When Producer Jonathan and Yours Grinchy do another round of podcast recordings this week, I’d like to do a Q&A episode — maybe even two in a row.

If you’d like to submit a question simply reply to this email with it.

But, before you do, read the following carefully:

1.Whoever submits the best question (as judged by me, of course) gets a brand spanking new copy of Ken McCarthy’s “System Secrets” book (not to be confused with his “System Club Letters” book I am always nattering on about).

2. I am particularly interested in answering mindset and success questions, as well as anything you think I’m qualified to talk about going by what you read in my emails.

(Whether about business or personal non-business stuff.)

I will be ignoring any hard “how-to” questions.

(i.e. “What subject line should I use?” “How do you transition from your story to the call to actin?” “What’s the best software to track with?” “what should I do because I’m too scared to stick it out there or test it for myself…”).

If you want that subscribe to “Email Players”.

One of the perks is (non-pen pal) email access to me.

As for whoever asks the dumbest question?

What do they get?

Why, the ice-cold contempt of Producer Jonathan and his wife Cupcake.

Anyway, reply to this email with your question if it be thy will…

Ben Settle

Today’s the deadline to get the December “Email Players” issue.

Some of the presents ol’ Santa elBenbo has in his sack this month include:

  • What the late night talk show king Johnny Carson did to create a bond with his audience so tight he was even more popular than the President in his day. (And how you can use his wily ways to bond with your email list just as easily and strongly.)
  • A 50+ year old secret way of writing emails (yes, invented before email) that can make yours stand out like a redneck at a Hillary rally.
  • What to inject in each of your emails if you want to have higher status than all your competitors. (Like or lump it, people love to buy from other people with high status in their niches and industries. Here’s how to do it, even if you’re a social outcast who nobody knows about now.)
  • 6 real-life examples of how *bragging* about your worst flaws can create instant believability in you, your products, and your services. (Works especially well on highly skeptical prospects with money to spend, but don’t know who to trust.)
  • How to “flip” unusual facts into fascinating emails your list can’t resist reading (and, in many cases, buying from.)
  • Why people who are great teachers online are so often broke without a pot to piss in or a window to throw it out.
  • Two resources every email marketer should watch if you want to ratchet your email game up several notches. (One of these resources can be found on Youtube for free, the other on the hulu service.)
  • What to say in your affiliate promos that can (1) make you way more sales (2) make you the most honest person in your list’s inboxes and (3) frustrate the living hellz out of any of your competitors selling the same product. (You can find this baby on page 11, so simple, yet so effective…)
  • And mucho, mucho more…

Plus:

A valuable Christmas present that’s sure to make any Eugene Schwartz fanboy have to change his pants afterwards…

If you want in, now’s the time.

I’m sending the list in to the printer today.

Hop on the B-train here, before it leaves the station:

www.EmailPlayers.com

Ben Settle

One of the best copywriting lessons (that applies even more to email than writing sales letters) I ever read was from the late, great Gary Halbert about using unusual facts to start your ads out with to create instant interest and curiosity and increased readership.

Examples of unusual facts, being things like:

  • Most lipstick contains fish scales.
  • Donald Duck comics were banned from Finland because he doesn’t wear pants.
  • It took Leonardo da Vinci 10 years to paint Mona Lisa’s lips.
  • And so on, and so forth.

Anyway, here’s why I bring this up:

The December “Email Players” issue (which goes to the printer tomorrow) contains a huge list of unusual facts that are each perfect for using in daily emails.

There are many such lists floating around.

But, *this* list is the best one I’ve ever seen specifically for writing emails with.

More:

I show you a real life example of how easy it is to do these unusual facts, too. And, when you possess this list and use it, not only will it make for some great emails, but it will force your brain to connect other ideas and concepts and facts into emails for the rest of your long-living days.

Time is running out fast to get this issue, though.

You have until tomorrow when I send the list to the printer.

After that?

Too late, my little droogling.

Here’s where to subscribe:

www.EmailPlayers.com

Ben Settle

If you’ve bought any of my products or even if you’ve been on my list for very long, you’ve no doubt heard Yours Grinchy talk about the concept of making the skeleton dance.

