You ever stick with something too long just because, well, quitting felt like failure?
Me too. More times than I care to admit.
Especially in email marketing, there’s this weird pressure, like if you’re not churning out content, launching new things, tweaking funnels at midnight, then you’re somehow not doing it “right.” Like effort equals success. Hustle equals virtue. Don’t stop. Just keep going.
Until you’re exhausted, uninspired, and quietly dreading the next time you open your email dashboard.
But here’s the thing I learned the hard way: sometimes the real power move is pulling the plug. Not on the whole thing, necessarily, but on the part that’s dragging you down. That sequence that never converts. That “guru tip” that doesn’t feel like you. That voice in your head whispering, “Don’t rock the boat. Just keep doing what you’re doing.”
That’s the voice you need to ignore.
So yeah, today’s about quitting. But the strategic kind. The kind that clears space. The kind that makes room for something better.
Let’s talk about it.
1. Quit Writing Like You’re Hosting a Webinar for 1,000 People
If your emails sound like you’re speaking at a podium, you’ve already lost them.
I’ve done it, I’ve written those stiff, overly polished messages that read like a script. You know the type: “Dear Valued Subscriber,” followed by six paragraphs of feature-heavy nonsense no one asked for. Zero warmth. Zero connection. All effort, no spark.
Wanna know what actually got replies? A messy 4-line email where I said, “Honestly, I’m not even sure this makes sense, but here’s what’s been on my mind lately…” That one? Got dozens of responses.
Quitting the performance voice, it was terrifying at first. But oddly freeing.
Now I write like I’d talk to a friend at 10 p.m. over WhatsApp. Maybe too casually sometimes. But it lands. It feels like something. And that matters way more than sounding “professional.”
2. Quit Recycling Someone Else’s Formula
There’s always that one course, right? The one that promises the exact subject line formula that gets 68% open rates or the “proven” 6-email sequence that prints money.
Spoiler alert: it didn’t work for me.
I followed it. Exactly. And the result? Crickets.
But here’s the messed-up part: I blamed myself. Not the cookie-cutter strategy, not the lack of nuance, me. Thought I wasn’t persuasive enough. Thought I was broken.
Turns out I just didn’t sound like myself. I sounded like someone trying too hard to be convincing. And readers can smell that. Like spoiled milk.
The shift came when I tossed the blueprint and just… experimented. Wrote weird subject lines. Made odd references to 90s cartoons. Shared half-finished thoughts. Didn’t follow any rules, really.
It wasn’t slick. But it was me. And people noticed. Because honest is rarer than clever these days.
3. Quit Worshipping the Analytics Dashboard
Let me say it plain: numbers lie.
Okay, not outright. But they only tell a slice of the story. Open rate? It’s helpful, sure. But with Apple’s Mail Privacy stuff and people ghost-reading, it’s not the oracle we treat it like.
One time, my “worst performing” email in terms of opens… led to the most high-ticket sales that month.
Because the people who needed it read it. Acted on it. And the rest? Weren’t meant to.
Obsessing over the numbers made me hesitant. Like I was trying to game the system instead of just serving my list.
Now? I skim stats. Sure. But I pay more attention to replies. To unsubscribes with feedback. To comments like, “I’ve never seen someone say it this way.”
The human signals? That’s the data that sticks.
4. Quit Selling Stuff You Don’t Even Like
This one feels obvious, but too many of us still do it.
We promote offers because they’re “hot” or because someone gave us a killer commission bump. And yeah, sometimes it pays. But at what cost?
I remember pushing a product I didn’t believe in, honestly, I barely understood it. But I needed quick cash, and everyone else was hyping it.
It felt gross. Like borrowing someone else’s voice and trying to act like I cared. A few people bought. One asked for a refund. One told me I’d lost their trust.
It stung. Still does, honestly.
Now? If I wouldn’t pitch it over a voice note to my sister, I don’t share it. Period.
Because income without integrity? It doesn’t feel good. And good marketing, in the long run, should feel good.
5. Quit the Daily Send Just to Say You Did
There was a time when I thought sending daily emails was the holy grail. “Top marketers do it. So should I.” Right?
But I burned out. Fast.
My list? Burned out too. Open rates tanked. Engagement died. And honestly, I started resenting the whole process.
Then I asked myself something wild: What if I only emailed when I had something to say?
What a concept, huh?
Turns out, less really can be more. A thoughtful email every 4 days did better than the daily ones I wrote half-asleep. And my list appreciated it. They started anticipating, not tolerating.
Consistency matters, sure. But relevance? Authenticity? That’s what creates retention.
So… What Are You Ready to Quit?
Not everything. Not your whole system. But something.
Something that no longer fits. That’s draining your joy. That feels like a script you didn’t write but keep reading anyway.
Strategic quitting isn’t lazy. It’s leadership.
Because every “no more” clears space for a better “yes.” And you can’t build a business, or a life, really, by dragging dead weight.
So… what needs to go?
And what’s waiting to take its place?
Go on. Let it.
Even the sky takes breaks between storms.
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