The Most Underrated Way To Learn From The Stars Of Online Writing

You entrust them with your email address and they deliver gold. But are you making the most of it?

When I first set up my business email account, I was so excited to have a tidy and organised inbox.

I was never going to let my inbox become cluttered with marketing emails. And I avoided ‘WeEkLy NeWsLeTtErS’ like the plague. Cut to now. My inbox was once a pristine haven for productivity.

Now it looks like the cluttered bedroom of an online writer’s super-fan.

I can’t get enough of them!

I’ve plastered my inbox walls with posters of rock stars like Nicolas Cole and Dickie Bush. I have milk crates overflowing with Justin Welsh’s back catalogue (and all his B-Sides). Loose sheets of note paper, with handwritten transcriptions of Sean Anthony’s ‘Bangers’, litter the floor…

And, of course, there’s my Dakota Robertson duvet cover.

My fandom stretches well beyond the major players.

I’m an avid follower of the “up and coming” indie acts. The people who were mere months ahead of me in their business. I loved them, I cheered them on and I listened to all their jams! Shout out to Derek Hughes, burning up the charts!

Okay, enough of the fanboy metaphor. I hope I’ve made my point clear.

Once I realised the value these guys were sharing, I had to act.

I pounced on all the email marketing, newsletters, and sales funnels I could get my hands on.

My inbox is now a repository of valuable and actionable insights, from the best of the best. They’re a free masterclass in marketing. They’ve taught me funnel building, advanced copywriting, and content creation, and shown me how to speak to an audience.

I learned to pay attention to what they were doing and find things to apply to my own skill set and services.

Here are three things you should be paying closest attention to…

Their headlines, hooks, and intros

These writers would all agree that the headline is the most important part to get right.

Crafting an effective headline requires understanding your audience’s pain points and interests. Effective writers use these to create a message that resonates immediately.

A well-constructed headline sets the tone of the email or article. It aligns with the campaign’s goal, and can boost open rates and engagement.

As you read, ask yourself:

• What pains or objectives are they calling out?
• What are they promising and how?
• What compelled you to click in to see if they deliver on their promise?

Their storytelling

You’ll notice the best online writers are great at using a little ‘story’. It creates a memorable, emotional connection with the audience.

Good storytelling turns boring content into something that readers look forward to. They also share it.

They don’t try to retell a Shakespearean classic. It’s usually an observation or a simple story. This makes their message relatable, and engaging and shows you how they solve a problem.

All these writers are their own brand. They use storytelling to make their brand feel human. This builds personal trust with the reader.

As you read, ask yourself:

• How is this story helping to drive you, the reader, to read on?
• How does their story relate to the primary message in this post?
• What emotional response did they tie to their product or solution?

Their CTAs

They’ve delivered a stack of knowledge. Now, how are they driving you to take action? The whole point of this type of online writing is to draw people’s attention to something. This may be a product, service, or an expertise showcase. It’s the reason we writers work so hard on writing compelling content and creating a business around it.

A strong call-to-action is key. It guides the reader to one specific outcome. These could be something like signing up for a lead magnet or making a purchase.

As you observe their CTAs, ask yourself:

• How have they aligned the CTA with the rest of the content?
• How many different things are they trying to get you to do? (It should be ONE!)
• How did they motivate you to take action?

So keep your eyes open for what you can learn from what these creators are getting you to sign up for.

When you spot something you think might be of value, sign up. Best case scenario, you end up buying from them. You get the value from their product. But, you also get a full account of their customer journey from start to end.

The worst that can happen is they’re not as relevant or as helpful as you expected and you unsubscribe. Hell, Sean Anthony even tells you how in his own emails!

PS: If you enjoyed or found this valuable, I invite you to follow, connect and share your thoughts. Knowing what resonates with my audience will help me to continue creating valuable articles to share.

Thanks!