How to monetize weeks of email opens - Delayed response copywriting

You know, I'm subscribed to a whole bunch of email newsletters.

Some on Substack, some outside of it.

I'm NOT reading every send as soon as it arrives.

To get my immediate attention, an email has to really stand out.

But...

I WILL eventually check even those that looked boring. And that's my point:

It can take time for your readers to actually check an email. Unread at first doesn't mean unread forever.

I don't have time to read everything daily, but I can find time once or twice a month to binge through the entire inbox. Even if something got into Spam or Promotions (although this last one is less certain)

Many people who read your business newsletter are the same. Especially if you're selling to founders/owners/executives (people who have a ton of things to do)

This affects buying behavior. Because your messages are affected by what other businesses are sending.

You own many small pieces of land in the inbox with many "competing" ones in-between.

If people are reading your direct competitors and you're talking about the same offers and topics - you'll get lumped together. (so better read your competitors' newsletters and don't repeat what they are saying)

But even if you are someone's single choice in the category - there are still tons of other emails of all kinds: warm, cold, transactional, news, niche newsletters, and many more.

If you want your product to be this person's go-to association when they have a specific need - nudge them towards that. Email is an awesome channel for it:

1. Show how your product relates to the core problem/job (from multiple angles, adjacent problems if possible). Include stories and proof
2. Repeat your core message. Add variations that are still EASY to mentally connect with what you said before (otherwise you can't form any association)
3. Send something truly unique once in a while. For example: a unique gift WITHOUT your default CTA

This is how you can stay relevant to them product-wise (which is the right business goal for 90% of B2B email)

Staying relevant as a newsletter by itself is a different goal and it requires a different approach. But that's a topic for another day.

P.S. Every time I send a letter through Substack it gets more and more opens every day for like weeks. Don't judge an email performance (even vanity) by the numbers you see on the first day, unless it's very time-specific (promotions and whatnot)