Amy Blaschka is a contributor to Forbes.com and a social media ghost writer launched her own email newsletter, Illuminate Me this year. She shares how she got started and why she chose a specific tool for her email newsletter. Plus she talks about the specific workflow she uses to write her newsletter each week.

Key Points From This Episode:
 

• Amy started her email newsletter to have some fun and because she can connect directly and that someone is willingly allowing you into their inbox. 
• It took her a while to start a newsletter because she had seen so many bad newsletters and she wanted to do something that reflected her values and talent.  
• She does not charge for her newsletter because she wants to get to know her audience a little more and to plant the seed to give herself options for the future. 
• Amy chose Sub Stack as a platform because she has the option to convert it to a paid newsletter or to keep it free. 
• She feels like her work with her newsletter, her contributions as a writer for Forbes and social media are all interconnected and she is intentional about creating this connection. 
• Amy sends her newsletter every Sunday morning and she always points people back to her Forbes article and something that will showcase the same theme in a different way. She maps them out a month ahead.
• She believes If anybody is looking to up kind of their level of content, make sure there's one clear takeaway, you know, and that brief is better.
• Amy shares her view on being present on several different platforms.

 Tweetables:

I think what's special about email is there's an intimacy, that you are one-to-one with your audience. So you're sending something that lands directly in their inbox. If somebody signs up for your newsletter, they actually want to hear from you. @AmyBlaschka (01:34)

I feel like you need to establish yourself, your credibility, your competency, your value to somebody before you have any ask of them. @AmyBlaschka (07:27)

I know people that have paid ones and, you know, I think you're going to have a smaller list because you're asking people to fork over money right. For that. But, you know, I think before you can do that, you have to demonstrate your value. @AmyBlaschka (11:43) 

If anybody is looking to up kind of their level of content, I would say, we'll make sure there's one clear takeaway, you know, and that brief is better.  @AmyBlaschka (18:12)

Links Mentioned in this Episode:

Illuminate Me Newlsetter

Amy Blaschka on LinkedIn

Amy Blaschka on Twitter

Amy Blaschka on Instagram

AmyBlaschka.com

Substack

Forbes.com

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John Vuong is a seasoned sales professional and Internet marketer with an exceptional track record helping companies grow their clientele and profits. John is sharing how he developed his perspective on email strategy and his approach as a local, boutique SEO agency owner.

Key Points From This Episode:

• John learned how to engage with his audience from his personal work experience and engaging with thousands of business owners over the course of many years. 
• He feels like his job as a marketer is to educate and inform and then when the client is ready, they'll reach out if it is a good fit. 
• John believes you should give as much as you can, stay authentic and not be pushy.
• Figuring out upfront if you are going to be a good fit for your client is important. This includes understanding the business by asking the right questions and listening. 
• You need to understand what your customers are actually using to communicate with your ideal tribe.
• John stays away from drip email campaigns and uses a vetting process as he proceeds in his relationship with potential clients.
• He believes that people, take a step back, talk to your 10, most loyal, ideal, the best type of clients, and really uncover how they love being communicated with why they chose you. Then, try to attract more of those types of clients. 
• John wants to be there for his client when they are ready and wants them to feel like they are in total control of the process. 

Tweetables:

The more you're out there being consistent, more informative and more genuine, and you're actually adding value. People all see that you want to help. The more you give the more you're going to receive in return.  @JohnVuongCan (04:07)

I know I can help the best. Everyone else, I want to help educate and push them along so that they can further their business to better benefit on whatever software, skill or relationship that they're looking for. @JohnVuongCan (07:17)

You have to understand what your customers actually are using to then communicate with your ideal tribe because not everyone is going to be using that platform.  @JohnVuongCan (10:40)

There's always something new and flashy and people read up on something that will save them so much more time, get way better click-through rates or better prospects, but ultimately it's the quality of leads and the conversion rate if it's working for you, why change it? @JohnVuongCan (14:53)

Links Mentioned in this Episode:

John Vuong on Twitter

John Vuong on LinkedIn

Local SEO Search Inc.

