Ben Settle

Talk about making. my. day…

Recently someone called me the “Walter White of email.” The reference being to the main character in the brilliant show “Breaking Bad.” I’ve written about BB before — about an underachieving chemistry genius who gets lung cancer, then (to provide for his family) starts creating the purest crystal meth in New Mexico from scratch, gathering the ingredients, cooking it up and selling it.

An absolutely brilliantly written show.

I mean, think about it:

Somehow the writers get you rooting for someone who creates a devastating substance that destroys peoples’ lives.

(As well as their teeth, skin, and brains.)

Yet, te’s the HERO of the story.

The one you want to “win.”

Strange, huh?

Anyway, the reason the guy above called me the Walter White of email is because he said when going through the “Email Players Playbook” (free to Email Players subscribers) I was showing him how to take ordinary “ingredients” (life stories, problems, fears, desires, etc) and turn them into extraordinarily profitable emails.

His point being…

Instead of cooking up drugs, I have you cooking up email.

Ah yes!

I likey that comparison.

And guess what?

I can show you how to do the same.

When you subscribe to “Email Players” I show you exactly how to cook up emails that are just as pure… just as “refined”… and just as profitable to your own bottom line as Walter Whites “wares” are to his.

The next issue mails in a couple weeks.

The subject:

How to be entertaining.

Most people struggle with this.

And, thus, lose out on big $$.

To subscribe in time go to:

www.EmailPlayers.com

Ben Settle

Curious…

Over the last several weeks (if not months) I’ve been getting emails saying, “Hey Ben, your emails are landing in my spam/junk mail folder. Just thought you should know…”

This happens with email.

So really, it’s not that big a deal.

But, what makes my antenna go up is this:

I’ve gone through and checked and, in every case (yes, every. single. one…) it’s from someone with a yahoo email address.

Interesting, isn’t it?

Even more interesting:

A good 99.9% of the time the spam assassin rating on my emails is a big fat goose egg.

(i.e. “0”).

So what’s the solution?

If you want to get all my emails… or any other emails that come from aweber (and realize this stuff always is changing)… I would suggest NOT signing up with a yahoo address.

Use a real email address, instead.

(And keep this in mind if you use aweber, too.)

As far as I know there ain’t much you can do.

It ain’t just an aweber thang.

It’s also a yahoo thang.

(It takes two to tango…)

Anyway, this is yet another reason to (1) make your emails so good people sally forth to look for them if you don’t show up in their inbox and (2) maximize sales from the emails that DO reach the inbox.

Thus the reason for “Email Players.”

It’s a print newsletter dedicated JUST to email.

Yes, it’s pricey.

But IMH(but accurate)O, if you use the info, then making your money back each month should be cake.

If you’re interested, go to:

www.EmailPlayers.com

And follow the instructions.

See ya on the other side…

Ben Settle

Most emails suck out loud.

(And that’s being nice about it…)

And below are some “red flags” that reliably and accurately reveal whether an email you’re about to send (or already sent) is probably going to do you much good.

There are exceptions, of course.

(No email dogma here.)

But this short “guide” can be worth its weight in gold…

1. It gets you no sales

2. It’s pure sales pitch

3. It’s pure content

4. It’s hard to read (too many $50 words, big block paragraphs, etc)

5. Finally… it’s not FUN to read

People CRAVE fun.

Yet, let’s be honest — most emails are as dry and barren as a horse’s skull in the desert. No “flavor.” No drama. Not even anything interesting in any way, shape or form.

And methinks that’s a tragedy.

The world NEEDS more good emails.

More FUN emails.

Emails that are easy to read, not a chore.

Enter the January “Email Players” issue.

It’s about writing emails that both entertain AND sell.

With lots of examples.

Lots of explanation.

And even, “how to” formulas.

To subscribe, go to:

www.EmailPlayers.com

Ben Settle

Here’s an oft-asked question:

“Ben, how come you don’t show us links to your sales letters and opt in pages so we can get on your other lists you have written emails for it would be great if you could share the email love with us. Thanks!”

Where do I begin?

Well, for one thing, there’s conversion rates.

