You might wanna after reading this…
There’s a long list of benefits to having your own email list.
I won’t trot them out here. If you’re getting this email, there’s a fair to middling chance you realise the awesomeness email can bring to your life.
Having typed that, I DO want to mention something that’s often mentioned in the “scraping the barrel” section of “2,354,142 reasons email is awesome” lists…
And that’s the fuzzy feel-good factor.
Yeah, yeah, moolah makin’ ‘mails are lovely… but it’s also nice when people notice you’re gone.
Case in point – I’ve not emailed you for about three weeks.
After the first week, I had a few folks reach out, asking if I was OK.
Second week, a few more.
Then, in the third week, Google called me, begging me to email my list, as the “are you ok?” emails were crippling their Gmail servers…
(Clearly I’ve spent the three weeks at Exaggeration Camp. If you’ve not been, you should go. It’s the GREATEST THING IN THE ENTIRE HISTORY OF THE UNIVERSE!!!!!!!)
If you write good emails, people will miss you when you’re gone.
You might have a hard job ascribing a cash value to that, but it feels pretty darn good.
And this isn’t about a schedule either. People don’t miss you because you normally land in their inbox on a Wednesday at lunchtime.
They don’t miss seeing your name on their screen as they sit on the toilet emptying their outbox.
They miss the connection with you.
I’m not talking about anything deep and meaningful here.
Just connection. A simple touch point.
It’s like when you miss a friend…
You don’t think, “It’s 11:13 on Bubble Wrap Appreciation Day… I wonder if Nigel’s OK?”
You just notice something’s missing.
Connecting with someone over email is still a connection.
Yes, you’re “broadcasting” to your email club but, like radio, it still feels personal.
Write good emails and people will miss you when you’re gone.
John Holt