I’m a huge fan of Dan Mall.

He’s one of the most respected names in design. His courses and content have helped tens of thousands of creatives level up in their careers. He’s built a reputation and an audience that trusts him—and for good reason.

So when I subscribed to his newsletter, I was curious.

What does a creator at his level do with email?

What I found is what I see with a lot of big creators:

• A clean opt-in form that promises valuable weekly insights

• A default double opt-in confirmation page (straight out of Kit’s settings)

• A standard “thanks for subscribing” email

• And then… silence.

No welcome sequence.

No personalized onboarding.

No segmentation.

And here’s the thing: for someone like Dan, this still works.

When you have his level of trust and influence, your audience will open your emails no matter what.

But what if he took it a step further?

What if every subscriber felt like Dan wrote that email just for them—automatically?

What if:

• New subscribers were greeted with a personal video

• They could instantly tell Dan who they are and what they need

• The newsletter dynamically adapted to their stage as a designer

• His offers—like Pricing Design, Design Systems 101, or Design System University—were pitched at exactly the right time for the right person

• Sponsors could see measurable ROI on every placement, dynamically injected into relevant segments

With just a few smart tweaks, Dan’s newsletter could quietly unlock even more trust, more revenue, and give his sponsors an even better experience.

What I Would Build for Dan Mall

I call it a Creator Engine—a smart, personalized email system that lives inside Kit. Here’s how it would look for Dan:

• Immediate, personalized onboarding:

  
  

  • After opting in, subscribers would land on a custom thank-you page with a short welcome video from Dan

  • A quick, one-click survey would segment them by where they’re at in their design journey—solo designer, studio owner, in-house lead, design ops, or emerging designer

  
  

• Mapped segments → mapped offers:

  
  

  • Solo designers get pitched Pricing Design, then Design Systems 101, then 1:1 coaching

  • Studio owners get Design That Scales, DSU, and consulting

  • In-house leads see Design System University, the 90-Day cohort, or coaching

  
  

• Dynamic, evergreen newsletter:

  
  

  • Every Friday email feels personal but is dynamically filled with relevant content, offers, and testimonials based on the reader’s profile

  • 60% of the time, the subscriber sees their next best offer

  • 20% of the time, a piece of curated content

  • 20% of the time, an engagement block that asks for feedback or data

  
  

• Smart pitch loops:

  
  

  • Every 90 days, the system pulls them out of the newsletter for a tailored pitch sequence, then puts them right back into evergreen content if they don’t buy

  • If they do buy, they’re onboarded automatically, tagged correctly, and shown the next offer

  
  

• Dynamic sponsor blocks:

  
  

  • Sponsors would see better performance because the right people would see the right sponsored content inside the newsletter

  • More targeted impressions = happier sponsors = higher ROI

The best part?

Dan wouldn’t need to write more emails or manage any of this manually.

He’d just keep creating great content, and the Creator Engine would quietly do the heavy lifting in the background.

Why This Matters

Dan’s current setup already works—because he’s Dan Mall. He has trust, authority, and a loyal audience.

But even for creators at the top, there’s still another level.

With smarter segmentation, personalization, and automation, you:

• Build even deeper trust with your audience

• Unlock hidden revenue you’re already sitting on

• Make your sponsors love you even more

• And save yourself time while making your list feel even more human

And if you’re a creator making a living from your content, courses, or community? Your email list is hands down your biggest untapped asset.

Want to see how a Creator Engine like this could look for your audience?

Check out the free training → https://creatorengines.com/training

Or book an intro call for a no-pressure discussion about building this for your creator business.