednesday nights.

This internship has also left a lasting effect on my career goals. Being the best at what you do and genuinely caring and communicating with your clients makes a world of difference. I learned this working so closely with my supervisor, Brenden.

Despite being a full-time student, my supervisor created this agency on his own and built something truly remarkable. I now know whenever I feel the imposter syndrome creeping in, to think of the amazing things we have accomplished and of the endless doors a passion for strategic communications can open.

My advice for future interns is do not be passive. Do not wait for opportunities to come to you, seek out the ones you truly want.