Ben Settle

“Email Players” subscriber Christian Carpeso asks probably the #1 most-asked question that comes across my dusty wine barrel table desk. It’s a good question, too. And, since it is so common, I figure it’ll be easier to answer it publicly and archive on my blog. That way, when it comes again (and it will) I can simply send people a link to my answer.

(Killing two vultures with one sling shot.)

Anyway, here’s the question:

Hi Ben,

I have an old list that I’ve generated before (2 years ago), how can I reconnect to that old list and use the principles in The Email Player’s Playbook? What should I email them?

My answer:

1. Create a new opt in page for them.

2. Send them an email saying you are going to be mailing them again, and how frequently, come up with a hot opt in bribe. Ideally, the bribe should be something with a for real high retail value any sane lead would be dumb not to opt in for.

3. Mail that list as many times as you’re comfortable sending them to that new opt in page.

What should happen is this:

Those who opt-in are your living leads.

Don’t expect miracles, though. And, don’t be shocked if you get spam complaints. Bringing dead leads back to life is like bringing human back to life — you run the risk of them turning into zombies and trying to kill you.

And before anyone asks:

No, this ain’t the only way to do it.

It’s simply the way I’ve used that has had the most success using my wily ways.

If you want to learn my email copywriting ways that will give the above a much higher chance of working than if you foolishly try to “reverse engineer” what I do, without understanding the underlying principles behind what I do, then check out my “Email Players” newsletter.

Here’s the clean and shiny link:

www.EmailPlayers.com

Ben Settle

Last week, I wrote an email about how you become like the people you spend all your time with. My example was, if you hang out with pessimistic losers, you’ll become a pessimistic loser over time.

Anyway, the esteemed A-list copywriter Bob Bly shared it on Facebook.

And, I got quite a kick out of some of the comments.

Like, for example:

“If this were true, then people like John McCain would have become like his captors.”

(Totes!)

Or…

“Does a minister become the sinner?”

(Happens all the time… mayhaps the minister should read what Paul wrote about kicking unrepentant sinners out of the church?)

Or…

“I only hangout with my Facebook friends and I don’t think that they are ‘pessimistic losers’”.

(Defensive, much, brah?)

Or… another guy nattering aimlessly about Budda.

(Basically typing to hear himself write.)

And, my personal favorite:

“People should realize Ben takes this extreme, controversial stance as a marketing ploy.”

Methinks it takes living in a mighty thick social media bubble to call this oft-repeated concept touted by multiple religions, philosophers, sociologists, psychologists, and even criminologists an “extreme” and “controversial” stance.

Anyway, a fun time was had by all.

(Well, me, anyways.)

And, so it is.

Speaking of extreme and controversial stances:

One thing I do that sends the mush cookie marketers out into the streets weeping and gnashing their teeth is sell every single day in my emails.

Why do I do this?

Because it works.

And, my “Email Players” newsletter shows you how to write daily emails (or multiple daily emails) without straining, struggling, or looking like a worthless hack swiping and copying anyone else.

It ain’t rocket science.

But, it requires daily work.

And daily consistency.

And, a daily desire to make sales.

Don’t got those things?

Then, I can’t help you.

Go away.

Shoo.

You’re dismissed.

Otherwise, if interested, go ye here for more information:

www.EmailPlayers.com

Ben Settle

Podcast listener David Breeze renounces his fluffpreneur ways and sees the light:

Elbenbo – I owe you a massive thank you.

I’ve been reading your daily emails since September 2015 and in all honesty, I possess most of the negative traits that you talk about in your podcasts and emails.

I.e. I’m a needy opportunity minded buyer and wannabe fluffpreneur who reads loads of books (once).

Through your daily emails and podcasts – you are slowly but surely helping me rid myself of these horrible traits (to become a villain).

I’ve downloaded and listened to all your podcasts (twice overs so far) and have gotten more value from your podcast alone than my £20,000 Marketing degree.

