I was watching an interview with Christopher Nolan on the ReelBlend podcast the other day.

One of the most interesting things Nolan said was how he didn’t go to film school.

Just imagine that. One of the biggest, best, and definitely one of the most popular, directors currently around. Yet he didn’t go to film school or any other form of formal training in the art.

Instead, he simply got in there and started practicing making films at an early age.

Nolan was seven years old when he first borrowed his dad’s Super 8 camera to play around with.

He loved watching other films, thinking about the narratives, and just indulging himself in the world of cinema.

But that’s not where our story ends.

Christopher Nolan isn’t the only person where this is the case. Coincidentally, another big industry name who works closely together with Nolan, and someone who, as you may (or may not) know, I can’t seem to shut up about, also didn’t have any formal training.

More specifically, Hans Zimmer.

Zimmer never went to music school. Instead, he used to play in rock/punk band when he was younger and loved to improve music on the piano or create his own compositions.

Now, this isn’t to say the only solution for you is to start young.

Maybe it is if you want to compete at the highest level of Hollywood. But I’m guessing that’s not your gig. And it’s not mine either.

Instead, I want you to realize the importance of going out there in putting in the work. Getting the practical experience. Getting your hands dirty so to say. You don’t have to get some formal schooling to be good at your craft (this isn’t medical advice).

I don’t care how if you’ve gone to business school, med school, music school, or no school at all.

The only thing that matters is how often you’re practicing your craft.

And that’s one of the many, many, seriously many, reasons why I recommend you and everybody else to start mailing daily and start doing so today. The amount of growth you’ll experience is almost unfathomable—both in personal ability as well as in business and revenue growth.

You don’t need to go to email or business school to get started.

But getting a quick 1–2 hour introduction to point you in the right direction never hurts.

With that said.

Check out Email Valhalla to learn the foundations and avoid the early pitfalls so you can focus on getting in there and getting that practice starting today.

Here’s the link for more information: https://alexvandromme.com/valhalla

What's a writer's favorite dinosaur?

A thesaurus.

Now, this silly little joke won’t land me a Netflix special together with Dave Chappelle. But it more than fulfilled its purpose.

What was the purpose of my silly little joke, you ask?

To continue reading this email.

See, whereas the subject line of the email serves the one and only purpose of making people open the email (unless you’ve already established a relationship with your reader—at that point, the subject line matters a lot less than the “from” line), the opening line instead serves the one and only purpose of getting people to read the second line, and then the third, the fourth, the fifth, and so on.

Now, there are many ways to write great opening lines that make people continue reading.

One of which is to be different than every other email in your reader’s inbox, to say something unique, to be entertaining even and make them smile—or at least chuckle internally.

Of course, the story doesn’t end there.

You’ll want to follow up your email with something education, informative, inspirational, or anything that gives your reader the feeling of being worth their time—simple entertainment won’t have people coming back for more every single day after all.

The simplest way to do so is by tying the topic of the opening line to a useful lesson or insightful anecdote.

After that it’s simply a matter of connecting everything together and packaging it up into an enticing and simple-to-follow call to action.

So if you enjoyed this mini-masterclass in grabbing attention (and keeping it) when it comes to email writing, then you’ll want to check out my flagship course Email Valhalla which will teach you all about how to write emails that get you paid while keeping your readers reading day after day.

Click here for more information: https://alexvandromme.com/valhalla

First and foremost: I just plain don’t like them.

Not just as in "I don't like using them to build my list" But as in "I don't like other people's lead magnets".

Meaning.

I might like certain people's content and would happily opt-in to their list. But often the only way to opt-in is to first download their lead magnet—which is extra friction and makes me less inclined to opt-in.

Why?

First, I simply don't care about your lead magnet and have no need for whatever it’s trying to teach me.

So forcing me to download it?

Nah.

Second, most lead magnet landing pages don't talk about what happens afterward.

How many emails will you send me? What are they like? What will you talk about?

Are you even going to send me regular emails?