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Lauren Meyer is one of the foremost experts on email deliverability and she breaks down this complex topic so we can understand and then take action on it. Here she is sharing some very practical ways we should think about email deliverability, regardless of the specific size of our email list.

Key Points From This Episode:

• The goal of an email is not just to get someone to sign up, but to consistently send emails that are valuable to them. Ultimately it's in the eyes of the recipient as to what is valued, what's spam, and what smart, not spam.
• Lauren feels like you should look at analytics, but also determine the frame of mind of your audience and what their motivation is to open an email. 
• She feels like you need to come to people with the right attitude, ask the right questions, and be thoughtful. 
• Email deliverability can be an issue for everyone, no matter their list size. It's important to find an ESP that has other good customers and policies in place. 
• The best way to monitor your deliverability is to do so over time. Lauren shares several things that you should be looking at. 
• Lauren suggests looking at what you're changing, what you're doing as well as how your audience tends to react to that as the best way to spot deliverability issues.
• Your job is to really align with the mailbox providers. Make their job easier to say that your messages truly deserve to hit the inbox every time. Because once you've built up that really good sender reputation, it's a lot easier for you to go to the inbox. 

Tweetables:

And so I think people need to realize that the goal of an email is not just to get someone to sign up, but  to consistently send emails that are valuable to them. @LaurenEmailGeek (02:25)

What does the recipient actually think of this mail? Do they like it? Do they want to receive it in the future? Do they want to engage with it or do they just want to get it out of their way and never think about it again?  @LaurenEmailGeek (03:41)

I think that's where it really takes a mix of being able to look at your analytics, being able to kind of step back as well. And just kind of have that emotional intelligence to say, is this an email that I might want to receive? @LaurenEmailGeek (06:11)

Understanding your own program, just really what are your goals with email and, and how can you best serve those by finding an ESP that really fits your needs. And just focusing on what you know, and what you can work on. @LaurenEmailGeek (13:18)

The most damaging reaction that a recipient can have to, your message is to mark it as spam. @LaurenEmailGeek (15:04)

Links Mentioned in this Episode:

Lauren Meyer on Twitter

Lauren Meyer on LinkedIn

Socket Labs

 

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Ryan Jenkins is a professional speaker and generational expert. He has been  keynote speaker for clients such as State Farm, Salesforce.com, and The Home Depot  He shares how he has used email to grow his business and what he's learned about Generation Z and their approach to email.

Key Points From This Episode:

• Email has been the bedrock for Ryan's business and he feels like it is here to stay for a while.
• Ryan doesn't use pop-ups or opt-ins on his website because he hasn't been looking to grow a massive list, because his audience is small, but now that he is publishing his third book, he does wish. that he had a larger list.  
• When speaking at events, he asks for email addresses in a variety of ways and he shares how and what tools he uses.
• Ryan talks about how he serves two different audiences at the same time and what he hopes everyone does who lands on his site.
• Ryan shares the resources he's used to learn about email during his career. 
• Gen Z is now moving into the workplace and you'll be surprised to see how they prefer to communicate. He also digs into some tools that are now being used to interview job candidates.
• It is important to start helping Gen Z to experience connection and how to leverage technology in the best way possible, but also looking for those unique moments to stay connected with one another.

