When it’s been a long time since you emailed your list

I went back and forth about how to start this email. I was going to ask you to imagine yourself with an email list with a bunch of people on it that you haven’t contacted in months. Then I realized that you don’t need to imagine this scenario. You are living it right now.

You have something you want to sell, and you don’t know what to say.

What do you do? Where do you begin?

There’s no denying that it’s awkward reaching out to people you haven’t contacted in a long time.

I just did it today, and it was harder than I would’ve liked.

I have another list with a couple thousand people on it. The last time I emailed them was two years ago, and I wanted to tell them where to find me now and to sign up for my new (Substack) list, just like I was doing on IG.

I may be less concerned about annoying people than most, but apparently, I’m not completely over it.

I mean it’s just a fucking email.  Easy for people to unsubscribe. So why was I all in my head about it?

The last time I emailed this list, I got yelled at.

Somehow, a bot had added a bunch of people to the list without my realizing it.  The names were fake, but the email addresses were real. So I got an unusually high number of spam complaints, and that raised flags with my email service provider.  They told me if it happens again, they won’t send my emails anymore.

I did my best to clean the list, but the fear of it happening again still freaks me out.

It’s at least in part why I’ve let the list sit for two years.

But this isn’t your problem. It’s not going to happen to you.

Your problem is that you are worried about pissing people off.

About them unsubscribing or not liking you anymore.

I get it.  It’s not fun seeing people you care about leaving your list.

But how is them being gone any different than them being there while you say nothing? Either way, you aren’t helping anyone, and you aren’t making any money.  

So fuck ‘em.

Just send the damn email.

I’ll give you some ideas about what to do and what not to do sometime over the next few days.