Yesterday I organized a Zoom call for a few list owners. One topic that came up is list swaps. ("List swap" = cross-promotion with another list owner. You send an email to send your readers to my list... and I do the same for you.) Everyone agreed that list swaps are great: - Readers love them because they are getting cool things for free... - List owners get a bunch of new subscribers... - The work and effort is minimal compared to just about every other method of achieving both 1 and 2 above. Aye but here's the rub: Although all these list owners agreed that list swaps are great... and although I have been putting these list owners in touch with other list owners, who had explicitly said they are interested in doing list swaps as well... nobody was really doing anything. A great way to grow your list for free... while delivering value to your readers... that's easy to do... and people are not doing it. A part of this is that people are busy, and simple human inertia. But still, is there any way to change this? I'm hoping you can give me your advice and help on this issue. Hopefully, we can figure out something that benefits all of us. Specifically: 1. If you have done list swaps in the past, why don't you do list swaps all the time, once a week, or at least once a month? What's stopping you? 2. If you haven't done a list swap yet, why not? 3. Does this situation remind you of any similar situations you've seen before? Do you know of a way out in that analogous situation? Any help or thoughts you might have for me are appreciated. Once again, maybe we will come up with some kind of answer, system, or even new community to make list swaps a regular way of growing all our lists.

I reached out today by DM to see how people have been doing with sending out their JV outreach messages... ... and it seems like at least a few people were confused, and waiting for further instructions. If that's you, then this message is for you. If you haven't yet gotten a JV outreach plan you're happy with, post what you do have, and what's holding you back in the Step 3 thread. And if you have gotten a plan you're set on, then simply send it out. Once you send it out, comment below to say you've sent it out, and what's come of it. And since I like the taste of dogfood early in the afternoon... I've just done the same as I've told you to do. I've just written Jason Resnick a message following the plan I came up with in Step 3 of the JV Outreach Challenge. If anything comes of it, I'll let you know. If nothing comes of it, I'll follow up with him... and follow up... and follow up... and eventually I'll call it a day, but at least I'll tell you about my failed efforts. Meanwhile, the time for you is now. Send out your initial JV feeler-outer message, and let's see what comes of it.

We did it! Or you did it?! Whoever is responsible, the fact is, the JV Outreach Challenge is happening. A few days ago, I fielded interest in running a week-long challenge to reach out to a possible JV partner of any species, breed, or kind. I set the quorum at 20 raised hands. I didn't want to put this challenge on if nobody would participate. I wasn't sure we'd get there, but... We got 25 raised hands from people saying they would participate. So the JV Outreach Challenge is happening. The details: 1. We will kick off tomorrow, Monday, Feb 10. 2. The goal of the challenge will be to send out one or more JV outreach messages before the challenge ends. Of course, done deals are great. But the goal for this challenge will simply to focus on what you can control, and your own actions. 3. Over the course of the next week (Monday, Wednesday, and Friday), I'll put up three posts in Skool with instructions for three separate steps to get to the goal of the challenge. 4. You will then have a couple days to implement each step, and a couple extra days to get it all wrapped up before the deadline, which will be the Monday after, Feb 17. 5. Use the comment threads below the Skool posts I'll put up to share your planned approach... to ask for feedback... to read other people's JV outreach ideas etc. Basically, use the comment threads as support and motivation to help you get this done, and get it done well. I will also be participating, both to benefit myself, and to be more invested and involved. I will be in Skool fielding comments also, and giving you my input and feedback — up to the deadline. Like I said, we get started tomorrow. For now, please comment below expressing your fears, excitement, or intent on participating in this challenge, come what may. Not only will a little public commitment make it more likely that you actually follow through and get the work done over the next week and reap the benefits... but you might end up inspiring others to do the same.

This is nothing more than a celebration post for getting my very first email subscriber. (One that's not myself, i mean.) Time to write my email for today!

Thanks to @Andy Kelly for suggesting this topic. In short: If you didn't send an email yesterday, what kept you from doing it? Anything goes. There's no judgment, no shame, and no wrong answer. Share what got in your way yesterday, or is maybe getting in your way today. And maybe we as a group can figure out ways around it.