Earlier today I got this email asking where the beef is:
“Hi Ben. I joined your newsletter and ever since all you are doing is marketing your print newsletter. you’re not entertaining or teaching or anything. What gives?”
Is this free content cop right?
Am I just pitching and teasing?
With nothing to sink your mighty fangs into?
Let’s find out what “gives” and get to the bottom of this mystery. It could be Yours Salesy needs to change up his game to appease the other non-buyers. Below are the 10 email subject lines that have gone out since 4/20 (when the free content cop joined my list), along with what those respective emails taught:
1. “Sociopath proof 2.0” — the dangers of basing your buying decisions on social proof
2. “There is no justice, only power” — why you should embrace your negative, down-and-dirty motivations to better achieve your goals
3. “elBenbo’s nihilistic goal lecture” — a link to last weekend’s podcast about how to “flip” being discontent into achieving whatever goals your greedy little heart desires
4. “Why I’ve been ignoring your emails” — gave reasons on why people on your list might be ignoring your emails, so you can make sure you aren’t doing those things and make more sales
5. “Brick & mortar business owner wipes the floor with his competition” — a testimonial email, and pure pitch
6. “A secret (but ethical) way to profit from gut-wrenching loneliness” — talked about why loneliness is so dangerous, and educates the reader about the existence of a way to write emails most people have never thought of before
7. “Drop shipper cleans up using Twitter and Email Players” — a testimonial email, pure pitch
8. “The king of content drinks wine from his mighty goblet” — educates the reader about why the “usual suspects” of content (value, benefits, infotainment, etc) are not the most important attributes of persuasive content, and let’s the reader know there is something better they should be aware of
9. “Yet more proof why stingy emailers have skinny kids” — testimonial, pure pitch
10. “Stan Lee’s secret to building an audience so loyal they’ll help you bury a body” — teaches the reader why they should study the life of the great Stan Lee, which is not only a powerful tip, but easy for anyone whose Google isn’t broken to do on their own
Seems to me the free content cop simply hasn’t been paying attention:
Ten emails, only 3 of which are pure pitch.
The rest have tips, lessons, and profitable (or, at least, useful) ideas embedded. But, admittedly, in order to benefit from them, one has to (1) not be a lazy thinker and (2) have a bit of motivation in them to dig deep enough to mine the value.
Such are the reasons why I don’t cater to the free content cops.
(They make terrible customers for me, your milage may vary.)
But, I will say this:
Just like mindless trolls do, the free content cops serve a Valuable function in my business as unpaid marketing “interns” giving me content.
Like for this email, for instance.
Now, onwards and upwards to the important part:
The righteous sales pitch.
The May “Email Players” issue is going to the printer Monday. It shows (amongst other things) how to not only not worry when your competition gives everything away free (prompting them to ask you, “hey! why should I buy your product, when I can get the same info free on Youtube?”), but actually profit from it.
This is rampant in certain markets.
i.e. markets that sell to vegans, fitness, dating, cooking, health, golf, etc.
Anyway, after the Monday deadline, it will be too late to get the May issue since I don’t sell back issues anymore each month like I used to. (The April issue which, ironically, you can no longer get, explained why).
To subscribe in time to get it, hustle on over to this link:
Ben Settle
P.S. I have a pure sales pitch email promoting the May issue going out in about 6 hours that is sure to give other free content cops heartburn.
At least, I hope so…
