Poki Yoki — Launch Messaging Bank

Every message for the Phase 1 launch, by audience — ready to paste. On-voice (real Cristina), with subject-line options, follow-ups, channel variants, and the send calendar.

v1 · 2026-06-14 · from a 4-bot copy swarm grounded in the repo brand voice · tap "Copy" on any block

Fill these 4 before sending (they appear as yellow tokens in the copy): {{ARCADE_URL}} the live game link · {{STORE_URL}} pokiyoki.com · {{FIRST_NAME}} merge field · {{EXPIRES}} code-expiry date (recommend end of Sunday). Also: confirm the 3 codes exist in Shopify & can't be stacked, and don't put any code in a public post.

250 · Facebook VIP group

Warmest. Job: get them playing, naming their Poki, and sharing with one friend. They go first.

POKIVIP · 15% off

The angle: they backed Cristina's judgment before a product existed. The hook isn't "try our game" — it's "you're the reason this exists, so you're first." Pride + insider access beat any discount.

① Post hooks — pick an opener

"You backed us before we had a single cup in hand. So obviously, you're the first to meet the Poki."

"What did your kid name theirs? (You'll understand in about 90 seconds.)"

"This group is 250 people who said yes before anyone else did. So this isn't going public until you've played it first."

"We made a cup. Then a cup pet. Then we accidentally made a whole arcade. No download. Just go."

"Real talk: I built something for the kids this time. Or for us, to get 10 quiet minutes. Both are true."

② The Facebook post — A/B

Post A · warm / narrative

You're getting this before anyone else. That is not an accident. When we hit 571% on Kickstarter, I said to myself — these people didn't just buy a cup. They believed in something before it existed. So when we built something new, you're the first to see it. We just launched the Poki Yoki Arcade — a free browser game (no download, no signup, nothing to install) where your kid adopts a Poki, names it, earns stars, and plays a whole suite of games. It's silly. It's genuinely fun. My kids haven't put it down. Go play: {{ARCADE_URL}} When you get there: pick a cup, name your Poki, then come back and tell me what your kid named theirs. I want to know every single one. And because you're VIP — use POKIVIP for 15% off the real cup, good through {{EXPIRES}}. The Starter Kit is where most families land. You helped us build this. You deserve to be first. Go meet your Poki. — Cristina

Post B · punchy / mobile

I need to tell you something before the rest of the internet finds out. We built a game. Your kid adopts a Poki — picks its look, names it, plays a whole arcade of mini-games with it. Any browser, no download, no account. Completely free. You 250 are going first. Right now. Today. Go play: {{ARCADE_URL}} Come back and drop what your kid named their Poki in the comments. I genuinely need to know. Also: use POKIVIP this week for 15% off. You were here first — that deserves something real. What did they name it? GO. — C

③ Companion email — for VIPs not in the group

Subject: You're first. (A little thing we built — go play.)Preview: You backed us before there was a cup. Here's your thank-you.Hey {{FIRST_NAME}}, You backed Poki Yoki before we had a single cup in a warehouse. That meant more than I can say — and I've been thinking about how to thank you in a way that's actually worth something. So: we built a game. The Poki Yoki Arcade — free, browser-based, where your kid adopts a Poki cup, names it, earns stars, and plays a whole set of mini-games. No download. No account. You just go. Play it: {{ARCADE_URL}} Our VIP group is going first this week, before it goes public. You're in that group — so this is yours. And because you've been here from the beginning: POKIVIP gets you 15% off at {{STORE_URL}}, through {{EXPIRES}}. If you've been waiting to grab the Starter Kit, now's the time. Come back and tell me what your kid named their Poki. I'm collecting them all. — Cristina, Founder P.S. The cup never dies. Even if you forget about it for a week, it just comes home. We made sure of that.

④ Comment replies — first 2 hours, reply to everyone

They love it / kid's obsessed

This is EXACTLY what I needed to hear today. What did they name it?? I'm keeping a list — we're at a bunch already just in this group. So glad you played it. Tag a mom friend who needs 10 minutes of peace today. 💛

They hit a bug

Oh no — thank you for telling me, this is exactly why you go first. Which browser / device are you on? I'll get it to the team right now. You're doing us a real favor catching this. (And tell me the Poki's name while I dig in, so I have something good to focus on.)