My wife told me I’m like a Magpie because I always on the lookout for the next new and shiny/sparkly thing to bring back to my nest.

So I think it’s time to call the taxidermist to stuff that Magpie and stick him above my proverbial mantelpiece as a reminder to stick to the none-shiny dull things that actually work.

Thanks again and feel free to use any of this email in your daily emails (it would be a privilege).

Thank you good Sir, I have…

I’ve been thinking a lot about this lately.

I can teach someone all the best email, persuasion, copywriting, marketing, sales, etc tips and ideas I know. But, if your head isn’t screwed on the right way, it’s all for naught.

Thus, my Villains book and podcast.

If you haven’t listened to the 170 (give or take) podcast episodes I have on my site (my old podcast archives and the new one I started in January) yet, they’re yours for the taking here:

www.BenSettle.com/podcast

Ben Settle

The August “Email Players” issue goes to the printer today.

If you’re on the fence about subscribing, here are some of the many secrets inside to help you decide:

• How certain people who are full of horse crap give themselves an air of credibility and charisma even otherwise-intelligent and skeptical people buy into. (If you ever wondered how certain goo-roos on flakebook who are clearly full of horse pucky still attract big lists and audiences, this is how — imagine how well it works if you actually have something of quality to offer…)
• The single most effective thing anyone can do to “weaken” a prospect’s resistance to giving you their hard earned muney.
• 6 marketing secrets of a “backwoods” pastor who turned a local bible study into the largest non-denominational church in the the world.
• The ridiculously *minimalist* business model the above pastor used to do it.
• How to have a personal brand that people will be irrationally loyal to. (This secret is/was used by everyone from hated institutions like big pharma, big government, big media, and big oil… to politicians like Ronald Reagan, Bill & Hillary Clinton, Obama, and Donald Trump… to iconoclasts like Jesus Christ, and more.
• 3 non-lawyer solutions you can apply to your emails to inoculate them from being blatantly copied, swiped, or knocked off by low class jackass wannabes.
• A secret way to shame people in your emails that (1) makes you far more sales than being a mush-cookie about telling your list when they are screwing up and making stoopid decisions that hurt them (and others) and (2) does it in a way where they love you for it and won’t whine about it on social media.
• An example of how to turn virtually any topic into an email — even dark, disturbing topics your list would usually be horrified by.
• A “counter intuitive” idea used by one of history’s greatest marketing/copywriting minds to almost effortlessly raise a pile of money for charities and causes he helped.
• How to “flip” attacks, mud-slinging, and outright lies about you into a bigger, and more rabid (as far as wanting to buy from you and defend you) audience.
• A weird (but highly effective) way of getting people to take action used by Jesus Christ that you will rarely ever see anyone (especially all the needy and scarcity-minded people selling online) do.

But that ain’t all, my Pet.

This issue also includes a transcript of an interview talking about the inner game of how I run my business in many ways (ifn’ that is of any interest to you) based on my favorite Villains.

I’ve said it before a couple times:

This issue is a great “jumping on” issue for people new to my world.

(Especially newbies who need a grounding in important persuasion fundamentals and principles.)

Anyway, I’m sending this list to the printer today.

So, if you want in, no time for the dilly-dally.

Subscribe here while there’s still time to get this issue:

www.EmailPlayers.com

Ben Settle

Something to tuck inside the dark abyss of your evil mind:

Pretty much every copywriting course, training, or seminar you ever see will talk about the life-or-death importance of filling your copy with benefits, proof, credibility, etc. And, this is all true. But, there is one thing (when it comes to emails especially) that is far more important that comes before all those things.

Is it storytelling?

No.

In fact, stories are not even always necessary.

Is it being “infotaining”?

Nope.

Important (in my humble, but accurate, opinion). But infotainment is something that serves the secret persuasion principle found in all great copy I am talking about. Fact is, a lot of ads have zero infotainment and still kick gluteus assimus because they use the secret I am talking about.

What about curiosity?

