EMM19: I Spent A Year Trying To Make A Million Dollars by Jesse Eckel
Last night I was sitting in the La-Z-Boy recliner in my living room, scrolling through YouTube, when I saw a video titled:
“I Spent A Year Trying To Make A Million Dollars (How Much I Made)”
After the first few seconds, I was hooked. And I ended up watching the whole 25-minute video.
It did such a good job of grabbing my attention, I decided to do something I’ve never done before…
And feature a video in this week’s episode of Email Marketing Motivation.
But I’m not going to make you watch the whole thing if you don’t want.
In fact, you only need to watch the first 19 seconds. That’s it.
The Piece
In case you don’t want to watch the video, here’s the section we’re looking at transcribed:
“I spent one entire year trying to make a million dollars from scratch.
And after 365 days of pushing myself, working hard, and trying an insane amount of different side hustles, I’m gonna share:
What I learned about making money
What I tried that worked insanely well
And how much I actually ended up making after just one year”
Lessons We Can Learn From This Piece
1. Don’t Be Boring.
One of my favorite quotes about advertising comes from Howard Gossage:
“People don’t read ads. They read what interests them. Sometimes it’s an ad.”
Now check out the first line of this video:
“I spent one entire year trying to make a million dollars from scratch.”
It’s interesting for a few reasons:
First — it’s tangible and specific.
As a reader, you understand exactly what Jesse’s goal is.
If he would have said: “I spent a short amount of time trying to make a lot of money…”
No one would give a shit.
If you want to make your emails more interesting — use specific numbers and tangible ideas.
Second — it’s possible.
The idea of going from $0 to $1,000,000 in 365 days is wild enough to be interesting, but it’s not so crazy as to be impossible.
If Jesse would have said: “I spent 12 hours trying to make a billion dollars…”
You’d be less likely to pay attention. It’s just too crazy to be believable.
So when it comes to the claims you make in your emails — they should be bold and interesting…
But they should also be believable.
And third (and most importantly) — it’s something the audience wants.
It doesn’t matter how tangible, specific, or possible your hook is if no one wants the thing you’re promising.
“I spent one entire year trying to collect 1,000 pennies” isn’t compelling.
2. Address Objections Early.
Later in the video Jesse mentions that when he started, he already had money in his bank account…
But he didn’t use any of that money for this project.
Instead, he started with $1.
That’s important.
Because if he had started with even $100, people would have been able to say things like:
“Easy for you, Jesse! Not all of us have the luxury of $100 to start with.”
But most people can scrounge up at least $1. So, by countering this objection before even starting…
Jesse casts a wider net with this content and makes it more likely that more people will pay attention.
3. Do The Hard Work For Them.
Jesse mentions he tried “an insane amount of side hustles” over the year.
But if you read between the lines, what he’s really saying is:
“I tried an insane amount of side hustles… so you don’t have to.”
He’s done the hard work for his audience. And that’s why they pay attention.
You don’t have to be a genius to earn money from your content online…
But in most cases — you do have to give your audience something valuable.
And one of the simplest ways to do that is to take what you learn from experiences or different resources…
And distill it into something useful for your readers/viewers/etc.
4. Give The People What They Want.
When someone chooses to watch this video, part of them is interested in Jesse’s story.
But a bigger part of them is wondering:
“Can I use some of his tactics to make a million dollars for myself?”
Jesse capitalizes on that by promising to share “what [he] tried that worked insanely well.”
He gives the people what they want.
If you want to write more effective emails — constantly think about what your readers want and how you can give it to them.
5. Show The Data.
The last thing Jesse promises to share is “how much [he] actually ended up making after just one year.”
This does 2 things:
First — it creates curiosity.
“How much did he end up making?” you wonder. “Is it even possible to make $1 million from scratch in a single year?”
These questions are like an itch you almost have to scratch…
Which makes you end up watching the video.
Second — it builds credibility.
By promising to show you how much money he made, Jesse is demonstrating that he actually followed through with the project.
And that gives him credibility in the eyes of a viewer. He becomes an instant expert on “trying to make $1 million in a year.”
So if that’s something you’re interested in, you trust what he says about the topic.
And here’s the coolest part (spoiler alert):
Later in the video, Jesse reveals that he “only” made $147,343 over the course of the entire year.
He “failed” at his goal, but he’s still someone you want to follow, because:
He’s honest
He turned $1 into $147,343 in just 365 days — and that’s pretty impressive
How To Apply These Lessons To Your Email Marketing ASAP
Here's a quick summary of the lessons from this piece:
Don’t Be Boring.
Address Objections Early.
Do The Hard Work For Them.
Give The People What They Want.
Show The Data.
And here’s how you can apply it to your email marketing:
Think about an interesting thing you’ve done in your life.
Maybe you took a vacation to a remote island.
Maybe you helped your company earn an extra $20k in one week.
Maybe you completed the Buffalo Wild Wings Blazin’ Challenge (which apparently has a formal legal agreement stating all the rules???).
Think about the lesson(s) you learned from that experience.
Then think about how those lessons apply to something your readers want.
For example:
Let’s say you’re a business coach who completed the Blazin’ Challenge.
The lessons you learned were probably about the importance of perseverance in the face of a challenge, as well as the benefits of owning and using a high-quality bidet.
I’m sure the bidet part is helpful to someone, but what’s really worth focusing on is the “perseverance” aspect — because perseverance is a necessary skill for growing a business…
Which is what your audience wants.
Then write an email telling the story of what happened.
Make sure you:
Are not boring
Address any objections your reader might have about why your story is relevant to their situation
Have done the hard work of figuring out the lesson from the experience
Tie your story and lesson into something your readers want
Show any data, if possible (a sweaty picture of yourself with wing sauce on your shirt would work great)
Here's What You Should Do Next
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