Ash Talks Sexy About Email Opt-Ins—And Exactly What Yours Should Say

I’ve been thinking a lot about emails opt-ins. (Because clearly this is how I fill my time.)

I’ve been thinking more than ever about what they need to say in order to get a perfect stranger to GIVE YOU THEIR EMAIL ADDRESS, which is the modern-day equivalent of holy water. Digital holy water, if you will. (“Digital Holy Water” totally needs to be someone’s brand.)

For about 900 years now, I’ve been preaching that you can’t just tell someone to “opt in to your newsletter,” or “get goodies,” or—perhaps the worst offender—“sign up for updates.” Telling someone to sign up for “updates” is strangely pompous, I’ve decided, because it assumes that you are just so wonderful and so fascinating and so amaaaaaaaazing, that I would be desperate for your bird droppings of an update. I only want updates from Ryan Reynolds, because I am already obsessed with Ryan Reynolds. But for businesses and humans that are complete strangers, that you’ve just now come upon by happenstance on the internet, that may or may not be someone you’d ever want to talk to, listen to, or hear from, telling me to sign up for your updates is a touuuuugh sell. This only (barely) works when you’re Oprah—or someone who is arriving to your website on purpose with the express intent of signing up for updates. (Then again, when’s the last time you did that?)

For the rest of us, heathens that we are, we have to work to be a little more compelling.

Two things matter:

1. Is your work focused enough?
2. Are you offering a concrete and tangible benefit?

The first—is your work focused enough?—is about being clear enough so that you are searchable and yes-able. If you think about what people are searching for online—which is how this whole operation works, by the way—it’s not going to be “step into my authentic self” or “get empowered” or “think differently” or “change the world.” These concepts are all wayyyyyy too intangible to be searchable. Which means that, if you lead with copy like this, copy that’s biiiiig and idealistic and squishy and intangible, (a) you’re going to have a hard time ever getting found or noticed, because no one is actively looking for this, and (b) the few people who do make their way to your website, landing page, opt-in page, or even your damn Instagram are gonna be like, “huh.” It’s too broad to connect. It’s too pie-in-the-sky. A person would have to sit down and comb through your content to discover that, oh yes, they rather like you and maybe then they’ll sign up for whatever the hell you’re talking about, buuuut, unfortunately that never happens: you should never assume that people have seen ANYTHING you have said, done, posted, written, photographed, giggled about on a podcast.

So focusing your work is about being ultra pointed about what you specialize in and what kind of problem it solves. I’ve found that’s always the best place to start when you’re confused about this: what is the problem I want my work to solve? Sure, there can be many, but it would behoove you to pick one and own it. That’s how word of mouth happens: you’ve got to be focused enough that other people can clearly see what problem your work solves so then they can talk about it with other people. Otherwise, there’s no compelling angle; no reason to mention much of anything at all. But furthermore, when we think about how people use the internet, it’s really a tool we use for problem solving (even if that problem is boredom). So work backward and think: what problem am I solving? And how can I position myself as THE FUCKING MASTER of solving this problem? This requires you to get focus. But the end result is that, when people do show up to your website, your landing page, whatever—they can instantly see that this is something they need. They don’t have to do a bunch of work to figure it out (which, again, no one’s going to do anyway); the business owner has taken the time and care to help them see the value of their work without thinking twice. So, that’s the first step for opt-ins to happen.

The second step, once someone is there and going, “This! Excellent!” is then to make them an offer. That’s your opt-in. And if you think of it as an offer, it gets easier to know what to write. Imagine that a person’s email address was worth $100. You would need to give them something in exchange, right? They aren’t going to give you $100 for “random updates from a stranger.” You would need to give them an actual product in exchange. This is where opt-in design comes into play: oftentimes when you’re writing your opt-in, you realize that you actually need to make a better offer…otherwise it doesn’t work. Otherwise you’re stuck with non-compelling copy that says some stupid shit like “Sign up for shenanigans.” So, the second step here is analyzing what tangible and concrete benefit you are actually offering someone in exchange for $100 (AKA their email address).

