If you want to study these techniques more deeply, consider checking out The One Email Training To Rule Them All on Ben Settle’s blog, which offers a free training on his core philosophy. For those looking for the full archive, you can subscribe or explore back issues on the Email Players official website . The One Email Training To Rule Them All - Ben Settle
The inaugural issues focus heavily on shattering conventional email marketing myths and establishing the rules of engagement.
In Issues 1–15, Settle teaches that your email inbox is not a classroom; it is a television network. Your subscribers should tune in every day to watch "The You Show." By telling bizarre stories, sharing controversial opinions, and tying those narratives seamlessly into a product recommendation, you create an addictive daily habit for your reader. Structural Breakdown of Email Players Issues 1–15
Settle’s style is punchy. Short sentences. One-sentence paragraphs. Rhythmic pacing. He strips out all academic jargon and writes exactly how a person speaks at a bar. If an email looks like a wall of text, the brain registers it as "work" and skips it. Law 3: Polarize to Monetize
Start with a bizarre, funny, or provocative story from your daily life, pop culture, or history. Ben Settle - Email Players 1 - 15
or industry are you in? (e.g., fitness, SaaS, coaching) What product or service are you currently trying to sell?
Write down 10 things you will no longer do for clients/customers. Post it publicly. Then, double your prices.
Tie that lesson directly to a product or service you are selling.
One of Settle's most controversial stances in the early issues is his advocacy for emailing your list every single day. While standard marketing advice warns against "fatiguing" your list, Email Players argues the exact opposite. Daily emailing weeds out freeloaders, builds intense top-of-mind awareness, and creates a habit loop for your most loyal buyers. If your content is entertaining, your list will look forward to your daily broadcast. 2. The "Ben Settle Anti-Hero" Persona If you want to study these techniques more
Do not try to write like a sterile corporate entity. Write the way you speak to a friend at a bar. Use your quirks, your pet peeves, and your unique worldview to build a distinct, memorable brand voice.
Mailing daily keeps you top-of-mind. When a consumer is finally ready to buy, they will buy from the person they heard from that morning.
In the world of direct-response marketing, few names evoke as much intrigue, imitation, and economic success as Ben Settle. Widely regarded as a pioneer of "infotainment" style email copywriting, Settle transformed the way online businesses communicate with their subscribers. At the heart of his teaching philosophy is Email Players , a premium, print-only monthly newsletter.
The Email Players Newsletter is not a digital eBook or an automated course. It is a monthly, physical, paper-and-ink newsletter mailed to subscribers. The early issues, roughly spanning the first 15 months, were designed to overhaul the traditional, boring "email marketing" paradigm and introduce a more aggressive, yet highly persuasive, approach. In Issues 1–15, Settle teaches that your email
: Settle argues against putting customers on a pedestal or trying to be "liked." Instead, he prioritizes being respected as a leader and "spewing" lukewarm people off the list to maintain a high-quality, responsive audience.
As Email Players progresses into , the technical mechanics of copywriting take center stage. Settle breaks down the anatomy of a daily email into three distinct phases.
Settle’s subject lines in these issues are masterclasses in curiosity. He rejects standard "Benefit" subject lines (e.g., How to lose 10 pounds ) in favor of "Curiosity + Blind Hook" subject lines (e.g., The 'vampire' diet trick ). The sole job of the subject line is to get the email opened, nothing else. The Parable
: "Old-fashioned" methods for building responsive lists without relying on trendy "hacks" or social media platforms.
[ Subject Line / Hook ] │ ▼ [ The Story / Parable ] │ ▼ [ The Hard Pivot / CTA ] The Hook (Subject Lines)