Writing Captivating Newsletters

Most people think copywriting is about “sounding smart.” It’s not. The brutal truth? Nobody buys when they’re confused. Nobody buys when they’re neutral. Nobody buys when they don’t see themselves. If your copy isn’t converting, check 3 things: 1. Are you clear in the first 3 seconds? If a 12-year-old can’t explain your offer, it’s too complicated. (Good copy is simple, specific, emotional.) 2. Are you solving an urgent problem? People don’t want solutions to “important problems.” They want solutions to painful, annoying, urgent problems. Example: • Not “improve your digital presence.” • Say “Get 3 clients this month using content you already have.” 3. Are you making them FEEL something? Logic convinces. Emotion sells. Storytelling > Features. Benefits > Technicalities. Connection > Cleverness. Mini Framework you can steal: Pain — Paint the current struggle Dream — Describe the life after solving it Bridge — Offer the roadmap (your solution) Example: • Pain: “Tired of posting content that even your best friend ignores?” • Dream: “Imagine waking up to 15 leads saying, ‘Hey, can we work together?’” • Bridge: “That’s exactly what my B2B storytelling framework creates for you.” Lesson Reinforcement: Good copy isn’t about adding more words. It’s about removing more doubt. Which part do you struggle with the most..clarity, urgency, or emotion? #linkedin

B2B companies spend MILLIONS every year on Cold Email Infra tools. But you don’t need to spend an arm and a leg to get your setup right. We broke it down by budget and maturity so you can build the email infrastructure that scales without wasting a dollar. Your email infra determines: → whether you land in inbox or spam, → how fast you can scale, → and how predictable your sending is. We broke it down by budget & maturity so you can pick the stack that fits you 👇 💰 The $500 Email Infra Stack For founders or new GTM teams testing cold email and messaging. Simple, fast, and keeps your domain reputation clean. 💡 Goal: Test your messaging fast without burning your sender reputation. - Inbox provider: Gmail or Outlook (free domain aliases) - Sending platform: Instantly.ai or Smartlead (1–3 inboxes) - Warm-up / deliverability: Instantly or Smartlead - Verification: ZeroBounce or Bouncer - Domain setup: Namecheap, Inc + Cloudflare - Health monitoring: Free tools (GlockApps free tier, Instantly reports) ⚙️ The $1K Email Infra Stack For growing teams doing consistent outbound and testing multichannel setups. 💡 Goal: Stable deliverability + visibility over what’s actually landing. - Inbox provider: Mailforge - Cold Email Infrastructure 📈 or Zapmail.ai - Sending platform: lemlist or Mailforge built-in - Warm-up / AI monitoring: Mailforge Warm + Clay Signals - Verification: NeverBounce by ZoomInfo + ZeroBounce (bulk clean) - Health & deliverability: MailReach or Mailsuite - Automation: n8n for automated health checks 🚀 The $5K Email Infra Stack For GTM teams sending 100K+ emails/mo, managing multiple brands, or agencies running multi-client setups. 💡 Goal: Predictable deliverability at volume, monitored, automated, and CRM-connected. - Inbox provider: Mailreef, Mailscale, or Inframail (dedicated IPs & servers) - Sending platform: lemlist, Salesforge 🔥, Salesloft, Outreach - Reputation AI: Mailscale’s active recovery + Mailreach premium - Monitoring: Folderly Inc. or Warmbox enterprise - Verification: ZeroBounce + MillionVerifier - Automation: Clay + n8n + HubSpot CRM sync We mapped all three stacks into the visual below. If you want the exact stack we use at SalesCaptain, with our recommended infra providers, comment INFRA below and I’ll send it (i'm terrible at gatekeeping 😂 ) #gtm #coldemail #salesops #emaildeliverability

