the comeback email doesn't have to be a comeback
the shame of a missed send does more damage to your list than the missed send itself.
For me it was sometime in the early months of postpartum, while also trying to get the business off the ground, when I missed the first Tuesday.
I didn't plan to.
It was just a week where I didn't get to it.
I told myself I'd send something later in the week.
I didn't.
The week after, I opened a draft, decided it wasn't worth sending, and closed it.
By the time I sat down to write what I was calling the comeback email, I'd been gone for weeks.
In my mind, that draft had to justify the silence and still say something worth reading.
Every time- I opened it, added more; and every time I read it back, I closed it again.
Nobody talks about what happens after the first missed send.
the advice is always "show up consistently," which is useless once you're already ghosting your list.
It's a complete mind f*ck. It's like the weight of every week you didn't send is sitting on top of the next one... nothing to do with the actual content.
What got me out of it:
I decided the next email wasn't a comeback, just an email.
I picked something small to talk about, gave myself a deadline, and sent it before I could read it one more time.
I lost almost nothing from six weeks of silence. Granted my list was small... but I would have lost a lot more by never coming back.
If you're ghosting your list right now:
Don't address it. Skip the "I've been quiet lately" opener. Start with the content.
Set the bar at sent, not great. One email sent beats ten drafts that don't go.
Pick something small to talk about. Not the big idea you've been saving, something from this week.
Give yourself a deadline and just send it. Don't hyper-fixate. Every extra read is another chance to decide it's not ready.
Rooting for you!
Ashley 🫶🏼
P.S. Everything in this newsletter has an implementation side -- the templates, the copy, the actual build. that's what Inboxconomy HQ is for. It's almost ready. [Inboxconomy HQ]
need more help?
Done-for-you services: No time to DIY? We’ll build and automate your Inboxconomy one piece or the whole system (tech stack and all). → [Work with Me]
Past Editions: The inbox is a business asset. Let's build it like one. [The Inbox Edit]
Email That Pays: The deeper strategy behind everything in this newsletter, Fridays on Substack. → [Read Email That Pays]
LinkedIn: Follow me for bite-sized email wins that hit different → [Follow me on LinkedIn]
