TRANSCRIPT

Transcript: How to Write Emails That Actually Get Opened, with Zafira Rajan

February 18, 2021

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ZAFIRA RAJAN: “I love an email that gets a lot of unsubscribes, because this is good. We need more content today that digs when everybody begs. So ask yourself, what point of view do I have that I'm scared to share? And before you put it out in the world, comfort yourself. I think, who have faithfully shared this with before that received it warmlyand who didn't, and why? If the people who didn't are not your ideal audience, do not sweat it. If the people that you have faithfully shared this with before are the kind of people you want to be bringing into your life, that you want to be attracting, that means that there is a message within that they want to hear. And then, factor it into the lens of your business. Why is it important for your audience to know this kind of opinion, and is it connected to how I show up in my work, or should I save it for a WhatsApp group with some friendsPolarizing opinions are the content that really help you stand out, and you don't have to do it for the sake of it. It’s really connected to your values. It's just taking it a step further by being a little bit more fearless.” 

INTRO: I’m Amy Porterfield, ex-corporate girl turned CEO of a multi-million-dollar business. But it wasn't all that long ago that I lacked the confidencemoney, and time to focus on growing my smallbutmighty business. Fast forward past many failed attempts and lessons learned, and you'll see the business I have today, one that changes lives and gives me more freedom than I ever thought possible, one that used to only exist as a daydream. I created the Online Marketing Made Easy podcast to give you simple, actionable, stepbystep strategies to help you do the same. If you're an ambitious entrepreneur, or one in the making, who's looking to create a business that makes an impact and helps you create a life you love, you're in the right place. Let's get started. 

AMY PORTERFIELD: My friend, are you ready for something extra special? I am so beyond excited that you've joined me today because, well, for two reasons. Number one, I'm going to introduce you to someone who is going to change how you think about creating content for your weekly emails. Did your ears just perk up? I know you're going to want this stuff. And number two, because my guest is going to walk you through step by step how to identify your personality pillars, which will ensure that you never say, I don't know what to write ever again. And she's going to give you her top strategies for making sitting down to write weekly emails a nonnegotiable. Can I get an amen?  

All right. So who is this amazing unicorn I'm talking about? Her name is Zafira Rajan, and she's a strategic launch copywriter and soulful strategist committed to helping conscious entrepreneurs build, grow, and scale their businesses using storytelling. She helps purposedriven coaches and mindful course creators get clear on how to share their ideas and communicate why they're different in a way that authentically connects with the people they most want to serve.  

Zafira and I first met when she was a guest at Entrepreneur Experience, my virtual event that I did in 2020. And when she showed up, everybody was mesmerized. Not only does she have a really cool style of teaching, her content is exceptional.  

You are going to love everything about this episode. But I'm not joking when I say please take action with this one. This is not one just to listen to and then go on with your day, thinking, “That was a good episode.” This can change your business, and I really mean that. So again, in today's episode, Zafira is sharing a stepbystep strategy for identifying what she calls personality pillars, which will basically give you a bank of ideas in your back pocket for when it's time to sit down and write, as well as her top three strategies for creating a weekly non-negotiable ritual for writing consistent email copy. Come on. We could all use a little of that, right? 

Okay. So I won't make you wait any longer. Let's welcome Zafira. 

Well, Zafira, welcome to the show. I'm so excited you're here with me. Thanks so much for being here. 

ZAFIRA: Thanks so much for having me. I'm so excited for this conversation. 

AMY: I've been excited too because I know we have a lot to go over. But could you share a little bit about your journey to becoming an entrepreneur and a copywriter? 

ZAFIRA: Yeah, absolutely. So I started out in the highereducation sphere a couple of years ago, where I was working in the marketing world, and I was also wearing multiple hats. I was a graphic designer. I was a socialmedia manager. I was a copywriter. I was a strategist. And I was so proud of myself for wearing so many hats. But over time, I realized I just didn't love being boxed into a structure, and I was watching that clock at 4:30 p.m. every day. So over a year, I scaled back at a fulltime job to just working three days a week so I could focus on growing my copywriting business. 

But I accidentally fell into another trap of locking myself into retainers with recurring clients, also, then, ending up doing social media, writing blog posts, taking anything I could get on Upwork and just doing that classic first year of an entrepreneur, wanting someone to pay you just to do anything. 

