How to write emails your customers actually want to read, with a little help from AI.
Have you ever sat down to write an email for your business and thought, “Okay, what should I say?”
Maybe you’ve got a new product to announce. Maybe you’re running a sale. Or maybe you haven’t emailed your customers in a while, and you figure it’s probably time to send something.
So you open up your email marketing tool, stare at that blank screen for a minute, and start typing.
“We’re excited to announce…”
Sound familiar?
There’s nothing necessarily wrong with that approach. After all, you’re running a business. You’ve got things happening, and you want people to know about them.
But here’s something worth thinking about.
Just because something is important to your business doesn’t automatically make it important to your customers.
And that little distinction can make a big difference in your email marketing.
The good news? You don’t need to become a professional writer or learn some complicated marketing strategy to make your emails more interesting.
You just need to make one simple shift.
I call it The Flip.
What is The Flip?
The Flip is a simple way to change how you think about your marketing.
Instead of starting with what you want to tell people, you start with what they might find useful, interesting, or valuable.
That’s it.
You’re taking the same information and looking at it from your customer’s perspective.
Here’s an example.
Let’s say you own a local retail shop, and you’ve decided to extend your hours on Saturdays.
You could send an email with the subject line:
“We’ve extended our Saturday hours!”
Nothing wrong with that. It communicates the news.
But what if you gave it The Flip?
“Need a little more time to shop this weekend?”
Now you’re speaking to something your customer might actually care about.
Maybe they’re busy during the week. Maybe they have kids’ activities all Saturday morning. Maybe they just appreciate having a little more flexibility.
The information hasn’t changed.
You’re still announcing your extended hours.
But instead of leading with what your business has done, you’re leading with what it means for your customer.
See the difference?
That’s The Flip.
And once you start looking for opportunities to use it, you’ll notice them everywhere.
Your customers are the main characters
In my updated Journey Factor marketing series, I talk about an important shift in how we approach marketing.
Your business isn’t the hero of the story.
Your customer is.
Your business plays an important role, of course. You’re the one providing the products, services, expertise, or experiences that help customers get what they want.
But they’re the ones trying to accomplish something.
Think about it.
Someone doesn’t hire a landscaper because they’re fascinated by lawn equipment.
They want a beautiful yard they can enjoy without spending every weekend working on it.
Someone doesn’t visit a bakery because they want to support the bakery’s inventory management system.
They want something delicious for breakfast, a birthday cake that makes someone smile, or maybe just a really good chocolate chip cookie.
And someone doesn’t sign up for your email list because they can’t wait to hear about everything happening behind the scenes at your business.
They sign up because they believe there’s something in it for them.
Maybe it’s helpful information. Special offers. Inspiration. A connection to a business they enjoy.
Whatever the reason, they’ve given you an opportunity to build a relationship.
The question is whether your emails give them a reason to keep paying attention.
That’s where The Flip comes in.
Three ways to give your emails The Flip
One of the things I hear from small business owners is that they don’t always know what to email about.
And I get it.
When you’re responsible for running the business, managing employees, helping customers, and everything else that comes with being the boss, coming up with email ideas can feel like one more thing on an already long list.
But you probably have more to talk about than you realize.
The trick is finding the connection between what’s happening in your business and what matters to your customers.
Here are three ways to do that.
1. Help your customers solve a problem
Think about the questions customers ask you all the time.
What do they need help understanding? What mistakes do they make? What advice do you find yourself repeating?
Those questions are marketing opportunities.
Let’s say you own a home cleaning business.
You could send an email about your cleaning services.
Or you could give it The Flip and send:
“3 places you’re probably forgetting to clean”
Now you’re offering something useful.
And here’s the interesting part.
By helping people solve a problem, you’re also demonstrating that you know what you’re talking about.
You’re building trust without having to constantly tell people how great your business is.
The same approach works for just about any business.
A garden center could share tips for keeping plants alive during a heat wave.
A financial professional could explain what people should consider before making a big purchase.
A restaurant could share a simple trick for reheating leftovers so they actually taste good.
You get the idea.
You’re using what you know to help the people you serve.
And that gives them a reason to welcome your emails.
2. Show the people and personality behind your business
Here’s something larger companies often spend a lot of money trying to create.
A personal connection.
As a small business, you’ve already got an advantage.
There are real people behind what you do. People with stories, experiences, opinions, and personalities.
Don’t be afraid to let some of that show.
Let’s say you’ve hired a new employee.
You could send:
“Please welcome Sarah to our team!”
Perfectly fine.
But what if you gave it The Flip?
“Meet the person who’ll help make your next visit even better”
Now you’ve connected the introduction to the customer’s experience.
You can still share Sarah’s background, a few fun facts, and maybe why you’re excited to have her on the team.
You’re just giving customers a reason to care about the introduction.
Or maybe you’re a restaurant owner experimenting with a new menu item.
Instead of simply announcing the dish, tell the story of how it came together.
What inspired it? What did the first attempt taste like? Did something go horribly wrong along the way?
Those little details make your business feel human.
And people connect with people.
You don’t need to manufacture some elaborate brand personality.
Just let people get to know you.
3. Give people a reason to take action
Of course, sometimes you need to sell something.
You’re running a business, after all.
The Flip doesn’t mean you should stop promoting your products or services.
