By shifting from a structured, podcast-focused newsletter to a personal, 'unhinged' format discussing everything from reality TV to eye patches, Amy Porterfield dramatically increased engagement. This personality-driven approach created a stronger connection with her audience, who now genuinely look forward to her emails.
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Counterintuitively, highly formatted and image-heavy emails can feel corporate and impersonal, decreasing engagement. Shifting to a simpler, plain-text style mimics a personal message from a friend, which increases perceived authenticity and encourages more replies and genuine connection.
Amy Porterfield found her newsletters with the highest open rates and clicks were those sharing personal stories, not just promoting content. This human connection, she argues, is the most powerful business strategy available to a creator.
From Nov 20th to Dec 20th, sending a personal letter-style email from a founder or executive to unengaged contacts can increase open rates by 40%. The key is changing the "from name" to a person, not the brand, and using a subject line that acknowledges their absence. This strategy works for both B2B and B2C brands.
After radically changing her newsletter's tone, Amy Porterfield faced negative feedback and unsubscribes. She reframes this as a positive 'shedding season,' a necessary process to filter out misaligned followers and attract an audience that connects with her authentic self. She even used a negative comment as a subject line, which performed well.
Prompting subscribers with simple, non-work-related questions (e.g., "What's your favorite holiday cookie?") encourages replies. This builds a conversational relationship, improves engagement signals, and positively impacts email deliverability and open rates.
Users instinctively look for familiar names in their inbox, not company logos. Sending emails from team members, even if automated, creates a personal connection and improves open rates because it mimics a social feed experience where personal identity is paramount.
A B2B marketing newsletter saw a massive spike in replies when it shifted from tactical advice to a personal story about managing mornings and avoiding burnout. This shows that content resonating on a human, empathetic level can outperform purely professional topics, even for a specialized audience.
Switching from clear but safe subject lines (e.g., '3 ways to...') to provocative, curiosity-piquing ones dramatically improved open rates. The speaker notes that if a subject line feels slightly uncomfortable to send, it's probably a good sign.
Go beyond sending from a real person by creating a consistent "inbox persona." For example, framing messages as coming from an intern establishes a unique voice and a story that subscribers want to follow, making plain-text emails feel like an ongoing series rather than one-off communications.
To make your emails more engaging, stop addressing your entire list. Instead, picture one specific, real personâa friend, an ideal client, or someone you admireâand write directly to them. This simple mental shift transforms your tone from a generic broadcast into an intimate, compelling conversation.