About two weeks ago, I got a surprise:
Dan Kennedy started sending me emails.
I’m not 100% how this happened. In the past, I’ve signed up for email newsletters on various DK websites.
As I’ve written before, I’m a big Dan Kennedy fan and I had high hopes.
But it always turned out the emails were not written by Dan. They were just random pitches for various DK stuff. Each time, I eventually ended up unsubscribing.
And yet, two weeks ago, I suddenly started getting emails from Dan again. And they are great.
I don’t think these new emails are actually written by Dan either, not now, not as emails. It’s probably just old Dan content, repurposed for the email format by some marketing monkey working under Russell Brunson, who has bought up Dan’s entire business.
Still, it’s great stuff, full of humor and valuable ideas. For example, here’s one bit from a recent DK email which caught my eye:
One of the great litmus tests of a newsletter is when yours arrives, are people so excited about it that they drop whatever they’re doing, take their phone and lock it in the trunk of their car, get a cup of coffee, then eagerly sit down to go through it? At least a quick skim to see what’s there and then say, “Tonight, when I have more time, I’m gonna read the whole thing word for word.” Is that how they react?
This caught my eye because last month, I launched my Most Valuable Postcard.
MVP is not a newsletter — really, it’s an un-newsletter. It covers tried-and-proven marketing principles rather than new techniques and tactics.
I was wondering how people would react to this approach, and to the format of the postcard. Well, initial reactions are starting to filter in.
One MVP subscriber, who shall remain unnamed, said that in the excitement of receiving her postcard, she ended up dropping her phone into the toilet (the phone survived).
Sure, a house is not a home, and a toilet is not a trunk. But it may be even better.
And as for reading the whole postcard word for word, MVP subscriber Jakub Červenka just wrote me to say:
Hey John,
Just wanted to let you know I just got your postcard. I am only half-way through your horror stories, but I am already sure you over-delivered on value.
And I have a feeling that your postcard newsletter thingie is case-in-point study in putting in work up front for your prospects.
I don’t have yet enough money / business big enough to be able to afford you, but you making this whole thing so personal, I cannot think of anyone I’d rather work with once I am launching my funnel in English market..
But in the meantime, I am pre-sold already on any copywriting course you may sell in future.
And my mind is already spinning trying to come up with ways I could use what I am learning from you into my business.
Thank you for inspiration, it is awesome!
Jakub has only read half the postcard so far. That’s hardly word-for-word reading… but as far a testimonial for MVP, I don’t think I could ask for anything better.
Still, I’m still not sure what to do with this project.
Like Jakub says, it’s very personal… but also very unscalable.
If I ever reopen this offer to new subscribers, I might tweak the format, and I will certainly increase the price.
But if that doesn’t turn you away, and you want the chance to lock your phone in your trunk or at least fumble it into the toilet when you get a postcard in the mail from me, you can sign up for my (free) daily email newsletter, so you can get notified if I reopen MVP again.