How to write good copy for the internet (a guide). Bad copy kills businesses, good copy makes them. I think we’re entering an era where the best products don’t necessarily win, the best copy does. Most people write copy like they are writing instruction manuals. They got lost in explaining how the sausage is made and no one cares. And even worse they use that same robotic copy in the content they create. 1. Paint a picture Make your reader see, feel, and believe in the world you're describing as if they're living it. It's like telling a story that they become a part of. 2. Conversational tone Write like you're chatting with a friend. It should feel easy and friendly, making your reader feel right at home. 3. Use line breaks generously Space out your sentences like breathing spaces in a conversation. People don't have time to read dense paragraphs when you are competing with TikTok. 4. Hone in on a single focal point Keep your message tight around one big idea. It's like using a spotlight in a dark room to show off the most important thing. 5. Shows credibility with examples Use real stories or examples to prove your point. It's like showing a picture to prove you've been somewhere cool. 6. Anticipates concerns and works through objections Think ahead about what might bother your reader and talk it out. It's like answering their questions before they've even asked them. 7. Entertaining Keep things fun or interesting so your reader enjoys reading. It’s like adding a dash of spice to make a meal tastier. 8. Know who you’re trying to reach Write for someone specific, like you know exactly who they are, what they like, and what they need. It’s like picking out a gift for a friend. 9. Show how the product works Explain how things work in simple terms. It’s like explaining a game so everyone can play. 10. Has clear calls-to-action Be clear about what you want your reader to do next. It’s like giving clear directions so someone doesn’t get lost. 11. Don’t be a robot Put some personality in your writing. It’s like wearing your favorite outfit instead of a uniform. 12. Be different than your competition Stand out by being yourself. It’s like choosing to dance to your own music when everyone else is dancing the same. 13. Use positive words Use words that make people feel good and hopeful. It’s like smiling through your words. 14. Avoid exclamation points Use them sparingly. It’s like not shouting in a conversation. 15. Clear and concise Keep it short and sweet. It’s like telling a story without adding unnecessary details. 16. Safe copy is risky copy Dare to be different. It’s like taking a new path through the woods instead of the worn trail. 17. Be interesting, be brave Write something that grabs attention. It’s like telling a story that no one wants to end. 18. Every word matters Choose your words carefully. It’s like picking out just the right ingredients for a recipe. I hope this guide has been helpful.

We started a biweekly newsletter 1.5 years ago to diversify beyond LinkedIn. Our approach: built an actual media format that front-loads value instead of directly pitching the service. So far we have 5k subs and a 50% open rate. How it works: Most of our organic content goes right here on LinkedIn. It’s still the best channel for reaching an audience. But like all social media, it’s a rented audience. We depend on the platform/algorithm, which we don’t control. If our account gets disabled or our reach drops, we risk losing our main acquisitions channel. That’s one reason we encourage our LinkedIn readers to subscribe to our Content Founder newsletter. The Content Founder is our owned audience. We know who it reaches, independent of any algorithm. It’s a great way to diversify risk in the attention economy. More importantly - LinkedIn has a 3,000 character limit. We can offer much more value when we expand the format. We grew our initial audience by publishing lead magnets on LinkedIn: • Notion templates • content founder breakdowns • an educational email course We gave those away for free to anyone who shared their email. More recently, we’ve been publishing newsletter previews as posts on LinkedIn to drive new signups. Each newsletter issue follows the same structure: 1. Personal intro 2. Anchor topic - a tactical breakdown with actionable advice 3. Coffee inspo - short updates + random stuff (favorite deodorant, cool book, etc.) 4. Content Founder spotlight - someone who built a personal brand led business 5. Highlight a song we love + link to our Spotify playlist We pick anchor topics at the start of the month from LinkedIn posts that performed well. We repurpose them into a newsletter with all the info we couldn’t fit into 3,000 characters. That’s how we maintain the 2 newsletter/month cadence. PS. in this video, I explain our newsletter strategy and talk about a new format we’ve been testing. Check it out :)

