"What if I annoy everyone?"
The resistance to email marketing (O&I #33)
I have sent an email newsletter nearly every week since late 2019. I started on Mailchimp, a platform simple and free enough to facilitate an uncomplicated practice. In the beginning, I broadcasted my ideas to an audience of 80ish people, all of whom ended up on the list after downloading the first (and only) issue of Pretty Decent Magazine.
It took years for me to break my self-destructive habit of checking the unsubscribes after every send. These days, I click "publish" and try to immediately go for a walk, if only to resist the urge to obsessively measure the results.
Email marketing is the backbone of my creative business. Writing emails is what we call in The Study a "waterfall habit," a term I first learned from Marie Poulin.
Sending an email newsletter every week doesn't just help me reach my audience or make more sales (though, yes, most of Pretty Decent's revenue does come from emails). Writing and publishing these short letters every week helps me clarify my thoughts and repurpose them for platforms like Instagram and TikTok. I often directly copy and paste these emails into captions, translate them into Instagram carousels, or read them aloud as video voiceovers.
Most importantly, when I look back at my last 5 years of email writing, I'm able to witness my body of work growing and developing over time. I can see how my opinions have changed and my perspectives have developed. I can trace the path from where I was to where I am today.
When I talk to creative people about sending emails regularly, one of the most prominent worries I hear is the fear of being annoying. There's always the usual hesitation to speak, to share, to write and express ideas in a public way.
What if people unsubscribe? What if they roll their eyes when they see my name in their inbox again? What if this is the newsletter that puts them over the edge? What if they can tell that I secretly have no idea what I'm doing, and am totally winging it all the time?
This worry often leads to resistance, which leads to avoidance, which leads to the ever-so-relatable "I've ghosted my email list for 6 months and now I don't know what to say" conundrum.
If nothing else, I want you to know you're not the only one. I've seen this happen more times than I can count. It is an act of vulnerability to take up space in people's lives, in their inboxes. It can feel significantly more intimidating than posting to Instagram or other social media platforms.
What I also want you to know is that your ideas are worth exploring. Your message is worth sharing.
We can't control other people, can't force them to stay on a list or stop them from unsubscribing to emails they no longer want to receive. But I would bet good money that for every one person who exercises their right to decide "I don't want to read these anymore," there are multiple others who are thinking "This is exactly what I needed to hear today."
Email is among the most powerful marketing tools we have. It's one of the only communication channels that is not reliant on an algorithm for visibility, that does not depend on ad revenue and engagement rates to be seen. Email is the digital equivalent of a snowy white owl tapping at your ideal customer's window, beckoning them to read a letter written directly for them.
Even if you're winging it, experimenting, figuring out what you want to say moments before you hit send, it's better than saying nothing at all. When in doubt, consider what you might've lost had your favorite writers, artists and thinkers resisted the call to share their ideas with the world. Consider how many brilliant revelations were lost to the sands of time, simply because another human being felt afraid of being "too much."
It is brave to put your ideas into the world without knowing (or maybe even caring) how the world will respond. It is an act of service to share those things that you have a sense might help, entertain, delight or intrigue other people. By trying, you open up a portal for connection; you allow yourself to be seen.
And if the worst that can happen is someone unsubscribes, well. You can live with that, right?
Mini Lab: Tools, Trends & Experimental Ideas
What do you love that loves you back? For my niche hobbyists and makers, this Instagram reel trend is just for you.
Record yourself lipsyncing to the words (or just overlay them as text on screen): "It's about time you fell in love with something that will love you back, and that my friends is..."
When the narrator says "house music," you can overlay text with whatever your thing is. Crochet, watercolors, email marketing, etc.
Right now the sound has under 4,000 uses and several of those videos have over a million views. Try it out and let me know how it goes!
Bulletins! The latest from members of The Study
From Samantha: Buen día lovely people! Last year I embarked on the journey of higher education when I started the Science of Cannabis certificate of professional learning program via McMaster University. I’m so close to reaching my fundraising goal so I can register for the last course in this program but still need assistance. If anyone is in a position to contribute or help in any way, even sharing, I would greatly appreciate it. Thank you SO much for considering and I look forward to closing this chapter this year. Donate here.
From Bonnie: this month, I’m releasing my very first poetry collection, which - of course - is about a cowboy and I planned on doing a few readings & annotation videos to a few poems on my Substack - first one dropped already and this series will probably go on for this Summer as these poems are some I’m the most proud of. (videos are for paid subscribers, 5-min long previews for everyone :) Read here.
From Chelsea: If you’re sick of Gary V. screaming at you to be on all platforms all the time to market yourself, it’s probably time to be a guest on podcasts; it’s one of the easiest, highest converting tactics, but pitching is a skill not many have. Until NOW!
Excited to share my 6 week Pitch Bootcamp - where I teach you exactly how to pitch yourself on top-ranking podcasts to drive up online visibility and more sales to your bank account. Learn more and sign up here.
Bored on the Internet?
✷ Saw this link shared on Threads and a few people said they found direct copies of their website pages! You can use Copyscape to check if there are duplicates of your writing on the web.
✷ I appreciate ADDitude Mag for the research they're publishing on how ADHD specifically affects women.
✷ A poem for your Tuesday: "I Loved the World So I Married It" by José Olivarez
Above are some links fresh from my Second Brain inbox. If you want to save them for later in your own Second Brain, be sure to grab a copy of...
Creative people need space to dream and think.
Which is why the Pretty Decent Desktop Organizer won't do that for you. It will, however, open up space in your brain for you to go out and stare at a tree without worrying about forgetting your to-do list.
Ready to streamline your creative life? Grab your copy of the Desktop Organizer here.
Work With Me!
I help artists and subject matter experts get good at the Internet so that you can do what you love for a living. The best way to start is by booking a free brainstorm with me, where I'll help you sort through your zillion good ideas and figure out a least complicated next step:
Thank you. I'm still very new to writing on Substack but posts like this inspire me to keep writing ❤️