Welcome to my new weekly newsletter —
Shut Up & Send.
It's for all the beautiful people who spend a lot of time thinking about writing the perfect email and zero time actually writing and sending... well, anything really.
For the people who ghost their list like a bad Tinder date and show up a couple of times a year with the email marketing equivalent of "U up?" (But who wants to be a better boyfriend emailer.)
For the people who overthink everything and wanna get better at shutting the fuck up and sending the damn email.
I'll be sending this email-marketing-flavored newsletter on Tuesdays and Rich Bitch Copy Club (focused on sales messaging and copy) on Thursdays.
If you don't want to see my ugly mug in your inbox twice a week or don't give a shit about email marketing, you can update your preferences here: Preferences
This weekly newsletter is gonna give you:
- A quick kick in the pants—A little reality check about what it takes to do email marketing right. No shaming or blaming. Just acknowledging reality so we can move on to the...
- Actionable tip—One very specific, actionable tip you can implement immediately in your current reality. (Not when you're more organized/productive or have more subscribers, etc.)
- Tool or template—a time-saving tool or template you can use to make it even easier to implement that very specific actionable tip I was talking about.
- Shut Up & Send Challenge—A no-excuses challenge that gets you implementing the tip with the tool/template within the week. (Show me the proof you did it, and get a shoutout in the next issue.)
So let's get started with today's kick in the pants —
Waiting for the perfect time to write the perfect email? You know that time when you have nothing else on your plate and 5 hours free to write the best-performing email you've ever written?
Well, it doesn't exist.
But you know what does? That cold, sad list of people who invited you into their inbox and never heard from you again.
Showing up ugly beats not showing up at all. Every. Damn. Time.
And you know what? The more you show up, the less you'll care about writing the perfect email. (And the more your audience will care about you!)
Stop hiding behind "the perfect email" and work on building a habit. Because let's get real—If you can find time to watch every episode of The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives, then you can find the time to write an ugly email and send it.
Set a 20-minute date with Google Docs.
You don't have to have a huge block of free time to write and send an email to your list. All you need is 20 minutes.
Find a 20-minute slot during the week where you can write and send your email. This doesn't have to be the same time each week. Just commit to putting one 20-minute slot on your schedule for writing emails.
Then, physically add it to your calendar and mark yourself as busy.
And treat this time like a sacred ritual. More sacred than a client meeting or going to the gym. (Think brushing your teeth or eating a meal sacred.)
Blocking out a minimal amount of time to focus on email helps you make the task more manageable. Putting it in your calendar helps you stay committed to doing it.
And limiting yourself to just 20 minutes helps you push past perfectionism and get the damn email done.
Need more than 20 minutes? Worry about that after you've actually done the first 20-minute session. (Baby steps.)
Make it official.
Want to make that 20 minutes feel official? Use this timer. It's free, simple, and so boring that it will not distract you from the task at hand.
All you have to do is click the link, and then click the play button. And your 20 minutes starts!
Shut Up & Send Challenge
Your challenge this week is to put that 20-minute writing session on your calendar right now. No seriously. Do it right now. Screenshot it and send it to me.
Just shut up and send it,
Sarah Jane
