🟡 You'll finish this email
Today, I got an email from a competitor's newsletter.
Thought I'd scope it out. You know — get inspired to see if I’d want to write about a similar topic with a different take.
First, I skimmed.
Then my eyes glazed over.
Brain went "nope."
And I closed the thing.
Couple minutes later, it happened AGAIN.
This time with a creator whose emails I normally read top-to-bottom every time. I just couldn't get through the whole thing.
Maybe it's the ADHD. Maybe it’s just being human. But maybe it's a trend.
Here's what I'm noticing:
We — myself included — keep writing emails that are just too damn long.
If you're sending multiple emails per week, a 6+ minute read is asking your readers to pay a pretty hefty price in attention.
Because, reminder:
Free content isn't free. It always costs something — attention, energy, and precious time.
And lately I'm realizing there's a sweet spot:
Length is important sure, but also something else.
How you present it.
Formatting, layout, typography.
Lists, headlines, bullet points.
Giving the eyes (and brain) an easy path through your ideas.
In UX design, this is called cognitive load. You don't want to make people’s brains work harder than they have to.
Because when cognitive load spikes?
Eyes roll.
Minds wander.
Tabs close.
Whether it's your email newsletter, your course lesson, your team update, or your YouTube video—you've got to do more than hook their attention. You’ve got to make it easy on the eyes, and on the mind.
Shorter. Clearer. Sharper.
At least, if you want your audience to read all the way to the end.
✌️