If you’ve ever seen Pirates of the Caribbean (which you should—shame on you if you haven’t), then you came across a wonderful quote (one of many) by Captain Barbossa when Elizabeth Swann demanded him to release her (and bring her back to shore).
The famous quote goes as follows:
“The code is more of what you call guidelines than actual rules.”
In case you truly haven’t seen the film, the [Pirate] code refers to a set of ‘rules’ every pirate is expected to uphold, no matter how foul, devious, or unethical their plans or desires are.
After all, a society without rules is nothing but pure chaos—even one ruled by pirates, rule breakers, and miscreants.
Now, I’m no pirate. And I’m guessing you aren’t either.
So what does this have to do with either of us?
Well, the same principle of the pirate code being more guidelines than actual rules applies to almost everything we do.
As a beginner learning a new skill, you’ll be taught to adhere to and follow certain rules. Rules such as “Always follow the rule of one” for persuasive writing, “Show, don’t tell” for storytelling, or even the instrument pallet you should use to evoke certain emotions while creating music.
All of these serve a purpose, they will help you develop your skills and ability.
But as you grow, you’ll start to realize that every single rule you’ve been taught, isn’t really a “rule” as much as it is a “guideline”.
Many great copywriters have broken the rule of one on occasion.
Many great authors bombarded their readers with exposition being told to them instead of it being shown.
Many world-class composers have completely gone against common expectations when it came to instrument choice for certain musical styles—just look at Hans Zimmer using the organ as a device for the science fiction hit Interstellar.
William Zinsser said it best when he wrote, “Writing is no respecter of blueprints” in his book "On Writing Well” (a must-read).
And so it goes for email marketing as well.
While I do focus on teaching you a few basic “rules” to keep in mind in my flagship offer, Email Valhalla, I’ll also show you when to apply these and, more importantly, when not to apply them—after all, they’re only guidelines.
Click this link to find out more: https://alexvandromme.com/valhalla