Last week I gave you some training on eBook creation…

Of course, there are many other digital products you could make money from – and one of my absolute favourites is the email newsletter.

Not surprisingly, really – as it is the foundation of my own business!

I’ve been sending email newsletters for over 20 years. In that time, I’ve generated over £40 million in sales from them.

The trick is to make sure that you send valuable FREE content at least twice each week. This results in more clicks and sales when you send out promotional messages.

In fact, with an average return on investment of £30 for every 80p spent, email outperforms every other digital marketing channel for me.

So I was delighted to get this timely request for help from a What Really Makes Money reader.

Neil writes: “I’m interested in launching a health e- newsletter and would be interested in learning specifically how AI could help. Eg Popular subject matters within this category, creating content for the newsletter etc.”

He adds that this “might not appeal to the majority of your subscribers.”

But actually… I think it will!

Email newsletters are a fantastic standalone digital product, where you send out weekly information that’s of interest to a niche audience.

After you have more than 100-500 subscribers, you can start promoting affiliate products, or create your own – like the eBook I showed you how to create the other week.

(I know that sounds like a small list, but when you have a dedicated audience of loyal readers, you can get super-high conversions for high priced ticket items!)

What’s more, email is the ultimate tool for any digital business.

For example, perhaps you have a blog, membership site, subscription service or YouTube channel….

Maybe you’re an online tutor, consultant or coach….

Or perhaps you have an eCommerce business selling products on your own shop, or Amazon, eBay or Etsy.

Whatever you’re trying to promote, an email newsletter is the ideal way to gather an interested audience, stay in touch with them, build trust, and sell products to them,

The downside is that, for most people, writing ‘free content’ emails can be daunting.

It is hard to come up with ideas and find information to share. And then there’s the challenge of writing in a clear, compelling style, which isn’t easy if you lack skills and experience, or if English isn’t your first language.

But a language based AI tool like ChatGPT can:-

• help you identify popular topics related to your industry or niche and plan out a schedule of free content emails for you.
• help you research the information you need to put into your emails, ensuring your content has plenty of depth and variety.
• generate high-quality content quickly and efficiently, even if you aren’t skilled as a writer.

So today I’m going to show you how you can create a compelling free email without having experience, writing skills or creative flair.

And to help my reader, Neil, I’ll include ways to use AI to find reliable information in specialist subjects like health.

I’ll also show you how to sidestep issues like lacking credibility and expertise, so that you can legitimately run an email service without deceiving your audience.

Okay, so let’s go!

Step One – Choose Your Voice

First, you need to establish precisely WHO you are and WHY you’re writing these emails.

If you’re a qualified expert – for example, a CEO, a professional trader or certified health practitioner – then you can write as an authority figure.

But you don’t have to be an expert.

You might be a ‘seeker’ at a similar level to the reader, embarking on a journey of discovery, learning new things and sharing your ups and downs.

You could be a ‘prosumer’, knowledgeable about your subject and eager to share what you’ve bought, read, tested and learned (and continue to learn).

You might be an ‘evangelist’ or ‘champion’ – an ordinary person who’s found a method of achieving a goal that they’re so passionate about, they want to shout about it.

Choose which one you are, and make sure you feed this info to Chat GPT before you get it to write the content.

PROMPT: I am going to feed you information about me, the author of these emails. I am a [AGE] man/woman who is [ROLE or SITUATION] who [FEELS A CERTAIN WAY ABOUT THE WORLD OR IS EXPERIENCING SOMETHING RELATED TO THE SUBJECT MATTER]. 

Then either add: I am a qualified expert, who has [DESCRIBE ROLE/ACHIEVEMENTS, PROFESSION].

Or: “I am not a qualified expert, but an ordinary person who is [DESCRIBE YOUR MISSION OR CAUSE].

For example, “I am a 45 year old man who is an insomniac struggling to work, concentrate, and cope with relationships because of it, but hates the idea of becoming dependent on medications. I am not a qualified doctor, but a seeker looking to try all the natural ways to get a better sleep that are out there.