They ask about the cup

So the game's free and the cup is real — and they're related: the Poki in the game is your actual cup, the one we've been building together since the Kickstarter. The Starter Kit's live at {{STORE_URL}} and your VIP code POKIVIP is 15% off this week. The cup does not require feeding. Although sometimes I wish it did.

⑤ Day-3 follow-up + share DM

Day-3 re-surface post

Three days in and I have to ask: who's climbing the leaderboard? Some of you have been in that arcade for DAYS and I want to know what's happening. Drop your Poki's name + the game you're playing most. Haven't played yet? {{ARCADE_URL}} — takes about 5 minutes to get a Poki named. POKIVIP still works through {{EXPIRES}} for 15% off. If the kids have been playing all week, they'll want the real thing soon anyway.

DM to your 10 most engaged members

Hey — you've been one of the most involved people in this group since day one, and I'd love a favor: would you send the game link ({{ARCADE_URL}}) to one mom friend who'd love it? No pressure — you just know this community better than most and I trust your taste. 💛

700 · Early customers

They already bought. Job: drive the next-round purchase (sibling cup, gift, accessories, new-color early access) — delighted by the game.

POKIAGAIN · 20% off

The frame isn't "buy again" — it's "you built this with us, here's first access to what's next." Urgency = scarcity (new colors won't last), never promo pressure. Point at in-stock SKUs (Starter / accessories / gift / the drop). Confirm live Family stock before sending — it was ~5–6 units as of May 2026; the copy below avoids asserting a Family number for that reason.

① Subject lines — + preview text

You funded us. Here's your thank-you.

A real one — from our family to yours.

571%. That was you.

We didn't forget it. Here's what we made with it — and a gift.

Got another kid at home? (We thought so.)

One system isn't always enough. Here's 20% off the second.

First dibs before the rest of the world gets this

New colors. Early access. One code. (Family's almost gone.)

We built your kid a free game

No download. No login. Just open it and play.

Your 20% off expires Sunday (just making sure)

POKIAGAIN still works. Use it or share it.

② Primary email — A/B

Email A · lead with gratitude

Subject: You funded us. Here's your thank-you.Preview: A real one — from our family to yours.Hi {{FIRST_NAME}}, I've been wanting to write this for a while. When we launched on Kickstarter, our goal was $5,500. You and 534 other people pushed us to 571% funded. But the thing that mattered most was simpler: real parents believed in the cup before it existed. So — thank you. Genuinely. We shipped. And we didn't stop there. We made your kids a free game. The Poki Yoki Arcade: your kid adopts a Poki cup pet, earns points, plays games — no download, no app, no login. We built it because a brand that only sells you something isn't doing enough. This is for them. Play it: {{ARCADE_URL}} And because you backed us first, you get first dibs on what's next. New colors and accessories are coming — before they're gone, use: POKIAGAIN — 20% off your next order. Good on the Starter, accessories, and replacement parts. Shop: {{STORE_URL}} A note: if you're adding a cup for another kid, the Starter is fully in stock and a great sibling cup — same system, fewer pieces. And if you know a parent still fighting the mold-in-the-valve battle — send them our way. POKIAGAIN works as a gift too. From our family to yours, Cristina P.S. The Arcade has a secret. I'll say no more.

Email B · lead with the game

Subject: We built your kid a free gamePreview: No download. No login. Just open it and play.Hi {{FIRST_NAME}}, Something a little different from a cup company. We built your kids a free browser Arcade. The main character is a Poki cup pet your kid names and takes care of. Games, points, a leaderboard, a few surprises. No app, no download, no account — open a tab and it just works. Open it: {{ARCADE_URL}} Why a game? Because we keep thinking about what it means to make something that lasts. Our cup has a lifetime warranty because "buy it once" is the right idea. The game is that thinking, applied differently — give kids something to come back to. Now, a note for you specifically — you were one of our first backers, and we don't take that lightly. New colors and accessories are coming, and you get first access before the general list. And if you've got a second kid or a family to gift — this is the moment. POKIAGAIN — 20% off your next order, right now: {{STORE_URL}} Starter ships fast and is fully in stock. From our house to yours, Cristina P.S. 571% funded, 535 backers. You were there. Thank you.

