How I started this email list (as a nobody)

I was a nobody in the copywriting world 12 years ago... (Okay fine, I'm still an "underground" name if we're being honest) ...When I saw Ryan McGrath, a copy chief at Agora, come up as a subscriber to my newly launched CopyHour email list. My list was so tiny back then that I'd monitor who was joining each day. Ryan immediately fired off a memorable email: "I was skeptical." I responded: "No problems. I understand the skepticism. Most of the people who've joined in the past have been somewhat connected to me. All I do is send sales letters and email assignments so I should be able to deliver! haha" And then he said: "Actually I probably have already handwritten most of what you've sent. It's one of my secrets too. I still write out controls by hand for at least 1 hour a week. I think your idea is really interesting. There is so much CRAP out there." Here was a guy near the top of his field, subscribing to an industry newbie's newsletter. And he wasn't alone. Within a couple months of launching CopyHour and this email list, I had some of the biggest names in the industry signing up (Mark Joyner & Harlan Kilstein were a couple other early subs). Why would they join? Well, it's probably because I launched the list in a very simple yet strategic way... Where I wasn't forced to be some imposter-syndrome-stricken-expert in the field. I could be myself, still learn, grow and make sales in the process. And it all comes down to positioning. Most people launching a new email list mess up how they explain who they are in relation to the market. And this mistake in their positioning leads to all sorts of problems in what content is published... which then leads to lackluster response... Here's the simplest way to think about how to position yourself correctly when it comes to starting an email list: "Sell what you've got." That's a quote from Dan Kennedy that I love. (And quick side-note... Dan Kennedy came back from the dead and no one talks about it. Is he doing okay now?) The meaning is: if you're new, sell them on how being new is beneficial (you work harder for example). If you're experienced, sell them your experience and why it matters. In my case, I did 2 things: 1. I was honest about who I was in the copywriting world. I was new. I was a consultant who had fallen in love with copywriting and stumbled into the handwriting method. 2. At first, I didn't provide any advice. I just showed people what I was learning from the top dogs. I was in the curation business, not the guru business. So the lesson is pretty simple: when you're launching an email list that has "a face" or persona behind it, make sure the positioning is honest and... "Sell what you've got." Now, I'm not saying that everyone should go out and start a newbie's diary-type of email list. Quite the opposite. Because there's another part of this positioning equation which relates to finding your unique angle. Which is easier than you might think but you definitely need both parts. I'll get into that in another email coming soon. Cheers! - Derek Sent to: {EMAIL} [Unsubscribe]( CopyHour.com, 340 S LEMON AVE, 5007, WALNUT, CA 91789, USA