Tweetables:

I'm constantly trying to figure out how do I make this effortless and seamless for the audience and what can I add? What can I give them that's going to be super valuable and just make it as easy for them to engage with as possible?  @TheRyanJenks (09:24)

I don't really differentiate between who it is. I'm trying to drive them towards the, the contact form where I can also flush out some more of the details and I can evaluate if this is a legitimate lead.  @TheRyanJenks (13:05)


72% of generation Z want to communicate via face-to-face at work. And that blows people away. And that's according to our research and other research has it as high as 75%. @TheRyanJenks  (16:54)

We have to keep a very watchful eye on Gen Z and help them right. Start helping them to experience what that is and how to leverage technology in the best way possible, but also looking for those unique moments to stay connected with one another. @TheRyanJenks (25:22)

Links Mentioned in this Episode:

Ryan Jenkins Website

Ryan Jenkins on Twitter

Ryan Jenkins on LinkedIn

Slack

Hubspot

Canvas

Simple Texting

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Franz Sauerstein is a sought-after email marketing strategist for e-commerce brands in Europe. He's learned how to navigate the pitfalls that often come with following best practices. Today he shares how he's experimented with email marketing, then used what he learned to help his clients scale their businesses.

Key Points From This Episode:

• Franz explains that if weren't for email he wouldn't have a business. He cultivated each of his customers from writing them personally. He still uses this practice with brands he really wants to work with. 
• Using segmenting and treating each industry separately has been a powerful tool when Franz works with clients. 
• Business really picked up when he began using a marketing funnel versus only relying on social. People felt like they had gotten to know him through his emails and a working relationship came naturally.
• Franz talks about how one of the challenges he faced was experimenting with everything he learned from the experts at the time and that it could be really difficult to filter out what would really work.
• Bryan and Franz discuss how there is no one size fits all strategy and what works for one market might not work in another. 
• Franz talks about what he's learned from US marketing trends and what can translate over to be used in Germany and what he's learned from the pros in Germany, as well. 

Tweetables:

If I want to work with a brand, I will try several things to get on their radar before getting on a call with them, I will tear down their website, review it, give them feedback and show them what they could do better.  @FranzSauerstein (02:28)

The single best thing I've done to extract the maximum value out of my email list is really to think about what I'm sending them and rethinking it like quarterly. @FranzSauerstein (00:01)

Start with a baseline because, you know, okay, I haven't changed this variable and I haven't changed the rest of the variables. So there must be something I can do to improve this. @FranzSauerstein (12:42)

There's a reason the greatest direct response copywriters worked in the US and figured out how copy works and why we still use those principles and refine them. So it's like, yes, it's different. But it's also the same."  @FranzSauerstein (14:52)

Links Mentioned in this Episode:

Franz Sauerstein on Twitter
Xciting Webdesign
Xing
Brennan Dunn
Drip
Facebook
Tik Tok
Jonathan Stark
Kai Davis
Kai Cuts

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Kim Jimenez is a digital marketing strategist and educator who works with online creators to build their businesses. Today she shares how she has used email to grow her business, even during the COVID-19 pandemic. Here's Kim Jimenez.

Key Points From This Episode:

• Kim discusses her perspective on profitability over popularity and how staying true to the foundations of business is important to her. 
• She discusses how her company leverages search, lead magnets and advertising to build her email list. 
• Kim feels like getting to know her subscribers and adapting to trends has helped her list continue to grow. 
• Once you get to know your subscribers, you can craft your message to them specifically and meet their needs. 
• Kim learned the hard way about making assumptions about what she thought her customers wanted and learning that she needed to steer away from what she would want to what they would want. 
• She believes that 2020 changed the game in so many different ways, but it also made real lasting, sustainable marketing principles that are timeless way more valuable.
• Kim is moving forward with the goal of serving her existing customers even better. 