③ Reminder — non-openers

Reminder email

Subject: Your 20% off expires Sunday (just making sure)Preview: POKIAGAIN still works. Use it or share it.Hi {{FIRST_NAME}}, Short one. Your early-backer code — POKIAGAIN — is 20% off your next order, and it expires {{EXPIRES}}. Second cup for another kid, a gift for a friend, or accessories before the new-color drop — this is the moment. Shop: {{STORE_URL}} If the timing's not right, pass the code to another parent. Works on Starter, accessories, and parts. Starter's fully in stock. And in case you missed it: we launched a free Arcade for kids — your kid just plays, no download. {{ARCADE_URL}} — Cristina

④ Swap-in reason blocks + SMS + objections

Block: sibling / second cup

Got another kid? Or one coming up on cup age? One system works for one kid at a time — if you've got two in the house, that's exactly why there's a second cup. Same magnetic click, same dishwasher-safe everything, same lifetime warranty. The second one's easier to justify than the first — you already know it works. POKIAGAIN takes 20% off.

Block: gift-ready

Think about the last baby shower you went to. Did you give something that'll be in the trash in four months? Give a Poki Yoki Starter instead — reconfigures as they grow, never molds, lifetime warranty. Parents who get it as a gift almost always come back for their older kid too. POKIAGAIN works on gift orders, and it's gift-ready out of the box.

SMS (opted-in only, <160)

Cristina @ Poki Yoki: we made your kids a free Arcade — play at {{ARCADE_URL}}. Then POKIAGAIN = 20% off your next cup. Ends {{EXPIRES}}.

Objection one-liners

"I already have one." → One system works for one kid at a time — if you've got two in the house, that's exactly why there's a second. "Is a second worth it?" → You already know it doesn't leak, mold, or break. The question's just which kid you're getting one for next. "I'll wait for new colors." → New colors go to backers first, and we can't promise inventory once it's wide. POKIAGAIN works now.

7,000 · Cold email list

Dormant subscribers. Job: wake them up. The free game is the pattern-interrupt; a soft cup offer follows. A win-back, not a hard sell.

POKIHELLO · 15% off

The angle: reciprocity without obligation — we give you something free (a game, no strings) before asking, so "15% off" lands as a gift. Send from "Cristina at Poki Yoki" (a human name), not "the team." Protect deliverability (see the 2-wave plan).

① Subject lines — ★ = test first

★ we made a game (yes, really)

No pitch, just something your kid will steal your phone for.

★ this is not a sales email

Well, a tiny bit at the end. But mostly: we made you something.

still here? we've been busy

A free game, a cup that lasts forever, and a welcome-back code.

is it weird that we miss you?

It's been a while. Here's what we've been building.

your kid can adopt a Poki Pet now

Free. Browser. No app. No signup. Just play.

should we break up?

If this isn't your thing, say the word. But first — free game. (cold segment only)

remember us? we remember you.

You signed up a while ago. Here's where we landed.

② Primary email — A/B

Email A · game-led / playful

Subject: we made a game (yes, really)Preview: No pitch, just something your kid will absolutely steal your phone for.Hi {{FIRST_NAME}}, Okay, I'll be honest — this is a weird email for a cup company to send. We made a game. Not an ad. An actual free browser game where kids adopt a Poki cup pet, take care of it, and play mini-games to earn points. Zero download. Zero signup. You're playing in ten seconds. My kids have been testing it for weeks. I've lost three separate bedtime battles trying to get them off it. Go play: {{ARCADE_URL}} Now, the tiny bit I mentioned. You signed up a while ago, which means you already knew we were onto something. In case you want a refresher: we make the last kids' cup you'll ever buy. A magnetic, modular cup system that actually works — spill-proof, mistake-proof to assemble, every part dishwasher-safe. One system that grows with your kid, the whole way through. Lifetime warranty. If you've been meaning to try one: POKIHELLO — 15% off your first order. No pressure. Start with the Discovery Cup ($29) or the Starter ($45). Either way, the magnets click and your cup drawer thanks you. Shop: {{STORE_URL}} And if the game's all you take from this email, that's completely fine too. Thanks for still being here. — Cristina (the mom who started all of this) P.S. If this isn't for you anymore, the unsubscribe link works. No hard feelings. Truly.

