The moment you hit "compose" on your newsletter, something weird happens.

You suddenly transform into Corporate Robot 3000 – all buttoned-up, businessy, and completely unrelatable.

But here's what actually works: Write like you're texting your business bestie.

Take Gemma and Caroline from the Breaker Collective.

Their newsletters read like you're sitting across from them at a coffee shop, mascara slightly smudged, spilling all the messy, brilliant details of running a business.

No corporate speak. No fake polish. Just real, human connection.

The result?

People don't just read their emails – they show up to their events and join their coworking space (which isn't even open yet).

They're building a community that's smaller than WeWork but infinitely more connected.

The secret sauce?

They write like actual humans to actual humans.

Your newsletter isn't a press release.

It's a conversation.

So drop the corporate mask and let your personality shine through – messy bits and all.

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The uncomfortable truth about business trust that nobody talks about:

We all think people buy from brands. But here's what actually happens—especially in consulting, coaching, and community-based businesses.

People don't connect with your logo or your company name. They connect with you.

When someone joins your coworking space or hires your services, they're not thinking about your brand values or mission statement.

They're thinking: "Do I trust this person? Do they get me?

Are we on the same wavelength?"

Here's where most business owners typically go wrong: They attempt to deploy trust as a marketing technique.

They craft the perfect messaging, optimise their about page, and strategically share personal stories.

But people can smell that manipulation from miles away.

What actually works? Just being genuinely helpful. Getting on the same frequency as the people you want to serve.

Connecting because you actually care, not because you're trying to convert.

The manipulation might yield a quick win, but an authentic connection fosters the kind of community that endures.

Bottom line: Stop trying to build trust with your brand. Start building relationships with your people.

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The Social Media Follower Illusion: Why Email Is Still King

I saw something that perfectly illustrates why I bang on about email lists so much.

A friend posted on social media today. They've got 4,500 LinkedIn followers—impressive, right? But here's the kicker: only 104 people actually saw their post.

Now, if they'd emailed those same 4,500 people instead, with a typical 25% business open rate, roughly 1,000 people would have seen their message. That's nearly 10 times more reach.

Think about it this way: if someone told you that you had to stand in front of 1,000 people and give a talk, you'd spend ages preparing. You'd know exactly what to say, you'd value every second of that opportunity.

But when it comes to email? Too many people think, "Oh, I'll just chuck something together and hope it works."

Here's the reality: you own your email list. Social media platforms own your audience there. Your carefully cultivated following can disappear overnight if the algorithm changes or the platform decides you're not worth showing.

Social media is still important—it's brilliant for discovery and building relationships. But when it comes to actually reaching people and building a business? Your email list is where the gold is.

Stop chasing vanity metrics. Start building something you actually control.

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Making Your Emails Feel Personal (Even When Sending to Thousands)

One of the biggest challenges with email marketing is making it feel personal when you know you're sending to hundreds of thousands, or even millions, of people at once.

Big companies like Vodafone, 3Mobile, and Apple do this really well - but the secret isn't to copy them. It's to do the opposite.

The key: Sound like YOU, not like a corporate giant.

If you're a maker space in Lewisham, embrace that! Don't try to sound like the Hilton Hotel or 3Mobile. Make specific references to things happening in YOUR space.

Talk about that project someone's working on, the community events you're hosting, the local challenges you're solving.

Write for an informed audience. There's an education process happening with every email you send, but don't dumb things down.

If you write as if you're speaking to people who already get it, they'll meet you where you are.

Here's the reality: If someone sends me surface-level, generic community-building content, I'll scroll past it immediately.

But if it's meaty, specific, and catches my attention? I'm all in.

Your audience is smarter than you think. Respect their intelligence and speak their language.

What's your biggest email personalisation challenge? Let me know in the comments! 👇

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I've had some version of this conversation about 300,000 times in my life, so I thought I'd share it with you.

"Hello, coworking space owner."

"Hello."

"Do you send an email newsletter?"

"We do it every quarter."

"Why do you do it every quarter?"

"Well, because we don't have time. We don't know what to put in it."

"Okay. And so what do you need help with at the moment?"

"Oh, we need to sell more desks. We need to sell more offices. We're really low on revenue."

"So how many people are on your email list?"

"Oh, we've only got about a thousand people."

"So do you think if you emailed those thousand people every week, and say 250 of them actually opened it, you might sell more desks?"

"Well, I don't know. I haven't got time to write an email newsletter."

"What is going on in your coworking space this week?"

"Well, we just had this...

