Hey Reader,

I did something risky in August, and luckily, it worked out.

I made $1264 from a single email, which is above average (for me).

What did I do?

I dug into my Loom archives, found lessons I'd never shared publicly, and released them right here in my newsletter.​

Each video was ~12 minutes long.

Each was packed with tons of value.

So...why was this a risk?

Well, I work for myself. I need people to buy from me so I can keep providing these courses and making new ones. Giving tons of value away for free could send the wrong message.

And even though I give tons away for free each week, this felt...different.

The videos went deeper than normal.

Because the lessons didn't just cover the what and the why — they also showed the how.

In case you're unaware, conventional wisdom says to give away the what and why but only a tiny bit of the how. You want to help people understand their problem, get them excited about solving it, and help them take the first step.

But if you help them take every step?

That's when things get tricky.

Why would they give you money to solve a problem you've already helped them solve for free?

Which brings me back to my risk.

I knew the videos showed the how.

(Shivers in "Omg am I giving too much away?" fear.)

However, I also have courses that go way deeper into each topic.

The free videos were ~12 minutes each. My paid courses are ~2-3 hours and include workbooks, exercises, AI bots, and bonuses.

Ultimately, I decided the videos would leave a wide enough value gap.

What do I mean by a value gap?

Every time you give value away for free, you want to leave a gap between:

• How far people can get via free value
• And how much farther they can get with a paid product/service

The $1264 in sales proved my hypothesis was true.

"But Erica, how do people know a gap needs to be filled?"

Well, by doing a great job describing their problem and how much better their life would be if they solved it.

Which is what I aim to do every time I send this newsletter.

My mission is to help you understand the value of solid writing and editing. From scroll-stopping hooks to repurposing your content to social strategy to narrative flow and everything in between — the more you learn, the better results you get.

Many people find the free value to be enough, and that's great! I love you regardless of whether you ever buy.

But for the ~1400 people who have purchased a course or worked 1:1 with me, I know it's because you trust that my products and services can help you get results faster.

While I rarely hard sell (unless I'm in a launch), people know to buy because:

1. I sell the courses in my email footer, so the soft sell is baked in
2. I present my courses as a solution (accompanied by social proof) in almost every email I send, so I've trained you to take that next step if and why you're ready

Think about it:

Imagine you've been reading tons of content from somebody and are thinking about buying.

Then, one day, they send you something that gives you an "aha!" moment and gets you over an initial hump (one you've been struggling with for ages).

That's a damn compelling reason to take the leap and invest in their product or service.

I'm pretty sure that's what happened with my Loom videos email.

I give away the what + why + a bit of the how every week.

But that week, I gave people a sneak peek into the value they'd get if they invested more.

And it worked.

I hope this helps!

Erica

PS. The same principles apply to launch content. You want to give away enough free value to help people overcome a hurdle, while simultaneously getting them excited to invest and take the next step.

It's a balancing act.

One Rob and I will show you exactly how to manage in The Launch Content Playbook, which drops on Thursday.

Preorder it today so you don't miss it (and grab the launch price before it goes up).

We're getting so close! I can't wait to share this with you.

PPS. I'm in Seattle at the Sparktogether conference. Is anyone else here?!

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