Email B · warm win-back

Subject: is it weird that we miss you?Preview: It's been a while. Here's what we've been building.Hi {{FIRST_NAME}}, You signed up for Poki Yoki a while back — which means at some point you thought this might be the answer to the cup drawer situation. (You know the one. The drawer full of mismatched cups that never quite worked, where something falls out every time.) Not a sales email, just a real update from the mom who started this company. Since then: we shipped our Kickstarter — 535 families, 571% funded, a "Project We Love" badge. We launched DTC. And then, because one project apparently wasn't enough, we built a free game — the Poki Yoki Arcade. Kids adopt a Poki cup pet and play. No download, no account. Play it (free): {{ARCADE_URL}} If you want to try the cup that started all this, I'd love to make it easy: POKIHELLO — 15% off your first order. The Starter ($45) is where most parents start — one system from six months to five-plus years. See it: {{STORE_URL}} If your kids have outgrown this stage, no worries — unsubscribe below and I'll take it from there. But if you're still in the thick of it, we're here. — Cristina P.S. I know you get a lot of emails. If this one isn't relevant, unsubscribe — clean inboxes are a gift. But if you've got a toddler who throws cups — stick around.

③ The 2-wave deliverability plan — protect the domain

Wave 1 (Day 1) — warm segment: opened/clicked in the last 180 days (~1,500–2,500). Send Tue/Wed 9–11am. Use ★ subjects. Target ≥25% opens before touching the rest. Below 15% → pause and diagnose.
Wave 2 (Day 4–5) — cold segment (only if Wave 1 is healthy): no activity 180+ days (~4,500–5,500). First, run list hygiene (ZeroBounce/NeverBounce) to drop bounces & spam traps. Add a one-line re-permission note up top ("things got quiet — unsubscribe works, but if you want to see what we built, read on"). Use "still here?" / "should we break up?".
Truly dead (12+ mo): suppress, or send only a 1-sentence re-permission ("Is this still useful? Yes / No") before any product email.
2 things that get a cold list flagged: image-heavy / little-text emails (keep it text-heavy, 1 image max); and teaser subjects the body can't pay off (Gmail flags subject-body mismatch).

④ Follow-ups

Opened, didn't click (+3 days)

Subject: forgot to mention —Preview: the code works, the game's still free, the cup-drawer chaos is still real.Hi {{FIRST_NAME}}, You opened my last email but didn't tap through — which probably means a small person or a snack emergency happened. I get it. Two quick things: the Poki Arcade is still there, still free, no download — {{ARCADE_URL}}. And your code still works: POKIHELLO, 15% off. Discovery Cup is $29 ($24.65 with the code), ships fast, lifetime warranty — the kind of thing you order during nap time and forget about until it shows up. Shop: {{STORE_URL}} That's it. Not a long email. — Cristina P.S. If the timing's just not right — no problem, unsubscribe's below.

Last call (+5–7 days)

Subject: last thing, I promisePreview: One offer. One game. Then we'll leave you alone.Hi {{FIRST_NAME}}, I'll keep this short — you've seen a couple emails from me and that's enough. If none of it landed, I understand. Inboxes are a lot. Unsubscribe's at the bottom. But if you've been on the fence: the cup is real, the game is free, the code is POKIHELLO for 15% off, and the drawer chaos is optional. Come see: {{STORE_URL}} After this, I'll quiet down unless you want to hear from us. — Cristina

Voice, channels & the send calendar

Keep every message on-brand and time them right. Pulled from the repo brand voice.

① The voice, in 8 rules

1 · A friend who happens to have an engineer in the family — not a brand.First-person ("I built this"), never "Poki Yoki is proud to announce."

2 · Short declarative sentences. Trust the product."One valve breaks, the whole cup goes in the trash." No stacked clauses.