Open rates are the most misleading metric in sales. They make you feel like you’re getting traction but reality, the data is completely broken. Here are 4 reasons why (and what to actually measure): 1. Email clients handle open tracking differently Gmail and Outlook handle tracking pixels in totally different ways. Send the same email and Gmail might show 60% opens, while Outlook shows 40%. That’s a 20% delta — if the pixel even fires at all. 1. Apple Mail killed open tracking Apple’s Mail Privacy Protection preloads emails, images, and pixels before a user even sees the message. So your platform logs an open… but the person never read it. This impacts every iOS user so….basically everyone. 1. Bots and security scanners inflate opens Enterprise security tools scan inbound emails for threats which includes opening and parsing them. This triggers your tracking. Now you think your subject line crushed it, but half your opens were bots. Nobody read it. 1. Pixel blocking tools everywhere The opposite is also true: real opens that don’t get tracked. Chrome extensions, ad blockers, and privacy tools can all suppress pixels entirely. So someone could open your email, read it top to bottom, maybe even forward it and your platform will show zero engagement. Here’s what you should measure instead: 1. Reply rate This is the single most important metric in the entire game. It answers the only question that matters: Did a human engage? Every reply is good. Yes. No. Even “stop emailing me.” They show Google and Microsoft that humans are responding to your emails. That you're not just some bot dumping generic outreach into the void.  No replies = you're either in spam, or your message is irrelevant. 1. Bounce rate A bounce means the email address is dead or fake. If your bounce rate is above 1%, you’re seen as a spammer. And that flag doesn’t just apply to one campaign, it pulls down your sender score across the board. Even your best emails stop reaching inboxes. If you don’t fix your list, you're just spraying garbage. 1. Opt-out rate This one tells you whether you’re hitting the right audience. When someone unsubscribes or worse, reports you, what they’re saying is: “You’re not relevant. I don’t want to hear from you.” And they’re not wrong. If your targeting was on point, if your messaging was contextual, if your outreach spoke directly to their pain they wouldn’t be opting out. Even if they don’t respond right away, they’d read. They’d stay in your pipeline. They’d keep the door open. This is usually a result of lazy ICP work. Either you’re going too broad, or your criteria are completely misaligned with what the market actually looks like. ——— We built the entire Forge stack to solve exactly this: → Leadsforge to source clean, qualified data → Salesforge to execute multichannel outreach at scale → Warmforge to protect your domain health behind the scenes Open rates don’t build pipeline. Replies do.

📝 The Art of Crafting Effective Ad Copy in SEM: Mastering the Language of Clicks In the fast-paced world of Search Engine Marketing (SEM), the art of crafting compelling ad copy is a game-changer. Your ad copy is the voice of your brand in the competitive digital arena, and mastering this art can significantly impact click-through rates and conversions. Let's delve into the key elements that make ad copy truly effective. **1. Know Your Audience: The foundation of impactful ad copy lies in understanding your target audience. What resonates with them? What pain points do they seek solutions for? Tailor your language to speak directly to their needs and aspirations. **2. Craft a Captivating Headline: The headline is your ad's first impression. Make it count. It should be concise, engaging, and immediately convey the value proposition. Spark curiosity, use power words, and align it with the searcher's intent. **3. Focus on Unique Selling Proposition (USP): What sets your product or service apart? Clearly articulate your Unique Selling Proposition (USP). Whether it's a special offer, unique features, or exceptional service, let your audience know why they should choose you. **4. Conciseness is Key: In the realm of SEM, brevity is a virtue. Craft your message with utmost clarity and conciseness. Every word should add value. Eliminate unnecessary details and ensure that your message is easily digestible. **5. Create a Compelling Call-to-Action (CTA): The CTA is the bridge between interest and action. Whether it's "Shop Now," "Learn More," or "Sign Up Today," your CTA should be compelling and instigate immediate action. Make it clear what you want your audience to do next. **6. Speak the Language of Benefits: Shift the focus from features to benefits. How does your product or service improve the lives of your customers? Highlight the positive outcomes they can expect, creating an emotional connection that resonates. **7. Utilize Ad Extensions Wisely: Leverage ad extensions to provide additional context and information. Site links, callouts, and structured snippets can enhance your ad, offering users more reasons to click through and explore. **8. A/B Testing for Optimization: The journey to the perfect ad copy involves experimentation. Conduct A/B tests with different variations of your ad copy to understand what resonates best with your audience. Continuously refine and optimize based on performance data. In the realm of SEM, effective ad copy is a potent tool that can elevate your campaigns to new heights. By understanding your audience, communicating your USP, and continually refining your approach through testing, you'll master the art of crafting ad copy that speaks the language of clicks. 🚀💬 #SEM #DigitalMarketing #AdCopyMastery