And god forbid if the only way to read their emails is to go through a "10-day email course" I don't care about, forcing me to wait 10 days before I can read your (daily) emails and actually keep up with what you're doing on a daily basis (which more often than not is a lot more entertaining and interesting than the email course itself).

And yes, yes, maybe I might just be a special snowflake in this regard

Obviously, every market, niche, and person is different.

But these are mine.

And because I plain don’t like lead magnets, it would make negative sense if I made my (future) readers go through the same process I dislike.

On another note.

Most lead magnets only attract broke people and freeloaders—you don’t want those on your list. You want people willing to invest, willing to buy what you offer, and willing to engage with your stuff and work towards a better future.

That’s a high-quality list and one that’ll get you paid by selling products, landing clients, or both.

Speaking of getting paid.

Consider checking out Email Valhalla if you’d like to learn how to write daily emails that get you paid Alex Style.

Click here for more information: https://alexvandromme.com/valhalla

And I mean truly incredible.

But at the same time so simple, so easily overlooked, and not to mention how extremely underrated it is.

In fact, I’ll probably get some people laughing at me because of it.

But really, sometimes it’s just that simple.

Want to know what the tip is?

Well, it’s the simple “This email contains …” subject line.

It’s easy, straight-to-the-point, and effectively attention-grabbing—especially if you combine it with some of the other 11 attention-grabbing principles and subject line types I teach in my flagship course Email Valhalla.

Speaking of which.

If you’d like more information about Email Valhalla, check it out here: https://alexvandromme.com/valhalla

A while back I came across a Ted Talk by famous film director, screenwriter, and producer, Andrew Stanton, who worked on films such as Toy Story, Finding Nemo, WALL-E, Up, Cars, The Incredibles, Ratatouille, Coco, and many, many more.

Long story short: he knows what’s up. He’s a master of his craft.

One of the storytelling devices he spoke about is, what he calls, The Unifying Theory of 2+2—where, when telling stories, you don’t simply give the audience the answer.

So instead of giving them 4. You give them 2+2. The audience wants to work for their meal; they just don’t want to know they’re doing it.

Basically, don’t tell the audience everything that’s going on.

Give them just enough information that they’re able to put the pieces together themselves.

If you’re writing a character in a story who’s running late for a job interview and has to wait for the bus.

Don’t make him say, “That damn bus is always late. I’m never going to get to my job interview in time.”

Make him pace around nervously. Have him look at his watch repeatedly and wipe some sweat off his face while adjusting his tie.

He’s in the same scenario, but it’s so much more enticing to watch. The audience has all the necessary information to deduct what’s going on.

Make your audience invested.

Now, you might be thinking. “That’s great, Alex. But I’m not a screenwriter. I just want people to buy my products.”

And that’s great.

See, this simple Unifying Theory of 2+2 works for everyone, even for you (regardless of what you’re selling or which market you’re in).

You might expect me to give you an example right now as to how I’m using it or how you could be using it for your own business. But I’m not going to give it to you.

You’ve already got all the pieces to figure it out for yourself.

So why don’t you simply head on over to the following link and, do whatever makes sense: https://alexvandromme.com/valhalla

One of the most enjoyable attributes of my list is how diverse the people on it are.

We’ve got game designers, architects, medical specialists, electrical engineers, PhD university lecturers, bakers, long-time professional copywriters, meditation specialists, college students finding their way in life, tattoo artists, bodybuilders & fitness influencers, founders & CEOs, music producers, firefighters, finance advisors, ghostwriters, cinematographers, and many many more, many of which I likely still have to discover.

I know this because I try to speak with as many of my readers as possible.

Every reply I receive I respond to, without fail, and I always invite people to reply with their thoughts, share their problems, or just tell their story.

I also always try to engage in conversation, to learn more about the person on the other side.

But even more, I’m almost always able to join the conversation about whatever they are doing simply because of the many, many interests I have and the continuous studying and gathering of experiences I try to do in my daily life.

Which is also a requirement for almost any creator in any market, and that’s especially the case for copywriters (or people practicing to write copy for themselves).

And don’t just take this from me.

