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You ever read the Bible?
I do — and one my favorite parts is the Book of Revelation.
Not just because I’m endlessly fascinated with Bible prophecy…
… but because of the extremely cool images and themes running through it.
Take, for example, the “4 horsemen of the Apocalypse”:
Strife, War, Famine and Death.
Each horseman is named after the “condition” they bring to the earth in the end times.
And when I was reading about this the other day, I started thinking about the 9 email writers that have impacted me most — or, as I now call them…
“The 9 Horsemen Of The Email Copywriting Apocalypse.”
The dudes changing email marketing as we know it.
Anyway, here they are, along with their “apocalyptic” names:
Horseman #1: “Persuasion”
The rider of this charger is “Shameless” Shamus Brown.
Shamus is a “full contact” salesman — the kind that goes into the field persuading people to buy wildly expensive products face-to-face.
And his emails are packed with solid information that make you hungry for more.
In fact, I consider them “must reading” each day.
You can check out his blog (which are his daily emails) at:
Horseman #2: “Attitude”
The rider of this mighty steed is Matt Furey.
Matt Furey is (in my humble opinion) the king of writing with attitude.
There’s no “lukewarm” reaction to Matt Furey.
And like him, love him or hate him — his attitude is addictive.
You can read his blog (which contains many of his daily emails) at:
Horseman #3: “Trust”
My pal Jay White controls this powerful stallion.
Jay writes email copy for most of the biggest names on the Internet, and his emails just ooze trust and believability.
I believe Jay truly understands email copywriting at its deepest level.
In fact, I was literally taking notes when I interviewed him for my Affiliate Trump Card product.
You can grab this interview (for a “whopping” $10 — at least, for now) at:
Horseman #4: “Ethics”
7-figure copywriter & Internet marketing pioneer Ken McCarthy rides this horse.
Ironically, Ken doesn’t send out a whole lot of emails.
But when he does… watch out!
Not only are they packed with useful and profitable information — but his sales style is extremely subtle and effective.
He spends a lot of time on ethical email marketing in Appendix 3 of my Copywriting Grab Bag book.
And his insights are some of the most profitable I’ve ever heard.
You can jump on Ken’s email list at:
Horseman #5: “Guts”
The dude controlling this “thoroughbred” is Mike Dillard.
I am just blown away by Mike’s emails.
Not only because of the fascinating content… but because his “posture” level is through the roof.
He’s one of the few marketers I know with the “cajones” to insist people get off his list if they don’t like what he says.
Anyway, you can see what he’s up to at:
Horseman # 6: “Drama”
The master of this “war horse” goes to Captain Chris Pizzo.
Captain Chris is the world leader in self defense education, and his emails are friggin’ awesome.
Apparently, even the staff working at Infusion (his auto-responder company) talk about how cool his emails are compared to most others (and they handle a LOT of accounts for big marketers.)
Lots of cool stories and powerful images — just excellent, excellent stuff
You can get on his list at:
Horseman #7: “Polarize”
The rider of this horse is media buying “cowboy” James Whelan.
To paraphrase the late (great) copywriter Gary Halbert:
The best marketers focus on selling the “foxes”, and don’t waste time on the “dogs.”
As a result, they polarize their names, brands and products to turn the wrong customers “off” as hard as they turn the right customers “on.”
And James Whelan does this masterfully each and every day.
You can join his list at:
Horseman #8: “Tease”
Natural Health doctor Joseph Mercola has tamed this bucking bronco.
Seems almost every night I’m stopped dead in my tracks by a new email from the good doctor.
I don’t know what he’s doing in these emails, but there is always at least one (often more) headline that forces me to open my browser back up and see what he’s up to.
There’s a reason why Dr. Mercola has some 1 million + email subscribers.
And when you get on his list, you’ll see why:
Horseman #9: “Passion”
My friend John Angel rides this powerful horse.
Every time we call each other up for a short chat, we end up yacking away about copywriting, marketing (and, yes, email writing)… for an hour or more.
He’s one of the most passionate copywriters I ever met — and his email game is second to none.
Which is probably why Perry Marshall asked him to help teach at his $6,000 + auto-responder seminar a few months ago.
And it’s also why I’ll soon be interviewing John on email copywriting — specifically how to make a comfy living writing emails for clients just a few hours per week.
You can check his emails out at:
Anyway, there you have it.
The 9 horsemen of the email copywriting apocalypse.
I HIGHLY suggest joining their lists and studying their emails.
It’ll be one of the most valuable email lessons you’ll ever get.