This is the sales philosophy of the brilliant sales trainer & author Barry Maher.

And, he said it’s based on something George Bernard Shaw said:

“If you can’t hide the family skeleton, you might as well make it dance.”

In selling and marketing that simply means finding your product’s flaws, problems, etc and, instead of hiding them in the closet hoping nobody will notice them or call them out… you BRAG about them.

Anyway, I’ve talked about this many times.

Especially in my “Email Players” newsletter.

But, what I have not done is show actual real life *examples* of how this works. It’s one thing for me to tell you about this concept. But, it’s quite another to show you how it works in the real world — and especially in emails.

Which brings me to the pitcheroo:

This is one of many things you’ll learn in the December “Email Players” issue.

Very few people have the balls to make the skeleton dance.

And, even fewer really get how it’s done.

(Much less can teach it.)

Those of us who do?

We make out like bandits when we do it. It’s perhaps the single best way to create instant credibility and believability you’ll ever use.

But, time is short on this.

December issue goes to the printer in a just a few short days.

Hit the jump below to subscribe in time to get it:

www.EmailPlayers.com

Ben Settle

Trivia:

2016 is the 50th anniversary of Gene Schwartz’s magnificent copywriting book:

“Breakthrough Advertising”

And in honor of that great tome, I want to talk about something that can make you an infinitely better email copywriter:

Gene’s “5th stage headline.”

Ooh yeah, baby.

Oooooh, yeah…

I have found this type of headline to be the perfect kind of subject line and theme for emails long term — doing daily broadcast emails, long auto-responder sequences, and, yes, even affiliate offers. I have been thinking about this off and on for years. But, if there’s one thing that’ll let you bang out emails that consistently get read and bought from in multiple markets, over long periods of time, even when you’re selling mostly the same thing day in, and day out, without mass numbers of people getting bored or opting out… it is to write what I call “5th stage emails.”

They look different than everyone else’s emails.

They smell different than everyone else’s emails.

And, yes, they sell different (i.e. better) than everyone else’s emails — especially the ones just rabbiting off benefits, boring lectures, claims, and lame “Last chance!” subject lines, or whatever is being taught to the kids these days.

And guess what?

The December “Email Players” issues shows you exactly how to do these.

It also includes an example (of an email that got more sales than any other in an affiliate campaign I did once) showing you how it’s done so you can model (not copy and paste like a loser, obviously) it to do the same for your emails.

More:

Are you a Gene Schwartz fanboy?

(Like Yours Grinchy is?)

Good.

Then the special bonus I include will give you marketing wet dreams.

I can virtually guarantee it.

Anyway, she’s goes to the printer in just a few days.

Subscribe in time while you still can to get it, here:

www.EmailPlayers.com

Ben Settle

I recently had a conversation with a fellow who was starting to see some significant success in his bid’niz and was getting kind of down about it.

Money was flowing in like lies from a politician’s lips.

New customers were popping up like pimples on a teenager’s face.

And, he had more free time on his hands than a welfare queen laying around watching TV in a moo-moo all day.

So, why was he down?

Because he couldn’t figure out why (1) nobody in his world was all that happy for him an (2) why they were, in some cases, even hostile and antagonistic towards him. “elBenbo,” he asked, “shouldn’t they be rooting for me instead of taking shots at me all the time?”

My answer?

Because the world simply doesn’t celebrate real achievements anymore.

It celebrates bullshyt.

In fact, an observation:

I have noticed over the past decade or so especially, success, persistence, and discipline, are simply not celebrated. They are almost mocked, in a lot of cases. It’s funny the things that are celebrated today. Someone gets a new $75k per year job licking corporate boots — yaaaay! Statistically, they will probably either quit or get fired in a few years. Or, at the very least, have their morale butchered by office politicians and a boss who was promoted a level or two above his competency. Someone starts a business from scratch and makes $150k their first year, with a foundation to hit the millions in a few more? Meh. He just got lucky…

So listen up, listen good, and never forget my little droogie:

Nobody cares about you or your accomplishments.