AMY: Yes. I have so been there. 

ZAFIRA: Oh, my god. It's so tempting. And a year later I looked back and I'm like, “Did I just replicate my fulltime job, but for myself? Oh, my gosh. And when you're a writer, and if anyone listening is in marketing or in writing, at some point you kind of lose your voice when you're taking it on for other people all the time. So I was listening to a podcast with Laura Belgray, who you know and has been on the podcast before. 

AMY: Love her. 

ZAFIRA: Yeah. And she was running a writing workshop in Italy. And something about where I was in that moment of feeling so frustrated for being trapped in a constant cycle of contracts and also trapped and not knowing what my own voice wasI just applied and booked my ticket. And I was like, I'm going to Italy to find my voice. 

AMY: Wow! 

ZAFIRA:  It was the most spontaneous thing I've ever done for someone who pre, pre preps for literally everything in life. So I went to Italy. I started getting more immersed in the copywriting world in general and really learned to express my own personality and my voice again, and just having a couple of days where there was space held for me to express myself, even though I only spoke up on the third dayI ended up walking away with new clients, including the organizer of the retreat in Italy, who were all amazing female entrepreneurs. And that's when I started making the shift from working with companies to smallbusiness owners.  

I started going through copywriting programs to help me really define how I wanted to show up solely as a copywriter instead of still wanting to bring along all those other hats I wanted. And eventually, over time, I niched into the personaldevelopment space, the coursecreation space. I was just so drawn to them because they really helped me help people who are changing the world and really making a positive impact on other people's lives.  

So, for the last couple of years, I've been a launch strategist and a conversion copywriter. I've been working with primarily female entrepreneurs in this space, helping them just build, grow, and scale their programs and their oneonone offers so that they can help as many people as possible. So, now I really consider myself a trusted partner in their voice and helping them wield the power of their voice, and so glad I learned how to stay rooted in mine in the process. 

AMY: I am, too. And you have been such a huge value to so many digitalcourse creators that I know. And as I mentioned in the intro, you spoke at Entrepreneur Experience, and you were a huge hit. And what I love is not only can digitalcourse creators hire you to help them, but you also have a lot of great content to help digitalcourse creators actually write their own content.  

And that's what I wanted to get into today, because you have this concept of personality pillars, and I want to dive deep into what they are and why they're important as an entrepreneur to really figure out your own personality pillars. Socan you talk a little bit about what they are and what benefits they offer? 

ZAFIRA: Totally. So personality pillars are at the core of how I show up in my brand and how I teach members of my programs to show up in their brands. And before I dive into what each one of them are, what the purpose of them is, you know, when you're writing your emails or we get that Instagram post or any space where you're visible, people need to start recognizing that you have a certain take opinion for something they can turn to you for, something that makes them think, “Oh, yeah, I should ask Zafira about this. Oh, Zafira would know about that. It means you stay grounded in your content, and you're not boxing yourself in. But it's important that you stand for things that mean a lot to you and that represent your personality authentically.  

So, for example, when you think about your favorite influencer or a person that you follow, I bet there's something unique about them that springs to mind right away. Like for you, Amy, right now, for some reason, I think about you and Scout, your dog, right away.  

AMY: I love that.  

ZAFIRA: I know you often post about it, cuddling with your dog on Sundays or things that made you smile that week. It's positive. It's uplifting. It connects to how your brand shows up, which is to inspire and motivate people, and to just be a real, authentic human in the process. And my audience, for example, might often find me talking about living by the ocean and taking coldwater dips or creating more space for women of color, in addition to copywriting.  

So, the purpose of personality pillars is that beyond what you actually offer and the services that you deliver, what are the other dimensions of you that are also solidified and the things people would say are just so you? You know, personality pillars are what help you create instant brand recognition, staying power, and bring more of your ideal audience in because you're offering multiple points of connection to them.  

Like, I've had people on my list who couldn't care less about me giving them copywriting tips. But if I talk about the ocean or I talk about a political stance, that's the conversation they want to have. So I’m really just revealing all these parts of me that offer up multiple ways for people to feel really connected to who I am. 

