The $6K Email: How One Email Changed My Business Forever

10 June

You don’t need a funnel. You don’t need a launch. You need this email.

In February 2016, I sent one email to a list of 800 people that made me $6,000.

I didn’t have a sales funnel. I didn’t launch a course. I didn’t run a challenge or create a new freebie. I told the truth in my inbox.

And it changed everything.

Back then, I was a marketing strategist. People hired me to help them plan campaigns, but secretly? I wanted to do the writing. I didn’t call myself a copywriter yet. But my clients kept hinting at it: “Did you hire someone to write this email? It’s so good.”

Behind the scenes, my journals were filled with the same sentence over and over again:

"I just want to write."

At that point, I’d been doing everything the “right” way: teaching strategy, creating content, running a tidy business. But it felt like I was the support act in my own business. I wanted to stop teaching the thing and actually do the thing. The thing I couldn’t stop thinking about. Writing.

That February, I took my usual drive down the coast to see my kinesiologist. Biebs was on repeat. Nothing was wrong, exactly. But everything felt off. I was in cruise control—both literally and in my life.

Sitting on the table, my kinesiologist looked at me and said:

"You’re a writer. That’s your career. That’s your everything."

It hit me like a tonne of bricks. Because I already knew. I just hadn’t let it be true yet.

That night, I went home and wrote an email with the subject line:

"I’m not lying. It’s just the truth has changed."

Inside, I told the story. The drive. The breakthrough. The clarity. The part where I finally admitted:

"I’m a copywriter now. I help people write personality-driven content that turns emails into Beyoncé-level single drops."

And at the end? A soft pitch:

"Want me to write your stuff? Hit reply."

That was it.

By the next morning, I had a $2K client. Then another. Then another.

$6,000 from one email.

But this post isn’t about the money. It’s about what made that email work.

Why the Email Worked (And Why Yours Can Too)

That email wasn’t written for conversion. It wasn’t formulaic. It wasn’t engineered.

It was rooted in one thing: truth.

It shared a personal turning point, and it invited people to respond if that moment resonated with them.

That’s what I now call the Soft Pitch Email.

It follows a simple rhythm:

Storytelling → Invitation

It’s not a sales page. It’s not a funnel. It’s not a 7-email launch sequence.

It’s a real moment that makes someone feel something, followed by a clear next step.

You could share:

A story about a decision you’ve made
A behind-the-scenes shift
A lesson that changed how you work

And then simply ask:

“If this resonates and you want help with XYZ, hit reply.”

This isn’t about vulnerability for vulnerability’s sake. It’s about creating emotional clarity and building momentum in your business by saying something real.

You don’t need a giant list. You don’t need a fancy offer. You don’t need to wait until everything is perfectly built.

You just need to say something true.

But What If It Feels Exposing?

Good. That means it matters.

Sending that kind of email can feel vulnerable. Risky. Like you’re about to step out in front of the whole internet naked.

You might worry:

Will people think I’m being too dramatic?
What if no one replies?
What if I say the wrong thing?

But here’s the reframe:

This isn’t about perfection. This is about Inbox Visibility — choosing to be seen before you’re paid.

People don’t buy because you’re polished. They buy because they feel connected.

And connection starts with a moment of honesty.

I Sent That Email Again… Nine Years Later

In 2024, I found myself back in my kinesiologist’s office. Same drive. Different soundtrack (Taylor Swift’s 1989, obviously).

Same question:

"Do you like how your business is set up right now?"

And once again—no.

I was writing eight hours a day. Four on fiction. Four on client work. I was booked out, burned out, and no longer building a business that worked for me.

So I did what I did in 2016: I told the truth. I wrote another email.

And the replies came. The clients came. The clarity came.

Because when you stop trying to perform your business and start expressing it? People notice.

One reply said: “I’ve been waiting for you to say this.” Another said: “This is exactly what I need. Can we talk?”

This is what happens when you use your inbox to lead, not just to inform.

Let’s Write Your Soft Pitch Email Together

If this story has you thinking about the email sitting in your drafts—or the truth you haven’t shared yet?

Come join me for Fully Booked.

It’s a free 3-part challenge. We’ll:

Walk through the Soft Pitch framework
Show you how to write an email that sells without selling
Actually send it, together

No hype. No funnels. No fluff.

Just strategy that feels like you.

Join here >>

This is also the exact kind of work we deepen inside The Writing Room—refining your message, your voice, and the way your business communicates what it’s truly here to do. But it all starts with one email.

Because your next client might not come from a funnel. They might just be waiting for one honest, well-timed email.