11/13/18
11/13/18
You’ve worked hard to grow your email list.
You created some amazing opt-ins, included them on your blog posts, and now you have a solid list of email subscribers.
But for some reason, you can’t get the courage to send emails to your list.
Whether it’s to promote an affiliate link, update them about your life, share a new blog post, or talk about a new product launch that’s happening. You just. Can’t. Do. It!
Trust me, I’ve been there.
For a while, I was totally okay with sending emails to my email list.
I actually had them automated from 2 months out with emails to be sent on every Friday.
But then something clicked within me.
Once I had more than 700 email subscribers, I started to worry about losing them.
So I wouldn’t send out any emails!
I thought that if I sent out an email that people would remember that they are on my list and then unsubscribe. Or that I would annoy them and unsubscribe.
Either way, I would lose my subscribers.
And I had worked hard to build that list! So I really didn’t want to go backward.
It wasn’t really until this month that I had a wake-up call about my email list. And I actually scheduled 10 emails in a matter of 2 days.
If you’re ready to ditch your fear of sending emails to your email list, put yourself out there on the line, and ultimately start monetizing your list… then let’s get into this!
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MY EMAIL WAKEUP CALL
I recently started reading You Are A Badass At Making Money for the second time.
The first time I read it, I don’t think I took it 100% seriously. And now I’m at the point where I desperately want to start making more money.
So I decided to pick it up again.
And in this book, Jen Sincero talks a lot about the ways that we hold ourselves back. And how our fears really keep us stuck from ever growing.
RELATED: What’s Holding You Back From Being A Successful Blogger
It shouldn’t come as a surprise that one of the first things I thought about was my email list.
At this point, I had been terrified to launch The TCB Vault, my new membership platform.
I was so worried that no one would sign up for it and that I would look like a fool for even sending emails to my email list.
When in reality, I ended up having 3 people sign up before I did any email promotion…
So I did a soft launch and just put it on my blog and that was it.
No emails sent. No subscribers annoyed. And no unsubscribers.
But then it hit me all at once.
What is the point of having email subscribers if I can’t send emails to them?
People signed up for my email list to learn more information. And if I have more information to give them, then I need to give it to them.
The fear of losing subscribers is a bit irrational because the potential to grow my brand and income, while positively impacting other people’s lives is significantly more important!
Don’t you think?
So I did something that scared the crap out of myself.
I decided to finally launch The TCB Vault. And I schedule 10 emails to go out over the next 2 weeks.
And you want to know what happened?
We’ll get into that in a bit.
NOTE: I use ConvertKit for my email list and I’m obsessed with the platform! I love the automation features, the customization, and just about everything. If you are thinking about starting an email list, check out my guide.
HOW TO GET OVER YOUR FEAR OF SENDING EMAILS
If you have a fear of sending emails, just know that you aren’t alone.
There are a lot of bloggers and online entrepreneurs that are in the same position as you. But your email list is a critical part of your success.
It’s a way to build a stronger connection with your audience and to make more money than you thought possible.
So here are some simple steps to follow to get over your fear.
1. Figure out why you are afraid
Take a minute to really sit with your fear and figure out why you are afraid.
Are you afraid to lose subscribers like I was? Are you afraid of other people reading what you write?
Are you afraid of annoying people? Are you afraid of saying something wrong?
Maybe you’re afraid of all the good things that could come from that email? Or all the negative responses you could receive?
Sending an email is just that… It’s an email.
And once you realize that there is nothing to be afraid of the faster you will get on track to really growing your blog and monetizing your list.
So right now, write down your thoughts on why you are afraid.
What exactly are you afraid of and why are you’re afraid of it?
Then take a minute to find the truth behind the situation.
Fears will keep you stuck if you allow yourself to live your life by them. By breaking through your fears and tell yourself the truth you can open up a whole new world.
So rewrite your truth and whenever this fear comes up again, say it out loud to yourself.
Here are some examples:
… If people unsubscribe it opens up a spot for someone else to join my email list.
… My subscribers joined my email list because they wanted to hear from me. Not sending emails is a disservice to them.
… I love writing and I’m good at what I do. This email is a way to impact more lives and that’s exactly what I’m going to do.
Take these as inspiration and write your own truth based on your current fear.
2. Think of the amazing possibilities that could happen if you stepped out of your own way
Growth begins right outside of your comfort zone.
If you stay within the box that your limiting beliefs try to keep you in, you will end up holding yourself back in a million different ways.