AMY: Okay. Before we get into this stepbystep process for creating these personality pillars, I have a question about something you just said. So you said you have people in your audience who couldn't care less about you giving them copy tips. But the minute you talk about, let's say, living close to the ocean, they are all ears. But then I start to think, “Well, but then they're never going to want to buy from you if they don't care about the copy tips. So why would we want to bring people into our audience that are connecting with us on things like my dog Scout or living close to the ocean, but then at the end of the day, what we offer is not necessarily what they're looking for? 

ZAFIRA: Well, here's the thing. Just because they're interested in that stuff doesn't mean that they're not interested in what you have to offer. The people who are interested in those parts of your personality are more likely to already trust you as a brand and already recognize that, “Okay, I know you're good at what you do. You don't have to convince me any further. And what they're looking for is further opportunities to connect deeper to you.  

Now, you might attract the occasional person that connects to those other parts of you but isn't so sure about the copywriting stuff. But over time, if, let's say, four out of your five pillars are resonating with them and the fifth one is your offer, over time I'm pretty sure that they will lean into that, too, because at the end of the day, your personality is the only thing that sets you apart from another brand. So if the time comes around where that person who loves when I talk about the ocean is looking for a copywriter and maybe they haven't been seriously considering hiring me for a while, when they look at other copywriters, they've been more connected to me. They've been responding to my DMs. They've been responding to my emails over time. So what you're doing is creating a bit of a subconscious relationship along the way so that maybe when they are ready, even if they aren't right now, you'll be the person at the top of mind and who they'll instantly feel a little bit more trusting of and a little bit more comfortable with when they are kind of ready to make that investment. Does that make sense? 

AMY: Oh, makes perfect sense. I'm so glad I asked you that question. What a great answer.  

ZAFIRA: Great question.  

AMY: So, walk us through your stepbystep process for creating these personality pillarsAnd to my listeners, I really want you to grab a pen and paper, if you can, and follow along, because I know that if you identify your pillars by the end of this episode, writing your emails, writing your content in general, will become so much easier. And many of you want it to be easier. You are struggling in this area. So believe me, this is a very stepbystep, “let's get it done kind of episode. So go ahead and walk us through it. 

ZAFIRA: Yes. Great advice. This is the perfect opportunity to scramble for your pen and paper.  

Okay. So let's start from the ground up, right? So at the base of who you are, you've got personal and business values. So your first pillar is your core values. Now, I know people have a hard time identifying these sometimes, but here's a good way to think about it, right, and here are some examples. It doesn't have to be so high level. Can be as simple as, do you give back? Are you committed to inclusivity? Do you believe in workfree weekends? Whether it’s personal or business related, we all have values and boundaries and things that we stand for really unapologetically over time, and your audience wants to know about both of them.  

So, for example, emails that I've written that resonate with my values could include highlighting women of color in my community, that I support and believe that other people should learn from, or talking about something that I tried that either worked really well or didn't, whether it's in my personal life or my business, because one of my values is I believe everything's an experiment, and I believe in transparency as well. So identifying your core values. When you think about it, think about those things that no matter what anyone threw at you, you would stand up for it, and it could be in your personal or your business life. 

And then, your second pillar is what I like to call your stamp of weird. So we've all got quirks and elements that, like I mentioned earlier, are just so you, the stuff that would be so Amy, the stuff that would be so Zafira. And if you are a visual thinker, think about if you could design postcard stamps that reflected your personality, what would they look like? Maybe you're obsessed, like mewith mermaids when you were younger; or maybe you're into chicken wings and could just beat anyone up, like a hot-wing-eating contest; or you're just loving vegan chili nowadays. Think about the post that you get tagged in by friends or the links and the emails people send you, that say, “Oh, my gosh. This made me think about you. So what do people find really weird, funny, even natural, or interesting about you?  

And the easiest way to come back to this is to reflect on the stuff that your childhood or teenage self loved to do. So, for example, like I am such a bookworm, and I always have been since I was a kid. My parents used to hate that I was always reading at the dinner table. 

AMY: I could see you doing that. I could see this. 

ZAFIRA: Yeah. I'm like, I am busy. I have to multitask right now. Or they wouldn’t even know I was home, because I would just be so quiet, reading a book. Until today, if there's any bookrelated content on Instagram, I get tagged in it by multiple friends of the same comment. So that is somethinglike my stamp would definitely be a library or books, right? So how do you embed this in stuff like your email as well? If you're really into Netflix, maybe you can talk about a show you just watched and a lesson that you learned from it that you're applying to your business, or create a really fun analogy for your audience to learn from. Or if you're obsessed with the ocean like I am, it could be an opportunity to talk about how, you know, taking walks by the beach is something you can't live without. I absolutely cannot live without it. And invite your audience to share what they usually do to stay grounded and keep going. Like, that could be an Instagram post, right? So everything you do has an opportunity to invite people into the conversation, including the weirdest, funniest parts of you. 