Yes, *some* people do, of course.

But, don’t count on it.

And, don’t expect anyone to sing your praises.

And who cares if they do, either way?

What you should be focused on is your mission.

Let the doubters and scoffers do their thing, you do yours. If anything, let them be spectators in your life to give their little, insignificant lives something to do.

If your mission is to build a business, then listen ye:

The December “Email Players” issue deadline fast approaches.

Stuck between its sticky pages is a special Christmas gift from Yours Grinchy that’ll teach you how to “think” like the old school copywriters/marketers that built our industry.

Valuable stuff.

Subscription info here:

www.EmailPlayers.com

Ben Settle

Today is Thanksgiving here in the good ol’ US.

And, unlike most lists today, I’m not going to yap on about what I’m thankful for. (And really, why would you care anyway?) Instead, I’m going to talk about what I’m NOT thankful for.

Here’s a list:

(Not by any means exhaustive):

  • Pedophiles running amok — especially in positions of power (Hollywood, Washington DC, public schools, yada yada yada) with a media that is slowly starting to accept it and, in some cases, defend it
  • Corrupt judges, lawyers, and cops (see the Innocence Project for how widespread this is)
  • Child trafficking
  • Violent protestors bought and paid for by billionaires that live overseas
  • Media lies and manipulation that make what’s good seem bad and what’s bad seem good
  • And the list goes on…

(I’m just getting warmed up here, Sunshine.)

Those are things elBenbo is *not* thankful for and hopes get more attention than videos of cats on flakebook some day, instead of being swept under the rug — “nothing to see here, move along…”

So go ahead, babycakes.

Enjoy your turkey.

Me?

I’ll be wallowing in despair today.

(While I eat turkey, drink beer, and watch football, of course…)

Tomorrow?

Black Friday.

I suggest avoiding Wal-Mart.

Or, if you want to slip slowly into madness with me instead, check out my “Email Players” newsletter:

www.EmailPlayers.com

Ben Settle

Once upon a time (last week) I asked my friend Shane Hunter:

“Shane, what else can I teach my marketing ‘junky’ minions? Why is it they still struggle even though all the ‘secrets’ are out in the open, easily learned — much of it free? And this goes double for people who own all the products telling the exactly what to do? Why, Shane? Why? WHY???”

To which he replied:

“Because, elBenbo, they spend too much time on Facebook in groups with other ‘marketers’ and ‘copywriters’ instead of where their markets hang out.. Because they’re still worried about what perfect prose they should write for that first magical email that they for some fugked up reason think will make or break them.. Because they take the advice from fellow noobs who don’t know jack shit but like to talk a tough game – then wonder why the advice doesn’t convert.. Lastly? Because not everybody can be you and I, Ben. That’s part of what makes us so humbly magical.”

I had to agree.

(Especially with the last sentence…)

If you are someone who struggles Shane just told you why.

You don’t need yet another new product.

You don’t need to be in yet another group.

And, you don’t need to buy into yet another coaching program.

Simply start talking to your market (not other marketers and copywriters), stop obsessing over trying to be perfect, ignore the goo-roo fanboys, and simply create (or find) an offer, put up sales page, start mailing it every day.

Then, sell those buyers something else.

It ain’t rocket science.

In fact, it’s pretty simple.

(If you don’t complicate it.)

Anyway, creating the offer is on you.

But, selling that offer?

I can help with that, via my “Email Players” newsletter over yonder:

www.EmailPlayers.com

Ben Settle

[BEGIN BRAIN FART]

For some idiotic reason, the company that sells Dos Equis beer is replacing the famed Dos Equis man (the most interesting man in the world) with someone who will appeal to millennials, even though the Dos Equis Man (last I checked) commercials blasted sales up by some 30% consistently for ten straight years in a row. I’ll rip on the jackanapes in charge of getting rid of my beloved hero and icon the Dos Equis Man some other time.

For now, riddle yourself this, Superman:

Far as I can tell, Dos Equis beer created their own social proof with that campaign.

They took a fictional character.

Made him the most interesting man in the world.