You might need to continually remind Chat GPT of this when you are going through the process – so I recommend keeping this profile on file so you can paste it into your conversations.

Step Two – Plan Content

Next you need to think about what kind of topics you should cover. Keep open the chat where you fed it your own ‘voice’ profile, and use this prompt:

“I want you to act as an editorial expert for my twice-weekly email newsletter [TITLE] about [SUBJECT] that will cover topics like [LIST THE MAIN TOPICS]. I would like to give you a profile of that customer so that you can come up with useful and relevant content ideas. My customer is [DESCRIPTION OF WHO THEY ARE] who would like to [ACHIEVE GOAL] They would also [AVOID PROBLEMS]. Make the topics really niche and specific.

For example…

I want you to act as an editorial expert for my twice-weekly email newsletter ‘The Sleep Diaries’ about my struggle with insomnia that will cover subjects like sleep strategies, nutrition and diet, stress, lifestyle changes, new research, device and therapy reviews. I would like to give you a profile of that customer so that you can come up with useful and relevant content ideas. My customer is over 45, dealing with work, family, stress, ageing, menopause, snoring, prostate issues and other problems who would like to get better quality of sleep. They would also like to avoid drugs with side effects. Suggest a schedule for the next month.  Make the topics really niche and specific.

Here is the sort of thing you’d get…

Week 1: Personal and Relatable Beginnings

• Issue 1: The Bedtime Ritual: Crafting a Pre-Sleep Tea Blend
  • Share a personal story of experimenting with different herbs for sleep, focusing on creating a DIY herbal tea blend that combines, for example, valerian root, lavender, and chamomile. Discuss the effects and how to adjust the blend for different needs (e.g., menopause, stress relief).
• Issue 2: Optimising Your Sleep Environment on a Budget
  • Detail affordable and simple changes one can make to their bedroom to foster better sleep, like blackout curtains, the importance of a pillow’s material, or the benefits of air-purifying plants. Include DIY tips for creating a serene and sleep-inducing bedroom.

Week 2: Lifestyle Adjustments and Natural Remedies

• Issue 3: Micro-Workouts for Sleep Improvement
  • Introduce the concept of micro-workouts throughout the day to reduce stress and improve sleep quality, specifically targeting exercises that can be done in office settings or small living spaces.
• Issue 4: The Power of Acupressure: Points for Insomnia Relief
  • Provide a guide on acupressure points for insomnia and stress relief, including clear diagrams or images, how-to instructions, and personal anecdotes of trying it out.

If Chat GPT produces ideas that are too broad and too general, ask it to do it again but make each letter on a more specific topic.

After all, you want to send these emails for months, even years, so better to focus on one or two specific goals, problems, tips or ideas in each issue.

Now you need to get Chat GPT to find you some information.

Step Three – Get Some Facts

Cut and paste the summary of content from the email topic you have chosen and then ask yourself… What is it that you can share with the reader that is relevant, useful and interesting to them?

Options include…

• A tip – how to do something more quickly or effectively
• Strategy – a method of achieving something
• Recipe or step-by-step instruction
• Insight – an unusual or interesting angle on something (yours or an expert’s)
• Study – a research paper or scientific analysis
• Results – from your own system and methods or someone else’s
• Case study – the story of someone’s achievement
• News – an event or development in your industry
• Personal experience- share something that’s happened to you
• Famous quotes and expert quotes

For example, let’s say you’re a naturopath and you want to share a recipe for a herbal tea using foraged plants that helps people relax and sleep better.

You could add the results of scientific research studies that back up this herbal ingredient as a remedy.

For example: “Act as my research assistant. Find me a list of herbs for improving sleep, including valerian root, lavender, and chamomile. Give me the benefits of each one. Include genuine research and studies to back up those claims (give me the links to them, too).”