If I tell my list where a squeeze page is, and 1,000+ people go toit… and they are not good prospects to BUY (and are just “marketing spies”)… that screws with stats.

So that’s one reason.

Another reason?

Confidentiality.

If it was a client or if it’s in a business I partner in, I have an ethical duty to keep such information confidential if asked (and I’m always asked).

So, I don’t reveal them.

In fact, I don’t even give hints about them.

The exception being to “Email Players” subscribers.

While I don’t reveal exact URL’s or product names (or any other “incriminating” information like that) I show lots and lots of examples from other campaigns I’ve worked or am still working on.

I just do it sans the product name/URL.

So anyway, that’s that.

Speaking of “Email Players”…

Next issue is ALL about how to be entertaining in emails.

An extremely profitable email skill.

(As Dan Kennedy WISELY says, “People buy more and buy more happily when in good humor.”)

Yet, hardly anyone really gets it.

But this issue contains lots of email examples.

And, I break it down into easy-to-follow formulas.

But there’s no time for dilly-dally.

This baby goes to print soon.

To subscribe, go to:

www.EmailPlayers.com

Ben Settle

I dig Earl Nightingale’s style.

(The dude who co-founded “Nightingale-Contant”).

I don’t drink his kool-aid as much as most people I know, but a LOT of his teachings were spot on. And I’ve used many of them to break through some pretty big obstacles in my bid’niz career.

He had all kinds of cool insights, too.

My favorite was probably this:

(Paraphrased):

“Wherever you find yourself, look around you and see what everyone else is doing. Then, if you do the exact opposite, you’ll probably never make another mistake for as long as you live.”

Ballz yeah!

That’s SO true.

And it applies to marketing, too.

I love it when some goo-roo fanboy who can’t make a sale if his life depended on it (despite buying from all the big old fatty product launches) challenges me on something like mailing daily, etc.

It’s a perfect example of cognitive dissonance.

That’s a $50 term that basically means:

People will KEEP believing (and with even MORE conviction) something even after whatever it is they believed has been thoroughly debunked and disproved.

Think doomsday cults.

They predict the end of the world.

The end doesn’t happen.

So their little minds now scramble to make sense of everything, adjust the “deadline” (ha) and believe it even more.

Hey, a wise man once said:

“The masses are asses.”

Hard to disagree with that, eh?

To get the skinny on email marketing (no theory or guessing — just real, provable information you can test yourself) check out the “Email Players” newsletter.

The next issue is “must reading.”

It’s one of my most profitable teachings ever.

Subscription info at:

www.EmailPlayers.com

Ben Settle

This is kinda funny:

A few days ago I read an article about how that T-Mobile chick and “Flo” (the chick who does all the Progressive commercials) are so highly searched online that a bunch of advertising ex-spurts are saying that PROVES those ads campaigns are successful.

Amusing, isn’t it?

Methinks they should wake up and smell the perfume.

First, the fact people search for info about those women has nothing to do with the success of the advertising.

Only the popularity of the women searched.

Secondly:

There was no mention of sales figures.

So how can they know it was successful or not?

Otherwise, by their reasoning, a business is successful if the voice of the company is popular even if sales tank and it goes bankrupt. Kinda reminds me of something I heard Gary Bencivenga (universally acknowledged as the world’s greatest living copywriter, who has been involved with over a BILLION dollars of tests…) teach in an interview several years ago.

He said:

“You are not the star of the ad. The PRODUCT is.”

Someone send the ad ex-spurts the memo already.

Anyway, there’s a point here somewhere.

And really, I’m preaching to the choir.

You already know this.

But there’s few things more fun than having a hearty laugh at the mainstream advertising world together.

OK, that’s it for today.

Enjoy your weekend.

For advanced email training, go to:

www.EmailPlayers.com

Ben Settle

Sometimes people think me an email snob.

Here’s what I mean:

They have a question or comment and send me multiple emails, and after a while start to sound like they’re beginning to HULK out… getting very angry and/or distressed about my not emailing them back.

But, there are many reasons I don’t respond.

Like, for example…

1. Time

I simply cannot answer every email.

We rapped about this not long ago when that dude whined about how I didn’t give him a salutation and cordial greeting while answering his question.