And, surrounded him with hot chicks and fun adventures.

All made up.

And, the customers loved it.

Like Austin Powers, women wanted the Dos Equis man, and men wanted to *be* him. People drank that beer for emotional reasons (it’s piss water), not unlike what the Marlboro Man did. And, it’s all because they created social proof out of thin air that charmed millions of people.

Anyway, let your beady little mind think on that.

And, how you can apply what they did to your business.

Then, get your gluteus assimus on the “Email Players” subscription docket in time for the December issue (which goes to the printer soon). If you have social proof on your side, your emails could probably be written in pig latin and still make sales because the social proof is doing almost all the real selling. But, if you possess the knowledge I can give you inside the not-so-hallowed pages of the newsletter, and combine it with social proof… it’s game over, Chucky.

You win.

And, you win with a lot less struggle than you think.

Hit the jump below for subscription info:

www.EmailPlayers.com

Ben Settle

[END BRAIN FART]

“We’re not full of shit.”

Those eloquent words were spoken by my friend Marty McDonald, owner of a 7-figure social media marketing company (one of those rare social media marketing companies that actually knows what they’re doing).

He was talking to a potential client about why they should hire his company.

And, he told me he got the gig, on the spot.

And the reason why he did, is because so many so-called “specialists” in all kinds of areas in marketing and advertising and copywriting are simply full of horse shyt. The ones who aren’t stand out like a fart in a library. And the good news is, this is finally starting to dawn all these poor schlubs who have been getting dazzled by a hot pair of bewbies and a pretty face from a social media queen, or a smooth talking guy hawking a bunch of fluffpreneur law-of-attraction feel good nonsense on Facebook.

This isn’t about any particular person.

(I don’t call people out by name, I simply describe “types”, deal with it.)

But, this is becoming an epidemic to anyone with ears to see and eyes to hear.

Case in point:

The esteemed Ryan Stewman — a “for real” world class sales trainer & coach, he doesn’t just play one online — wrote in one of his facebook groups about this with masterminds which I found interesting because it so closely parallels what I keep hearing. Specifically, he was talking about people joining these high paid masterminds he’s in, who offer crappy products with crappy execution, and who have never done anything other than sell their own $25k masterminds to unsuspecting noobs and can’t deliver.

“Email Players” subscriber Sean Kaye recently made a similar observation.

He got a cold email from a self-professed “marketing specialist.”

And, this specialist spelt their own name wrong in the “from” field (unless someone is actually named Julieann without the “e”). Yet, I would not be shocked if this specialist got lots of schlubs buying because it’s from a girl (probably an attractive one, even if it’s a fake person with a fake picture), and they’re so desperate to talk to girls they’ll respond.

It’s amusing to think about.

But, at the same time, I wonder how these frauds get away with it.

It reminds me of the scene in “The Wolf Of Wall Street” when Jordan Belfort is getting interviewed for his first job selling penny stocks. He sees the nonsense penny stocks being sold and says:

“Hey, come on. Who buys this crap?”

The answer he gets?

“Well, I mean, honestly mostly schmucks…they see our ads in the back of Hustler and Popular Mechanics, and our ads actually say they can get rych quick. [laughs]”

If you are looking at buying coaching and masterminds, watch that scene.

Then watch it again.

Especially the guy’s laugh.

He’s potentially talking about (and laughing at) you.

Yes, my little droogie, it’s no different with a lot of coaching and masterminds.

My friend Dan Meredith and I were recently laughing at people who think they can get by in this business long term just because they have a hot azz, pretty face, a bubbly personality, and big bewbs — or if they are simply a highly charismatic, smooth talking guy who can get people swooning with horse shyt fluff that gives people the feelz, but does nothing to prepare them to do battle in the marketplace.

In fact, I was telling him the Jim Camp quote of the century:

“The more effective we are, the more respected we are.”

It’s one of the most important (and true) business quotes you’ll ever hear.

And you know what?