The Foo Fighters came in and played a gig in the basement, and then we had a member hosting a bring-and-share.

Kofi's running an AI workshop.

Sangeeta is running a photography class.

Yeah, that's it.

Then I found this new app I really like."

"Put that in a newsletter and send it to those thousand people and see what happens."

The content is right there. You're already living it.

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So, with this email thing…

You need to keep emailing people.

People will only make a purchase after 15 or 20 emails.

So, you have to send a lot more emails than you think you do.

And it’s not like you can send 20 emails and people will magically buy.

They actually have to open and read those emails.

And for them to open and read your emails, they have to know your email isn’t shit.

If you send the same thing every time, and it’s pretending to be nice to them but really wants them to click the buy button, they’ll catch on.

People email me things, and I keep their emails in my inbox, never opening them as a reminder to read their book, because I don’t want to buy their product.

I know I’m in their sales funnel.

So if people feel like they’re in your sales funnel, they won’t open your email.

It always has to be personal, and it always has to be worth the reader’s time to open it.

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1. Ask 3 people what email tool they use — then pick one.

2. Stop worrying about the perfect platform — just get started.

3. Keep your first email super simple — share something happening.

4. Learn to write by writing — you'll get better every time.

5. Expect to improve — you'll be lost in January and thriving by December.

Something I get a lot when I’m ranting about email is:

“I don’t know where to start.”

“I don’t know what app to use.”

Somewhere near you, there’s some email newsletter machine.

We won't delve into which app to use; that’s an endless conversation.

Just ask three people near you,

“What email app do you use?”

Pick one. Start.

The other thing people say is, “I don’t know how to write.”

And the truth is, you will learn how to write as you go.

If you sit down and have to organise something — a few events, some people, some links — you’ll figure it out.

And in that process, you’ll teach yourself how to write.

To begin with, you only need to write:

“We’re having this thing. Click here to join.”

Right now — as you read this — we’re doing exactly that.

Simple. Clear. Useful.

And as you get more confident — and I promise, you will — you’ll start adding more.

More voice. More story. More you.

In January, you’ll be fumbling through.

By December, you’ll be killing it.

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Before you launch anything — start an email newsletter.

Before you open a coworking space.

Before you build your dry-cleaning app.

Before you spend months perfecting the brand.

Start a simple, human newsletter.

Why?

Because it tells you who actually cares.

I’ve met so many people who built something great…

…and then nobody came.

No feedback.

No early interest.

No energy in the room.

One space we work with in Wigan built a simple list:

“Would you like to hear when we open?”

They now have 300 people ready to go.

Which means they’re not writing into the void —

They’re writing to Jack, Caroline, and Sangeeta.

Real people. Real replies.

Early emails = early feedback = early confidence.

It’s not hype.

It’s trust-building.

📩 Start the newsletter before you build the thing.

It changes everything.

#coworking 

#communityisthekey

#coworkinglondon

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Why Email Newsletters Are More Valuable Than You Think

Everyone chases the algorithm here on LinkedIn.

But email compounds in real life.

Think: Dunbar’s Number + 1000 True Fans.

Got 50 seats in your coworking space?

You don’t need everyone. You need a core 1000.

25% open rate = 250 people reading you every single week.

Imagine giving a talk to 250 people every week.

Or even half of that - if you had 75 people listening to you intently every week, you'd do the work!

You’d show up, prep, and take it seriously.

📬 Writing a newsletter sharpens your thinking.

Not fluff. Not filler. Real clarity.

The best Coworking Community Builders I know?

They write. They reflect. They ship.

Email builds trust. Clarity. Community.

hashtag#coworking

hashtag#communityisthekey

hashtag#coworkinglondon

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If that sounds like your room, we'll meet today RSVP here - https://lu.ma/lj7k6baw

Today's Unreasonable Connection is not a networking event.

It’s a space for people who are tired of small talk.

And surface-level hype.

There’s a lot of joy, pain, and social and emotional labour that goes into being a coworking community builder.

Whether you own a coworking space or you run a community inside one, you’re often doing a very human job in a system that doesn't always value that.

So we host an hour-long, small-group space.

No hype.

No sponsors.

No panels.

No ads.

Just real conversation.

Facilitated, intentional, and useful.

We talk about:

– What’s going well

– What isn’t

– What software to use

– Which email tools work

– Whether to put cupcakes or organic croissants on the breakfast table

It’s unpolished, unscripted, and full of the real stuff.

If that sounds like your room, we meet today - link in the comments!

#coworking

#communityisthekey

#coworkinglondon

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