(Which I was not even obligated to answer).

But it bears repeating.

For more on this, see:

www.BenSettle.com/blog/why-i-delete-your-emails

2. Message not received

I love email.

But, it’s kind of like being in love with a highly promiscuous woman — you may LOVE her, but you can never fully TRUST her…

And so it is with email delivery.

So when in doubt go here:

www.BenSettle.com/blog/contact

3. Reply not received

In other words…

I did receive your email (this usually applies to customer service, not general questions which I rarely respond to) and emailed you back, but you never got my response probably making you think perhaps I never answered your email in the first place.

Again, try the URL above.

Anyway, bottom line is this:

If you want your emails to be a priority, then you’ll have to be an “Email Players” subscriber. That’s part of the deal — ask me questions whenever you want.

No, I won’t be your pen pal.

And I can’t always answer right away.

But I do personally answer questions.

For more info, go to:

www.EmailPlayers.com

Ben Settle

“It doesn’t look good,” said the doctor examining his patient’s x-rays. “Everything is swollen except your wallet.”

Ha.

Got a kick out of that one.

Saw it in a comic strip in “Sun” Magazine.

I’ve rapped about “Sun” before in the hallowed pages of these emails. And about how you can find the grooviest headlines for idea-generation and inspiration.

Here are some from the recent issue:

Attack Of The Kelpie!
Teens discover supernatural horse is all too real

3 Easy Ways To Be Smarter

Herpes Virus Could Treat Cancer

Pollution-free, 90 cents-per-gallon fuel is a
MIRACLE AT THE PUMP

New Military Tech Lets Soldiers…
SEE THROUGH WALLS

What Do You Do With A 90 Fingered Robot?

Where else but Australia…
RUBBER SIDEWALKS FOR DRUNKS!

Duct-taped Airliner Forced To Turn Around During Flight
“The pilot could have been sucked out mid-air”

Real-Life Doogie Howser College Bound At Age 11

Townsfolk baffled by…
MYSTERY BLOBS FROM OUTER SPACE

Taxidermist survives 30 years on…
ROADKILL DIET!

Caviar Cologne Reels In The Cuties
“A dab of beluga behind your ear is all you
need to drive women wild”

ROYAL BLOOD
Prince Charles saves forests
in honor of Uncle Dracula

Never a dull moment with “Sun”.

Anyway, for lots of email subject line/headline inspiration, check out the “Email Players” newsletter where I include examples galore to learn, study and model for your own campaigns.

Next issue is a doozie, too.

It’s all about launching products with emails.

I just used my method to nab a 22% conversion (probably more, that’s a conservative estimate) over the holiday weekend.

It’s simple, fast and, yes, fun.

And it goes to print tomorrow.

Subscribe in time at:

www.EmailPlayers.com

Ben Settle

I’m quite bloated today.

Ate way too much last night and, frankly, I don’t even want to THINK about food today, much less eat, smell or so much as look at it.

But, I can WRITE about it.

And there’s a FAT email lesson within.

Here’s what I mean:

Feeling bloated after Thanksgiving has the same affect on people as sending them a large, content-packed email — you’ve filled them up, they’re “full” and still trying to digest your information for days in some cases, during which time they ignore all the other emails you send them (and are less likely to buy).

It’s like the supermarket cheese cube lady.

(The chick giving away cubes of cheese on a toothpick.)

She only gives you a TASTE of cheese.

It’s not nearly enough to get full so you aren’t hungry anymore. After all, if she gave you a POUND of cheese, you’d be far less likely to buy.

And so it is with email.

Most content emails are WAY too long.

I’m not saying long emails never work.

They can and do.

But just like you wouldn’t eat a Thanksgiving feast even a couple days per week and expect to be hungry (and not feel bloated)… you can’t serve the email equivalent of a Thanksgiving feast to your list regularly and expect them to be hungry enough to buy or not be so bloated they don’t want to even look at your next several emails.

Anyway, this email is getting a bit long itself.

So bottom line is this:

Writing pithy (yet profitable) emails is an art.

It rarely comes natural.

And few know how to do it.

To see how it’s done, check out:

www.EmailPlayers.com

Ben Settle