Ben Settle - Email Players 1 - 15 New! -
For any modern marketer or copywriter, studying these specific foundational concepts is akin to learning the underlying physics of human persuasion. It teaches you how to write less like a marketer, and more like an entertainer who just happens to get paid incredibly well.
Ben Settle's Email Players Issues 1–15 laid the groundwork for what is now known as the "Daily Email" movement. It challenged the hyper-polished, corporate style of communication and replaced it with raw, narrative-driven salesmanship.
Ben Settle might be the "Email Marketing Contrarian," but there is a reason his methods have survived for fifteen years. He doesn't chase algorithms; he chases psychology. The "Email Players 1–15" series wasn't just a newsletter—it was the manifesto for a generation of marketers tired of following the herd.
Refund requests kill momentum. In this issue, Settle reveals his "Stupid Tax" strategy. When someone asks for a refund, he gives it instantly—no questions asked—and then adds a P.S.: "Since you didn't get value, I'm going to assume you made an honest mistake. But to protect my tribe, I'm putting you on a 'do not sell' list. You won't be able to buy from me ever again." Result? People panic and withdraw the refund request. Why? Because being banned from a valuable resource hurts more than losing $97. Ben Settle - Email Players 1 - 15
Unlike modern digital courses, Ben Settle has never compiled "Email Players 1–15" into a cheap PDF bundle. In fact, if you unsubscribe from "Email Players," Settle has a strict policy: you cannot re-subscribe. This harsh rule has made the early physical copies (Issues #1–15) extremely rare and valuable.
He explains the You let people smell the candy (free emails). You let them see the candy. But you do not let them taste the candy unless they pay. This builds desire. He argues that over-delivering free value is the fastest way to go bankrupt.
He does not focus on complex automation sequences, trigger tags, or AI-generated templates. Instead, he teaches how to capture attention, stimulate curiosity, and influence human behavior through the written word. Whether a marketer is sending a plain-text email in 2012 or broadcasting a newsletter across decentralized platforms today, the psychological triggers of storytelling, polarization, and curiosity remain identical. Key Takeaways for Modern Marketers For any modern marketer or copywriter, studying these
Before we crack the spine, let's clarify the artifact.
What makes Settle distinctive is his uncompromising, no-nonsense approach. He is known for his provocative style, unapologetic self-promotion, and disdain for conventional thinking. He sends a daily email to his list—a practice he has maintained for well over a decade—and believes that regular, personality-driven communication is the key to building a loyal, buying audience. It was in this context that he launched the Email Players newsletter, a product that has become his primary vehicle for teaching his email marketing methodology.
The very first issue opens with a firecracker: "You want people to unsubscribe." Settle argues that trying to keep everyone on your list dilutes your message. He teaches the "Pre-emptive Unsubscribe"—putting controversial statements in your subject line to scare off time-wasters. The lesson: A smaller, rabid list of buyers is worth 10,000 tire-kickers. The "Email Players 1–15" series wasn't just a
Issue 15 synthesizes the previous lessons into a master protocol for list hygiene. Settle argues against hoarding dead subscribers. He provides metrics and strategies for aggressively scrubbing unengaged leads to boost deliverability and maximize profitability per subscriber. Why the Early Issues Remain Timeless
Settle insists that every single email must include a call to action. By training your list from day one that you are a business that sells things, you eliminate the backlash that occurs when passive content creators suddenly try to launch a product. 5. Advanced Psychology: Managing the List