AMY: So good. 

ZAFIRA: And then, your third pillar is what I like to call your intentional impact. We've all got what binds our business, and that is our impact through what we sell, because, yes, you should still be selling your offers even if you're not launching. So this might be the one that you get stumped on the most, which is actually selling your stuff in your emails and in your posts. And we can talk around it until the cows come home. But whether you're launching or not, it's important that you're consistently reminding people that you have something they can buy, right?  

So there are a few ways you can turn anything into softsales email that still reflects your personality effortlessly. So, for example, maybe you got an email from a client recently that shared how grateful they were for your work together or the progress that they've been making. Take a screenshot of itJust black out their name. Ensure you maintain their privacy. And include it in an email, and talk about the struggles this client had, what they were facing in the beginning of your work together, and why your personalized approach is producing results. And you can link to your offer or your waitlist if you're still not taking clients right now. It's such a simple way to show people that, “Hey, I'm really good at what I do. Here’s social proof.” And you're not feeling like you have to make it all about you. You're making it about your client 

Or you can even do something as simple as getting back to your roots and remember what motivated you to become an entrepreneur in the first place, right? Like, when I was talking about breaking out of a nine to five, and locking myself back in. The original purpose was for me to go and use my voice and help other people find their voice. And that's still true today. So I really like to take people back to pivotal moments like that, with really vivid detail. So no matter how long your audience has been around, we love a good origin story that reminds us why you're in the game. Maybe you were sitting in a coffee shop, and it was raining outside, and you were eavesdropping on a conversation with someone talking about running their business. And you're like, “That's it. I'm going to start quitting my nine to five. Any picture that you can paint with your words and effortlessly, then, link to what you're offering, because you're reflecting that intention back to them authentically. So whenever you have pivotal moments like that in your life, write them down. It's important to remember them. It's important to tell those stories and keep them at the core of your brand.  

AMY: Oh, fantastic stuff. Keep going. 

ZAFIRA: Okay. We've got two more pillars to go.  

So, the fourth pillar is what I like to call your unapologetic opinion, because we've all got elements of our personality that are polarizing. This is the stuff you fight about with your parents. At one point or another, you're bound to have said something to someone that they disagreed with or sent an email that got a ton of unsubscribesI love an email that gets a lot of unsubscribes, because this is good. We need more content today that digs when everybody begs. So ask yourself, what point of view do I have that I'm scared to share? And before you put it out in the world, comfort yourself. I think, who have faithfully shared this with before that received it warmlyand who didn't, and why? If the people who didn't are not your ideal audience, do not sweat it. If the people that you have faithfully shared this with before are the kind of people you want to be bringing into your life, that you want to be attracting, that means that there is a message within that they want to hear. And then, factor it into the lens of your business. Why is it important for your audience to know this kind of opinion, and is it connected to how I show up in my work, or should I save it for a WhatsApp group with some friendsPolarizing opinions are the content that really help you stand out, and you don't have to do it for the sake of it. It’s really connected to your values. It's just taking it a step further by being a little bit more fearless. And it means putting yourself out there, getting a little bit more vulnerable. And I think in today's world, and especially in the political climate that we've been living in, people are looking to every single entrepreneur as the leader to show up and say, “Hey, this is what I believe in, this is why it's important to me, and here is how I factor it into my business, because it's no longer just good enough to be good at what you are and what you do. What people are looking for are authentic humans who really stand by what they believe in, and they're not afraid to put it out there in the world. And I know it's really hard, and this pillar probably takes a while to build and get really strong. But trust me, it's so important, and it can take you from being kind of known to extremely memorable. 

AMY: This one is the one that I probably struggle with the most, and I feel like I could do a better job with really putting my opinions out there. And I'm a people pleaser, so I don't want to ruffle too many feathers. But I've noticed as my business has grown, no matter what I do, I'm going to ruffle feathers. So why not just speak my mind and teach what I know and what I think will serve my audience in the biggest way? So I just wanted to share with all of you, if you struggle with this one, so do I. But I think it's an area that is really worthy of strengthening. 

