🎧 Listen to the podcast version of this email here.
Last week, I talked about the importance of building your own email list. You can read that again HERE.
Cause when you build everything on borrowed land, it can be taken away in a heartbeat.
Let’s say you’ve reached out to a handful of people. Maybe 10. Maybe 30. Maybe more.
Now what? What do you actually send?
Most people think they need to be the expert.
That they need to have all the answers and say something smart every time they send something out.
You don’t.
You can be the expert, sure, but you can also be the student. And in many cases, the student taking someone along on a learning journey is actually more interesting.
I see a lot of people putting pressure on themselves to have it all figured out. To sound clever all the time. Authoritative even. Probably because of social media.
But your emails don’t need to be perfectly thought-through. Rather, they need to be you.
If not that, you could just ask some AI to provide you with an interesting read on [topic] any time you want.
Boooooooooring.
So, here are some simple ideas to get started:
💌 Ask, don't tell
You don’t always have to send answers. In fact, asking better questions is often more interesting.
Something like, “I’m trying to figure out X and I'm curious how you’re approaching it.”
That alone can start a proper conversation.
💌 Send something either way
There are days where you just don’t have anything polished. That’s fine. Send something anyway.
A simple note works. “Hey, I had no idea what to write today. Completely stuck. Just wanted to say hi. Hope you’re well.”
That works.
People don’t expect perfection. They just want a signal that you’re still there.
💌 Mine your own business
A couple of weeks ago, I shared a newsletter about going back into your own treasure trove of life.
Old decks, emails, frameworks, images, stories… things you’ve already created or experienced.
I'm sure there’s stuff in there that will be genuinely useful for your audience right now.
And the best part is that it’s yours, so you can add the context that makes it relevant for them today.
It doesn’t have to be a full how-to guide. It doesn’t have to be five steps.
One small, useful thing is enough.
I’ve found that sticking to a schedule really helps.
I send mine once a week, and I’ve been doing that for almost a year now. No excuses.
Some weeks are easy. Other weeks it’s Thursday and I’m thinking, what am I even going to send tomorrow?
But that’s kind of the point.
It forces you to sit down and get something out, even when you don’t feel like it.
And not every email is great. Some were rushed, some leaned a bit too much on AI, and some just didn’t land.
But right now, rhythm matters more than perfection.
The more I do this, the better I get. The sharper the ideas become, and the easier it is to recognise what works and what doesn’t.
Most people wait until it’s good.
That’s why they never send anything.
So what do you do with this?
Get cracking. Pick a simple rhythm you can stick to.
Once a week works well, once every two weeks is fine too, but pick a rhythm you can stick to.
Then decide what your next email is. Not the next ten. Just the next one.
It could be a question you’re thinking about, something you learned this week, something you found in your own work, or just a short note to say you’re still here.
That works too.
Block 30 to 60 minutes, write it, send it, and move on.
One good or bad email doesn’t matter much.
Showing up regularly does. Over time, that’s what leads to conversations and leads and business.
Make it a great day.