Chat GPT will list all the evidence, for instance…

Chamomile: Known for its calming and sleep-inducing properties, chamomile is a nervine herb rich in bioactive compounds like flavonoids, terpenoids, and antioxidants. Research has shown that chamomile can decrease sleep latency (the time it takes to fall asleep) and improve overall sleep quality. A systematic review concluded that chamomile significantly improves sleep quality and can help manage anxiety, a common cause of sleep problems​​.

As you can see below, there are ‘inverted commas’ at the end of each one that link to the reference. Just hover your mouse over it and the link will appear.

This means that you can go directly to the sources for each claim and check that it’s real and not made up.

Here is another example.

“You are the research assistant for my email newsletter. Please find me case studies and statistics to back up the benefits of yoga. Include links to the sources.”

The AI would come up with the following:

Statistics:

• According to a survey by Yoga Alliance and Yoga Journal, there are approximately 36 million yoga practitioners in the United States, and the number continues to grow.
• A study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association found that yoga was effective in reducing back pain, with 60% of study participants reporting significant improvements.

Case Studies:

• A study published in the Journal of Traumatic Stress found that yoga was an effective complementary therapy for individuals with PTSD, reducing symptoms such as hyperarousal and avoidance.
• A case study published in the Journal of Medical Case Reports found that yoga was an effective complementary therapy for a patient with major depressive disorder, reducing symptoms such as fatigue and low mood.

Again, you can click on the links it provides to each one so that you can verify the source.

If you are involved in a specialist subject where you need good, credible info from trusted academic and scientific sources, you could try these research tools.

• Consensus App https://consensus.app/ This is a powerful AI search engine that finds research papers. You can get 20 searches free and then it’s only $6.99 a month
• Examine https://examine.com/This one is also well known in the health world – though you don’t get as many searches on the free version.

Once you’ve got the facts…

Step Four – Plan the Email

I recommend getting AI to outline the email content first.

“I want you to outline an issue of my email newsletter about herbal teas to promote sleep and reduce stress and anxiety. Don’t write the newsletter yet, I want to plan the content first. Include the following info [ADD YOUR FACTS, STATS QUOTES FROM PREVIOUS STEP].

Here is what the AI would produce:

Newsletter Title: “Natural Rest: Unlocking the Power of Herbs for Better Sleep, Less Stress, and More Calm”

Introduction

Brief welcome and introduction to the topic of natural remedies for sleep, stress, and anxiety.

A short overview of why natural herbs are gaining popularity for mental and physical wellbeing.

Section 1: The Science of Sleep and Stress Relief Through Herbs

Briefly discuss how herbs work to improve sleep quality and reduce stress and anxiety, touching on the central nervous system’s response to certain herbal compounds.

Section 2: Featured Herbs

Chamomile: The Sleep Enhancer

Summary of chamomile’s benefits, including its nervine properties and impact on sleep quality and anxiety reduction​​

Passionflower: Deepening Sleep Quality

Overview of how passionflower interacts with neurotransmitters to regulate mood, anxiety, and sleep​​.

Ashwagandha: Stress Reduction Root

Explanation of ashwagandha’s adaptogenic effects on stress and its contribution to sleep improvement​​.

Lemon Balm: For Anxiety and Insomnia

Details on lemon balm’s anti-stress and anti-anxiety properties and its effectiveness as a sleep aid​​.

Valerian Root: The Natural Sedative

Information on valerian root’s interaction with GABA receptors and its role in sleep induction​​.

Section 3: Practical Tips for Using Herbs

Guide on different ways to incorporate these herbs into daily routines (teas, supplements, aromatherapy)​​.

Tips for brewing the perfect cup of herbal tea for sleep.

Conclusion

Wrap up with encouragement to explore these natural options for improving sleep and reducing stress and anxiety.

Invite feedback and questions for future newsletters.

Call to Action

Encourage subscribers to share their own experiences or tips regarding herbal remedies.