ZAFIRA: Totally. And I love that you said you're going to ruffle feathers anyway, because that's so true. Oftentimes we think sharing these opinions is the only time we're ruffling feathers, but it's not. We're doing it all the time. It's just we don't realize it, right, or we don't know why that person unsubscribed. It could be maybe, Amy, you've got people in your audience who are cat people and they’re just like, I can’t hear about Scout anymore.” You know? 

AMY: Yes, it’s true. Who are you? Show your face. No, I’m just joking. 

ZAFIRA: But no matter what we do, being a people pleaser and an entrepreneur is really hard. It's something I'm working on personally too. But I'm really glad you shared that, and just know it's a journey for everybody, no matter who's listening. But you'll get there eventually.  

AMY: Yes, for sure.  

ZAFIRA: Okay. And your final pillar is what I like to call your Z factor, your zest factor, the stuff that you sprinkle on top of everything to make it uniquely yours. So this is the sweet spot between what you do and why people care about it. So the parts of your approach, your personality, and demeanor that make your audience choose you over the competition, right 

So, for example, for me, I would say one of my zest factors is sending really custom and curated gifts to my clients whenever we wrap up. I have a service called The Day Spa, and people hire me for a day, but when we wrap up, they get a gift in the mail that helps them kind of create their own, like, day spa at home. So those are little things that I sprinkle on top of my brand and things that relate to my values, like gratitude and showing people why I care about them but still really connect to my brand. And it's just stuff that makes me really unique and makes all my things so uniquely Zafira at the end of the day. 

So, in your emails, really reflecting that looks like those parts of who you are in your business and those little extra things you do to take that customer experience a little bit further, to take that client project a little bit further, and be really thoughtful in the details. It's all in the details. Everyone can hire a copywriter, but the way I do it versus someone else is bound to look different. So this is a great opportunity to examine your process and look back at your testimonial form.  

A good question to ask in there and to extract this kind of answer is, what stood out about working with me compared to others? That's oftentimes when I hear the mostunexpected things that I didn't realize people found really, really valuable in our process. And it could be elements like the way you checked in with me constantly, the gifts I was receiving, the way your Asana board was so organized. And I started incorporating that into my emails. I have so many emails where I talk about Asana sometimes and how I'm just like obsessed with it. And all the organizational maniacs like me in my list often reply to that. I connect it to how I’m a Virgo and super organizational. But those are all those little parts of your personality that contribute to delivering a really stellar experience for your people.  

And whether it's showing behind the scenes of that experience or showing the end result of it, like clients taking photos of the gifts they receive from me, people really appreciate being let into your world in that wayIf they're considering working with you or buying from you, those are the details that they really want and they really love to see. Like, I've had people reach out, being, I don't need a day spa, but I want to book one just so I can get that gift at the end of it. So that’s why I just love to incorporate fun details like that into what I do.  

So, in summary, your five pillars are your core values, your stamp of weird, your intentional impact, your unapologetic opinion, and your zest factor. Boom. 

AMY: Ah, bang. You nailed those. They are so fantastic. I know my audience is going to eat this up.  

So, help me with this, then. Now that people have written these down, how can you organize and really use them. Like, what happens now? 

ZAFIRA: Yeah. Okay. So, I'm going to be real. I know people have totally different ways of organizing information in their life, and I see it in my program members all the time. Some people are super visual. Some people love to write things down. So my advice is usually whatever feels most natural and sustainable to you, go for it. Like I mentioned, I am a superorganized freak. I live and breathe by things like my Google Calendar, Asana, and a paper planner, like, all the things.  

But for me personally, I organize my pillars inside an Asana project, by thboard layout. So each color has a board, and my values are underneath one board, my impact stuff is under one board, and that way I can kind of just see them at a high level. If I'm feeling stumped for content, I just go to it, and I can get something right away. If you love stuff like Trello, that can work too. Any kind of a board layout.  

