Average Joe's beat the pros

Hey it’s Geb from The Fanbased Formula Newsletter.

I rewatched Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story last night. You know, the Vince Vaughn and Ben Stiller classic from 2004.

What kept me watching wasn't the dodgeball matches. It was watching a bunch of lovable misfits at Average Joe's Gym bond together against White Goodman's corporate machine at Globo Gym.

The movie works because you genuinely care about Peter LaFleur and his ragtag crew before they even throw their first ball. You're invested in their survival. Their quirks become endearing, not annoying.

Then I looked at this Honcho Pickleball welcome email and realised they're missing exactly what made Dodgeball so compelling.

Here's what Dodgeball does right that this welcome email gets wrong, and how to fix it.

Most brands send welcome emails that feel like digital confetti. Subject line. Excited greeting. List of promises. Social links. "See you around!"

Meanwhile, Dodgeball kept audiences hooked for 92 minutes with characters they'd never met before.

What's the difference? Identity before action.

Dodgeball doesn't open with the tournament. It opens with Peter LaFleur's laid-back philosophy and his gym full of misfits who feel like family. You understand who these people are and why they matter before anything happens.

The problem with most welcome emails: they tell you what's coming without making you care about who's sending it.

Here's what we're covering:

THE MOVIE: What Dodgeball does to create instant connection

THE EMAIL: What Honcho Pickleball sent and what's missing

THE LESSON: How to apply underdog storytelling to welcome emails

THE FIX: Specific changes you can make this week

Dodgeball works because it makes you root for Average Joe's before they win a single match.

The film introduces Peter LaFleur as this lackadaisical guy who doesn't charge his members properly and runs a gym held together with duct tape and good vibes. His members are weird. One thinks he's a pirate. Another is painfully awkward. None of them are athletic.

But here's the magic: the movie shows you WHY this place matters. It's a home for misfits. A place where people who don't fit anywhere else can belong.

By the time White Goodman threatens to demolish it for a parking lot, you're furious. Not because you love dodgeball. Because you love these people and what they've built together.

That's the storytelling technique: establish identity and stakes before asking for investment.

The famous Patches O'Houlihan line captures it perfectly. "If you can dodge a wrench, you can dodge a ball." It's absurd, it's memorable, and it tells you exactly what kind of movie this is.

Brand: Honcho Pickleball
Email Type: Welcome Email
Subject Line: "Welcome to the #HonchoFam! 🎉🏓"

What The Email Says:

Opens with "HEY FUTURE PICKLEBALL LEGEND" and welcomes them to the #HonchoFam. Tells them to "Lead the Rally and Own the Court."

Then lists what's coming:

Asks them to follow on social media. Signs off with "Let's make some noise. See you on the court!" and a P.S. about keeping their paddle ready.

Overall Vibe: Enthusiastic but generic. Feels like a template any sports brand could use.

This email does what most welcome emails do: it promises value without creating connection.

What Dodgeball Does:

What This Email Does:

The email tells me I'm joining the #HonchoFam, but it doesn't show me who the family is. It doesn't tell me why Honcho exists, what they believe, or what makes their community different from every other pickleball brand.

Dodgeball makes you love Average Joe's in the first 10 minutes. This email makes you... aware that Honcho Pickleball exists.

Technique #1: Lead With Identity, Not Features

What Dodgeball Does: Opens with Peter's philosophy and the gym's misfit culture before any dodgeball happens.

How to Apply It: Start the welcome email with WHO Honcho is and WHY they started. What's their origin story? What problem were they solving? What do they believe about pickleball that other brands don't?

Technique #2: Make the Reader the Underdog

What Dodgeball Does: The audience sees themselves in the Average Joe's crew. These aren't athletes. They're regular people fighting for something they love.

How to Apply It: Position the new subscriber as someone with untapped potential. Not "Future Pickleball Legend" (which feels empty). More like "You don't need to be a pro to play like you mean it."

Technique #3: Give Them a Villain

What Dodgeball Does: White Goodman and Globo Gym represent everything corporate and soulless about fitness.

How to Apply It: What's Honcho fighting against? Boring rec leagues? Overpriced equipment? Pickleball snobbery? Give subscribers something to rally against alongside you.

Original Subject Line: "Welcome to the #HonchoFam! 🎉🏓"

Improved Subject Line: "Why we started Honcho (it wasn't about pickleball)"

Why it's better: Creates curiosity. Hints at a story instead of generic celebration.

Original Opening: "HEY FUTURE PICKLEBALL LEGEND, Welcome to the #HonchoFam, we're stoked to have you!"

Improved Opening:

"You're in. Welcome to the Honcho crew.

Before we tell you what's coming, here's why we started this thing in the first place.

We were tired of showing up to courts and feeling like outsiders. The gear was expensive. The leagues were cliquey. And somewhere along the way, pickleball forgot it was supposed to be fun.

So we built something different. A community where showing up matters more than your skill rating. Where the vibe is everything.

That's what you just joined."

Why it's better: Welcomes first, then earns the right to tell the origin story. Still establishes identity and creates an enemy, but doesn't skip the basic courtesy of acknowledging they just signed up.

Original CTA: Lists of what's coming + "Follow us on social media"

Improved CTA:

"Your first mission: Reply to this email and tell us your pickleball story. How'd you get into the game? We read every single one.

See you on the court, The Honcho Crew

P.S. We're building this thing together. Your voice matters here."

Why it's better: Creates a two-way relationship. Makes them feel like part of the underdog crew, not just a subscriber number.

Quick Win (This Week):

Take your welcome email and ask: "Does this tell people WHO we are, or just WHAT we sell?"

Current Approach (What Most Brands Do): Welcome + feature list + social links + generic excitement

Improved Approach (Using Dodgeball's Technique): Origin story + shared enemy + community identity + invitation to participate

Implementation Checklist:

□ Does your welcome email have an origin story or belief statement?

□ Have you identified what your brand is fighting against?

□ Does the reader see themselves as part of something, not just a customer?

□ Is there a clear personality that only YOUR brand could have?

□ Did you invite them into conversation, not just consumption?

This week: Add a "reply to this email" CTA in your welcome flow.

Set up a simple automation: when someone replies, tag them as "Engaged Subscriber" and move them to a VIP segment. These people are 3-4x more likely to convert because they've already invested effort into the relationship.

It takes 5 minutes to set up and creates a list of your most engaged prospects.

Where to Find It: Available on most streaming platforms (Netflix, Prime, etc.)

What to Watch For: The first 15 minutes. Notice how the film makes you care about Average Joe's Gym before any dodgeball happens.

Notice:

Then Ask Yourself: "How could I make my brand's imperfections feel like strengths?"

What should I analyse next? Reply with a movie and an email.

Got a welcome email that needs the underdog treatment? Send it over.

"If you can dodge a wrench, you can dodge a boring welcome email,"

Geb Vence

See you next Sunday 12AM PHT.

Email Rev Lab

Want help turning your welcome emails into underdog stories?

I run Email Rev Lab, an email marketing agency for supplement brands. I help brands create emails that feel like conversations, not ads.

We've generated over $334k+ not by generic product pushes and discount blasts, but by building email systems that engage customers through storytelling.

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P.S. I work with 3 supplement brands per month. This lets me focus on creating emails that actually engage your customers instead of just filling their inbox.