"Yours are the only emails I actually open and read" - a regular reply in my inbox since 2009...and I'll bet in yours, too, once you subscribe and learn by pure, lazy osmosis to become the most compelling writer around. That said, no promises on improving your moral character.
15 minutes
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OK — am I the only one who finishes a speaking engagement – even a workshop on Zoom – feeling like they’ve spent 3 days trekking through the desert with an empty flask and having to drink pee and/or just been wheeled out of surgery? Right after a talk, I half expect someone to wrap me in a mylar rescue blanket and hook me to an IV. I always feel relieved and elated but also incapacitated, barely able to speak until I’ve guzzled several gallons of water, crammed my mouth with CVS popcorn or some other highly processed snack food, and laid on the bed watching at least one episode of Bravo's most mindless show. I know, hard to narrow it down, but on Thursday, Summer House really did the trick. I was just back from speaking at Pia Silva's fabulous No BS Retreat, to the greatest crowd of small-agency owners. Taught them what I know about writing emails people love to open, read, click on, and buy from. I dug into storytelling, making sure to show how your emails don’t have to have a capital-S *Story*, beginning-middle-end full of dialogue and scene-setting (and an explosion followed by a high-speed chase) to be compelling and effective. You can inject just a little bit of story. It could be a single line. (I show examples of “injecting” story in Story Hero, my video training inside Inbox Hero. Click here to get on the Inbox Hero VIP interest list.) Pia bought copies of my book, Tough Titties, for every attendee. Favorite part of the event was signing them, as always. Second favorite was this moment below of everyone there shaking their Titties. ...And that's tied with realizing right in the middle of my talk that two people were viewing it from a hammock above me, suspended from the ceiling. One of them wrote an email story about it and read it aloud when we workshopped emails after my presentation. I gave a few prompts... ...And 15 minutes later, was fully wowed by the stories these people cranked out. (Feel free to swipe the prompts above.) The three or four volunteers who shared their emails had each masterfully tied their stories to a CTA (call to action). If you'd like guidance doing this, you can play along at home with my Story Goldmine Live workshop (a recording). It’s $199 here. Hot writing tip: There's something magical about a time limit. Next time you sit down to write an email, post, or anything else, try giving yourself 15 minutes and see what happens. You can spend time polishing and zhuzhing after, but you might find it's even better than what you can create in 3 hours. (Which is often how long my emails take, if you must know.) OK, days later, I'm still parched, so back to guzzling the H2O. xoLaura PS - A new round of Inbox Hero is coming soon! I’ve been putting together a supplement for ecomm businesses (physical products) and artists. Got any great emails (especially ones you’ve bought from) from either of those types of senders? Shoot ‘em over! If I put one you sent me in Inbox Hero, I’ll give you the course for free (or award you 100% off any Talking Shrimp digital product of your choice) if you already have it. Click here to get on the VIP interest list for Inbox Hero. PPS - Want your own copy of my national bestseller Tough Titties? Grab it here. It's a perfect beach read. Also a great thank-you/ showup gift if you're invited to someone's place for the weekend (and they're not a prude). Be a good houseguest and show up with one of these!
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Thank you for reading and sharing, |
Laura Belgray (Talking Shrimp)
"Yours are the only emails I actually open and read" - a regular reply in my inbox since 2009...and I'll bet in yours, too, once you subscribe and learn by pure, lazy osmosis to become the most compelling writer around. That said, no promises on improving your moral character.
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