Turn Old Content Into Your Next Newsletter

If you're not building an email list, you're leaving money on the table.

You put effort into getting people to your website or your social media.

But most of them aren’t going to buy right away.

If you can grab their email, you will have a direct line of communication. You own that list.

You're not at the mercy of a platform that could change its algorithm (or ban you) overnight.

An email list is a real asset for your business.

Want to switch email platforms?

Download your list and take it with you.

You can’t do that with Instagram or TikTok followers or site visitors who bounced after ten seconds.

Getting someone onto your list is step one.

Whether it's a lead magnet, a simple sign-up page, or a newsletter that clearly says what’s in it for them, you need a reason people want to hear from you.

But once they’re in, that’s where the real magic happens.

You get to build a relationship. Show up consistently. Share your story. Provide value.

Let them know who you are and how you can help. Without sounding like a robot or a pushy salesperson.

And here’s where AI can be the ace in your pocket.

AI can help you craft lead magnets, brainstorm topics, outline emails, write subject lines, and even draft full sequences.

You can train it to sound like you.

You can use it to start the writing instead of staring at a blinking cursor.

You can save hours and stay consistent, without losing your voice in the process.

Because that’s the key.

You don’t need (or want) AI to take over.

You need it to take the pressure off.

You’re still the human in the loop. The one with the story, the experience, the perspective your audience wants.

AI can’t replace that. But it can help you show up and share it.

That’s why I believe email with AI as your assistant is one of the smartest things you can invest in as a business owner.

And in this issue, I’ll show you one way you can do that today.

Thanks for reading!

Nathan

QUICK QUIZ

Last week’s Quiz: In what year was the first email sent?

Answer: 1971. It was sent by Ray Tomlinson, a computer engineer at Bolt Beranek and Newman, a company that was one of the first to develop and test the ARPANET.

HOW I AI’D THIS WEEK

I wrote the intro to this week’s newsletter…

…but not in the way you might think.

I didn’t sit down with a blank screen and try to summon something clever out of thin air.

Instead, I took the scenic route.

One that’ll save me a ton of time down the road and turn my old ideas into a gold mine I can keep digging into.

Here’s what I did:

Over the last two years, I’ve done about 50 coaching sessions where I’ve helped small business owners with their marketing.

In those sessions, I’ve been a broken record about the importance of doing email marketing, list building, and leveraging AI.

So instead of starting from scratch, I got transcripts of every one of those calls and fed them into Google’s NotebookLM.

Then I asked it to analyze my voice and style.

Once I had that, I asked it to write a draft for a new piece explaining why email marketing is a must for online entrepreneurs, using as many of my own phrases and patterns as possible.

It gave me a long, slightly rambly piece. But I recognized it immediately. It sounded like me. (Yes, I ramble.)

So I took that and edited the first few sentences to give it the focus I wanted.

Then passed it to ChatGPT (which is trained on more of my actual voice and with full context on what How I AI is) and asked it to help me sharpen the rest.

From there, I did a final edit to bring it home.

The result?

A piece that feels like mine because it is mine.

But faster, more efficient, and built from my own raw material.

AI didn’t replace my voice. It just helped me use it better.

STEAL THIS PROMPT

Before you start writing emails, you need to know what kind of emails you'll send, how often, and what structure makes sense for your content and audience.

Here’s a prompt to help you:

Act as an email marketing strategist helping me design my overall email approach. I’m going to brain dump my thoughts, and I want you to help me clarify:

• What type of email style or format fits me best (personal email marketing vs. branded newsletter, etc.)

• How often I should send emails

• What kind of structure I should follow (sections, segments, or just a simple format)

Here's what I want you to do:

1. Ask me these 6 questions one at a time:

• What kind of content do I naturally enjoy creating (stories, tips, promos, curation, behind-the-scenes, etc.)?

• What do I want people to feel or do after reading my emails?

• Do I want these emails to feel like they’re coming from me personally or a branded identity?

• How often do I want to send emails right now (realistically—not ideally)?

• How much time per week can I dedicate to writing and sending emails?

• Are there any examples of email styles I like (newsletters I subscribe to, creators I follow, etc.)?

2. After I answer all six, summarize your recommendation with:

• My suggested email format

• My suggested frequency

• A basic structure I can follow for each email (bullet points or outline)

Keep it simple, actionable, and aligned with my available time and content style.

Brought to You By

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HOW THEY AI

I got this email the other day from James Wedmore about how he uses AI as a B+ Employee. It’s on the longer side, but worth the read.

The One Where We Talk About AI

CHECK THIS OUT

Not everything is serious.

AI can be a fun, creative outlet as well.

Like this video where I imagined Lord of the Rings Characters working at McDonald’s.

You made it all the way down here.

Take a moment to say ‘Hi!’ Hit reply and let me know what you thought of today’s newsletter.

Or go the lazy route and click one of the links below…