10 Copywriting Rules (From a Dad of Twin Teenagers Who Knows a Thing or Two About Persuasion) Growing up with twin teenage daughters has been the ultimate crash course in persuasive communication. If I can get two teenagers to agree on dinner plans without an eye roll, selling anything to anyone becomes a breeze. Crafting a compelling copy? Surprisingly similar. It’s all about: • The right tone • Catchy phrasing • Knowing exactly what they want (even when they don’t). Here’s how these lessons translate to copywriting: 1/ Strong CTA = More Conversions Convincing teens to choose one restaurant? Like a CTA, it needs a “what’s in it for me” factor. “Click Here” works if paired with why they should care. Example: “Click Here for Mouthwatering Dinner Ideas.” 2/ Highlight What Matters In family debates, shouting the best option works (sometimes). In copy, highlight with: ✔️ Bold text ✔️ Visual cues ✔️ Testimonials Give readers reasons to trust—and choose—your offer. 3/ Symbols Speak Louder Than Words Teenagers scan for emojis. Readers? Scanning for key symbols. Use: ✔️ $ for discounts ✔️ ❌ to show what they’re missing without you. 4/ Numbers > Words “Be home at 1” is clearer than “Be home at one.” Numbers grab attention. Use them in headlines, discounts, or stats. 5/ Follow the “Goldilocks” Rule Too many options = indecision (or teenage rebellion). Limit choices to make decisions easier—group into 3-4 options. 6/ Meaningful Hooks “Dinner options” sounds boring. “Let’s try sushi tonight!” sparks curiosity. Same with copy: Your “Plans & Pricing” page? Rename it. Try “Find Your Perfect Plan.” 7/ Picture It Like a Conversation Persuading teens means sitting down and talking face-to-face. Write your copy like you’re chatting across the table with your audience. 8/ Explore Layers of Benefits Teens need more than “it’s good for you.” They want specifics: “You’ll feel great and your friends will love it.” Your copy needs the same. Features are nice, but benefits sell. 9/ Showcase Your Best Dinner debate strategy? Start with the best suggestion first. Your copy should, too: Feature best-sellers or top reviews upfront—don’t bury them. 10/ First & Last Impressions Matter In family arguments, what you say first and last is what gets remembered. Structure your bullets the same way: • Strongest point first • Close with a powerful takeaway Master these rules, and whether you're selling products or settling family debates, you'll win every time.

I’ve spent $2,238.00 on newsletter software in 12 months. Struggling to build a newsletter? Here's my advice: 1. Website or No-Website? Do I want the newsletter: On my own site? On someone else’s? Substack & Medium are ways to build subscribers / followers quickly. But you can’t host them on your own site. If you don’t have a website (or don’t want one) that’s fine. If you do (or want one): - Kit has powerful automations + creator blog (but no site) - Kajabi is a website builder, and newsletter platform - Beehiiv is a newsletter platform + simple site - HubSpot is an all-in-one (better for B2B) Don’t need your newsletter to be a website blog? Any will do… I’ve used Mailchimp, Mailerlite, etc. 2. Growth Hacking Most platforms have referral networks or recommendations. - Kit - Beehiiv - Substack To name a few → Kajabi does not (one of the reasons I’ve moved away from it) Another way to capture e-mails is with ‘lead magnets’. Kit is the best for creating landing pages. Kajabi also lets you create landing pages. Right now I use: HubSpot for my website + landing pages Beehiiv subscribe forms embedded on Hubspot 3. Automation If you don’t need any automation, any platform will do. If you want to: - Drip feed e-mails - Offer products / product bumps Kajabi and ConvertKit are best for automations. (they’re the best for selling digital products too). Beehiiv has automations… But the only paid product is a paid newsletter. For me, I create gated payment links on HubSpot. TL;DR The most complete platform is Kit The best newsletter platform is Beehiiv I use HubSpot + Beehiiv. This gives me better landing pages than Kit. (my website is hosted on HubSpot) And a best in class newsletter platform. But remember: All of them send emails. It's easy to move between platforms. So pick one and make a start. — Enjoyed this? Save and Share 💾♻️ And for more like this, go here -> Adam Shilton -> And hit the bell 🔔

