Why Most Plugin Brands Are Still Missing Their #1 Revenue Channel

If you run a plugin or audio software company, chances are you’ve got the hard part down already:

• You’ve built a killer product

• You’re driving traffic through paid ads, social content, influencer placements, and affiliate traffic

• Your brand is growing, your audience is building, and your sales look okay on the surface

But here’s the blind spot we see over and over again…

Email marketing — the most profitable, controllable channel in your entire business — is either underperforming or completely overlooked.

There are two typical scenarios:

1. You’re Not Really Using Email

You’re collecting customer emails through your checkout or account creation process — but after that, it’s mostly silence. Maybe you send the occasional update or sale announcement, but there’s no lead capture, no welcome system, and no follow-up flows to guide buyers or turn subscribers into loyal users.

You’ve got a list. But it’s not doing anything for you.

2. You’re Trying — But You’re Guessing

You’ve dabbled with campaigns. You might have a cart abandonment email and send out launches occasionally. But there’s no system. No segmentation. And you’re not sure what’s working or why your open rates are low, your flows aren’t converting, or your list isn’t growing like it should.

In both cases, the result is the same:

• Low open and click rates

• Missed revenue on every launch

• Users that slip through the cracks after they visit your site

• A list that costs money to store, but doesn’t drive sales

🧠 The Fix? Building a Real Email System

We specialize in turning underperforming email lists into high-converting revenue engines. For plugin and audio software brands, this means:

• Automations that trigger based on behavior

• Campaigns that educate, not just promote

• Funnels that run in the background and convert around the clock

• Strategies that turn traffic into subscribers, and subscribers into customers

🧪 In this post, we’re breaking down exactly how we helped Sauceware Audio turn their underperforming list into a high-converting email system!

Client Background: Sauceware Audio

Sauceware Audio is a boutique plugin and audio software company known for delivering forward-thinking tools to music producers. By mid-2023, they had two flagship products, a third on the way, and multiple launches planned. Their brand was growing—and their customer base was active and expanding.

But behind the scenes, one thing was holding them back: their email marketing system.

Despite having tens of thousands of subscribers, email performance was steadily declining. Open rates were dropping. Campaigns were getting flagged as spam. And aside from a few basic automations, there was no system in place to guide users from sign-up to sale—or to support the kind of launches Sauceware had planned.

That’s when they brought us in.

Our mission was two-fold:

1. Fix their backend email infrastructure—including deliverability, segmentation, and automations

2. Build a scalable system that could support product launches and drive consistent revenue over time

In this case study, we’ll walk you through exactly how we transformed their email marketing engine from a liability into one of their most profitable channels.

Initial Audit: Why Email Wasn’t Working

As soon as we got access to Sauceware’s Klaviyo account, it was clear: the potential was there, but the system wasn’t.

Here’s what we found:

⚠️ Campaigns Were Crashing

When we reviewed their email campaigns, the performance spoke for itself:

• Open rates regularly dropped to 9%–16%

• Emails were being sent to the entire list, regardless of engagement

• A significant portion of those sends were landing in spam folders

• The only campaigns that performed well were highly targeted, like customer surveys or small updates

It wasn’t a content problem. It was a deliverability and list health problem—the list was over-sent, under-segmented, and improperly warmed.

💤 Automations Were Barely Active

There were a few automations set up—a basic cart abandonment email, a single thank-you message post-purchase—but nothing else.

That meant:

• No lead capture flows

• No product education sequences

• No upsells, winbacks, or retention flows

• No behavioral targeting

In other words, Sauceware was missing the most effective use case for email: setting up systems that make sales automatically, even when no campaign is running.

💡 The Diagnosis:

Sauceware didn’t need just better email design—they needed a complete email marketing rebuild:

1. Fix deliverability by resetting their reputation with high-value, behavior-based emails

2. Segment the list so we could send only to engaged contacts

3. Build automations that work in the background and bring value consistently

4. Create a full launch strategy for SPAWN that educated and converted

Next up, we’ll walk through how we started with the backend—the systems and flows that got everything back on track.

Fixing the Foundation: From Spam Folder to Smart System

Before we could run any big campaigns or launch strategies, we had to earn back trust—with inboxes and with subscribers.

This meant doing the unglamorous, but essential work: repairing their email infrastructure.

📬 Step 1: Rebuilding the Automation Stack

We started with flows—behavior-triggered automations that engage subscribers when they’re most likely to open and take action. This was crucial not just for conversions, but for boosting open and click rates across the account to restore deliverability.

Here’s what we rolled out:

• Welcome Flow: Introduced new subscribers to Sauceware, teased bestsellers, and built anticipation for upcoming drops

• Cart Abandonment Flow: Expanded from 1 email to a full sequence

• Browse Abandonment Flow: For users who viewed a product but didn’t add to cart

• Post-Purchase Flow: Tailored to first-time and repeat buyers, with built-in upsell logic

• Customer Winback Flow: For past buyers who hadn’t engaged in a while

These flows started generating revenue immediately—and also helped repair their sender reputation by increasing engagement across the board.

Result: Revenue from flows increased 172%

Step 2: Segmentation & Smarter Sending

Instead of blasting emails to all 25,000 subscribers, we narrowed down to engaged segments only—people who had recently opened, clicked, or purchased.

At first glance, it looked like we were sending to fewer people.

But in reality?

We tripled visibility.

Their Old strategy: 25K sent → 9% open = ~1900 opens

Our New strategy: 20K sent → 30–50% open = 7,000–10,000 opens

Step 3: Results Start Rolling In

Once the system was in place, here’s what happened:

• Average open rates rose to 30–50%

• More campaigns started landing in inboxes, not spam

• Klaviyo-attributed revenue saw a 381% increase.

The list was no longer a liability.

It was now a high-performing channel—ready for a major product drop.

Key Takeaways for Plugin Companies

Whether you’re gearing up for a new launch or just trying to get more out of your existing list, the strategy we used with Sauceware Audio offers a blueprint any plugin brand can follow.

Here’s what you can take away:

🔑 1. Your Email List is a Scalable Revenue Channel—Not Just a Promo Tool

If you’re only using email for the occasional sale or newsletter, you’re missing out.

Your list is one of the few assets you own, and with the right systems in place, it can generate daily, trackable revenue.

🔑 2. Fixing Deliverability is Step One

Before you think about flashy campaigns or launch flows, ask:

Are your emails even getting seen?

If your open rates are under 20%, or you’re blasting your full list with no segmentation, chances are you’re damaging your deliverability.

We started with foundational fixes for Sauceware—and that’s what unlocked results.

🔑 3. Educate Before You Sell

Most plugin companies jump straight to the discount.

But for a complex or unique product—especially anything involving tech, AI, or workflow tools—education is the key to conversion.

Build trust. Show how it works. Then pitch.

🔑 4. Segmentation = Relevance = Results

Segment by:

• Activity level

• Purchase history

• Product interest

Then tailor your message.

🔑 5. Turn Every Launch into an Evergreen Asset

Your product shouldn’t stop selling after launch week.

Turn your campaign into a funnel—automated emails that deliver the full experience to new subscribers every time.

This keeps your product relevant, long after launch day.

🔑 6. Build a System, Not Just a Campaign

The real value is in having a system that:

• Educates cold leads

• Converts warm ones

• Upsells loyal customers

• Re-engages people who drop off

That’s what we built for Sauceware—and that’s what turns email into your most reliable revenue channel.