This has been confirmed by many of the top copywriters, I’m talking A-list copywriters and certified legends in the field. Joseph Sugarman referred to it as broad and specific knowledge—both of which are required to have as a copywriter.

Some moons ago I a conversation on LinkedIn with David Deutsch, one of the world’s most successful copywriters today responsible for over $1 billion of copywriting success stories, about how every single copywriting legend had way too many interests to count.

And not just the “Oh yeah, that’s fun” type of interest but the “I’m obsessed and I’ll spend 6 months of my life figuring this stuff out” type of interest.

But that’s not all.

Having those interests won’t get all of these people on your list, nor will it allow you to build long-lasting relationships with anyone.

You need to talk about all of those interests as well.

That’s what so many people miss when they think you can only ever talk about one or two subjects otherwise, you’ll confuse your audience.

What a load of crap.

The only thing that’ll happen is you’ll bore your audience and become nothing more than a daily encyclopedia reaching out to them.

Of course, you have to keep it relevant.

But please, for the love of everything that’s holy. Talk about all of your interests and more.

Do this and you’ll stand out like a 15-year-old Twitter life coach in a conference full of old-school hardcore WWII veterans discussing the struggles and hardships of human life.

Don’t limit yourself.

And if you want to learn how to easily (and fast) write interesting and relevant emails that get you paid and keep your readers reading day after day, no matter the topic or the interest you’re talking about.

Then check out Email Valhalla: https://alexvandromme.com/valhalla

By the time you’re reading this email, I’ll be in a restaurant eating what I hope will be an amazing meal.

But not just any restaurant.

A Korean Barbecue place to be specific.

See, I’ve heard (and seen) many great things about Korean Barbecue, yet I never tried it before in my 24 years of existence. Until today that is.

Now, I didn’t write you this email just to share what I’m eating today.

No.

In fact, this simple event in my life reminded me of something important. A valuable lesson many people, myself included, often forget.

What am I talking about?

Simply said, the power of experimentation and trying new things.

You see, it’s easy to keep doing the things you know, going to the places you’re familiar with, practicing the skills you’ve already mastered (or at least have a good grasp of), and repeating this every single day.

But that’s a dark place to be. It’s where hopes or lost and dreams go to die.

Nobody ever got where they wanted without pushing their assumed and self-imposed boundaries. You simply need to push yourself out of your comfort zone if you want to grow as a human being.

Now, sure, trying out a new style of food isn’t “pushing yourself out of your comfort zone”—especially when I’m looking forward to it.

Yet even so.

How many cuisines have you tried before (figuratively of course)?

Stepping out of your comfort zone doesn’t have to be a huge undertaking. It can be as small a step as trying out some new cuisine or it can be as huge as revamping the entire way you approach business (although I wouldn’t recommend you to do this too often).

For example.

You might have been selling services for many years, or perhaps you’ve been selling and delivering physical goods to your customers. But have you tried creating and offering digital products, either as replacements or as supplementing products to the main thing you’re selling?

If you haven’t, then I’d highly encourage to step outside of your comfort zone for just a moment and see how that might suit you.

Who knows, maybe it’ll be the best choice you ever make.

And in case you don’t know where to start, check out Product Creation Made Easy here: https://alexvandromme.com/product

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

You'll know what I'm talking about if you, at one point in your life, have read a sales page.

You see, almost every sales page pretty much uses the same tricks as every other sales page.

One of them is the “you don’t have to be x”.

If it’s a course on how to cook Michelin-star meals it’ll tell you, “You don’t have to be a great cook”. If it’s a product that promises to teach you how to dunk it’ll tell you, “You don’t have to be in great athletic shape.” or if it’s a program meant to get you into shape it’ll say, “You don’t have to have insane genetics”

And I get it.

It works.

You have to make people believe that your solution can help them. But some of them take it so far they’re outright hilarious.

They also don’t mention the whole truth.

Look, I’m going to be honest.

I’m selling a course that teaches you how to build up your email list. I’ll take you from zero knowledge, and zero idea of what to do, to an intermediate-advanced email marketer, getting paid a consistent and reliable income.

