Email Templates… Useful Tools or Dangerous Seduction?

Email templates, swipe files, blueprints, done-for-you captions, content files, 365 subject lines for any subject you can possibly think of…

It’s all out there ready for you to download… often for FREE…

I mean why on earth would you bother writing anything yourself? What’s the point of agonising over content creation when you can just download another email template swipe file or a done for you caption bundle?

In fact, why bother having a single original thought when it comes to marketing your business, when there’s a ton of content you can simply borrow (steal, if I’m in a harsh mood) from those who’ve gone before you?

Why?

Here’s why:

‘One original thought is worth a thousand mindless quotings’ 

(Diogenes Laertius)

(Note: The irony of using someone else’s quote here is intentional and feeds my love for anything meta)

Now, don’t get me wrong, I’m not writing this from a place of smug perfection. I have a google drive folder stuffed with email templates and all those other seductive temptresses.

I’m entranced by a well-written email nurture sequence as much as the next person, but where once I’d have gratefully used it verbatim, I’ve now mastered looking objectively at the structure & and intention of the emails, then I’ll close out and write my own version, using my words.

 Facepalm Story:

I once sent an email containing the phrase “Hey you guys it’s been one heck of a year, right?!”

I’m from a sleepy village in South East England - not New York   #facepalm

Original Thinking

The truth is, the most successful businesses are led by original thinkers. Entrepreneurs with their own style, their own take on things, their own opinions and their own nuanced language and tone.

Trying to build a business by careful placing your foot exactly into the print left behind by someone else can feel safe. Comforting. As if you can’t possibly go wrong if you just do it the way they did it.

But you’re not them.

Your past experiences, everything that’s brought you to where you are right now,  is different. Your opinions will vary from theirs. Your preferences will be different.

The truth is, I’ve seen so many people try incredibly hard to build a business that’s a carbon copy of someone else’s. Someone they admire. Someone who has the life and business they desire.

Can it work? Well, it depends on your definition of ‘work’. Can you make money that way? Some people do.

Will you LOVE the business you’ve created like you love your child?  I don't think so.

Will you experience the euphoria of bringing YOUR vision to life? No way.

Will you have built a business that sustains you personally, professionally and financially? Highly unlikely.

Truth bomb…

When you strip away the email templates, swipe files and blueprints and start creating original content, ideas and plans, something incredibly liberating happens (and it’s the opposite to what you might expect): the imposter syndrome and comparisonitis that plague so many of us start to fade away.

When you create original content to market your business in alignment with your preferences and your opinions, you stop feeling like a pale imitation of someone else.

“If you're your authentic self, you have no competition”

 (Unknown)

How powerful is that?! There’s no debate around it, it’s a truth.

No one else can do exactly what you can do, in the way you do it. 

Some of you, about now, will be thinking: ‘hold on though - I’m a terrible writer and I have no idea what my own style even is when it comes to content creation. If I try to write my own stuff it will be atrocious. I can’t do it. I’m useless at this stuff’...

Ok, breathe.

Here’s the thing, do I have help to get my original ideas out into the world? Absolutely.

Do I work with a brand messaging consultant to position myself, my business and the coaching / consulting services I provide? Absolutely 

Have I worked closely with a skilled copywriter on my website copy? Absolutely

Working with an expert wordsmith can help extract your best ideas.

But when it comes to marketing,  do I allow myself to copy those seductive email templates word for word? Absolutely not.

I’ve realised that creating authentic content to market my business is one of the most valuable ways I can spend my time in terms of working on the growth of my business.

It takes longer, sometimes my mind goes blank, sometimes I worry about my consistency, but one thing I’m positive of is that once I made authenticity and doing things MY way, non-negotiables in my business, everything began to FEEL right.

In summary:

• Use email templates as a useful tool to spark ideas / suggest structure, then close the file and write your own version in your own words. 

• Trust that creating your own, original content will help you overcome imposter syndrome and comparisonitis quicker than anything else.

• Before you post anything online, run what you’ve written through an internal ‘is this what I really think’ filter.

“Authenticity is a collection of choices that we have to make every day. It's about the choice to show up and be real. The choice to be honest. The choice to let our true selves be seen.”

 ― Brene Brown, The Gifts of Imperfection

Like some support to grow YOUR business YOUR way?

I'm a business coach and consultant and I help women grow their businesses in a way that feels right for them. 

I coach on a 1:1 basis… that’s my preference - it’s the way I love to work, and it gets my clients the biggest transformations. You can apply HERE for a complimentary 60 minute strategy session.

If you found this useful, you might also like:

https://www.gillmoakes.com/blog/about-authenticity

https://www.gillmoakes.com/blog/believe-in-you

https://www.gillmoakes.com/blog/choose-yourself

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