Delete any sections you don’t want to include – likewise if there’s anything missing, then add it.

I also recommend you suggest your own ‘opening’ section or ‘lead’ so that this is more engaging and personal.

For instance, Chat GPT has suggested this: “Introduction: Brief welcome and introduction to the topic of natural remedies for sleep, stress, and anxiety.”

But it would be better to have something that tells a story which either connects instantly with your reader’s experiences, or relates your own experience.

Here are some types of lead…

• Teaser eg, “Hi, Today I want to show you something really exciting… It’s a way you could totally transform your [ACTIVITY] and get [RESULT]].
• Tell a story, eg. Hello [NAME], One day, a man walked into a national bank. And he did something extraordinary. [INSERT DETAILS OF THE STORY]
• Paint a picture (a scenario familiar to the reader) eg. It’s never easy writing a presentation for work. You sit down at the computer in front of a blank screen, and it seems so daunting. [QUICKLY DESCRIBE WHAT THE EXPERIENCE MIGHT BE LIKE FOR THE READER]
• Reveal a biographical detail (an experience recently or from the past) eg. Hello, Back in the 90s, I used to be a cab driver. It was hard work… [DESCRIBE WHY]
• Deliver a piece of news eg. On Tuesday night, the Bank of England made an announcement. Interest rates were going to rise AGAIN…. [DESCRIBE WHAT THIS MEANS]

Let’s say that you want to share a story about your own foraging experience.

You could tweak the outline like this:

“Introduction: Share a personal story about how I went on a walk with my kids at the weekend and we gathered nettles. I then made a homemade tea from it.”

Or you could get it to connect with the reader like this:

“Introduction: Get the reader to imagine their struggles with anxiety, and how it might affect their life.”

Now add this edited lead to your outline.

Step Five – Write the Email

Feed your outline back into Chat GPT, using this prompt:

“I am going to feed you my edited outline. Make sure that you write this from me to another individual in a personal way, using simple, everyday language with no jargon or flowery language.[INSERT YOUR NEW OUTLINES].”

Chat GPT might produce this:

Hey Friend,

I hope this email finds you well and ready for a little story. Over the weekend, I took the kids out for what turned into a mini-adventure. We ended up gathering nettles — yes, nettles! Back at home, we made a homemade tea from our haul. It’s moments like these that remind me how much I enjoy making herbal teas and using herbs to boost our wellbeing. It’s amazing what nature offers, and I’m on a bit of a mission to share these natural gems with you.

Why Herbs?

There’s a reason why natural herbs are becoming more popular for both mental and physical wellbeing. In a world that’s often hectic and stressful, finding gentle, natural ways to unwind and get a good night’s sleep isn’t just nice; it’s necessary. Herbs have been used for centuries, but now we’re seeing a real resurgence in their popularity as more folks look for alternatives to the usual over-the-counter solutions.

The Science of Sleep and Stress Relief Through Herbs

So, how do these herbs work their magic? It’s all about the compounds they contain, which can help to soothe our central nervous system, reduce stress, and improve sleep quality. For instance, certain herbs can increase the production of neurotransmitters like GABA, which helps calm the brain and make it easier to fall asleep and stay asleep.

Featured Herbs

• Chamomile: The Sleep Enhancer This herb’s been a go-to for ages, and for good reason. Chamomile can significantly improve sleep quality and help reduce anxiety, thanks to its flavonoids and apigenin that bind to brain receptors to promote relaxation.
• Passionflower: Deepening Sleep Quality Passionflower is a bit of a superstar when it comes to enhancing sleep quality. It works by affecting neurotransmitters that regulate mood and sleep, increasing overall sleep time and deep sleep.
• Ashwagandha: Stress Reduction Root Known for its stress-reducing properties, ashwagandha is an adaptogen that helps your body manage stress more effectively, leading to better sleep quality and daytime alertness.
• Lemon Balm: For Anxiety and Insomnia With its ability to reduce anxiety and improve sleep, lemon balm acts by increasing GABA levels, helping to relax the mind and body.
• Valerian Root: The Natural Sedative Valerian root is often used as a natural remedy for insomnia. It enhances GABA levels, which helps to calm the nervous system and promote sleep.