A lot of people selling high priced and trendy coaching, services, events, and masterminds are not effective at all, and are always struggling to be respected — often latching onto someone who *is* respected (who paid their dues over long years of hard work, failures, and experience) and riding their coattails while saying they did it on their own, when they haven’t really “done” anything. If I’ve seen this happen once, I’ve seen it happen a dozen times over the past few years alone — including to a friend of mine recently. Just talking to these ex-spurts (as I have done many times with many of these types, especially lately it seems) for just a few minutes, you can tell they lack even the basic fundamentals of direct marketing, copywriting, branding, or whatever it is they think they are teaching to the great unwashed asses who fall for their pitches.

But, it doesn’t matter in the short term.

Because all they have to do is toss around “cool” sounding words and catch phrases.

Be in all the right pictures with all the right people.

(For that luscious social proof.)

And, post “mindset” videos and essays on flakebook to get lots of “likes” (if it’s a girl) from thirsty guys who just want to get laid or talk to a pretty girl, or (if it’s a guy) from vulnerable women who are desperately looking for a male leader.

(Somewhere a feminist just sneered at elBenbo for that zinger…)

True, these frauds will sell the useful idiots who don’t know any better.

And, probably make a pretty penny from it, too.

But, in the end, they’ll be exposed for what they are.

And when that happens?

Well, that *won’t* be pretty…

All right, enough.

There are two lessons here:

1. Stop coaching anyone if you don’t have actual experience doing what you’re coaching, just because there are noobs willing to pay you for it. You’re not doing anyone any favors, and are, in fact, harming these customers with your theory and lack of experience.

2. If you’re a customer, do your due diligence if you don’t want to get fleeced.

This goes triple if you want to subscribe to my “Email Players” newsletter.

Do your due diligence on me first.

I’m all over Google — the good, the bad, and fugly.

Ask around.

Talk to actual paying subscribers.

Speak to people who shyt talk me especially (go ahead, do it) — just don’t wallow in their feelz about me… get them to tell you *why* they despise me, see if it’s legitimate or just feelz.

Then, and only then, subscribe.

Or don’t.

But if you do want in, you can see if you qualify to join us here:

www.EmailPlayers.com

Ben Settle

BEN SETTLE

  • Email Markauteur
  • Book & Tabloid Newsletter Publisher
  • Pulp Novelist
  • Software & Newspaper Investor
  • Client-less Copywriter

Type in your primary email address below to open Ben's daily email tips and a free digital copy of his prestigious Email Players newsletter.

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WHAT OTHERS ARE SAYING

Even when you’re simply just selling stuff, your emails are, in effect, brilliant content for marketers who want to see how to make sales copy incapable of being ignored by their core market. You are a master of this rare skill, Ben, and I tip my hat in respect.

Gary Bencivenga

(Universally acknowledged as the world’s greatest living copywriter)

www.MarketingBullets.com

I confess that I have only begun watching Ben closely and corresponding with him fairly recently, my mistake. At this point, it is, bluntly, very rare to discover somebody I find intelligent, informed, interesting and inspiring, and that is how I would describe Ben Settle.

Dan S. Kennedy

Author, ’No BS’ book series

Ben is one of the sharpest marketing minds on the planet, and he runs his membership “Email Players” better than just about any other I’ve seen. I highly recommend it.

Perry Marshall

Author of 8 books whose Google book laid the foundations for the $100 billion Pay Per Click industry, whose prestigious 80/20 work has been used by NASA’s Jet Propulsion Labs, and whose historic reinvention of the Pareto Principle is published in Harvard Business Review.

www.PerryMarshall.com

I think Ben is the light heavyweight champion of email copywriting. I ass-lo think we’d make Mayweather money in a unification title bout!

Matt Furey

www.MattFurey.com

Zen Master Of The Internet®

President of The Psycho-Cybernetics Foundation

Just want you to know I get great advice and at least one chuckle… or a slap on the forehead “duh”… every time I read your emails!

Carline Anglade-Cole

AWAI’s Copywriter of the Year Award winner and A-list copywriter who has written for Oprah and continually writes control packages for the world’s most prestigious (and competitive) alternative health direct marketing companies

www.CarlineCole.com

I’ve been reading your stuff for about a month. I love it. You are saying, in very arresting ways, things I’ve been trying to teach marketers and copywriters for 30 years. Keep up the good work!

