I don’t know how I got on this email list, but I can’t look away. It’s atrocious in every way. All images. It’s a train wreck.
I can’t unsubscribe from this nightmare.
Category: Email
THIS WEEK IN BURGER WORLD
I see a lot of bad marketing emails from Square, but the marketing emails I get from Bad Luck Burger Club are fucking great.
It’s bold. It’s bright. The logo screams in your face. Love that.
The copy-writing matches their brand so well, too:
✅ The Intergalactic Rolling Church of the Burg (aka our food truck)
✅ Also, when you park at the market, don’t park in the dang bike lane!
✅ Party on, Burger out.
Most marketing emails are just square blocks of things for sale, but Bad Luck gets away with it because the top half was written by people – you can’t get an intern or AI to write that well.
Like, there’s a difference between greeting your customer with a hearty “hello, how ya doing today?!” and “so how many burgers ya want?”
I’ve eaten several of their burgers, all in one week at Furnce Fest in 2023, and they’re fucking amazing.
I AM THE LEAD MAGNET
Over on Substack Notes, Sarah Styf asked about using a lead magnet, to which I replied with this meme because I am a very serious email marketing thought leader.
Do what you want with your thing, of course, but seriously, for Social Media Escape Club, I am the lead magnet.
SHOW DON’T TELL
I’d imagine one reason people don’t sign up for email newsletters is because if they can’t see your email newsletter, they’re going to assume it looks like all the other shit newsletters out there, so why sign up?
This is why something like Substack works so well. It’s literally the secret sauce. You see what you’re going to get before you sign up.
Not so with Mailchimp or the countless other shit newsletters we sign up for from artists we like.
We blindly sign up and get tossed a product catalog every few weeks.
Meanwhile, the same artist shovels 19 posts a week up on social media, filled with jokes, rants, photos, and stories.
Email subscribers are only worth sales, apparently.
MORE AIN’T ALWAYS THE ANSWER
Straight up, this post ‘How “Building An Audience” Is Different From “Finding Clients”—And Why It Matters‘ has haunted me since I read it.
Its conventional wisdom of more fans, more readers; more subscribers are somehow the answer to every problem.
This makes sense of course for someone who does podcast editing (like the author of this post); sure, reach out to your network, and find paying clients. Word of mouth. The power of your reputation.
BUT… what about the artist who posts about their new work on Instagram and only reaches 12% of their followers?
This is why social media pushes more – because 12% of more is at least better, right?
Whereas, if you could simply email and reach 100% of your fans, and former customers, with a message about your new offering, you could earn a living, or at least pay your phone bill.
I’ve been thinking of making videos for social media, and starting a YouTube channel. These two things are sort of expected, right? If you’re seeking to make an impact, more people seeing the thing can’t hurt.
But what about the almost 700 email subscribers I have already?
If I make a great video for them, and it’s so good they tell three other people, then I’ve done my job. If it’s a dud and no one watches it, then I’ve learned something new.
But to take the time to build a whole new YouTube channel from scratch?
Why don’t I hone my message, my style, my technique with nearly 700 who’ve already bought into what I’m talking about?
FIVE EMAILS YOU CAN SEND TO YOUR FANS
This is my first big foray into a “service” for my HEAVY METAL EMAIL work, so let’s see how this goes.
This package ‘FIVE EMAILS YOU CAN SEND TO YOUR FANS‘ includes a Google doc of customized ideas and suggestions based around your creative project, and a personalized video from me explaining some of the ideas I present in the doc.
It’s FREE through the month of May, so get on it if you want it, cuz after that it’s $300, which will include an actual video / phone call to go with it.
Will this be a raging success for me? Can I quit my 800 freelance jobs and become a digital nomad? Probably not, but I’m gonna learn from this, and figure it out.
LET PEOPLE DO TIKTOK
This year TikTok got more traffic than all of Google, which includes Gmail, Maps, search, and about a million other things.
It’s a trap. Just like every social media platform that came before.
It’s a new gold rush, right? You have to get a TikTok account, they say.
But what about writers? Or poets? Teachers?
There was a time when TV production involved dozens of people, a studio space, and tens of thousands of dollars of equipment.
Now we have 4K cameras in our pockets and we’re expected to shovel video content into a new social media platform everyday.
When, in fact, I’d say 99% of of still haven’t managed to optimize our websites or social channels to sell something, get hired, or build trust.
But yeah, let’s all sign up for TikTok.
Just because your audience heads to TikTok doesn’t mean you need to meet them there! People are allowed to leave your shop, set down your book, listen to other bands.
Focus on who is in front of you. And get their damn email addresses, while you’re at it.
BECOME WHO YOU ARE
Saw this randomly on LinkedIn, and felt this in my bones.
Thinking back, 15 years prior, while working a desk as an Executive Assistant at Interscope Records, I’d regularly email a Music Industry curated jobs list to a small group of colleagues and friends of friends. The “Riggins Recruiting: Job of the day” sent (1) job daily that was passed along to me from other assistants and hiring managers at Universal Music Group and around the industry.. This wasn’t a business, it wasn’t even a hobby. It was just what I did and loved doing. “Riggins Recruiting” became me.
My advice, in 2022 just become who you are… forever evolve, take calculated risks, improve processes, deliver results, help your friends and friends of friends BECOME. Don’t be afraid to be your true-self and switch up your career every now and then.
Tony Riggins from LinkedIn
I love the rouge nature of sending a regular email out to connect. To serve. To just help.
“Become who you are,” which is something I’ve been very intentional about in the last few months. Being self-employed, you’re on your own with trying to shift your focus. Started Heavy Metal Email in October, and just two months later change is in the air, and I love it.
The focus in 2022 is more email marketing work. Serving growing bands and artists, helping them reach their audience directly, and lessen their reliance on the house of cards that we call social media.
THE GOOD ONES
This sort of thinking has been dinging around in my head the past few weeks, and not sure why. Constant distractions, countless hours, unending meetings… there’s got to be a better way.
HEAVY METAL EMAIL IS CHUGGING ALONG
From my newest project, HEAVY METAL EMAIL:
Every interaction with a fan on the internet could be the last – so do what you can to make it memorable. Use your “thanks for signing up” page to drive fans to your latest single or video, your upcoming tour dates, or offer a discount to your online store.
From ‘EMAIL AUTOPSY: GUS G, SHE SHREDS, AND MASTODON‘
Today was the fourth email I sent, since switching from a community site focus to the newsletter format just a few weeks ago. Feed back has been great, and folks are subscribing, and it’s led to a few fun conversations online.
I’ve done two interviews already, one with Jeff Gretz of Zao, and then one with Professor Pizza of Axeslasher. It’s sort of wild that here I am in 2021 talking to band dudes about… email marketing, but here we are! Got three new interviews lined up, too. So the next three Mondays are set with some pretty cool features.