It means thinking about the reason someone might want them.
Let’s say you own a fitness studio and have a new beginner class.
You could announce:
“New beginner yoga class starts Monday!”
Or you could try:
“Curious about yoga but not sure where to start?”
See what happened?
The second version speaks directly to someone who might be interested but hesitant.
Maybe they’re worried about keeping up. Maybe they’ve never taken a class. Maybe they’re not sure they’ll fit in.
Now your email has an opportunity to address those concerns.
You can explain what to expect, reassure them that beginners are welcome, and invite them to give it a try.
You’re still promoting the class.
But you’re doing it in a way that makes the customer feel understood.
And that’s a much better place to start.
Here’s where AI can help
Now, you might be thinking, “Okay, Dave. This makes sense. But how do I know if I’m actually doing it?”
Fair question.
Because when you’re close to your business, it can be surprisingly difficult to see things from the outside.
You know why your new product is exciting.
You know why your updated hours matter.
You know why that service you’ve spent months developing is going to be helpful.
But your customers don’t necessarily have all that context.
This is where I think AI can be especially useful.
Not because it can magically write the perfect marketing email.
And not because I think you should hand over your entire marketing strategy to a robot. Please don’t.
But because AI can help you look at your message from a different perspective.
Think of it as a second set of eyes.
You can use it to identify places where you’re talking too much about your business and not enough about your customers.
You can ask it to challenge your assumptions.
You can even have it help you uncover benefits you may have overlooked.
Try this AI prompt: Give your email The Flip
The next time you write an email, copy and paste the following prompt into ChatGPT or your preferred AI tool.
Fill in the details about your business and include the email you’re working on.
Copy this prompt:
Act as a potential customer of my small business. I want you to help me improve a marketing email using a concept called “The Flip.”
The Flip means changing the focus of a marketing message from what the business wants to say to what the customer actually cares about.
Here’s some information about my business:
My business: [Describe your business]
My ideal customers: [Describe who you serve]
The goal of this email: [What you want people to do]
Review my email and answer these questions:
Does my subject line give customers a compelling reason to open the email?
Where am I focusing too much on my business instead of my customers?
What is the most important benefit for my customers, and have I made it obvious?
What questions, concerns, or interests might my customers have that I’m not addressing?
What’s the single most important change I should make?
Then suggest three alternative subject lines and a revised opening paragraph that puts the customer’s perspective first.
Keep the language conversational, natural, and appropriate for a small business. Don’t make it sound overly promotional or generic.
Explain why your suggestions might work better.
Here’s my email:
[Paste your email]
Give it a try.
You might be surprised by what comes back.
And don’t feel obligated to use every suggestion.
AI doesn’t know your customers the way you do. It can misunderstand your audience, make assumptions, or suggest language that doesn’t sound anything like you.
That’s okay.
You’re not looking for AI to make all your decisions.
You’re using it to help you make better ones.
Take the ideas that make sense. Ignore the ones that don’t. And make sure the final email still sounds like something you’d actually say.
Don’t forget the relationship you’re building
There’s one more thing I want you to consider.
Email marketing isn’t just about getting someone to open an email or click a link.
Those things can be useful signals, but they’re not the ultimate goal.
You’re trying to build a relationship with people who may eventually become customers, come back for another purchase, recommend you to a friend, or simply think of you the next time they need what you offer.
And relationships aren’t built through one amazing email.
They’re built over time.
Through helpful information.
Through positive experiences.
Through showing up consistently and giving people a reason to trust you.
That’s what I mean when I talk about creating a journey for your customers.
Every email is another opportunity to move that relationship forward.
Sometimes that means sharing advice.
Sometimes it means telling a story.
Sometimes it means making an offer.
And sometimes it just means reminding people that you’re there when they need you.
The important thing is making sure there’s a reason for your customer to care.
Because when your emails consistently deliver something useful, interesting, or relevant, you’re giving people a reason to keep opening them.
And that’s a pretty good foundation for growing a business.
Your next step: Give one email The Flip
I don’t want you to finish reading this and feel like you need to completely overhaul your email marketing.
You don’t.
Start with one email.
Maybe it’s the next email you’re planning to send.
Or maybe it’s something you sent recently that didn’t get the response you were hoping for.
Take another look at it.
Ask yourself:
“What’s in this for the person receiving it?”
Can they tell from the subject line?
Is it clear in the opening paragraph?
Are you helping them solve a problem, understand something, feel connected, or take a useful next step?
If not, see if you can give it The Flip.
You can do it yourself or use the AI prompt above to help you think through the possibilities.
Then send your email.
Pay attention to what happens. Are people clicking through to learn more? Are they replying with questions? Are they taking the action you hoped they would?
Over time, look for patterns in the types of messages that get people engaged.
You don’t have to get everything perfect.
You just have to keep learning and improving.
And remember, the goal isn’t to make every email sound like a clever marketing campaign.
It’s to make your emails feel like they’re coming from a business that understands the people it serves.
That’s something worth opening.
Now I’m curious. Have you ever gone back and looked at one of your marketing emails from your customer’s perspective? What would you change?
I’d love to hear what you discover.
P.S. The next time you’re staring at a blank email wondering what to write, don’t start with what you want to announce. Start with what your customers might need. It’s a small shift, but it’s one we can all get better at making.