This brings me to compelling offers as a whole. What makes a compelling offer? I’ll tell you one of the keys: specifics. The more specific you can be about what someone is getting, the more compelling an offer is. Which one do gives you more conviction in a product?

“Monthly calls with Jane”

versus

“Two-hour hot seat sessions every other Friday at 3pm Eastern.”

Similarly, which one produces more interest?

“Write your book.”

versus

“Draft your first novel in 30 days—The N Method makes it easy!”

The second one feels compelling enough for a stranger to read the next line, which is always the goal of any sentence on your website. The first one, though, lacks any level of specificity to generate any real curiosity.

You should always be as specific as possible when selling anything. Vague = no sale. And man, in my days of copywriting, I’ve seen A LOT of sales pages full of vague and blurry details, creating a lack of trust and interest.

Soooo, the same thing applies to your opt-in. :) Is there a tangible and concrete benefit you’re offering? And if there isn’t, can you engineer one?

I think you’ll find this is a REALLY useful business exercise overall, because guessss whattttt? Once you do this? You’ll also suddenly realize, “Omg, this is my angle! I could totally pitch a podcast with this.” That’s a litmus test I like to use: is the opt-in good enough that it could be something you could pitch? Would anyone want to cover it?

“Sign up to our newsletter for updates!” <—Not newsworthy.

versus

“Learn how to play Jay-Z on the cello in just 7 days.” <—Whatttt? What is thissss? This is an interesting angle: a musician who teaches how to play your favorite rap songs on classical instruments? Now you’ve got something of interest.

You can see how this one simple exercise can not only help you find a compelling opt-in, but find a compelling marketing angle overall.

I’ve been recently going through this exercise myself for the various online businesses I’m running and launching.

Let’s break it down:

• You’ve got a headline that makes a concrete, tangible promise.
• A benefit that comes right below it: “Stop writing like a robot and start writing more fun, fresh, effervescent content people will clamor to read.”
• And specifics about what the newsletter actually contains: “Every morning you’ll get 5 examples of businesses doing it right.”
• Sandwiched with another benefit: “To give you a constant supply of fresh ideas.”

So the question is: could I pitch this opt-in to a journalist? And I think the answer is yes: that the idea of “write more creatively in 1 minute a day” is tangible enough, and curious enough, to make it so.

However, one of the things I’ve also landed on more clearly with Meat & Hair is the positioning: this needs to be targeted at businesses and marketers and content writers writing content. Not poetry, not fiction, not more creative love letters. Content. That’s because it needed a clearer focus, like we talked about above. However, I didn’t know that when I started: I just knew that I wanted to create this thing. It was only through the past few months of working on it each day, and creating a paid class around it, that I really recognized that the biggest benefit of this product is for folks writing content online who need to do it better, or be ignored. Which is all to say: do not worry if you don’t have all the answers yet! You will get them! They will come! This is always how it works: everything is a work in progress. Everything requires iteration, and fine tuning, and gentle pivoting, until you finally land on a successful angle. (I hope this is helpful that I’m showing you this happening real-time, too, to demonstrate just how true this is. Even people doing this for years and years need to wiggle around a bit to find their happy place.)

In the meantime, I’m also re-working the main opt-in at TMF, as I’ve decided to—get this—do a daily newsletter for that brand, too.

I KNOW, I’M A LUNATIC! But, but, but, but, but…I really, really love it. Doing the daily newsletter for Meat & Hair has made me realize how much I enjoy that structure, and how much having the daily newsletter, with its structured format, has made it easier for me to produce, not harder. You’d think it would be harder to keep up with (and sometimes, yes, it’s hard if I haven’t planned properly), but actually the opposite has been true for me: having this very defined format has given me freedom. Instead of the pressure to write one big essay that’s amaaaazing all the time (and what am I writing about etc. etc. etc.), the shorter, more bite-sized format has let me contribute more easily, more freely, without that pressure. AND it’s quite effective for connecting with an audience and really building something meaningful! It gives you momentum; lets people see you; helps you make a big stink out of your message. I’m loving the daily format, in fact. So…I’d like to explore it with The Middle Finger Project, too.

