When we only have 20 min to watch something, my default is “The Middle.”
It is about the Hecks, a working-class family from Orson, Indiana: chaotic, barely surviving financially, incredibly loyal.
The best character by far is the teenage boy Axl Heck, the charming minimalistic hedonist.
50% of the show is just him walking around in his boxer shorts.
Our girls often imitate his demeanor saying:
“Why am I the only one who does anything around here?”
(Actually, they probably don’t know they are quoting him.)
By contrast, his sister Sue, is the over-enthusiastic optimistic go-getter, who is desparate for her brother’s approval.
Very often Axl weaponizes Sue’s need for approval to do anything that requires him unnecessary effort.
List of Sue manipulations:
Axl panic screaming in living room to hand him the TV remote that is just 3 feet away.
Promising to hang out with her if she does all his chores.
Framing cleaning his room as an exclusive and fun “organizational challenge” only her talents can manage.
Acting like he is dying of starvation so that Sue will get him snacks.
Now, I see some newsletter emails that look like they were written by Sue Heck.
big banner
10 images
5 segments
15 links
2 bonus deals
link to the 10,000 word article I wrote on for the last 30 days
An email-megalopolis.
As much time was spent creating that one email as I spend each year on my German taxes.
But if Axl wrote it? It would be like:
300 words
no research (just using your fallible recollection)
fascinate about the remote control (or sth mundane he can see from the couch)
charmingly pitch sth that will make him money
All within 15-20 min.
Send.
Guess who will have more fun and be less disappointed?
Guess who will be able to write daily?
Guess who will have a better open rate?
“Yeah, but wouldn’t Axl just use AI to write emails, if he is so lazy?”
Fair question.
For sure he would’ve outsourced his entire high school education to AI. But when the stakes were high, he could turn on the charm like very few humans could. For that reason, I think he would never trust AI to write emails for selling. He would find himself quickly exhausted rewriting and rewriting the email. Then just give up and write it once. Maybe re-read it. Then send.
One of the best ways to start training in the Axl Heck School of Email Marketing is to write daily.
Set the timer for 30 min and go....
And one of the best ways to train your audience to expect daily emails from you is to have a 5-day email course automated for every subscriber that sends them an email a day.
Soon you will weaponizing your readers to do your bidding with your charming laziness.
I can build your 5-day email course for ya, if you are a Christan author with a book or a book idea.
Granted outsourcing goes against learning to charm your audience, but I spent hundreds of hours learning how to create those puppies so you can focus on eating potato chips on the couch in your underwear.
Find out how I do that here:
https://blairjohnlee.substack.com/p/done-for-you-email-course
Blair
P.S. Some of the most heart-warming moments in The Middle is when Axl performs a selfless act for Sue like getting her that fork instead of tricking her to do it for him. It redeems him just enough to go another 10 episodes being the self-absorbed Axl my family loves.