WBW: sales funnels, passion vs fascination & the quest for excellence

Welcome back to Write Better Wednesdays!

Writing is a keystone skill for anyone looking to grow & monetize their email newsletter.

So each week, I share 4 things to make you a better writer:

- 1 piece of copy to swipe
- 1 piece of content to consume
- 1 prompt to write
- 1 quote to ponder

Let’s dive in…

Read time: 2.5 minutes

Copy to swipe:

Newsletter Sign-Up Page - TheFutureParty

This is another super simple sign-up page being used for cold traffic by a 7-figure newsletter publisher.

Lots to learn from it.

Here are the main conversion elements I spot:

Also, if you find these visual markups helpful, hit reply and let me know.

They’re fun for me…

But I want to make sure they’re valuable to you.

Content to consume:

Jerry Seinfeld’s 2024 Commencement Address - Duke University

How much does passion matter when it comes to picking your niche?

Not as much as you might think.

Jerry Seinfeld recently gave a brilliant commencement speech at Duke University that hits this on the head.

Here’s a sneak peek:

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“We don’t need the heavy breathing and the outstretched arm from your passion. It makes coworkers uncomfortable in the cubicle next to you. Find fascination. Fascination is way better than passion.”

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I see a lot of creators struggling to find their lane online…

And if that sounds like you, then this discussion of passion vs fascination might be helpful.

Watch the rest of the address here

Prompt to write:

“What key concepts does my audience not know about and how can I explain them in simple terms?

Boring your audience is a cardinal sin.

So it’s tempting to skip over the basics when marketing or selling something out of fear your more discerning readers will simply tune out.

Problem is:

This can get you into trouble too.

Because if they’re missing a key concept, the rest of your argument will go over their head.

For instance:

A “sales funnel” is something I take for granted.

I assume everyone knows what they are and how they work.

But many people in my audience don’t.

The prompt above is designed to help you list out these key concepts and distill them into simple explanations anyone can understand.

Here’s how I might do this for a sales funnel:

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“A sales funnel is a series of web pages presented to someone who’s taken a specific action (like buying an online course). Each page in the funnel makes another offer that can be accepted or rejected with a single click. 

These additional offers are designed to maximize how much the average customer spends inside the funnel (known as the average order value).” 

***

See how that works?

Try this before your next launch or promotion.

Quote to ponder:

Piggybacking on the distinction between passion vs fascination…

It’s okay to start with what you’re good at.

Competency contributes to fulfillment.

And the better you are at doing something, the more you’re likely to enjoy it.

Positive results create a positive feedback loop.

So embrace the quest for excellence.

Then don’t be surprised if passion follows in its wake.

That’s it.

Thanks for reading!

See you next time.

Jim Hamilton