Alright, here’s the deal: if you want people to actually read your emails, you’ve gotta make ‘em fun.
And not just “fun” like a cat video… but fun like you’re sharing a secret with a friend. It’s all about storytelling.
Here’s one way I do it—yes, one of many, but this one works. Really well.
Check this out:
Subject line:
Guess who I saw in the checkout line yesterday…
Yep, super casual. You’re curious now. You want to know. You can’t not click.
Body:
Hey [First Name],
I was standing in the checkout line at Whole Foods yesterday, casually eyeing the overpriced kombucha, when I saw her.
You know, her — the woman who always buys 17 bags of organic chia seeds and looks like she’s just been to a yoga retreat… but she always sneezes directly into her hand (every. single. time).
That right there? That’s how I talk.
It’s not me trying to sound smart. It’s me, your friend, telling you a random, funny story.
And people love that.
Why? Because it’s real life.
You’re probably laughing or at least nodding because you’ve seen someone do that too.
Now let’s keep going.
Well, as she reached for her usual mountain of chia seeds, I had one of those internal debates.
Should I politely mention the whole sneezing thing?
Should I just… run?
Spoiler: I ran.
Look at that. Simple story. Relatable moment. And bam—punchline. You’re in. I’ve got you hooked.
And it’s not some made-up story. I’m literally telling you about my day.
But here’s where I flip it.
But running wasn’t my smartest move.
Not because I forgot my kale chips in the cart — though that happened, too — but because it got me thinking about something more important: how we avoid the hard conversations, whether it’s about chia seed sneezers or… well, marketing strategies.
Now I’ve taken the silly chia seed story and turned it into something bigger. Something you can relate to in business.
You didn’t even see it coming, right?
That’s what makes it work.
We all know we should be having those “tough talks” in our business.
But instead… we run.
We avoid writing those emails, posting those offers, or (worst of all) we try to blend in.
What if I told you your business could grow faster by doing the opposite — leaning into what makes you stand out?
That’s me, seamlessly sliding into a marketing lesson without being pushy.
But I didn’t just drop it on you out of nowhere. I earned it with that chia seed lady story.
Here’s my point: Stop playing it safe.
Stop sneezing into your marketing (metaphorically, of course).
Let’s talk about how you can create emails that stand out and actually get responses.
Hit reply, and I’ll send you a little something to help.
Talk soon,
Daniel “The kale chip lover who runs from sneezers” Matievich
See what I did there?
Personal story. Marketing lesson. And I signed off with a funny, memorable line.
It’s not just some boring, dry sales pitch.
I kept it human.
This is one way I write story emails. I’ve got plenty more tricks up my sleeve, but this one? It’s a winner. Every. Time.
If you want to learn more about how I write emails like this and get people to hit reply, keep reading my blog. There’s a lot more where that came from.
Gotta dash—my kale chips are calling,
Daniel Matievich