S01 E02: Jay Acunzo - Don't Just Grab Subscriber Attention, Earn It

Marketers are often caught up in the numbers and believe that the bigger an email list, the more successful the marketing. But this could not be further from the truth because newsletters should create value and not focus on who arrives but who chooses to stay. Reframing marketing success in this way makes it clear that audiences have chosen you and you can use this to engage with them more meaningfully. Today’s guest, Jay Acunzo, is a content marketer turned podcaster, and he is here to share his unique and refreshing approach to his email list. In this episode, he talks about his acclaimed newsletter, Damn the Best Practices, how he approached it, and what it taught him. 

Despite his initial frustration at not seeing the numbers he thought he needed, he instead saw the power of having a small, but highly engaged audience. It was clear that resonance rather than reach was what truly mattered. Jay also shares how he tackles drafting his newsletters, and why marketers’ focus on perfection is stifling creativity. Understanding that the process of creation is inherently iterative is not only liberating but also allows you to create more and ultimately improve. We also talk about why Jay doesn’t use conventional success metrics, why he thinks there’s only one way to grow an email list, and the importance of getting clear on your message. Be sure to tune in today!

Key Points From This Episode:

Jay’s Damn the Best Practices newsletter, why he started it, and why it’s no longer around.Damn the Best Practices origin story and how Jay found his ‘tribe’ through it.Where Jay’s passion for creating and connecting comes from.Some of the writing tools and techniques that help Jay draft arresting newsletters.The only way Jay believes that you can grow your email list.Why Jay realized that the type of engagement was more important than list size.Jay’s tips for people struggling with their newsletter: Lean into the iterative process.Find out why email is the number one place for Jay to put his content.First, find out what you want to say before deciding where you want to say it.Jay’s ‘Unsolicited Response Rate’ metric and what it helps him measure.What Jay loves about his team and why they’ve succeeded together.

Tweetables:

“I fell in love with notion that I could make something early on that made me feel and that I could give it to someone else that made them feel too. And I just thought that was magic.” — @jayacunzo [0:05:53]

“We often blow the biggest opportunity to give people cause to stick around.” — @jayacunzo [0:07:20]

“There’s only one way your email list should be growing: The owner of that email opted in.” — @jayacunzo [0:11:07]

“If you can find a small audience and serve them deeply, you’re done.” — @jayacunzo [0:22:54]

Links Mentioned in Today’s Episode:

 Jay Acunzo

Jay Acunzo on Twitter  

Marketing Showrunners

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