Tweetables:

I realized that I could kill myself trying to promote a product on social media and growing a huge audience and battling the algorithm and creating content every single day, or I could be more strategic and focus on the foundation of entrepreneurship.. @KimAnnJimenez (2:21)

Adapting right to all the different trends and getting to know our people. Honestly, I think has been one of the things that has kept us consistent and helped us just continually grow. @KimAnnJimenez (9:22)

Through time, you start getting to know who that person is and you can craft your message to attract that kind of person. @KimAnnJimenez (12:46)

We don't want to go down that path again of like putting so much energy and effort into something that A isn't, what people want and B is just not going to be sustainable, profitable, et cetera, for the business.   @KimAnnJimenez (16:57)

I think that 2020 changed the game in so many different ways, but it also made real lasting, sustainable marketing principles that are timeless way more valuable.   @KimAnnJimenez (20:25)

Links Mentioned in this Episode:

Kim Jimenez on Facebook

Kim Jimenez on Youtube

Kim Jimenez on Instagram

Kim Jimenez on Twitter

Kim Jimenez on Pinterest

Kim + Co

Frank Kern

Marie Forleo

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John Meese is a serial entrepreneur, new author and the current dean of PlatformUniversity.com.  He has a wide range of experience with email and he's learned some interesting things along the way, including a few tricks that might help you with your email content.

Key Points From This Episode:

• John discusses how social platforms have not been around as long as email and they don't see the kind of consistent results that email has. 
• Remembering that there is a human on the other side that receives an email allowed John to develop a natural connection that led to his initial success. 
• John admits that when he went from running two anonymous blogs to one under his name, there was a lot of fear that came with that. He pushed through that fear because he knew he genuinely wanted to help people. 
• When writing emails, he tries to write them as if he is having a natural professional conversation with a colleague. 
• John shares what he's learned along the way about both small email lists and large email lists. He believes that email is at the center of every business strategy. 
• Teach It Forward, is an example of an automated newsletter sequence that John created as part of Platform University is some of the best content he believes he's ever written.

Tweetables:

Each person, each email subscriber, each email address on my list was a real person on the other side. And that really helped, I think create just a natural connection that allowed me to get some initial success. Even when I had a really small audience.  (3:20)

There was an element of when I started creating content online of building an email, that's actually seeing subscribers. There was an element of fear that came with that. I'm like, Oh my gosh, what if I misstep? (06:32)

As I stayed focused on the fact that I was talking to real people, as if I was having a conversation with them, then it took a lot of the fear out of it made it more personal. (07:01)

A business at its core is really a collection of products and services that act as real solutions to real problems for real people. (08:54)

You've got to stay connected to the real people on the inside of that email list. And I've seen a lot of people who manage big email lists really forget that. (14:39)

Links Mentioned in this Episode:

John Meese on LinkedIn

Platform University

Survive and Thrive

Teach It Forward Newsletter

Jeff Walker

Wordpress

Michael Hyatt

Platform

Bryan Harris

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Tamsen Webster is a messaging and presentation strategist. Today she shares with us how she infuses her weekly newsletter with the ideas she shares as a communication thought leader. She is an in-demand speaker and strategist who helps brands build big ideas and bring them to life. She also applies the same process to her own weekly newsletter and she shares her workflow with us.
 
Key Points From This Episode:

• Tamsen defines The Red Thread and she shares how she uses it as a method to help people find and build connection. 
• The Red Thread is a way for our brain to come up with a solution for why things make sense together- the story that our brain builds to connect the problem and solution
• This concept can be applied to email because it's about helping people to clarify what they are asking for and to make sure that the people they are asking for it are sure to take it. 
• Tamsen's email workflow involves sketching out a red thread so she knows what the main elements are and then just sitting down to write it out.  She finds that talking it out first helps greatly. 
• She views her newsletter as a way to show that she's doing the work and to help others do the same. 

Tweetables:

The main problem I want to solve is that there is so often a gap between these amazing, amazing ideas and the impact they can have. And so often that gap simply in how they're articulated  @TamaDear (00:26)

The Red Thread is that it's the story that our brain builds to connect the problem and solution. And simultaneously it is also the name of the method I've developed to help people find and build that connection... that story, @TamaDear (02:08)

Ideas aren't found they're built and they're built by the story that kind of happens in the dark. @TamaDear (06:10)

That's how I use the newsletter that's for me is to show that I'm doing the work and help people do their own and to create knowledge and to stay in it and to be constantly doing it and to help other people do the same.   @TamaDear (21:02)


Links Mentioned In This Episode:

Tamsen Webster on Twitter

Tamsen Webster on LinkedIn

The Red Thread Newsletter

Ericsson

TEDx

Chris Anderson

Buffer

Seth Godin

Ann Handley

Warren Buffett

Clubhouse

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Nicholas Vandenberg is the founder of Chili Piper, a tool for turning inbound leads into qualified meetings. Nicholas talks about his experience crafting emails that close the deal.

