5 email personalities that make me unsubscribe
I love to subscribe to new email lists. If I see a freebie I like or a low-priced offer, I'm in.
And I've noticed a few "email list personalities" that ultimately end up in me hitting the unsubscribe button, even if the freebie or offer was actually something I really enjoyed.
Email Personality #1 - The Ghoster
They deliver the freebie or the course and then… NOTHING. Like, not a single email. No follow-up, no funnel, nothing.
Now the ghoster will inevitably turn into one of the following down the road.
Email Personality #2 - The Apologizer
This email arrives every three months or so and starts off with, "Sorry it's been so long!!" before launching into an update about their lives and business.
The inconsistency + the reminder of that inconsistency together is a death combo.
Email Personality #3 - The Used Car Dealer
Big brands tend to fall into this category. I'm not talking lululemon or Hoka - I subscribe to those ones because I like seeing their products in my inbox.
It's the Amy Porterfields and the like. Big name coaches or influencers that send what feels like daily emails asking me to buy something. Rarely are they sending valuable + interesting content that makes me want to pour myself a cup of coffee so I can sit down and really enjoy the reading experience.
Email Personality #4 - The Fox in Sheep's Clothing
This one is more of a personal pet peeve. A phony bologna story that AI could have totally written, followed by an awkward transition into a sales pitch. Coaches fall into this trap far too often.
Classic stories like:
"The investment I made in myself that resulted in a multi-six figure year" segued into "you should invest in my program to see the same results as me." 🙄
"I was meditating this morning and had the most amazing download" segued into "I've been called to share this as a new offer."
"I was working 80 hours a week and had no boundaries. I was totally burned out until I had a profound realization, and now I work 3 hours a day, take my weekends off, and make more money than ever" segued into "work with me and I'll teach you how to have this kind of freedom too."
This is a tried and true sales email format, but honestly, I'm over it. We can be way more creative and way more honest about selling our offers. They work FINE if there are other emails that provide value mixed in. But when this is the format for every. single. email. — I'm out.
Give me more!!
Email Personality #5 - The Quarterly Pitcher
These emails come out whenever there's something to sell. Launches, Black Friday, etc. As a subscriber, I feel more like a cash cow than a human that's worth building a relationship with.
Yes, email lists are the ABSOLUTE best way to sell your offers, and you should send more emails when you're launching.
But the BEST way to ensure those launch emails get opened and read is by delivering value between your launches with quality content that's WORTH opening.
How to Avoid These Email Marketing Mistakes
If you're currently one of the above personalities… it's totally okay.
I was most definitely the Quarterly Pitcher/Apologizer until I started sending my Sunday Brunch emails 68 weeks ago!
I'm inspired by amazing email marketers who send quality content and remind me that the art of the newsletter is not dead!
Here are a few that land in my inbox consistently…
Hank & John Green - We’re Here
Ann Handley - Literal Annarchy
Sam Pollack - Coffee Break & Tastemaker
Brooke Hofsess - The Second Bite
Heidi Fischbach - The Awarewithall
Katie Steckley - The Creator Letter
Email Newsletter Consistency Tips
The key to consistency is having good systems for planning, writing, and sending your newsletter and then just showing up and doing it!
This tip is one that most of my students use to help them stay consistent: Name the newsletter & number each one you send. Our brains love patterns, & this one tip is one of the lowest lift consistency hacks I've found for sending newsletters.
The other piece is balancing your content so that it's both interesting and VALUABLE. Being on your email list should be like being in your programs but with less access to the really juicy stuff you teach in your programs.
This lays a fantastic foundation for your launches because you've got an audience who loves your work and who will be excited to go deeper with your offers.
Email Marketing Results That Matter
If you're wondering about the payoff for this kind of consistency: My clients who send valuable newsletter content have email open rates between 50-75%, which is way over industry standard. My average open rate is 75%, and my click-through rate is 7.7%.
It's 100% worth spending time + energy on this.
Your email list isn't just a marketing tool. It's a relationship building tool as well, which helps your audience get to know you and trust that your offers WILL help them get the results they're looking for.
