Yesterday, I saw a clip from the latest New Heights podcast episode (at the time of me sitting down and writing this).
And it was an absolute masterclass in mayhap the most important “skill” an email copywriter can have.
The previous weekend, Jason Kelce tortured himself by watching the entire Twilight saga. He has (I think) 3 little daughters, one of which wanted to watch the first movie, and before he knew it, he watched all 5 movies.
And then, with New Heights being a sports podcast that focuses on football, and there being zero football-focused news, Jason brought a full extended recap of the saga to the show.
Before he even began one word of his monologue, he said that the Twilight series was one of the worst pieces of entertainment he ever did watch.
And that’s what makes what he did so magical:
Jason babbled on for 7 minutes and 46 seconds, leaving no detail left out, from movie 1 to movie 5, while his younger brother Travis kept trying to interrupt him and force him to stop.
But Jason didn’t stop.
In fact, at one point, Travis utters “I can’t believe we’re doing this,” and took off his headphones so he didn't have to hear Jason’s recap drivel. He then would put the headphones up to his ear to make sure Jason didn’t change the topic, before taking them off again so he could scroll his phone in peace.
None of this phased Jason in even the slightest way.
And the end result being an absolute masterclass in how to take the dullest, most boring topics and making them infectiously entertaining.
After watching the clip, I showed Peanut and we both laughed hysterically. Then, she shared the video far and wide with her friends. I’m sure they also died in laughter.
Why?
Because the clip is hilarious. Part of it is because you have a big, burly offensive lineman giving the recap to Twilight, and the contrast within is something most copywriters will never muster up. But part of it is Jason’s delivery, his unphased attitude to Travis’s quips, and his unrelenting desire to finish his recap come hell or high water.
Since it’s a Feel Good Friday (at least at the time of me writing this), I encourage you to open up 7:46 seconds in your schedule and give this a listen:
Now, the connection to writing email copy might not be clear, so lemme make sure you don't miss the point:
Boredom is the death of the sale.
As an email copywriter (and even a copywriter in general), your #1 priority, which precedes even writing persuasive copy that makes people fork over their hard-earned dollars to you, is being entertaining.
Everyone is looking for an escape from boredom.
By being entertaining—and by mastering the skill of turning stuffy and boring topics into highly entertaining ones—you will be far ahead of your peers.
People will become addicted to your emails.
And, yes, money will reach your bank account as a result.
Which brings me to the larger point:
Most email copy today is the same old, same old. It’s the same regurgitated drivel where you have to offer bigger and bigger discounts to get sales. It’s the reason why people never open your emails. And it’s also the reason why it’s never been easier to stand out from the crowd of sales-pushing, mind-numbing bore fests.
You ain’t in the persuasion bidness. Nay, you’re in the attention bidness.
And while attention spans shrink, the solution is not to write shorter copy, but instead to write more entertaining copy.
Do with that what thou wilt.
And I’ll catch you back here tomorrow.
John
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