Ben
P.S. Oh! Wait! One other extremely cool email copywriting resource is:
This site has a nifty little “round up” of the best emails and subject lines on the ‘net.
Highly recommended.
{ 14 comments… read them below or add one }
Great post, Ben. You’re right… Ken owns “ethics.” I love his work. Thanks for the additional suggestions.
On a side note, the “4 Horsemen of the Apocalypse” were let loose a long time ago. They finished their work in 265 A.D., which may come as a relief to many believers.
If you’re interested, check out: http://snurl.com/71tcc
Ryan
Cool imagery Ben.
And a couple of new resources to check out - Thank you sir.
Thank you for the plug! Much appreciated. I was especially pleased to see Jay on the list; he is my mentor.
This is a great list. I now have a few new lists to sign up for.
Ryan: Thanks for the link dude — although I don’t agree with Dr. Jones on this. We can discuss (offline) sometime if you want.
Dean: Hey Dean, thank you for stopping in. Glad you enjoyed it and I hope you get a ton of value from these resources (I know I have!)
Anita: No problem, your site is cool and fun to read. Especially when you do the subject line round ups.
Appreciate the kudos, Ben. You’re not too shabby of a copywriter yourself, big guy.
On a side note, if you want to learn my method of successful email copywriting (the same method I use to write emails for Rich Schefren, Jeff Walker, Alex Mandossian, and a host of others), then keep your eyes peeled for not one, but TWO killer opportunities coming your way in the next few months.
Stay tuned…
Ben,
I kind of hate to say this…
…especially as this is an outstanding list of email copy resources…
…but those 4 Apocalyptic Equestrians were…
…BAD guys!
So to link them with a list of great resources creates some confusion in the mind of the reader, I suggest.
For example, when I started reading I was expecting an article about current or likely problems for copywriters.
Maybe a better “theme”…
…given your love of movies…
…would be “The Magnificent 7″ or (a bit more edgy) “The 47 Ronin”.
Perhaps it’s just me.
Anyway excellent post. This list is a great resource for any copywriter.
Kevin Francis
Hey Kevin,
I hear what you’re saying (and the thought did occur to me, too).
But 1.) To me, the Mag. 7 isn’t nearly as dramatic and cool sounding as the horsemen of the apocalypse. And 2.) I consider the above sort of like the horsemen — bringing hell on all the bad email copywriting that’s been going on lo these many years.
Maybe try to think of it like a “Star Wars” movie — enjoy the ride and try to ignore the “plot holes”
Ben
LOL! You’re right I’m being picky!
The “Horsemen” analogy is certainly dramatic and grabs attention.
Thanks again for the post!
Kevin Francis
Ben-
I replied to your email saying how great it was but then I had to come check it out at your blog. It is even better read again.
The information you provide is so valuable- I would have never found half of these guys on my own.
And the way you presented it was really original- just awesome, awesome stuff.
Thank you for stopping by and commenting Jen, I really appreciate it, and am very glad you enjoyed it.
Ben
Biblical references are money in the bank. The Bible isn’t the best selling book ever for nothing. I think Clayton Makepeace refers to this tactic as pounding the pulpit.
Here’s one more name I think is worthy of you and your fans taking a look at…
Scott Tucker
http://blog.MortgageMarketingGenius.com
He coaches mortgage brokers. I have zero interest in buying what he sells but he’s one of the few guys who can get me to open his emails even on my busiest day.
He was awarded marketer of the year by Dan Kennedy. He has taken Dan’s advice of turning yourself into a character and doing business on your terms seriously. Scott definitely has one of those polarizing personalities.
In an industry that’s had it’s ass handed to it, he does a great job of helping his market see opportunities where others see problems. Salesmanship at it’s finest.
Ben thank you for putting this list together. I’m especially looking forward to getting the Captain Chris emails.
Note Taking Nerd Numba 2
http://www.mynotetakingnerd.wordpress.com
Thank you “Note” — very cool resource, I’ve known about Scott for a few years now, extremely savvy marketer (and that’s putting it mildly!).
Ben
Thanks Ben, there are two new names here I haven’t heard about before.
You’re so right about James Whelan, I love his emails, he’s definitely a polarizing kind of guy. I must be one of his foxes — his messages resonate with me.
I’ve noted that trait recently with a few great marketers and speakers I’ve been exposed to — they’re great at attracting and repelling at the same time.
Hey Dean, what’s shakin’, dude?
I hear ya on that — I once heard Dan Kennedy (I think it was him) say something about how you can almost tell how successful someone is by how polarizing they are.
Ben