So take the time to think about all the amazing possibilities that could happen if you stepped out of your own way.
What good could come from it? What lives could you impact? How could your blog grow? How could you grow?
Anything you can think of is possible. And anything that pops into your mind is important.
Write it all down.
And let that be your motivation to do something that scares you. Even if it’s just sending one simple email.
3. Understand that people are going to unsubscribe no matter what
Here’s the real truth about your subscribers and the emails you send… people are going to unsubscribe no matter what.
There is nothing you can do to keep people on your email list. You legally have to have an option on each email where the subscriber can unsubscribe. You can’t force people to do anything.
So stop worrying about something that you can’t control!
If people unsubscribe, it just means that they weren’t part of your loyal followers. And they weren’t meant to witness all of your amazingness that is to come.
Them leaving opens you and your email list up to new people and new possibilities to come.
So let them go. Don’t let it bother you. And keep doing what you’re doing.
There are always more people that will be interested in joining your email list.
Have an undeniable faith and keep doing you.
4. Think of the 1 person you could positively impact
If you’re absolutely terrified to send an email to hundreds of people, just think about the 1 person that you could positively impact.
Don’t worry about pleasing every person on your list. It’s just not possible to please everyone.
But it is very possible to at least impact 1 person’s life.
The other day, I had an email subscriber respond to one of my emails saying…
Not only did this light up my day, but it also meant that I fulfilled my mission. I made an impact on at least 1 person.
And in the end, that’s all that matters.
You never know what life you could change, save, or impact in a positive way if you just sent that darn email.
5. Create an email calendar that you MUST stick to
This is a must if you are afraid of sending emails.
Create a calendar that you have to stick to no matter what. Make it a non-negotiable and hold yourself to it.
RELATED: How To Create And Maintain A Blogging Editorial Calendar
Even better, if you could set up a punishment or consequence to motivate yourself to stick to it, do it.
You need to find your motivator and hold yourself accountable. Because if you don’t, your fears will come creeping back in and you’ll tell yourself that it’s okay to not send the email.
“I can send it another day. No one will notice anyway.”
Right now, I want you to decide how often you are going to send emails to your email list. And then create a calendar.
Once you’ve got the bones, brainstorm what emails you could send.
Then create a reminder for yourself to actually send those emails! It could be as simple as a sticky note on your computer or a notification on your phone.
Just put the systems in place that will hold yourself accountable.
6. Send that first email!
And finally, just send that darn email, would ya?!
Recently I got my 3rd tattoo. It had been 3 years since my last one and I didn’t really remember how much pain I was in back then.
So I hyped it up so much that this tattoo would be extremely painful.
But about a quarter of the way through my tattoo, my artist said: “Not bad, right?” And he was right.
I thought it was going to be soooooo painful. I was prepared to grip my hand around the bench and clench my face.
But that would have been dramatic. Because it didn’t hurt at all. It was more like a tickle and a weird poking sensation.
Our minds can play some real tricks on us. And one of them is making things seem worse than they really are.
Sending an email is easy. It’s the click of a button.
And whatever terrible outcome you are imagining, I can guarantee that it will never actually be that bad.
THE RESULT OF SENDING EMAILS I DIDN’T WANT TO SEND
Truth be told since I started my email list, I’ve lost 158 subscribers.
But I’ve also gained 1,589 subscribers. Made a couple THOUSAND dollars. And added hundreds of students to my courses.
Just this last launch alone I had 10 people sign up for The Vault simply because of a few emails.
So in the end, I would say it’s worth it.
Your email list is an extremely useful tool that you need to be using if you want to grow your blog. And especially if you want to grow your income!
Right now I’m changing up my strategy and trying new ways to make more money with my email list. And I’m almost ready to share my results with you guys.
But until then, check out The TCB Vault to get access to some killer information about money making, goal setting, productivity, Pinterest, SEO, and so much more.
And I’ll see you back here in another post soon!
XO, Cath
KEEP READING…
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Cathrin (Cath) creates content that encourages bloggers & online entrepreneurs to be themselves, chase their passion, and create their success online. 1 year after started her blog (TheContentBug.com), Cath left her full-time position working in the digital marketing industry to pursue her dreams of being her own boss. In weekly blog posts, sporadic YouTube videos, and constant talking on Instagram stories, Cath hopes to spread her story and be an inspiration to others who desperately want to change their lives.
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