At first glance, this may seem like a loyalty gift campaign by LinkedIn. As such, we like the overall layout, typeface and design — it’s easy to skim and gives that warm and fuzzy feeling.
However, by giving away a chapter of the CEO’s new book, it feels more like a promotional email to subscribers. And bait-and-switch is never good (it’s an emotional turn-off for all but the most emo of us). Also, the “first million” members doesn’t feel terribly exclusive — perhaps just loyal members? Or all our great, fantastic members?
However, it would have been a great cross-sell campaign if it had been a little more transparent in its goals. How about “What our CEO has been up to ” as a subject line?