My email has been a mess over the last month or so. Partially because I have four email addresses now and partially because I'm really bad at email. I don't want to be, I just am.
I'm going to fix this. New commitment.
Several of my friends who are in a similar situation with email HIGHLY recommended Superhuman. They recommended in the way I recommend Notion, so I figured I had to take a look. They've taken off since raising a $33m Series B led by Andreessen Horowitz in May of 2019.
So, what is Superhuman?
Their Google Search Ad sums up their core features pretty well.
This isn't what I'm writing about though. What stood out to me about Superhuman is the way they interacted with me throughout the sales process. Their messaging, data collection tactics, and onboarding flow were so amazing I felt compelled to share. So, here we go.
Messaging
Superhuman uses the words fast and fastest, as well as the phrase + emoji "blazingly fast 🚀" consistently in their messaging — on the website, in their emails, in the onboarding script. The repeat the exact same phrases over and over again. It sticks.
I appreciate this level of commitment. It's clear from the beginning that their goal is to make you faster at email. They picked their thing.
Data Collection
After visiting the website and entering my email address to get started, they dropped me into a sales funnel that didn't feel like sales funnel. They were qualifying me (and I, as someone who appreciates marketing and sales, greatly appreciated this).
They want to know if Superhuman is the right fit for me — and vice versa. Am I the right fit for Superhuman? This does matter.
They do all of this though a Typeform survey.
At the point in the survey below, they're making sure I understand that Superhuman is a paid email solution. I knew this going into it, based on the fact that I was referred to Superhuman by a current user.
I wondered if this was clear upfront. I went back and checked and this is the first mention of the monthly fee that I could find. I was surprised by this, honestly.
That said, if I was looking for a free email solution, I'd know to bail now.
Next up: They collect a bunch of data on me and on my email use. Some people may not like this. I loved it.
IMO, they asked for just enough info to make me feel like they were building a custom solution for me (which they are, I'll get to that), but not too much where I wanted to say, "No thanks, I'm out." Here's an example:
At the end of all of this, they let me know that, to activate the service, I'd need to schedule an onboarding call with someone from their team. And I had to provide a credit card number to do so. I wouldn't be charged until after the call.
Again, one more check. You're looking for a paid solution, right?
I was obviously super pumped about the onboarding call, since I love seeing how other companies demo and educate users on their products. That said, I know that this isn't for everyone.
I plugged in a credit card number and scheduled my time.
Onboarding
I joined the onboarding call the following day and it was great! Superb, in fact.
Andrew was fantastic, had a great sense of humor, and more importantly, came armed with all of the info he needed to onboard me to Superhuman in a way that made sense for me.
Yes, all of the info they collected in the survey let them build an onboarding call tailored for me. They were going to maximize the impact they could have during this one-on-one time.
Andrew focused on the features that mattered most to me. He demonstrated how quickly I could get to Inbox Zero every day. He showed me how Superhuman made email fun. And he proved to me that it was blazingly fast 🚀
I left the call knowing all of the basics I needed to know about Superhuman. I left an already engaged user. And I didn't have to look up a bunch of videos to get there. I got to do it with the help of another human.
As for Superhuman email, I've only been using it for two days, but so far so good. Here's what I like the most so far:
I've always used my inbox as a to-do list. That actually works in Superhuman.
Mobile and desktop don't feel as disconnected on they do with Gmail.
All the shortcuts. All of them. I love them. I never have to take my hands off my keyboard. This makes me blazingly fast 🚀
The gorgeous image that changes every day when you hit inbox zero.
The email drip campaign following sign up has also been fantastic. May write something up about that next.
And side note, not everyone loves Superhuman.
If you're interested in learning more about Superhuman, check out this interview with Founder Rahul Vohra where he talks about the importance of spending time with customers and launching small.
Until next time,
✌️Lynsie