the wrong reason to hit send on an email

Happy Monday!

I've been a Star Trek: The Next Generation fan since I was a kid.

It’s like comfort food for me.

I usually rewatch it once every couple of years.

The show got a disappointing send-off with the final movie (Nemesis) back in 2002...

But eventually got a proper conclusion with the Picard spinoff a few years ago.

(Which was much better than expected, tbh)

Anyway…

I recently discovered two of the main actors who played Riker and Data started a podcast called “Dropping Names.”

But it's not a Star Trek podcast.

There's no deep dive episode breakdowns or fan theories.

It's just two guys who've been in Hollywood forever…

Sitting down together, usually with a guest…

Swapping stories about their careers and the people they've crossed paths with.

No agenda or list of questions.

In fact, it feels like the exact same conversation they’d be having if there were no microphones or cameras.

Which is pleasantly refreshing.

I’m sure it's not the first podcast to take such a casual, unstructured approach to the medium...

But in comparison to most of the other info-heavy podcasts I listen to, it still feels innovative.

What's more:

I don't need to be in a particular frame of mind to take it in.

It's easy listening.

Yet it still charges me up just as much as listening to Rick Rubin and Andrew Huberman yap for 3 hours about the science of creativity.

I find it so validating to hear about all the crap jobs they had to take…

The auditions they didn’t get…

The doubts they still grapple with…

And all the people who told them they’d never make it.

Many parallels with creative entrepreneurship.

Anyhow, this illustrates a meta-lesson every coach, consultant, and course creator would do well to remember when it comes to emailing your list…

Which is:

Entertainment over information.

You see, most of us have been quietly trained to believe that to earn someone's attention…

We need to teach them something.

But that’s not what drives people to tune in on a daily basis.

Or choose to buy from you instead of the competition.

It’s entertainment.

Storytelling.

Showcasing your personality, quirks and all.

This is how you build a profitable daily bond with your audience.

And package your insights so they’re easy to digest.

Some food for thought :)

Jim Hamilton