Practical Tips for Using These Herbs

Incorporating these herbs into your daily routine can be as easy as brewing a cup of tea or using them in aromatherapy. If you’re brewing tea, a good rule of thumb is to let it steep for about 10-15 minutes to really let the flavours and beneficial compounds infuse into the water.

Wrapping Up

I’m passionate about finding natural ways to improve our health and happiness. Exploring the world of herbal remedies has been an exciting journey, and I’m thrilled to share it with you. I truly believe these herbs can make a difference in how we sleep, how we feel, and how we live.

Call to Action

Have you tried any of these herbs yourself? Got any tips or stories to share? I’d love to hear from you. Let’s keep the conversation going and help each other discover more natural, fun ways to feel better.

[Your Name]

Chat GPT will usually give you something quite short and basic – which might be okay for you, but usually it requires a little bit of pepping up.

Step Six – Editing the email

Cut and paste the email onto a Word document or similar, then cut anything that sounds odd or not in your voice – in our example, “I hope this email finds you well and ready for a little story” could be cut.

Next, split the large paragraphs into lots of shorter paragraphs as the email needs to look quick and easy to read.

It might be that Chat GPT makes it sound a bit stiff and disjointed, with sections not linked to the one below. Use this prompt:

“Do this again in a way that flows more naturally – I need each section to link into the next as if someone is presenting this”

If the subheadlines are too basic, like ‘featured herbs’ or ‘wrapping up’ then use this prompt:

“Make the subheadlines more benefit-driven.”

It might be that you need more details in the newsletter. Here are some more prompts to try and tease out more specifics:

• Elaborate on this line [INSET LINE], including some research studies and statistics, and give me links so I can check them.
• [QUOTE A TIP OR STRATEGY FROM THE NEWSLETTER] Explain in steps of how the reader could do this in a practical way.
• Find some more examples to back up this [ INSET LINE OR SECTION] and give me links to your sources so that I can verify them.
• Turn this tip [LINE] into step-by-step advice?

When chat GPT delivers the result, then paste it into your Word document in the appropriate place.

If Chat GPT hasn’t mimicked your voice, feed the draft back with this instruction:

“Write this again. Keep the format, the length, the facts and stats – I just need you to change the voice to that of a [DESCRIBE YOUR CHARACTER]

For example, here’s what happens if I take a newsletter that begins like this…

This weekend, while meandering through nature with my kids, we stumbled upon a patch of nettles. Intrigued and adventurous, we decided to harvest some. That evening, as we sipped on our homemade nettle tea, I was reminded of the incredible power herbs have to enhance our wellbeing.

…And I tell Chat GPT to change the voice to that of an ‘exasperated, cynical man’:

Well, here we go again. Another weekend, another ‘connect with nature’ escapade. This time, it was nettles. Yes, we picked nettles. Why? Because apparently, brewing them into tea is just what modern life demands. Honestly, the lengths we go to find a sliver of peace in this chaos. But hey, if a cup of stinging nettles is what it takes, who am I to argue?

Can you see the difference?

Anyway, whether you want to set up a stand-alone email business or not, I highly recommend you give this a go.

You might become addicted when you see how easy and quick it is to create, and how good the results are!

Of course, there is more to the business…

You need to find subscribers, then find products to sell AND create promotional emails.

I will definitely come to these in due course, so stay tuned!

In the meantime, I would love to know…

Does this idea interest you? Tell me more about what kind of email newsletter you might want to create – and what might be stopping you!

Do you have a product or service that might benefit from an email newsletter? I can give you my opinion on what you could create to build an audience, drive traffic and make sales!

Comment below and let me know!