Invest in carrots, not sticks

This weekend, I listened to the latest episode of the Deliverability Defined podcast, which is seriously deep-in-the-weeds conversations about email publishing (only check it out if you want to geek out on strategy).

This recent episode is a conversation with Sean Stewart, a ghostwriter and course creator, and he talks with the hosts about creating a 5-day email course as a lead magnet to get people onto your email list.

I have been thinking a lot about what I should offer as a lead magnet for The Hungry to attract new readers with intention, and this podcast episode came at the exact right time.

Over the weekend, I started working on Five Day News, which will be a 5-day email course to help people get started with blogging and newsletters.

I’m not ready to launch yet, but it will go live by this time next week (fingers crossed), and here’s why this idea works on multiple levels.

1. The Hungry’s overarching theme is creative business, and I personally believe that self-publishing and storytelling are the most essential aspects of this business. This course perfectly supports both ideas.

2. Creatives interested in growth will pay attention, while those with a scarcity mindset will be less interested. I want to attract the former and skip the latter.

3. Even though this is a free giveaway, the course will contain actionable value that others want to share.

4. I can still earn from it by using affiliate links to products like Beehiiv, ConvertKit, Grammarly, and others, all products I use and would recommend regardless.

By the time I publish the May monthly recap, Five Day News will be live, and I’ll have hard data to share on how well it performed. This course is meant to be as evergreen as possible and will be a part of The Hungry for a long time.

I will also publish a follow-up course later in the year on growing an email list, and the information I get from this first email course will be proof of concept for that.

Next time, I’ll share my process for this 5-day course, and maybe you’ll be the next one to publish. See you then.