Retention, Personalization, and the Power of Emotions - a conversation with Tom Burrell

In this episode of The Hello $Firstname Personalization Podcast, Rasmus Houlind sits down with Tom Burrell, founder of Retention Coach, to explore how businesses can turn retention strategies into a powerful growth engine. Drawing on a career spanning roles at Manchester United, DAZN, and TalkTalk, Tom shares actionable insights into why retention is often undervalued—and how personalization can change the game.

💡 What you’ll learn in this episode:

• How personalized onboarding journeys can boost retention by 10% or more
• Why the "content crisis" in retention is holding businesses back—and how to overcome it
• The role of GenAI in creating emotionally engaging, hyper-personalized customer experiences

💬 "Retention isn’t just about keeping customers; it’s about connecting with them emotionally, understanding their motivations, and inspiring loyalty," Tom explains.

Whether you’re in subscriptions, e-commerce, or CRM, this episode is packed with insights to help you rethink retention strategies for 2025 and beyond.

Based on Rasmus Houlind's book ’Hello $FirstName - Profiting from Personalization’ and in turn the Content Crisis Manifesto.

The Content Crisis Manifesto can be downloaded here.

The full book is available in print and kindle and can be bought here (or your local amazon in case it doesn't work...)

An written abstract of the book can be downloaded here.

The full audiobook can be downloaded here (courtesy of Agillic).

All models and illustrations from the book can be downloaded here.

Book me for a presentation, meeting or talk here!