[Day 7] 💡Write a Hook That's Stickier Than a Jam Packet
How to Use a Newsletter to Change Careers, Rebrand Yourself & Strut Into an All-New Industry With *Swagger*
Hi! Welcome to Day 7 of our brand-new career training series, “How to Use a Newsletter to Change Careers, Rebrand Yourself & Strut Into an All-New Industry With *Swagger*”—muahahahahaha.
-Ash
Table of Contents
Day One: What’s Your Newsletter’s Job?
Day Two: What’s Your Newsletter’s Big Idea?
Day Three: Is My Newsletter Idea Any Good???
Day Four: Which Newsletter Software Do I Use?
Day Five: What (The Hell) Should I Write About in My Newsletter?
Day Six: How Do I Make My Newsletter Fascinating, Sticky, Memorable & Sellable?
Day Seven: Write a Hook That’s Stickier Than a Jam Packet
Day Eight: Own Your Voice & Dare to Take Up Space
Day Seven: Write a Hook That’s Stickier Than a Jam Packet
Writing a damn good hook sucks. 🪝
Summing up your work into one sentence that feels…fucking revelational?…is hard. (This is why people who write taglines can charge one trillion dollars, because they aren’t writing a tagline, they’re defining the company.)
Think about that for a weird hot minute:
This one sentence is going to define your work.
Disgusting, right? I know. It’s terrible. The pressure is real.
The good news? Giving your email these days is becoming the new follow: “I want to hear what this person has to say.” (And, of course, we all know email is 700,000% more effective than any social media platform ever thought of being.)
The bad news? People are picky wads.
This means two things: (1) because people are picky wads, we need to make it EXTREMELY OBVIOUS that your newsletter is for them (read: hyper-clear niche is still queen, sorry multipassionates); and (2) If you do that well, anyone who identifies with being a lover of that thing, or a needer of that thing, is going to subscribe.
Because we humans are obsessive about our identities. We do the things that reinforce our internal narrative about who we are.
As Seth says, “People like us, do things like this.”
Here’s an excerpt from his work around this, though I highly recommend you take 2 minutes to read the whole thing.
Have you eaten crickets? Never mind the crunchy insect-shaped kind, but even cricket four? In many parts of the world, crickets are a fne source of protein. What about beef ? Even though this is one of the most easily addressed causes of global warming, even though beef is a truly inefcient way to feed the world, it’s safe to say that most people reading this have had beef for lunch or dinner sometime in the last week. If it’s not genetic, if we’re not born with a specific feeling about crickets or beef, if there are no clear cut rational reasons to eat one or the other, why do crickets make us squirm while cows make us hungry? Because people like us eat things like this.
What does this mean for you? 🧐
It means that the more clearly you can define who you are, the easier someone else can decide if they are like you (or not).
This makes getting subscribers a WHOLE lot easier.
In reality, this is a broad idea that applies to branding as a whole: it’s why it matters which colors you choose, which logo you create, what you name your thing, and the language you use when you describe it.
Is it irreverent? Is it bold? Is it full of personality? People like us.
Is it smart? Is it refined? Is it classy? People like us.
And, this applies to your newsletter opt-in, too: what you say about your newsletter will determine how many people subscribe to your newsletter (and which kinds of people). That last part is important: which kinds of people. You don’t want a bunch of broke hippies on your email list if your dream is to sell high-end retreats. :)
What you say matters.
How To Articulate Your Big Idea Into One Big, Buzzy Sentence
Haha, “buzzy sentence” makes me laugh. For some reason I’m picturing a bumble bee drunk on gin. 🐝
ANYWAY—I have a fun, quirk & dirty process that will help you articulate your big idea into one white-hot sentence, and do it in a way that gives your idea some mega wow wattage.
That’s a thing.
Mega wow wattage.
And, all you need to get some?
Is take your idea through the following 12-step process I developed, that’ll give you instant clarity and help you (finally!) articulate that thing you’ve been trying to articulate (but haven’t been able to, and it’s making you procrastinate EVERYTHING).
💥 💥 💥 Upgrade now to the (new!) Founding Member status to instantly unlock this lesson and the others, plus get access to ALL “Learn With Ash” advanced email courses this year—a minimum of four (4) in-depth, 2-week email trainings per year—including this one happening right now: “How to Use a Newsletter to Change Careers, Rebrand Yourself & Strut Into an All-New Industry With *Swagger*” ⬇️ 💥💥💥