Most people genuinely haven’t a clue which email platform they should be using x And realistically, not everyone has the time or headspace to figure it out 🤭 So I’m going to share my thoughts. Not gospel, you might disagree and that’s ok 🙂↔️ Here are five platforms and my thoughts on what tends to work best for each x 1. Omnisend Best for: ecommerce brands that want to get going quickly but still do things properly. Omnisend is great if you want something intuitive, solid out of the box, and built for e-commerce. The automation set-up is straightforward, the reporting is clear, and it doesn’t feel overwhelming if you’re earlier-stage/short on time. It’s a good option if email isn’t your only job, but you still want it to work hard. Especially for B2C start-ups, early-stage brands, and medium-sized businesses. They also handle the platform migration. So if you’re currently on another platform and thinking about switching, their team can take care of it all for you. 2. Bloomreach Best for: bigger e-commerce brands with complex data and serious personalisation needs. Bloomreach is powerful. But more complex. It’s not something I’d recommend unless you have the internal resource, data maturity, and appetite to really use it properly. When it’s right, it’s very right. When it’s wrong, it’s usually because it’s too much too soon. Suited to larger B2C businesses with a more robust team in place. 3. Klaviyo Best for: e-commerce brands that want depth, control, and advanced segmentation. Klaviyo is brilliant if you want to get granular with data, behaviour, and segmentation. They’re also positioning themselves as a broader B2C CRM, so they’ve got big plans. That said, it does require more thinking and ongoing management. It’s amazing in the right hands, but I see a lot of brands underusing it because it can feel overwhelming without a clear strategy. 4. Mailchimp Best for: service businesses, B2B, or simpler email needs. Mailchimp is often used for the wrong reasons, mostly because it’s been around for so long. If you’re ecommerce-heavy and serious about lifecycle marketing, there are usually better options. But for newsletters, service-based businesses, or straightforward comms, it can still do the job gorgeously. 5. Flodesk Best for: creators, coaches, and personal brands. Flodesk is beautiful and simple. If your priority is aesthetics, ease, and not getting lost in data, it makes a lot of sense. It’s not built for complex ecommerce journeys, and you don’t get the same level of data or segmentation. But if that isn’t a priority, Flodesk can be a very gorg place to start and stay. Final thought x The “best” platform doesn’t exist. It’s the one that fits your business right now, your capacity, and how you actually work. This post is sponsored by Omnisend, but very intentionally unbiased. I am not about that life 🙂↔️ That said, they’ve given me a little code if you want to try them or have a play - I’ll pop it in the comments x

“Marketo and some other ESPs send all your emails to spam.” Don't they? Your ESP does impact deliverability; but not in the way most marketers think. Inbox providers don’t hate Marketo. They distrust bad senders. Marketo, HubSpot, Mailchimp, Klaviyo, all host thousands of senders. If you’re on a shared IP with shady neighbors, inbox providers might punish you too. Let’s be honest: some ESPs are just plain bad. 1. They let anyone send, no vetting, no compliance, no limits. 2. Their IP ranges show up repeatedly on blocklists. 3. Their support shrugs off your inboxing issues with generic answers. Red flag: If your ESP doesn't care who sends what, you’re sharing reputation with spammers. Dedicated IPs help, but they’re not magic. A dedicated IP in a “bad neighborhood” still inherits risk. Without proper warmup, domain alignment, and consistent volume, you're still a stranger to mailbox providers. Think of it like buying a premium car but driving through a toxic zone, you're not protected. The real issue isn’t always the platform, it’s the sending. Switching ESPs won’t fix your deliverability if your: 1. Domain reputation is weak 2. Lists are stale or purchased 3. Content is clickbait 4. Engagement is low These follow you wherever you go. That said, some ESPs are stuck in the past. If your platform doesn’t offer: 1. Custom Return-Path 2. ARC header support 3. Reliable bounce categorization 4. Fast IP warm-up tools 5. Responsive deliverability support Then yes, that’s a reason to leave. So what does drive inbox placement? Focus on these fundamentals: 1. Domain-level reputation and alignment (SPF, DKIM, DMARC) 2. Strong engagement signals (opens, clicks, replies) 3. Clean, opt-in-only lists 4. Consistent volume and sending patterns 5. Fast bounce/suppression handling 6. Relevant, non-spammy content Blaming your ESP is easy. But sometimes, they do deserve it. If your setup is right, but inboxing still fails, ask: 1. Who else is sending from this subnet? 2. Is the ESP proactive with abuse management? 3. Are they helping or just blaming Gmail? If your ESP doesn’t protect your reputation, you need to protect yourself, by leaving. Bottom line: The ESP is your infrastructure. Your deliverability is your responsibility, but if the infrastructure is broken, no amount of sender best practices can fix it. Have you dealt with shady ESPs or deliverability disasters? Let’s talk. #emailmarketing #deliverability #ESP #marketo #inboxstrategy #emailtruths #email