how to deliver value without cannibalizing desire

I had a coaching call with a community member earlier this week.

She asked me a great question about delivering value:

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"How do you decide what to hold back vs what to give away in your emails?"

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This one comes up all the time from coaches, experts, and course creators.

And I get it.

Most people struggle with this tug-of-war…

They either give away everything for free and wonder why nobody buys their stuff…

Or they hold back too much and come across as stingy and salesy.

Neither approach works great.

So here’s the simple answer:

It's okay to reveal the 'what' but you should never give away the 'how'.

This creates a clear boundary between free and paid content.

Your emails should always aim to educate and inspire… 

Without giving away the step-by-step implementation.

That they have to pay for.

Now, how does this apply to you?

Well, if you're building a newsletter or email list of any kind…

When you give away the 'how-to' for free… 

You're essentially competing with your own paid offers.

People start expecting your best work for free and won't see the value in paying.

In other words, it blurs the lines between free and paid.

And ultimately, blurred boundaries lead to a dysfunctional relationship.

But when you reveal insights and frameworks without the implementation details…

You create curiosity and desire.

Subscribers learn WHAT to do from your emails.

Buyers learn HOW to do it from your products.

This boundary actually makes your free content more valuable…

Because people know there's deeper learning available.

And the more consistent you are in enforcing this boundary…

The better your emails will convert.

Make sense?

I hope so.

That’s all I got for ya today.

Jim Hamilton

P.S:

Next week, tickets will go on sale for a new live workshop I’m doing called:


“The AI Storyselling Machine”

Inside, I’ll be revealing the simple AI Storyselling system you can use to write profitable daily emails in 15 minutes or less… 

Even if you’re busy with client work and don’t know what to write about.

This includes the exact prompts, workflows, and training materials you need to quickly duplicate it for yourself. 

Plus you’ll see a live demo of the entire process from story idea to finished email.

Candidly, this has been a game-changer for me.

I’ve been using AI to write more and more of my emails over the past few months… especially when I’m traveling, busy with client work, or feeling stuck on what to write about.

Best part is, I’ve done it without sacrificing my authentic voice.

No AI word slop needed.

Anyhow, if you struggle to find time to write good emails and feel like you’ve been neglecting your list…

You won’t want to miss this one.

So stay tuned for more :)