3 · Lead with the parent's pain, then the product, then proof, then CTA.

4 · "Finally" is the signature word — once per message, at the moment of relief.

5 · No mommy-blog warmth, no VC energy.No "mama, you got this!!" No "disrupting drinkware."

6 · Practical, not aspirational.Dishwasher cycles, diaper bags, highchair throws — not Instagram-perfect.

7 · Proof is earned with specifics."571% funded. 535 backers." Not "parents love it."

8 · The game earns its place by solving a parent problem— "something to hand them while you finish the dishes," not "your kids will love it."

② The hard rule — never market AT the kid

Never write this	Write this instead
"Your kids will be OBSESSED."	"You'll finally stop fishing mismatched lids out of the cabinet at 7am."
"So fun for little ones!"	"Something for them to do while you actually finish the dishes."
"Your toddler will love snapping it together."	"The wrong pieces won't connect — so they can't put it together wrong."
"Kids go crazy for the magnetic click!"	"The click is satisfying. The part where it never leaks is better."
"Give your child the gift of…"	"Buy it once. Warranty it forever. Adjust the pieces as they grow."

③ 5 phrases that land

"We see your cup drawer chaos."
"One valve gets moldy and the whole cup goes in the trash. We got sick of that."
"Finally, a cup that works the way you think it should."
"Every component is top-rack dishwasher safe. Not 'hand-wash the valve only.' Everything."
"Buy it once. Adjust the parts as they grow. Cover it forever."

④ Instagram Story — 3 frames

Frame	Visual + copy
1 · setup (3s)	Cup-drawer chaos. White text only: "Sound familiar?" No logo yet — earn the attention first.
2 · reveal (5s)	The Arcade on a phone, cup in the background. "We built a free game for your kids." / "So you could finish the dishes." Small wordmark.
3 · CTA	Clean product shot. "Play free — link below." + "POKIVIP — 15% off" (VIP only). Link sticker → {{ARCADE_URL}}

⑤ The coordinated send calendar

Day	Audience	Send	Why
Mon	250 VIP	Email + (SMS if opted-in) · POKIVIP	Warmest, best day. They validate & seed the board first.
Tue	700 buyers	Email · POKIAGAIN	One day later = separate reputation event; the board's now live.
Wed	VIP non-openers	Email resend (new subject)	48h resend is the sweet spot.
Thu	7,000 email (Wave 1)	Email · POKIHELLO	Warm segment only; isolated from the warm lists' reputation.
Fri	Buyer non-openers	Resend · emphasize expiry	Close the loop before the weekend.
Sat	250 VIP	Instagram Story (3 frames)	Weekend screen time; reaches email non-openers.
Sun	Email Wave 2 (cold)	Only if Wave 1 bounce <3% + list cleaned	Otherwise skip & hygiene first.

All 3 codes expire end of Sunday ({{EXPIRES}}). Put the date in the body once, never in the subject. Don't send buyers + cold the same day.

⑥ The 5 ways it goes wrong — and the fix

1 · Reads like a press release.

"We are excited to announce…" loses the one thing a founder email has.

Fix: one sentence only Cristina could write — specific, personal, unexpected.

2 · Game framed for kids, not parents.

"Your kids will love it!" is marketing-through-the-child. She sees it instantly.

Fix: frame the parent's benefit — "five minutes back," not "your toddler will be obsessed."

3 · Cold email opens transactional.

Leading with the offer = spam signal + solicitation read.

Fix: open with the pain, not the pitch. No offer until paragraph three.

4 · Code confusion across audiences.

A forwarded VIP code posted publicly kills exclusivity; mismatched codes annoy.

Fix: one code per audience, footer explainer, non-stackable in Shopify, never shown publicly.

5 · Two CTAs (game + cup) = zero conversion.

"Play OR shop!" splits the click.

Fix: one primary CTA per email. Warm lists → shop (game warms up). Cold → game (lower commitment).

Poki Yoki · Launch Messaging Bank · companion to the Phase 1 Launch Plan · on-voice, copy-paste ready · fill the 4 tokens, confirm the codes, send warmest-first.