You are receiving this newsletter because you are already on our email list, having requested a copy of one of our resources. If, for any reason, you don't want to get this free email newsletter, reply with the words “opt out.”

Every issue of this newsletter gives you the exact systems, strategies, and principles I’ve used to generate 8 figures (almost entirely) with email marketing. So you can build your own systems that will carry you through the next algorithm change or recession. This is what actually works.

When I see someone struggling with email marketing, the problem is almost always the same.

They treat their email list like a porcelain vase sitting in a china shop.

Every time they sit down to write, they hesitate. They worry about annoying subscribers, sounding pushy, or being labeled “salesy.” So they play it safe and send an email once a week, maybe twice if they’re feeling confident.

And when they do send something, it’s usually pure “content.” Tips, advice, observations—anything that allows them to avoid selling something.

It sounds responsible.

It also explains why so many email lists never make money.

What most people misunderstand is the relationship between the writer and the reader. The moment someone opens your email, an unspoken agreement already exists between the two of you. They give you a few moments of their attention, and in return, they expect to walk away with something worthwhile.

That “something” can take many forms. Sometimes it’s useful information. Sometimes it’s a perspective they hadn’t considered before. Sometimes it’s simply a story that makes them smile or nod in agreement.

As long as I keep my side of that agreement, email works exactly the way it’s supposed to.

Everything else becomes much easier.

Years ago, I came across a rule that explains this better than most marketing advice I’ve heard. Interestingly enough, it didn’t come from the marketing world at all. It came from a guy named Ross Jeffries, who taught seminars on dating and relationships.

His number one rule was simple.

Always leave them better than you found them.

In his world, that meant every interaction should improve someone’s mood, experience, or perspective. If someone spent time with you, they should walk away feeling that the interaction was worthwhile.

The same idea applies perfectly to email.

Every email I send should leave the reader better than I found them.

Quick side note before we continue…

Your favorite celebrities didn’t pick email by accident.

Arnold Schwarzenegger has all the fame and fortune in the world, yet he chose to launch a daily email newsletter. Matthew McConaughey writes one every Friday. Oprah runs nine separate email lists.

When Louis C.K.’s career imploded, one email to 45,000 subscribers made $1,000,000 in 12 days and helped him sell out tours and hit the New York Times best-seller list.

Email quietly powers everything from $997 courses to seven-figure launches and concert tickets. In The Second Act, I show you how to build your own list using the Greenhouse Method.

Grab it for $9.99 with coupon code SHIP4FREE.

Now, back to the point…

Once I started looking at email this way, my approach changed immediately. Instead of trying to manufacture endless “value emails,” I began focusing on something much more natural: infotainment.

Information mixed with entertainment.

Stories, observations, frustrations, experiences—things I would naturally talk about if we were sitting across from each other having coffee.

Then I connect the story to an offer.

One of the first times this approach really worked for me happened while I was promoting a ClickBank product called Deadbeat Millionaire. Instead of writing a standard promotional email, I wrote about something that had been bothering me at the time—lower back pain.

I had been spending fourteen to sixteen hours a day at my computer trying to figure out how online business actually worked, and sitting that long every day was starting to catch up with me.

So I told that story.

Then I explained that if I were starting over again, I’d probably look for a shortcut instead of grinding through the same painful learning curve. That naturally led into the course I was recommending.

The email went out to a list of about 2,700 people who had never bought anything from me before.

Sixteen sales came in.

That moment clarified something important for me. The response had very little to do with the promotion itself. People reacted to the story. The story created a connection, the lesson gave the email meaning, and the offer simply became the logical next step.

Once you understand this dynamic, pitching stops feeling awkward.

By the time someone reaches the offer, the email has already delivered its value. They enjoyed the story, agreed with the lesson, or simply appreciated the few minutes they spent reading something engaging. Whether they buy becomes a separate decision rather than a test of whether the email was worthwhile.

Where many marketers get stuck is the mindset they bring into the process. They approach email as if they are interrupting someone’s day, imagining themselves as an unwelcome distraction in the inbox.

That mindset creates hesitation, and hesitation kills momentum.

Email isn’t an interruption. It’s a communication channel that the reader controls completely. They can open the message, ignore it, delete it, or unsubscribe whenever they want.

My responsibility is straightforward: write emails people enjoy reading.

When I do that consistently, something interesting begins to happen. Readers start opening my emails out of curiosity rather than obligation. They want to see what I’ll say next.

And when that curiosity exists, selling becomes the easiest part of the entire process.

Because by the time someone reaches the offer, the important work is already done.

I kept the agreement.

I gave them something worth reading.

I left them better than I found them.

And the result is simple: people don’t feel like they’re being sold to.

They feel like they’re hearing from someone worth listening to.

That’s the real secret behind emails that feel personal—even when you pitch every time.

P.S. If you enjoy these ideas, you’ll love the deeper conversations we have on the List Building Lifestyle podcast.