But if you're a pen to paper kind of person, I highly recommend just saving a spot on your wall for five columns of sticky notes, where you put all your things under each pillar and just write them on a sticky. Whatever you do with them, just let them be as visible as your vision board would be. If anyone listening has a vision board, you know how important that is for you to see on a daily basis 

Because beyond helping you create content, I think these pillars serve as a really powerful tool to stay grounded in your own voice and your purpose, because especially in today's world, where it feels like an earthquake underneath our feet constantly, it can be easy to get knocked off course and just retreat back into doing what feels safe or just go silent. So when your personality pillars are front and center, whether it's on your computer, in a notebook, on your wall, I think they're what really help your brand strengthen your authentic voice and keep you rooted. 

AMY: Yes. Okay. I'm going to give a little tip for those of you who have a virtual assistant; or my oneman or onewoman show, you can make this work for yourself as well. So I use Asana, and Kylie helps me manage the content for this podcast. So, Kylie, this is a message for you, but I'm going to say it publicly.  

What I would love for you to do is assign me in Asana each of these personality pillars. So give me the pillar as the subject line, give me a little commentary that Zafira shared here, and then I'm going to do a brain dump for each of them. So assign me a due date for each of these. I'm going to do a twenty-minute brain dump for each of them. And then, I'm going to have Kylie go back and start organizing them and put it in a Google Doc, just something we can go back to again and again, and I'll put them on the Post-it Notes.  

I love Post-it Notes. You and I, we could be best friends in terms of our love of Asana, Post-its, justI love your little things that you're sharing, because you're right. I feel more connected to you because you're sharing the things that I'm like, I'm obsessed with that, too. So I'm with you there. I’m with you on the same page, for sure. 

But I'm going to have Kylie put these in Asana. I'm going to do the brain dump. We're going to put them all into Google Docs. We always can go back to them. But then I'm going to make them front and center for when I write my content. And I could share them with a copywriter. So I use a copywriter for a lot of my promo content. I could share these with her so she sees a different side of me, stuff I've never thought to share with her before. So I am eating this up. I literally am going to do these exercises with all of you. I hope you take action on this episode.  

Okay. So now that we get these things organized, what I want to ask you is something that often comes up at this point. So it’s something that I hear from my audience over and over again. They struggle to actually set aside time to sit down and writeSo what are some things and strategies that you can offer them for creating a nonnegotiable ritual of sitting down and writing consistent weekly content or that weekly email that I encourage them to do but some of them are not doing? Please give some advice in this area. 

ZAFIRA: Okay. First of all, I love this question because even though I'm a copywriter and I'm the one giving advice here, I struggle with this too, to be 100 percent honest. But there are a couple of things I've tried and that I've shared with people before that you can feel free to take or leave, depending on what works for your personality.  

So for me, what I like to start with, my environment is everything. So setting the tone. I believe we're creatures of habit at the end of the day, no matter how creative you are, but writing is no different. So I like to think about it like designing a little writing ritual for yourself that's really custom. So for me that looks like Monday morningI haven't checked my email. I haven't let the opinions of the world dilute what I'm really feeling in that moment. I light a candle. I put rosemary essential oil in my diffuser because it’s supposed to boost my function. And I just kind of get in the zone, right? So thinking about it almost like a meditation, like what would you do to feel really uplifted and energized and free of distractions? That's the first thing. And think about what really works for you.  

And, you know, I know some people really actually thrive on working with a million things around them. I have clients that I've designed writing rituals for that need something playing on YouTube in the background, but the door needs to be closed and their bed needs to be laid, and everything needs to be neat around them. So really think about your environment and what's surrounding you, because that does impact your writing. 

And for me, I think that the best time to write emails, if you're a morning person, is in the morning, and first thing before you've checked Instagram, before you’ve checked the news. Like, you haven't read anything. And the purpose of that is really to tap into that authentic stream of consciousness so you can write from the heart. And if anyone's read The Artist's Way who's listening, there is a practice called morning pages that's really, really powerful. And that's essentially just writing whatever comes to your mind first thing in the morning without an attachment to an outcome. And Laura actually had shared with me a tool online called 750words.com, where you can do that, because 750 words is the equivalent of what morning pages would be. And what's really cool about it is that it shows you themes that are popping up in your writing and lets you kind of just write in a really distraction-free space. And the reason I share that is sometimes it's easier just to kind of approach writing your email as writing a journal first, and then you can kind of take ideas from that content and massage it into something a little bit more finessed. But for a lot of people who sit down to write email who especially tend to be perfectionists, it can be really hard if you're putting pressure on yourself to get it right right out of the gate.  