Mark Ford

aka Michael Masterson

Cofounder of AWAI

www.AwaiOnline.com

The business is so big now. Prob 4x the revenue since when we first met… and had you in! Claim credit, as it did correlate!

Joseph Schriefer

(Copy Chief at Agora Financial)

www.AgoraFinancial.com

I wake up to READ YOUR WORDS. I learn from you and study exactly how you combine words + feelings together. Like no other. YOU go DEEP and HARD.”

Lori Haller

(“A-List” designer who has worked on control sales letters and other projects for Oprah Winfrey, Gary Bencivenga, Clayton Makepeace, Jim Rutz, and more.

www.ShadowOakStudio.com

I love your emails. Your e-mail style is stunningly effective.

Bob Bly

The man McGrawHill calls

America’s top copywriter

and bestselling author of over 75 books

www.Bly.com

Ben might be a freaking genius. Just one insight he shared at the last Oceans 4 mastermind I can guarantee you will end up netting me at least an extra $100k in the next year.

Daegan Smith

www.Maximum-Leverage.com

Ben Settle is a great contemporary source of copywriting wisdom. I’ve been a big admirer of Ben’s writing for a long time, and he’s the only copywriter I’ve ever hired and been satisfied with

Ken McCarthy

One of the “founding fathers”

of Internet marketing

www.KenMcCarthy.com

I start my day with reading from the Holy Bible and Ben Settle’s email, not necessarily in that order.

Richard Armstrong

A List direct mail copywriter

whose clients have included

Rodale, Boardroom, Reader’s Digest,

Men’s Health, Newsweek,

Prevention Health Magazine, the ASCPA

and, even, The Limbaugh Letter.

www.FreeSampleBook.com

Of all the people I follow there’s so much stuff that comes into my inbox from various copywriters and direct marketers and creatives, your stuff is about as good as it gets.

Brian Kurtz

Former Executive VP of Boardroom Inc. Named Marketer of the Year by Target Marketing magazine

www.BrianKurtz.me

The f’in’ hottest email copywriter on the web now.

David Garfinkel

The World’s Greatest Copywriting Coach

www.FastEffectiveCopy.com

Ben Settle is my email marketing mentor.

Tom Woods

Senior fellow of the Mises Institute, New York Times Bestselling Author, Prominent libertarian historian & author, and host of one of the longest running and most popular libertarian podcasts on the planet

www.TomWoods.com

I’ve read your stuff and you have some of the best hooks. You really know how to work the hook and the angles.

Brian Clark

www.CopyBlogger.com

Ben writes some of the most compelling subject lines I’ve ever seen, and implements a very unique style in his blog. Honestly, I can’t help but look when I get an email, or see a new post from him in my Google Reader.

Dr. Glenn Livingston

www.GlennLivingston.com

There are very, very few copywriters whose copy I not only read but save so I can study it… and Ben is on that short list. In fact, he’s so good… he kinda pisses me off. But don’t tell him I said that. 😉

Ray Edwards

Direct Response Copywriter

www.RayEdwards.com

You’re damn brilliant, dude…I really DO admire your work, my friend!

Brian Keith Voiles

A-list copywriter who has written winning ads for prestigious clients such as Jay Abraham, Ted Nicholas, Dr. Stephen R. Covey, Robert Allen, and Gary Halbert.

www.AdvertisingMagicCopywriting.com

We finally got to meet in person and you delivered a killer talk. Your emails are one of the very few I read and study. And your laid back style.. is just perfect!

Ryan Lee

Best-selling Author

“Entrepreneur” Magazine columnist

www.RyanLee.com

There’s been a recent flood of copy writing “gurus” lately and I only trust ONE! And that’s @BenSettle

Bryan Sharpe

AKA Hotep Jesus

www.BooksByBryan.com

www.HotepNation.com

I’m so busy but there’s some guys like Ben Settle w/incredible daily emails that I always read.

Russell Brunson

World class Internet marketer, author, and speaker

www.RussellBrunson.com

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