Don’t Hide Your Pitch Behind a Veil

Yesterday, I shared a cautionary tale about a podcast guest wannabe who accused me of delivering “thinly veiled sales pitches” on The Story Power Marketing Show.

That accusation stung because…

…I don’t do THINLY VEILED pitches!

I do sales pitches without veils…

…and I encourage my guests to do the same.

I encourage them to: Tell about the book you wrote. The service you offer. The lead magnet you’ve created. Say it loud. Say it proud. Don’t hold back. Don’t hide it behind a veil.

Why?

Because you go on a podcast to get noticed and grow your business.

You share valuable expertise through podcast appearances and other channels.

You hope people will appreciate you expertise and want more.

And if you’ve wowed them with your expertise and your sparkling personality, why would you walk away without offering them more?

Why would you mask your offer behind a veil — thin or thick?

If you hold back, you deny the appreciative an opportunity to learn more from you or even to hire you.

So it goes with podcasts. So it goes with email.

I ended yesterday’s email with a “not so thinly veiled pitch” for my book.

I end every email with a next step.

It’s not always a pitch to buy something. Often I offer a free gift. Or an opportunity to sign up for a training. Or something that adds value to what I’ve already delivered.

Re-read that sentence ↑ again and take note:

I said my pitches ADD VALUE.

In Chapter 7 of my book, Story Power Marketing, I explain the idea with a story:

I asked ChatGPT recently, “How often should I sell in my emails?”

The robot hemmed and hawed a bit before saying, “A common approach is to follow the 80/20 rule, where approximately 80% of your content provides value and 20% is promotional.”

Bad answer, Robot. Don’t buy that bull, dear reader.

I suspected the robot would say this. ChatGPT compiles its answers from stuff it “reads” online. And the internet is full of people who spout this nonsense.

One of my clients told me about a storytelling “expert” who spouted the same 80/20 BS. The guru preached a 1:4 sales-to-story ratio – one sales email for every four “storytelling emails.”

Here’s the problem with this advice. It suggests promotional content does not provide value.

If you divide your content into “valuable” versus “promotional,” you buy into the myth and you train your audience to believe it.

They’ll love your entertaining, “valuable” content. They’ll hate and ignore the promotions. A recipe for business failure.

Today, I asked the robot the same question, and…

…Holy Robot-Evolution, Batman, the robot got it right.

Here’s what GPT said:

If your emails feel like constant promotion, people will tune out or unsubscribe. But if your emails deliver value, readers won’t mind — even if there’s a promotion in every one.

Think of it this way:

A daily email with only a pitch is like a pushy salesperson following you around the store.

But a daily email that:

– Tells a great story

– Offers an insight

– Makes you laugh

– Solves a problem

…and then ends with:

“By the way, if you want more help with this, check out X…”

That works. Every. Single. Time.

Smart robot!

By the way, that book I keep mentioning can be yours for free (download the .pdf) or almost free (you pay only for shipping to get the paperback). Get it at StoryPowerBook.com.

p.s. If you enjoy my emails, please spread the joy and wisdom. Forward this email to someone(s) who would benefit and tell them they can join at StoryPowerMarketing.com/email.

p.p.s. Want to be a guest on The Story Power Marketing Show? Go here for all the details.