email story selection

Spoiler alert:

Inboxes are more crowded than ever.

So when it comes to selecting the right stories to tell in your emails…

You’ve gotta be ruthless.

Case in point:

One of the most common mistakes I see coaches, experts & course creators making with their story-driven emails is…

Using too many indirect stories.

This is a concept I explain in my book…

But I feel it’s worth recapping here.

Here’s what I mean:

A direct story relates directly (duh!) to the topic of your newsletter…

Which in my case could be writing, email marketing, paid ads, etc.

It’s in the center of the bullseye not only in terms of my audience’s interests…

But more importantly:

The reason they’re listening to me.

Whereas an indirect story is about an unrelated topic that serves as an analogy or metaphor…

Which in my case could be health, fitness, or sports.

Now, a well-executed indirect story can still entertain and sell well…

And these are often MORE effective for showcasing your personality…

Yet if too many of your stories are about other topics outside that bullseye…

People are gonna tune you out.

Does that make sense?

I hope so.

Luckily, I’ve got a simple rule of thumb to help you strike the right balance.

It’s this:

Aim for 70% direct stories and 30% indirect stories.

This guarantees most of your stories are highly relevant to your audience from the start…

And put you in prime position to get (and keep) their attention in the inbox.

That’s all I got for ya today, though :)

Jim Hamilton

P.S:

Next week, I’m launching the Newsletter Freedom community.

Inside, I’ll be helping an elite group of coaches, experts & course creators to install the 3-step system I’ve used to build a profitable daily newsletter in less than 10 hours a week.

I may be a bit biased…

But I’ve put together a pretty killer offer for founding members 😜

And best part is… 

If you act fast enough, you’ll be able to claim a spot for less than $100 per month.

Want first crack at claiming the fast action bonuses I’ve put together?

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This will give you a chance to sign up before the rest of the list.