i wasted weeks sending trash emails. here's what actually changed things.

Mehmad Arzuk

30d • 💬 General

So before u even read anything, I want to make this clear.

It's not an email and it's not perfect, just some tips for my beginner buddies...

Okay, so when i first joined this community i was totally lost.

Like, genuinely had no idea what i was doing.

So I did what every beginner does.

opened ChatGPT, typed something like "write me a cold email for a copywriting client" and copy pasted whatever it gave me.

It sounded like a LinkedIn bio was written.

Then I threw it in the review channel and got the same 3 pieces of feedback every single time:

"too long."

"Add more curiosity."

"make it shorter."

So I made it shorter.

Then shorter again, like an idiot.

Then so short and so "curious" it genuinely made zero sense (And i know you are doing the same).

Like I sent emails that were basically riddles.

Nobody knew what i was offering or why they should even care.

And somewhere in that process i started asking myself... is under 180 words actually backed by anything, or did someone just say it and everyone started repeating it?

Because I had been reading Breakthrough Advertising by Eugene Schwartz.

And if you don't know who that is, he wrote copy for brands like Rolls Royce.

He was one of the greatest direct response copywriters who ever lived.

And most people who claim to be seniors and rate others' emails don't even know him.

Anyways, Schwartz says longer copy almost always beats short copy.

not because long is better.

But because the copy needs to be as long as the job requires.

If your reader is cold and doesn't know you, you cannot close them in 180 words.

You haven't built enough.

You haven't earned enough trust for them to take action.

So forget the 180 word rule. seriously.

Emails aren't just sales tools.

They're connection tools. and connection takes more than a tweet.

But here's the thing that changed everything for me even more than that.

I realized my copy wasn't even the real problem.

My market was.

Because it doesn't matter how good your email is if you're sending it to the wrong person.

Even a weak email sent to someone who actually needs what you're offering will convert.

But the most beautifully written email in the world sent to someone who doesn't care?

They'll read it, maybe even appreciate it, and close the tab.

It's like setting up a fish stall in the middle of a shoe market.

So before you even write a single word, do research. Literally do it, bro.

Who are you writing to?

What do they actually want?

What keeps them up at night?

What have they already tried?

This matters 10x more than your subject line.

And since i know you're still reading, i'll give you something most YouTube videos never actually break down properly.

The 5 levels of awareness.

Eugene Schwartz built this framework, and it's probably the most important thing in copywriting that nobody in beginner spaces talks about clearly.

Here's the simple version:

1. COMPLETELY UNAWARE --> they don't even know they have a problem.

You can't pitch them anything.

You have to start with a story or a feeling that makes them go "wait, that's me."

2. PROBLEM AWARE --> they know something is wrong but don't know the solution exists.

Your job is to show them one is out there. not sell yet.

Just open the door.

3. SOLUTION AWARE --> they know solutions exist, but don't know your product or service specifically.

Now you can introduce yourself. not aggressively.

just "hey, I do this."

4. PRODUCT AWARE --> they know you exist but haven't committed.

Now you show proof, testimonials, results, and reasons why you are better than everyone else.

5. MOST AWARE --> they basically already want it.

They just need an offer. a reason to act now. a deadline or a deal.

The reason this matters so much is that most people write emails at level 4 or 5 and send them to people who are at level 1 or 2.

That's why it doesn't convert.

Not because the copy is bad.

So, before you post your email in the review channel and ask "is this good?" ask yourself first:

Who is this for?

Where are they in their awareness?

Am I talking to the right person in the right way?

Because a senior copywriter might tear your email apart.

But honestly, half the seniors here haven't even closed a client yet.

They're judging your email against some abstract idea of "good copy" without knowing your market.

Your copy might be perfect for your specific buyer and sound weird to someone who doesn't know them.

Last thing. AI.

I use it.

You probably use it or you're scared to.

Both groups are missing the point.

AI is like an ocean.

The knowledge is all there.

But the prompting is the container.

If you walk up with a paper cup, you get a paper cup of water.

But if you bring a 100 ton container and tell it exactly what you need, who you're writing to, what they fear, what they've tried, what tone you want, what stage of awareness they're at, you get something that actually sounds like a human being wrote it.

The people getting generic robot emails from AI aren't using bad AI.

They're using bad prompts.

Give it context. Give it research. Give it your voice. Then read it back and find where it still sounds like a machine and fix those parts yourself.

It won't be perfect first try.

It never is.

But if you grind it right, what comes out the other end is actually good.

That's it.

Research your market.

match your awareness level.

write as long as it needs to be.

Use AI like a professional uses a tool, not like someone outsourcing their thinking.

and stop copy pasting 180 word emails that sound like error messages.