Recommendations@Email Newsletter: Your friend with great taste in movies
Curating fast & curious
The world of entertainment has transformed dramatically. With the proliferation of OTT platforms, the sheer volume of new releases is staggering. Yet, these platforms often spotlight their latest or most
popular titles, hanging you out to dry, and “find your pick” elsewhere.
A Sunday chat about "interest-specific" emails spurred rapid action. In just three days, the idea became reality: the content team nailed the voice, designers crafted a sleek layout, and themes were set. The website
domain was secured by Wednesday, and the team raced to launch—we made it just in time.
The newsletter employs human curation to deliver one movie per day based on a theme. Mondays are for extreme fuzzy joy, Tuesdays for niche indie discoveries… Saturdays for lazy gazing at things amazing.
There's something for everyone, from genre enthusiasts to those seeking
a specific VIBE or MOOD. Horror fans can rest assured they haven't been left out.
Each recommendation is backed by firsthand viewing from a team of curators. Followed by some delightful trivia, links to a trailer, and
happening discussions on Openvy. Further, you can tap open the recommended movie as an Update profile and save the Update for later.
Design Philosophy
Designing for email is deceptively simple. Our minimalist approach to
the newsletter prioritizes content over clutter. The team introduced
small, beautiful yet impactful elements, such as a crooked envelope
graphic at the end of each email. As for the colors chosen, we had to make sure the website design stayed on brand with Openvy. Recommendations@Email is an extended arm division of our pop-
culture tracking platform.
Guess the Movie!
Movies are meant to be enjoyed, shared, and celebrated.
The latest introduction of a Hangman-style guessing game for recommended movies has been a welcome addition. A playful challenge that lets you test your cinematic knowledge while keeping the focus on
the joy of movies. Many of our users have sung praises and further launched a loop on Openvy to track their scores daily.
We're building a community of cinephiles who can discover films they might have overlooked. It's our way of turning passive recommendations into an active and immersive experience, giving cinema enjoyers a reason
to look forward every single day.
Challenges and
learnings
It started with a casual Sunday evening discussion around the concept of "interest-specific" emails. By Monday, the content team began shaping the newsletter's voice, while the design team crafted a visually engaging
email layout. Simplicity became both a limitation and a strength.
Each day was assigned a unique theme to cater to different tastes. On Wednesday, the domain was secured, and the clock started ticking: the team had to launch by the following Monday or wait another week.
Fortunately, we made it in time.
Within 24 hours post-launch, Recommendations@Email had already garnered 100+ subscribers.
On to the next thing…
Readers often share personal stories about how a certain
recommendation evoked memories or inspired them. Some even send curated lists of their favorite films for future consideration.
Furthermore, managing subscriptions and addressing feedback has been extremely crucial to the process. The team actively learns from unsubscriber emails to refine the service.
The journey so far, if we say so ourselves, is an example of what a passionate, driven team can achieve within tight constraints. As the newsletter continues to grow, Recommendations@Email commits to rethinking how humans discover and connect over shared experiences.
