Hey Reader!

When I tell you to start your emails with stories, which is exactly what I'm doing, you may wonder what in the world you’re going to write about.

You may even think that you don’t really have any stories, and that your life is dull and hardly worth writing about.

You would be wrong. 😁

ANYTHING that happens can be a story, which is really just a narrative with an arc. It doesn't have to be a huge rainbow-hued arc with a pot of gold at the end; it can be a small gentle arc leading to a tiny gem. 💎

You could tell a story about your trip to the grocery store, or a conversation with a friend, or a strange thing you saw out the car window, or a chance remark you overheard at work, or really any little thing that ever happened to you or in your general vicinity.

🚗🏪🐈🎁⛺️🪀☕️🎸🧩🎨⛵️🎠🧭🔫🛋️♈️🇨🇦📝⛷️🍿❄️🪴🦩🧢💃💄🎃🦨🍄🔥🍇

Once upon a time I wrote an email that started with a story about my daughter.

She’d always had the messiest of messy rooms. Then one day, out of the blue, she drove her VW bug to IKEA, bought a clothing rack and a hanging shelf, and set up a lovely closet in the small spare room next to her bedroom.

It was shocking in the best way possible.

I stayed very very very quiet as I watched this utterly strange behavior. I didn't mess with her, or ask her any questions past, ‘Oh, what did you get at IKEA?’ 🤫

I basically treated her as though she was a wild raccoon; with interest and from a distance.

Apparently my kid had crossed some sort of invisible line and was suddenly all about cleaning up her space and being organized. 🤷🏻 Which in itself is not such a big thing, but in the context of our lives was really kinda huge.

I connected this incident to our innate ability as humans to change on a dime, and how you never really know what's going to happen but maybe just don't despair, you know?

This was a very popular email. 👏👏

People loved it; lots of them replied to tell me that they had feelings about it. And that's when you know an email has really done its job.

Because you want to make people FEEL things, not just be better educated about things.

So there's an example of talking about a mundane situation, but pulling out the personal meaning and using it as a bridge to talk about something else. It hit on something universal which is why my readers loved it so much.

This is just to say that you don't always have to write about BIG things, like that time you thought a kangaroo was going to kick you in the head. 🦘

(Although if this has happened to you please write about it!)

We tend to make decisions based on our emotions, rather than on logic. That's the basis of a lot of manipulative marketing. And no, I am NOT suggesting you use those tactics!

But if you can make your audience feel something, they will be more likely to read your next email, more likely to remember you, and more likely to spend their dollars with you.

There's a lot of noise out there. One way to cut through it is to be a source of inspiration, or amusement, or to provide a gentle reality check; whatever your vibe is, let it shine through. 🌈

People are craving connection and you have the opportunity to meet that need.

xo, Julia

Permission Slip

You might feel uncomfortable putting a lot of yourself into your newsletter. Maybe you like the separation of your business and personal lives, maybe you’re just very private. I get it! 🙊

And while I encourage you to push ever so gently against the walls of your comfort zone, authenticity is hard when you’re hating it. So if you really don’t want to write about yourself, or your kids (I always get permission from mine first) or your life, don’t do it. 🚫

But…you still need to pull in your audience with some sort of narrative.

That could be telling the story of your favorite client’s success or evolution. It could be about something that’s happening in the world: the latest from the Mars rovers, or the triumph of an underdog sports team, or the belated recognition of a long-ignored artist. 💡

I will always advocate for letting your audience get to know you, but maybe for you that means letting them get a glimpse of something that moved you or piqued your curiosity. Just make sure you’re sparking their brain cells with ⚡️story⚡️ and making them feel something.

Growth Report

This week I launched my lead magnet, Subject Line Rehab! If you want to write better subject lines, download your copy here.

I also did a little social media posting. It was a quiet week.

​Brandi Carlile knows the power of stories, and so does this email. Forward it to someone who's got something to say and could use help spitting it out. :)

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