The trouble with The Middle Finger Project is that the message has gotten muddled over the years, because it’s changed shape over the years with me as I’ve changed shape. And without a clear message, you can’t do jack spit. So I had to do quite a bit of thinking to carefully consider what TMF is in present day, and where I would like it to go in the future.

Recently, my neighbor sent me an email introducing me to his daughter, who’s a twenty-something aspiring life coach. In the email, he said the words: “She wants to be a digital nomad, and I know that’s your jam.” And I thought to myself: damn straight that's my jam. And then I thought about how The Middle Finger Project had started off that way, and how it had veered from the clarity of that message. (Because business was so often the means to that end.) But then I thought about how much I’d like to get TMF back to its roots; how much I’d adore a column that let me talk about unconventional living, work, and travel. And then I thought: there it is. That’s it. Those are the three categories for the new daily newsletter. Because as you’ve heard me preeaaachhhh: you can create any job you damn well want. And I’m the queen of doing just that. So why wouldn’t I take TMF in the direction I want to?

What’s Good:

• It’s more clear that TMF is targeting the digital nomad crowd.
• I deliberately put the words “work remotely” in there, because I think I can leverage this into newsworthiness right now, during the pandemic, when working remotely is a big thing…and lots of people are considering their options for where they want to live (options they’ve never had before)
• It’s differentiated through the brand voice that this is not your crunchy, spiritual, soft, ohm-ing yoga crowd
• I’ve got some specifics going there, i.e. Every weekday morning at 8am ET, you’ll get 3 ideas to help you make big moves and big money.
• And I’ve included some supporting copy below that offers some social proof and continues to give context with the language “ditch the crock pot & go on an adventure.” I got this from a book review someone left, where she was talking all about how the book helped her see life through my eyes, i.e. as one big adventure.

Need to Improve

• “3 ideas to help you make big moves and big money” is specific, but not specific enough.
• The angle needs to be sharper. Right now, “Quit your job. Work remotely. Travel the world. Find your f*cking self” is great because it does quickly help you understand what the site is about. But, it doesn’t differentiate itself from the many other digital nomading / work remotely / find your passion sites, with the exception of the brand voice.

When you run into that last problem, it’s because you aren’t clear enough on WHAT PROBLEM the business SOLVES. And that would be accurate: as I’m going through this transition with TMF, I have some new questions to answer! Including: what’s the problem I'm solving now? What's the product I'm solving it with? What’s the new business model? It can’t just be for me to wank off online, unless I plan on making affiliate marketing and advertising the business model. For me, those are revenue streams, yes, but I always, always, always believe in owning your own intellectual property and creating your own digital products that you can sell.

For now, I need to consider what the end product game of TMF is, and then reverse engineer some messaging in alignment. That’ll help me get my opt-in copy on point. BUT FOR NOW, this copy is what I’m going to do, because, once again, this is the point of today’s chat: you don’t have to have it all figured out right now! Launch anyway. Start now anyway. Edit and refine and iterate as you go. Do not wait until you have it all perfect, because I swear to you, one day you’ll think you’ve finally! figured! it! all! out!…and then the next day you look at it and you’re like, WTF was I thinking?

It’s all part of the process. It’s all part of THIS THING we’re doing. You don’t just expect to know how to DIY your own kitchen without watching one million You Tube tutorials and then trying something out only to realize you completely did that one step wrong…only to have to go back and start all over again before you can get it RIGHT. And the same thing goes for DIYing your own dream job: you’re going to have to dive in and get your hands dirty, because it’s the only way you can actually make progress. You can’t think your way through this; you must trial and error.

Trial and error is LIFE.

And trial and error is business, too.

So, off we go! Sampling, tweaking, arranging, deciding, changing, altering, editing, re-editing…and molding not only a website, but a name, a reputation, a career.

One darling pixel at a time.

Have a FANTASTIC weekend!

Ash