No more “lead magnets” — back to “email newsletters”

…and keep the newsletters simple.

A common marketing tactic — you’ve probably experienced this — is when you’re forced to give your email address, in order to receive a freebie, such as an e-book, webinar, video series, telesummit, or email course.

Marketers call this a “lead magnet”… and it’s a term that disassociates marketing from relationship-building.

The problem is that it doesn’t even work that well.

I built a 10,000-person email list by using a lead magnet of a “free” webinar.

Why do I put “free” in quotes? Because your attention is valuable — not free — and if I force your email address in exchange for my webinar, then you have effectively paid for the webinar with ongoing clutter in your email inbox. (You had to contend with my ongoing emails that tried to sell you on various products & services.)

Years later, I transitioned towards authentic marketing. I deleted 90% of my original email list, and only kept those who had engaged recently with my emails.

I noticed this — the people who unknowingly “subscribed” to my email list when they really just wanted my “free” webinar —…