This ONE email made me $35,342, and it wasn’t even a sales email.
In this post, I’m going to show you exactly why this email worked, line by line.
So if you want to get better at writing emails that sell. This is for you. Keep reading.
Hey, Posse! What’s up? It’s Alex. And I am SO excited for this post, because I freakinggggg loveeee analyzing copy, whether it’s my own or copy I see in the wild, and sharing WHY I think it works.
You have seen me do this with ads, but this is the first time I’m showing you an entire email that I sent to my list and breaking it down for you, line by line.
So if you love email marketing as much as I do, you definitely want to pay attention as I go through this email, from the SUBJECT LINE all the way to the PS LINE.
And make sure to subscribe to my newsletter so you don’t miss another post from me.
Now, for some context, because context is EVERYTHING in marketing.
This particular email was sent to my list back on March 31, 2024, and it wasn’t trying to directly “sell” anything. In other words, it wasn’t part of a launch or promotional campaign or written as a “sales email” at all.
It was simply a “content” email with a few subtle CTAs. I send 3 of these emails every week to my list to do nothing but connect with my audience, build trust and deliver value.
As any good marketer will tell you, TRUST is an essential prerequisite to making a sale.
Which is why 80% of my email marketing strategy consists of pure content emails where I share a story, lesson or advice from my own life and business (and never written by AI).
Then sometimes, and only if it makes sense within the context of the email, I will casually link to a relevant offer or another piece of helpful content.
Btw, if you want to learn my EXACT email marketing strategy, including how I balance content emails with promotional emails and how I plan my email calendar for the entire year.
Then definitely check out my 365-Day Inbox Income mini-course.
So, as I said, I made over $35,000 from this ONE email, and you know I got receipts.
This is a screenshot of the metrics for this ONE content email – pulled straight from my Kit account this week.
Now you can see that I selected a date range of approximately 1 month after this email was sent, 32 days to be exact.
That way, I could see the revenue that came in from anyone who clicked on a link in this email and then bought or became a customer within the next month.
And according to Kit, that number is $35,342.
Of course, if I extend the date range, that number increases significantly.
But I really wanted to look at conversions that happened just the month or so after this email was sent.
So with that, let’s look at the email, starting with the subject line: “A client call from a grimy street in Florence *camera emoji*”
Right away, this subject line grabs attention with a great storytelling hook. It pulls the reader straight in by describing a location.
The camera emoji was also incredibly intentional, implying that there is, in fact, a photo of this inside.
This subject line had a 35.7% open rate.
Btw, if you want to get my entire report with over 100 subject line split-test results and key insights to massively boost your open rates, you can get that here.
Alright, now let’s dive into the email itself. It opens with:
“Okkkkkk I’ve got a bone to pick, [FIRST NAME]…”
Right out the gate, we’re starting with a PATTERN INTERRUPT.
This is conversational. It’s unexpected. And it immediately creates curiosity.
That phrase – “I’ve got a bone to pick” – signals conflict. And who doesn’t LOVE a little trouble?
You can also see we use personalization by adding the reader’s First Name here. So even though it’s a mass email, it feels personal.
This statement creates an OPEN LOOP –
they want to know why I’ve got a bone to pick so they keep reading.
Then the email goes on to say:
“I cringe when I hear brand-new copywriters complain about boring projects…
Or companies who don’t have some epic mission to change the world…
Or agencies who don’t care about branding…
Or clients who don’t feel “in alignment” because their products or services are in a niche they aren’t passionate about…
And then, in the same breath, they complain that they can’t find clients
It’s such backward thinking to go into copywriting with the expectation that…
1. You’ll get your dream job…
2. Writing for your dream client…
3. In your dream niche…
Immediately.”
Here we’re actually doing two different things, depending on the person who is reading this email.
Relatability
First, we’re expressing a relatable frustration. Something that will make some readers think, “YES, this annoys me too.”
AND
Challenging Belief
2. We’re also challenging a common belief or mindset that may make some readers feel a bit called out.
Emotional Response
In both cases, we are creating an emotional response.
You can see we also casually dropped a hyperlink here.
This was strategic, but did not interfere with the story I was telling, or demand that you click it. This simply links to my FREE guide with 101 Ways To Find Your Next Client.
Now, obviously, this is a lead magnet, primarily used for lead generation.
And anyone reading this email is ALREADY on my email list. So WHY would we link to it in the email?
Well, for two reasons –
First, because the information in it is genuinely helpful for anyone looking for clients. And this reader may not have this particular freebie yet.
And, this lead magnet also makes an offer and invites readers to learn more about SPARK – my membership for freelancers and service providers.
So here we have the very first way this email made me money, without even trying.
Anyone who clicked to get this free guide, got the value they were looking for and wanted EVEN MORE, could then get on the waitlist for the next time my SPARK membership opened.
The email then goes on to say:
“I mean, copywriters are magical in a lot of ways, but I am not a genie in a bottle…
And I cannot grant you these 3 wishes.”
I intentionally added some humor here because this email has a lot of my famous real talk and tough love in it.
So as much as possible, I wanted to keep the tone light and fun, without making it sting too much.
Emotional Response
Humor is also a great way to disarm resistance or self-defensiveness AND build trust and connection. Again, making someone laugh is a great EMOTIONAL RESPONSE.
Before I go back in with the real talk:
“Starting a new business of ANY KIND is not glamorous like the perfectly curated social media world might have you believe…
And then again, a little bit of humor:
I know we all have this vision of freelancing as something that looks like this……
With this insanely unrealistic picture of some dude working on a beach…”
“But have you actually ever tried to work on a laptop on the beach?!
