Alienate marketing

Many bloggers / marketers are afraid of alienating their audience for fear of losing people.

As a result, their content and emails are generic.

This is entirely the wrong approach and will never allow you to build a strong tribe.

What you need to do is the exact opposite.

I want you to speak directly to your ideal reader and alienate everyone else.

I call this alienate marketing.

Alienate marketing works because:

If you're not pushing people away with your marketing, you're not bringing people in either.

And it's these personal relationships where the money is made.

Humans crave personal connection.

Let me give you an example.

Say you're going on a first date at Starbucks. Would you talk to everyone around you, or would you laser-focus on just your date?

You need to do the same thing when it comes to your email list.

Instead of trying to cast a wide net, be so specific that your ideal reader says "Oh shit she's talking to me!"

You need to write your emails in a way that your audience is either nodding their head in agreement - or leaving your list entirely.

I know you're afraid of alienating a big percentage of your email list.

But you need to if you want to be successful.

I'll take a list of 100 true fans over a 10K email list any day of the week!

Because these are the people who are going to buy from you. Your avatar, or ideal reader, are the ONLY ones who will buy from you.

So tell me, then why do you avoid specificity in your emails?

Here's your task for today.

I want you to go through your emails and talk specifically to one person.

I want you to use the same isms, words, and phrases your ideal reader uses.

I want you to tell stories that only relate to your ideal reader and no one else.

I run 3 blogs, one in personal finance, another in health, another in marketing.

Each of these topics may sound generic, but the only money I've ever made came from being hyper-specific about a problem my ideal reader is having.

For my personal finance blog, I don't just write about ways to get out of debt. There are plenty better sources (Forbes, CNN Money, Motley Fool, etc.) than little ol' me to learn about that.

So instead I discuss the personal pain of being in debt and how that struggle affects your daily life and mental health.

By going DEEP into the result of the problem, I'm able to form a stronger bond with my audience.

Only once this strong bond is established that I can then recommend my favorite budgeting apps, balance transfer credit cards, or other resources to people in debt.

Professional copywriters have a sales tactic called the Moment of Highest Tension (MOHT)

For example...

Say you have a hair loss solution. Your emails need to hit pain points and offer solutions. Most people gloss over the pain and go right into selling.

But if you want to form a connection and show that you "get it," then you need to go DEEPER and explore the moment of highest tension.

For example, here's how I would hit the pain point in the hair loss niche.

You're in the shower, you look at your hand and see a big wad of hair. Then you look at the drain and it's FULL of hair. Instantly, your heart sinks and you're in a panic.

Yeah, that's exactly what I went through just a few months ago. I was only 25 and absolutely TERRIFIED of losing my hair.

Here are a few tips to help you go deeper and find the moment of highest tension:

1. When did this moment of highest tension happen, what were you doing before? (cooking, going for walk, etc.)

2. What did you see, hear, smell, touch, taste, or notice at this exact moment?

3. What were the fears (both realistic and otherwise) that were running through your head at this moment?

Make a list of different moments of high tension you have experienced. Add them to your bank. Each of these moments of high tension can be different emails you send your list.

If you've nailed your ideal reader down good, they will resonate with your stories and you will build the human connections needed to gain the trust of your tribe.