So what I like to do is just set calm environment, start in the morning, open 750words.com, or a blank doc, and just write about what's making me feel pumped today, what's making me a little angry today, what is something I've been dying to share with my audience, but not really structuring it as an email, structuring it as kind of like a letter to them, but mostly kind of like a journal entry at the same time, too. So the magic of doing it in the morning is that you can tap into what you are really thinking.  

And at the same time, you don't have to do this every single day or you don't have to do this every single week. I know there's a lot of pressure in general to create weekly content, and I do believe in that it really produces results for your audience. But at the same time, it's important to prioritize quality over quantity. So if it feels really forced, if your life is really busy, if you're managing and running your business alongside a parttime job, maybe that's not feasible for you.  

So the first thing to do is also be really honest with yourself about how often you can deliver, and then design your ritual around that. Maybe it's, like, one awesome email every two weeks, or maybe it’s one every three days. Whatever feels really natural for you, carve out a morning, put it in your calendar, block off that space, give yourself, like, ninety minutes at least, and whatever can help you get in the zone beforehand—whether it's a work out, whether it's a blog, maybe you just want to sit with a cup of tea like mejust start getting into the habit of doing that. And even if nothing is really being produced during that time for a while, over time your body will naturally switch into writing mode if you're doing the same thing before you sit down to actually write.  

And for me, over time, like, whenever I'm feeling really inflow, this works super well for me. But then there are some times where I am lying on the beach, and I get a really great idea for an email. And then I open up Asana, and I put it in my braindump project as well. So having solutions for when you're not at home or when inspiration strikes is really important too. I'm also a big fan of bathtub ideas, and I always have a notebook in there.  

So justyou have to know yourself really well, know when inspiration strikes, know what helps you get in the zone, and make a firm commitment to yourself that is realistic and allows you to actually deliver, because putting pressure on yourself that isn't realistic can actually push you away from doing this consistently. So the idea is to make it a part of your regular routine. Does that help? 

AMY: So many good ideas! Yes! I'm sure that my listeners are shaking their head like, Okay. I could do that. I could do that. You guys, you've got to take action. Make it your commitment to take action in the next twentyfour hours of what you've learned here. This is worth paying for. This is, like, the good stuff. So I really hope you do something with it, and you're not just listening today, but you're getting momentum from it. 

So, thank you so very much, Zafira, for being here with us. You are such a gem. And I knew this was going to be a good episode, but holy cow, you've blown my mind.  

So, where can my listeners find you? 

ZAFIRA: Yeah. So the best place to find me is at zafirarajan.com, my website. And if you want to connect, I'm also on Instagram at zafira.rajan. If you want to pop me a DM, I'm always open to having great conversations.  

And thank you so much for having me. It is such a pleasure. 

AMY: Oh, my goodness. I'm so honored. And I will link to all of your stuff in my show notes. So you guys can go check that out as well for easy links. But thank you so very muchI absolutely love that I've gotten to be your friend over this last year, and I can't wait to stay connected. 

ZAFIRA: Me too, Amy. Thank you. 

AMY: Well, there you have it. That girl is on fire. She brought just as much heat in this free podcast episode for you as she did for my Entrepreneur Experience virtual event. Now, if you want a little sneak peek of what she spoke about at my virtual event, check out episode 358. So, amyporterfield.com/358. I shared a little preview of her presentation there. I think you're going to love that, too.  

Okay. So now set aside some time to identify your personality pillars. Maybe use my strategy where you put each pillar into your projectmanagement system, then you do a download. If you have a VA, they could bring that download over into a Google Doc. Get some help with this if you have it. And if you're a onewoman show, don't forget that I used to be as well. And so that's how I got my start. I just did this all on my own. You've got this, friend. You can do it. 

And real quick, before I let you go, if you're struggling with list buildingbecause we're talking about email marketing here and emailing your list every day, you might be thinking, “Uh, Amy, I don't have that many people on my email list. This is a lot of writing for twenty people to write to every week”—well, then I have a little something for you. It's a free listbuilding master class, where I walk you through three powerful ways to kickstart your email list. So go to amyporterfield.com/email.  

All right, friend. Thank you so much for joining me today. I can't wait to see you same time, same place next week. Bye for now. 

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