Key Points From This Episode:

• There are three phases where email is relevant: cold outreach, sales engagement and then when things are not going as fast as the salesperson wants it to.
• Customization is a key strategy for the success of Nicolas's work. 
• Qualification and being relevant and resonating with your customer is important for getting a reaction from a customer. 
• Meeting life cycle automation is critical for success in Nicolas's business and email plays such a large role in this. 
• Nurturing an existing customer base is important and Chili Piper aims to deliver useful information to their clients. 

Tweetables:

 I think in our case, it's about being relevant. So it's something that resonates. If we show the gentleman guy, or lady, what his current solution does and how it could be done better in a very, uh, vivid and real representation. So that's more likely to create a reaction. @nicholasVDB (03:29)

I think every company in every sector of the opportunity to do some extra research, to make sure that their solution is relevant. In effect, it's a step of the process that's called qualification. @nicholasVDB (05:11)

That's what we call the meeting life cycle. And it's on, it's critical, but you want to have the email that facilitates the process or the way to closing. @nicholasVDB (08:04)

Email is still by far the most valuable tool in relationship, especially now that we are all working remotely. @nicholasVDB (12:12)

Links Mentioned In This Episode:

Nicholas Vandenburghe on Twitter

Nicolas Vandenburghe on LinkedIn

Chili Piper

Instant Booker

Slack

Mailchimp

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Elizabeth McCravy is a Nashville-based web designer who is using email to grow her business. She shares some of her key strategies and also and some of the struggles she's encountered as she's built her list and what she did to address them.

Key Points From This Episode:

• Elizabeth began collecting emails long before she began a true email strategy. When she began offering products, this established email list was extremely helpful for her success. 
• She has since developed an email strategy that includes using nurture sequences and funnels that allow new readers to move along in a journey with her over a series of weeks and she doesn't have to write fresh emails each week. 
• Emails feel more personalized for Elizabeth than her podcast or social media channels, because she can actually have a two-way conversation with her readers. 
• Elizabeth uses quizzes, FB ads, freebies, and lots of other lead magnets that involve interaction to build her list. She also hired a rockstar copywriter to help, as well. 
• Writing weekly emails has always been a struggle for Elizabeth, so she doesn't do it and uses her funnels and sequences instead and sprinkles in new, and great stuff along the way.

 
Tweetables:

I have these sequences that people go into and they're kind of on their own journey with the email content and I did that because I got kind of sick of just every single week having to write a brand new email, focusing on making it like as awesome as possible. @lizabethkatlyn (04:28)

Every week when I'm doing this over and over and over again, I was struggling and feelingl like the content was good enough to put in someone's email inbox and bombard them with it every week. So I ended up not doing it. @lizabethkatlyn (15:33)

Doing an evergreen sequence plays that same role like that for me and my business is what just ended up feeling the best. Keeping that going, adding to it consistently when there's a new podcast episode.  @lizabethkatlyn (16:53)

If you don't have anything that you think is valuable or that you want to say, and I feel the same way about emails. We should feel good about it. And that's going to create an amazing relationship with the people on your email list.    @lizabethkatlyn (18:17)

Links Mentioned In This Episode:

Elizabeth McCravy Designs

Elizabeth McCravy on Twitter

Elizabeth McCravy on Instagram

Elizabeth McCravy on LinkedIn

Breakthrough Brand Podcast

Convertkit

Emily Conley at Emily Writes Well 

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