Everyone watches the winners.
Smart marketers watch the ones who stumble.

Because behind every failed email marketing campaign is a lesson you didn’t have to pay for.

The Problem: Copying Success Is Only Half the Game

It’s tempting to “borrow” from high-performing competitors.
Subject lines.
Designs.
Offers.

It makes sense. They’ve tested it. It works.

But here’s the blind spot: If you only copy success, you miss half the data.

And sometimes, the more valuable half.

The Hidden Opportunity: Failure Leaves Clues

When a strong brand suddenly dips… something changed.

Maybe it’s subtle.
Maybe it’s obvious.
But it’s there.

And that’s where things get interesting.

Because, unlike success — which can be hard to reverse-engineer — failure often leaves fingerprints all over the campaign.

What to Look For (Before Your Subscribers Do)

When reviewing a competitor’s struggling email marketing campaign, ask yourself:

Did something feel “off”?
If you had to reread it, your subscribers probably won’t bother.

Was the message unclear?
Confusion kills conversions faster than poor design.

Did the tone change?
A shift in voice can break trust instantly.

Was the call-to-action buried?
If it takes effort to find, it won’t get clicks.

Did it feel… different?
That vague discomfort matters more than you think.

Trust that instinct.
If it grated on you, it likely grated on others, too.

The Smart Move: Test Their Mistakes (Safely)

Here’s where most marketers stop.
They notice a mistake… and move on.

You shouldn’t.

Instead, turn it into a controlled experiment.

Take the element you suspect failed:

• A new layout
• A different tone
• A bold headline style

Then A/B test it on a small segment of your email marketing list.

Why?

Because context matters.
What failed for them might work for you.

But you’ll only know if you test — not guess.

The Analogy: Don’t Just Follow the Map — Study the Wrong Turns

Following successful campaigns is like using a map.
Helpful. Efficient. Safe.

Studying failed campaigns?
That’s learning where the cliffs are.

And in email marketing, avoiding a fall is often more profitable than chasing a shortcut.

The Payoff: Faster Learning, Lower Risk

When you combine:

• Competitor successes
• Competitor failures
• Your own testing

You create something powerful: Insight without the cost of failure.

That’s how you improve ROI without burning through your list.

The Bottom Line

Your competitors are constantly running experiments for you.
Some succeed.
Some fail.

Don’t just copy the wins.
Study the losses.

Because in email marketing, knowing what not to do is often the fastest way to outperform everyone else.