Is it that?

Important (very important).

But, even that doesn’t hold a candle to the very simple (and obvious, frankly, this is not something I invented by any means) not-really-a-secret I am talking about.

Still don’t know what I babbleth about?

I’ll give you a non-hint:

Even if you have a product people desperately want and need, there is a more-than-decent chance they will not buy from you if you don’t do this one, very simple (yet still rare, for whatever reason) thing in your emails. I don’t care if you are selling water in the desert to a man dying of thirst or a starving man hamburgers.

It simply won’t matter.

Anyway, the answer should be obvious.

But, if it’s not?

Then check out page 11 of the August “Email Players” issue.

I daresay, even if your copy sucks, your offer is mediocre, and you don’t even know what a benefit is… you would still make sales if you did nothing but include this in your email copy, ad copy, and any other copy.

But you best hurry and subscribe if you want it, Hoss.

I send it to the printer in a couple days.

After that?

Too late…

Here’s where to subscribe:

www.EmailPlayers.com

Ben Settle

“Email Players” subscriber Daniel Iversen takes his first steps into a bold new ultra profitable world:

Hi Ben,

So it all just *clicked* in my mind a couple days back and I’ve been cranking out MUCH
improved writing.

Guess subscribers think so too.

Had to go back and revamp my whole auto-responder series. Which was actually fun.

Yesterday’s email brought the first two “early bird” opt-ins within a few minutes of sending. And for the first time, a reader wrote in with comments. Twice.

Of course, I promptly turned her words into another email.

Good stuff.

Thanks a million for straightening my email copy out.

The learning curve for my methods are quick and painless.

(For most people)

And, the information inside the coming August issue is no different. In fact, it boldly goes where no one has gone before (I daresay) in email, and contains a teaching on how to ethically and, yes, kindly, use fat shaming (or any kind of shaming depending on your market, doesn’t have to be weight loss) to make more sales with email. And, believe it or not, do it in a way where readers don’t hate you, fear you, or want to burn you at the stake. Instead, it makes them grateful and eager to buy, maybe even praise you.

Impossible?

Not for me (I even show a real life email example).

And, not for people wise enough to be subscribed in time before it goes to the printer and is too late to get it.

Subscription info here:

www.EmailPlayers.com

Ben Settle

How to turn garbage into emails

Once upon a time, I was challenged to turn anything into an email.

On the spot.

Without time to think, plan, or even so much as ponder.

The copywriter I was hanging with and I were at a McDonalds at the time and they said, “okay smart ass… turn that piece of trash on the ground into an email for this client!” This person’s client had a salon mall, and his emails were selling hair stylists on renting a space there.

On the spot, said:

“Easy, write an email about how you were in McDonalds and saw some trash on the ground, which made you think twice about eating there. And it’s the same with salons. You might be shocked how much salon business is lost by something a simple as a piece of trash tucked away in a corner. At our salon mall we have cleanliness standards… yada yada yada…”

Anyway, you get the idea.

Very easy to do, if you train your mind for it.

And guess what:

I recently wrote an email for a Golf business I am a partner in where I was given a similar challenge to turn something that, at a glance, has nothing whatsoever to do with golf, golfers, or even swing a stick on the spot, under the same “pressure.”

It’s not run yet, so I can’t say how well it’ll do.

But, it’s in the back of the August “Email Players” issue.

And, just reading it can give you an idea of how to do this for any market, using ideas that are bold, original, and that your market hasn’t seen before (certainly not from the gaggle of swipers laying in wait who haven’t an original thought since conception). If you’re wise enough to subscribe before it goes to the printer in time to get it… or if you are already subscribed… don’t copy it obviously.

Only dumbos do that.

Instead, let it influence your thinking.

Expand your mind.

And, get you thinking of email at a deeper level than anyone you compete against — which is not that hard to do anymore.

Here’s where to subscribe before it goes to print in a few short days:

www.EmailPlayers.com

Ben Settle