The magic email formula? Less and more.

After 20 years of sending emails (yes, I’m that old), here’s what works:

• Less content
• More emails

Simple, right? Let’s unpack it.

Less

Cut the fluff. Nobody wants a novel in their inbox.

• Keep copy short—like a text, not a thesis.
• Use one, maybe two images. Max.
• One call to action. One focus. No distractions.

Break it up with headings, bullet points, or bold text. Make it scannable. If it looks like a Word doc, you’ve failed.

More

Send. More. Emails.

Most people don’t send enough. If you’re doing a monthly dump of four topics, stop.

• Spread those four topics over four weeks.
• Drip-feed the content. Keep ‘em hooked.

Old-school newsletters were boring company digests. The new way? Less content per email, but more emails overall.

Example time

I got a very long email from Matt Gray (top marketer, loads of subs). Valuable? Absolutely. Overwhelming? Yep.

My fix? Take that one email and split it into nine shorter ones.

• Tease the series: “Next week, I’ll share step 1 of my 9-step list-building process.”
• Schedule ‘em. Done.

Now you’ve got nine weeks of content sorted and subscribers eager for the next instalment.

Try it

Less content. More emails. See what happens.

And no, I won’t be DMing Matt with my unsolicited advice. He’s doing just fine. 😉

Your turn—experiment and let me know how it goes.

To become truly HUGE, you need to create your own category.

Niche down to invent a category and be the leader in it. This approach has even got a name (of course it has), it’s called ‘category design’.

Here’s a famous example to illustrate this: Drift. They created and OWN the “conversational marketing” category.

Another more recent example is Loom.

When Loom launched in 2016 it was called OpenVid. And it was just another “easy-to-use screen recorder”.

At the time all screen recorders walked the same and talked the same. No opinions, no personality.

Until, one day, Loom came up with a point of view:

1. The way remote teams communicate sucks
2. Meetings are boring. Calls drag on. Email lacks personality
3. The solution? Async video messaging

And with that said a new category was created. Loom was no longer “just another screen recorder”. It was “video messaging for work”.

The wonderful thing about creating a new category is you haven’t got any competitors. You make the rules. You own the language.

“Send a video message” quickly became “Send a Loom”.

Today, Loom’s valued at $1.5bn. More than all the other unopinionated screen recorders put together.

That’s the power of positioning.

This approach may not be a suitable fit for everyone, but it’s a legit marketing hack to OWN your thing and dominate your market.

Right. Let’s talk regrets.

Mine? Not starting sooner.

• Made mistakes? Yep.
• Had failures? Obviously.
• Also had wins? A few modest ones.

But the big lesson? I wish I’d just started years earlier.

Back in my 20s, I wasn’t exactly “high-potential talent.” More like “bus stop whiskey enthusiast” with zero direction. No mentors. No clue. Just… existing.

Meanwhile, I see folks on LinkedIn crushing it in their 20s. Bloody brilliant. But that wasn’t me. And if it’s not you either? No shame.

Here’s the thing:

• There’s never a perfect time.
• You’ll never feel “ready.”
• You won’t have all the skills upfront.

So what’s the fix?

Start. Now.

Make mistakes. Learn. Put yourself out there. Cos guess what? You’ve got one life. No rewinds. No do-overs.

Stop overthinking. Stop waiting. Just go.

(And maybe skip the bus-stop whiskey.) 🥃😉