they'll hate how much they love your emails

Hi remember me?

I’m guest authoring this week spilling the tea on my emails to my friend Ryan’s audience (hi Ryan), when I thought to myself:

Why should THEY have all the fun??

And that’s why right here and now I’m breaking down my entire newsletter (anti-)framework…

So you can finally write the same.

Stick around cz this is huge: I haven’t shared this before and…

You get it first!!

So look.

Here’s the intro I wrote for my post - do you think I’ve nailed Substack???

Stop the grinning, here’s the deal:

I’m gonna walk you through a different style of newsletters that makes people love you & your stuff.

See, in the age of AI…

We’re left with copies of a copy of a lamer copy.

Everything’s said and done before.

Everything’s happening faster.

You’re struggling to keep up the…

Well, wait, what?

Why write anything, really? Why sit down to type the words? Why not just automate, VA & repurpose?

The answer is annoyingly simple:

You’re human.

I’m human.

And you and me crave other humans.

(every once in a while)

We’re tired of the robots, the fake, and the lifeless.

We wanna connect - and feel again.

We don’t get particularly excited….

About that standardized AI update in your inbox 7 days through Sunday.

So if you’ve always wanted to send newsletters that are personal, relevant & entertaining…

That make people binge your words, laugh, and actually remember you…

It’s your lucky day!

Today, I’m sharing my style of personal branding meets storytelling meets news editing….

So you can make your emails cool again.

But before I spill the tea…

Let me take you back… to the original content creators.

See, I got a professional history in television. In other news:

7 years of being trapped in underground editing rooms of popular German broadcast stations, piecing together the story of the day.

Now…

If I can make Monday morning traffic strikes & the 1001st press conference (saying absolutely nothing) look interesting…

I can send newsletters that make you feel.

(hehe)

News editing taught me something crucial:

You can't tell a story without seeing a story.

Words alone don't cut it. You need:

• Formatting keeping your attention

• Visuals supporting your message

• Structure building tension

• Details making you feel

So when cutting scenes for television, every decision shaped our story:

The angle. The footage. The details. The focus.

But the evil part??

Now I use THAT to hook you on my emails.

Instead of another dry "business update"...

I show AND tell my story.

And you can do the same.

Prepare pen & paper, hold on to your phone…

My 4-part anti-framework for newsletters people hate*:

*mainly cz they didn’t write them

1. The Intro (say hi)

Introducing…

Your first chance to bond. Think real life:

This is small talk on the elevator - or catching up with a friend.

What’s happening here? -

You're not writing a corporate update -

You're starting a conversation.

Ideas to get you typing:

• 3 things that happened to you this week

• Comment on a trending or relevant topic

• A quick win, a laugh - or some drama

2. The Story (Behind the Scenes)

This is your moment to take them behind the scenes.

To make them feel part of your journey.

To show off more of your day to day…

and connect over shared rants.

Check this one (extra graphic):

Notice how I'm not just telling a story about a cow giving birth.

I'm:

• Building tension

• Adding time markers ("4:45 pm")

• Making you feel the panic with me

Now, you don’t have to tell farm stories. How about…

• Business wins/fails

• Drama on your feed

• Client situationships

• Random daily stuff that taught you a lesson

3. The Value (I tried this so you don’t have to)

Here's where 97% of newsletters screw up:

Most authors separate value and entertainment - as if you can't have both!!

(Spoiler: for the sake of this breakdown, I've done the same. But here's the truth:)

Entertainment IS value.

It's what actually makes people remember you and your words.

That’s why for each bit of traditional “value”… you add equal bits of entertainment.

(skipping this will get you ignored)

Now, here's where it gets interesting:

While AI can help you outline, edit, and even generate ideas...

It can't replicate YOUR way of entertaining.

(trust me, I've tried - my AI poems were impressive but nobody lost sleep over them)

That's your edge in 2025.

But let me show you:

See?

Not just another "how to write welcome emails" guide -

I actually subbed to 5 different sequences and turned my market research into lessons.

The value can be anything:

• Your experience (my favourite: "i tried this so you don't have to")

• Breakdowns & frameworks you've discovered (or invented)

• “How I”: Processes and systems that actually work for you

And the best part?

This style of emails doesn’t just make people love you -

It actually sells your stuff.

Let me prove it to you adding 1 last step:

4. The Offer (since we’re already here….)

Your whole email is leading up to this point (even if you didn’t know it yet).

Why waste a perfectly good story without… pitching your offer?

You’ve set people up to want more of you…

So now’s your chance to play just that.

Watch me segway shamelessly:

Your CTA can be:

• Direct (shameless segway, “buy my stuff”)

• Indirect (natural progression into your offer)

• Just building connection (& farming replies) with a PS: ”how about you like tapped this button and told me…”
  

So summing up my anti-framework:

1. Intro (say hi)

2. Story (behind the scenes)

3. Value (i tried this so you don’t have to)

4. Offer (since we’re already here….)

“Cool steps you got there, Lessa, but here’s the thing…”

Yes yes I hear you.

I’m not trying to productize you.

Now here's what really drives this home:

→ You gotta make it YOUR OWN. ←

I broke my own rules in this post:

• Skipped step 2 to build tension

• Told my backstory throughout

• Still kept you reading, right?

Here’s the thing:

↳ You use structure to support your personality - never to replace it.

Look.

Building a personal brand in 2025 isn’t optional anymore.

Being 1 of 1 is your superpower… and unfair advantage (one newsletter at a time).

Play that in your emails.

See why people hate how much they love these emails?

But look.

You've made it all the way down here...

So you’re still wondering where to start!!

If you're tired of fighting with words...

If you wanna send emails they're waiting for in their inbox...

If you dare turning your random daily life into stories they actually remember...

Let's make your emails cool (again).

We'll figure out:

• What's already working (you're better than you think)

• Where your best stories are hiding (trust me you got plenty)

• How you hook people on your words (no sounding like everybody else)

Let’s make you top of mind (& relevant).

Click the image to apply:

xx Lessa

PS I know you’re smart. Go charm your list.