I didn't subscribe to ChatGPT's email list for a reason, Reader.
And that reason is that I do not give a fuck about what ChatGPT has to say about anything.
Don't get me wrong. I love using it to help me ideate and even write shitty first drafts. It's a tool that helps me save time.
But while I can give it all the details about thoughts, ideas, stories, and insights from my real life and ask it to write about those...
One thing it's NOT gonna do is capture my weird ass personality, sense of humor, or all the random shit going through my brain.
And THAT is the stuff that people stick around for. Your personality, as weird as it may be, is why people are drawn to you and want to hear from you instead of just asking ChatGPT.
It's why they sign up for your email list, bb*.
Not because they want to get "3 Tips for Organizing Your Life" or get answers to questions like "What's a trademark?"
It's because they want to hear from and learn from YOU.
They want YOU to explain time management in a way that makes them wanna laugh, cry, and kill someone—all in a 2-min read.
They want YOU to tell them that story about your client who almost lost a bajillion dollars because they didn't have a trademark in the dramatic, funny, oddly specific way only YOU can tell it.
So, if you're using ChatGPT to help write your emails, let's make sure you're not doing it at the expense of your personality. Give the people what they want, and make sure your copy sounds like YOU.
But before we get into the tip & tool of the week, I wanna give a shoutout to a couple of people who did the challenge last week.
Emjae W. set a sexy Google calendar date with her email.
Kim C. sent out a whole-ass email about not letting perfection hold you back from creating.
And Nequosha A. (who is funny as hell and can actually tell you stories about trademarks) stopped in the middle of reading her email to let me know she was ON IT.
Wanna see your name next time? Take the challenge. Then hit reply and tell me about it.
*bb stands for baked beans
Just talk it out.
Wanna sound like yourself? Just talk it out. Literally.
Pretend you're talking about the topic/idea/situation/story with a friend out loud. (Or even better, actually explain it to your partner, cat, or favorite wicker chair.)
Record the conversation as a voice note. Transcribe it. Clean it up. Add any additional context or spice. Then send it.
It's that simple. Skip the overthinking and the meticulous self-editing. Just talk it out and give the people what they want.
Use a free transcription tool.
Need a tool that makes the transcription part easier? Check out oTranscribe. It's a free web app that turns your audio into text for free. Just upload the audio file, and bam! You've got a rough draft ready for tweaking.
Note: A paid tool will likely do a better job and require less cleanup afterward. But if you're not tryna spend right now, then ya gotta do some work.
Shut Up & Send Challenge
Here's your challenge for this week:
Record yourself talking about something you're passionate about for 2-3 minutes. Use oTranscribe to turn that audio into a written draft. Then, clean it up and send it as an email.
Once you've hit send, tell me how it went. I'll give you a little shout-out next week!
Just shut up and send it,
Sarah Jane
P.S. If brand voice is a thing you struggle with and want to explore more, I've got a badass $9 resource that will help you find and define your brand voice. Grab it here!