On my very own sales page, I talk about how you don’t have to be a great writer to get started and see success with the course. I even give examples of how I knew nothing when I got started—I’m not even a native English speaker and I require spelling assistance from tools such as Grammarly and ProWritingAid.

But there’s a caveat.

A caveat almost no other marketer is willing to admit because they’re scared that it’ll hurt their sales. But you know what? I don’t care. I have to address this issue.

So while it’s true that you don’t have to be a great writer. It does help.

Of course it does.

A better writer will undoubtedly see more and faster success than someone who doesn’t know what they’re doing. So reel in your expectations.

I’m not telling you that you’ll never have to learn a single thing about writing.

Hell no.

I’m saying that it’s ok if you have no prior experience. That’s fine. Because I’ll teach you how to write, I’ll give you that experience.

But you’ll still have to put in the work. You’ll have to practice and get better.

And that’s only possible if you write a lot.

So don’t think for a second that you don’t have to develop a skill set after reading my, or anyone else’s, sales page, for that matter.

Because you do.

And that’s good news.

See, most people won’t put in the work. They want to get results now, not next week, let alone next month. So by simply picking up the course, learning the material, practicing it as often as you can, and gradually improving as you go along, you’ll become better than 95% of people out there.

At that point there’s no chance you won’t succeed.

So if you’re someone who’s willing to learn, who’s willing to practice, and who wants to develop their skillset of writing daily emails that get you paid and keep your readers reading day after day.

Then click here for more information: https://alexvandromme.com/valhalla

Attention is the new currency of our current time. Whoever gets your attention earns the most. Whether it’s through you buying their products, engaging with their content, or watching/reading sponsored posts they make.

People are getting rich off your attention. And so everyone is fighting to get a piece of it—as am I right now with this email you’re reading.

There’s no way around it. You could say it’s wrong, there’s definitely an argument to be made for it. But how are you going to spread your message? How are you going to make an impact and make positive changes in the world? Well, you need to capture attention to spread your message, right?

So everyone trying to make a change in the system has to abide by the rules of the system they’re trying to change. Which makes them quite the hypocrite.

But I’m not here to give you an existential crisis about the state of social media, the attention economy, and society as a whole.

No, I’m here to warn you. Everyone on social media is playing the same game. Everyone.

As with everything, there are evergreen strategies to get engagement and capture attention. One of those is to pick a fight. To choose an enemy and attack them. It can be anything: people, concepts, trends, ideas, beliefs, whatever you want. The more popular, the better. Controversy gets attention. Controversy sells.

So people are fighting all the time. Coffee, morning routines, cold outreach, 4am club, cold showers, cohorts, daily emails, meditation, tweet templates, platitudes, ‘authenticity’, storytelling, copywriting, 18-year-old life coaches, seriously the list goes on.

This is the cycle of social media: Something rises in popularity → A lot of people talk highly about it → It becomes hugely popular → people start attacking it for attention → attacking it becomes popular → the thing itself is unpopular again → people start defending it again because now that’s the ‘unpopular’ thing to do (which gets attention) → it becomes popular again. And the cycle repeats.

What I’m trying to say it that you’ll always have people hating everything on social media. You might say people just don’t ever agree on something. And sure that’s part of it.

But there’s more to it.

It literally pays to start new fights and pick new enemies.

What’s the way to get out of this mess? Building your own world. Doing your own thing.

The #1 worst mistake you can make is to listen to other people’s advice. Seriously.

Experiment with stuff you come across, get inspired by others, try stuff you think is cool, and stick with it.

Don’t let other people tell you what you can post and what you can’t. Don’t let other people tell you what’s going to make you successful and what won’t. And don’t let other people tell you how many emails you can send before people ‘get annoyed’ at you. Test it out and go see it for yourself.

If you think sending daily emails sounds stupid, boring, a waste of time, then don’t listen to me and do your own thing. But if you think sending daily emails to get paid sounds cool, exciting, and something you’d like to test out for yourself, then check out Email Valhalla here to learn more: https://alexvandromme.com/valhalla