It’s horrendous…
The reflective screen, dripping sweat, sand everywhere…”
And back to the real talk:
“In reality, freelancing looks a little more like this”
Yes, I then added this REAL picture from my Instagram archives. I go on to say:
“That’s me, back in my freelancing days on a grimy street in Florence, where I had to walk out of a nightclub at 1am to take a call with a client.
My point is that freelancing isn’t always glamorous.
Sometimes you have to work on projects you don’t love…
Sometimes you have to compromise on “regular working hours”…
Sometimes you have to take calls at less-than-ideal times…
And sometimes you have to take on ANY project if it means getting paid (as long as it’s not douchey or scammy or compromises your values in any way, of course).”
Here I’m delivering on my subject line “hint” of a photo inside and I’m also using visual contrast to demonstrate the stark difference between “Vision” and “Reality”.
And most importantly…
I’m using REAL STORYTELLING to drive my point home.
It’s a relatable “I’ve been in the trenches, just like you” moment that builds credibility because it’s real, it’s honest, and it’s relatable.
Even if you haven’t walked out of a club at 1 am to take a client call.
You probably HAVE worked in weird locations or at weird hours or had to stop doing something fun to get some quick work done.
Okay, so now that I’ve shattered the hopes and dreams of my reader (kidding, of course), it’s time to turn it around and show them what IS possible.
The email goes on to say:
“But then, after you put in the reps, build your experience and build your client network…
There is no limit to what you can create.
That’s truly when you get to put the “free” in freelancing…
Financial freedom.
Location freedom.
Time freedom.
Choice freedom.”
Identify Desires
Here I am future pacing and painting a picture of what’s possible for my reader if they do not give up, speaking to their biggest desires.
I go on to share some Social proof.
“And you CAN get there, [FIRST NAME GOES HERE].
Not only have I done it myself, but I’ve also watched many of my students do it too…”
With a nice little screenshot of a real convo I had in DMs.
This student is earning double the income she made in her 9-5 and says she’s “living her best life.”
Showing a conversation like this is more effective and builds way more trust than me just telling my reader “Hey, you can do this too! Trust me.”
Ok after all that feel good, aspirational copy.
It’s time for a little tough love again. My goodness, this email is an emotional rollercoaster and pretttyyyy genius if I do say so myself!
“You know this already…
But you are not going to achieve that “freelancer life” by doom-scrolling on social media and comparing your progress to someone else.
I know we’re all addicted to this idea of “hitting $10K/month, traveling the world and working with amazing clients”…
And we think that if we don’t get there right away…
Then we must be doing something wrong.”
This hits because it speaks directly to the #1 thing that’s holding them back, which in this case, is too much comparison – and not enough action.
Call Out Problem
Here I’m calling out the problem, but I’m also letting them know that NOTHING IS WRONG with them, making them feel seen, heard and understood, but not judged.
And finally, I introduce a solution.
“But I’m here to tell you…
Taking your business to the next level not only takes time and experience…
But it also takes accountability and support.
Transformation doesn’t happen overnight, and it doesn’t happen alone.
I know it can feel like everyone else is moving forward…
Everyone else is having wins…
And everyone else is “crushing it” all the time…
Meanwhile, maybe you’re struggling to find your groove, get that dream client or make a consistent income…
Trust me, you are not alone…
For 99% of freelancers, a community is the thing they are missing most in their life and business…
And the Posse has your back.
If you are ready to grow your confidence, consistently land high-quality clients and get the tools, guidance and support you need to get to your first $10,000/month…
Join the waitlist to be the first to hear about my new membership for freelancers launching soon.”
Happy Sunday,
Alex”
Now up to this point, I only had ONE link in this ENTIRE email. The link to the free guide.
Before-After-Bridge
If someone has read THIS far, we know they’re a highly engaged reader and interested in what I am sharing so I end this email with a final storytelling formula called a before-after-bridge.
I’m describing the place this reader is in right now – BEFORE they have their transformation.
They’re feeling discouraged because they aren’t seeing the results they want.
I describe the place they WANT to be in, which is consistently landing high-quality clients.
And the BRIDGE to get there is my SPARK Membership.
See how this all came together?
I go on to plug the waitlist for SPARK, which, if you remember, is ALSO the offer that was on the back end of the free lead magnet I linked to earlier in the email.
But, remember, the doors to my membership weren’t even open at the time of this email. I was simply inviting them to get on the waitlist.
So far, this email only has TWO clickable links (not including the PS line which I’ll get to in a second).
None of which linked to a sales page or offer. Pretty cool right?
And now for the PS line:
“P.S. [FIRST NAME], what would happen if you spent an extra 30 minutes a day looking for clients? – [here I added a link to that same lead magnet from earlier ]
What would happen if you invested in a course that has helped thousands of copywriters start successful freelancing careers? – [ with a link to my flagship 8-week copywriting program. This is the ONLY direct offer link in this email, and it’s very subtle ]
What would happen if you joined a supportive community to get ongoing support to get to the next level? – [ with one last link to my membership waitlist page ]
I’ll tell ya what would happen…
Your transformation would be inevitable.”
Alright, so here I’m asking some rhetorical questions to get my reader thinking even more about their own transformation.
I’m giving them some options to learn more about (no scarcity, no urgency, no sales pitch, just links). And then I’m ending on a positive and encouraging note.
And that is IT! The email that made me over $35,000.
This goes to show just how powerful content emails can be and how important it is to ENGAGE your audience between promotions and launches.
If you want more posts breaking down REAL emails like this, let me know in the comments which part of this email stood out to YOU the most.
If you want to get your hands on my ENTIRE email marketing strategy so YOU TOO can start monetizing your email list, check out 365-Day Inbox Income below.
And if you want to binge-read some more copy critiques, check out the next post from me right here.
I’ll see you next week with a brand new blog post. Until then, I’m Alex. Ciao for now.
