I bought a course this morning.

I wasn’t looking for a course. At least, I didn’t think I was. But I bought one anyways (for $80 no less) after seeing an offer appear in my inbox. And it’s got me thinking about what it really takes to monetize an email list.

I think we have a tendency to over-complicate the sales process.

That’s mostly because, when we talk about building a course or other paid media, we’re talking about building a media business – something designed to pay all your bills, and to keep you and others fed for years to come.

And that indeed does take a lot.

But when it comes to the moment of the sale, I think all you need is…

  • A product that solves a specific pain point at a reasonable price
  • A clear, simple email offering it for sale
  • A decent reputation

At least, when I reflect on what got me to spend $80 out of the blue, those are all that come to mind.

Let me break them down here real quick.

Solve a Specific Pain Point at a Reasonable Price

I wasn’t looking for a course. But for months, a little voice in the back of my head has been saying, “You really should learn more about AI.”

I’ve taken some steps to work on this – like reading more AI newsletters, or testing a handful of tools. But really, I feel like the space has grown so fast, I don’t know where to start anymore.

Then, poof.

This morning, in my inbox, a magic email offering to give me an overview of a few popular tools. And an offer for 60% off.

A Clear, Simple Email

I offer, for your review, a look at the exact sales email below:

There’s no fancy graphics. No long sales page. I’m not even entirely sure who sent me this email (I just know the brand name of the newsletter – more on this soon).

Funny enough, I’m not even really interested in the initial offer of saving two hours a day. I like how specific that is – it got me to read the email. But I like my schedule just fine now. I’m not interested in changing it.

I also didn’t really read it that much.

I saw, “ChatGPT,” and “MidJourney,” (two big, recognizable names, and tools I’ve been wanting to understand better), and that was enough for me to click.

Clicking the link takes you straight to a Stripe page.

There is a sales page, but I didn’t see it, proving that in at least some cases, it’s not necessary.

At $199, this would be in the “no man’s land” of pricing – too high to be a front-end product, but too low to be a back-end.

But with the coupon code, the price comes down to ~$80 (comfortably inside impulse-buy territory) and that was enough.

But why would I be willing to spend even that much? That’s where I think the final piece of the puzzle comes in…

Decent Reputation

You don’t have to be famous.

People just need to know your name, and that you either:

  • Create great work, or…
  • Hang with people who are known for creating great work

I mentioned that I’m not really sure who sent me this email. It’s signed from someone named Jordan but I don’t know who that is.

All I know is that this newsletter is from YPNAR, and that brand is associated with Greg Eisenberg.

This is embarrassing, because Greg is well-known in startup/solopreneuer circles, but to be honest, I don’t know much about him or his work. But I know he associates with people like Sam Parr, Sahil Bloom, and others, and I respect their work.

And in this case, at this price, for this pain point, that was enough.

Wrapping Up

I think there’s a lot of people like my on YPNAR’s list, and on yours. Going through this was a good reminder that selling doesn’t have to be so complex.