The Letter Builder
Never face a blank page. Start with what happened this week, give it a headline, then write the story, the lesson and what the reader should do. The meter at the bottom keeps you inside James's range.
Four questions James asks himself before he picks up the pen. A line each is enough. These find the letter; they don’t go in it.
The first headline is rarely the best one. It has to make the right reader want to know what happened next. If it won’t come, write the story first and come back.
Tell the real story. Write as you speak, to one person.
The lesson. What did you learn, feel or now understand, and why does it matter to the reader?
Something they can swipe and deploy in their own business this week.
Regular readers learn to expect them. Optional, all of them.
Six checks. Read the finished email out loud before you send it.