
With Cassie Groeschl and Jenna Kutcher
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Jenna Kutcher
If you're running a business and you do not have an email list, you have just nailed down your biggest goal for this brand new year because without one, you're missing out on serving your audience, on making sales, and on growing an asset that you own and can rely on. It is time to focus on growing an email list and creating a direct line to your ideal clients and customers without being overwhelmed, wasting time or playing the I'll get to that that later card when things look difficult. That's where I come in. Save your free virtual seat to my live masterclass from zero subscribers to an email list of engaged buyers in three easy steps all about starting and growing an email list to finally reach the people who want to hear from you. I'll teach you what to say and.
Cassie Greshel
How to say it all for free.
Jenna Kutcher
At grow an email list.com let's get that email list going so that the next time you want to promote your offers, you've got a list of eager buyers ready to launch too. Head to growinemailist.com to join me for free to learn how to algorithm proof your business with email marketing. That's growineemail list.com.
Cassie Greshel
When you are creating content, create in the frame of mind that you can repurpose that one piece of content on every platform. And so if you're creating in a way that it allows it to translate well to whatever platform you're going to be focusing on, it makes it so much easier and it's less work.
Jenna Kutcher
I'm Jenna Kutcher, your host of the Gold Digger podcast. I escaped the corporate world at the age of 23 with nothing more than a $300 camera from Craigslist and a dream. Now I'm running a seven figure online business that feels even better than it looks. All from my house in small town Minnesota with my family here, we value time as our currency. We mix the woo and the work and we are in the pursuit of building businesses that give us the freedom to live lives that we always loved, turning big goals into reality. And I'm here to help you do the same. This isn't just a peek behind the curtain. Come along with me and my guests as we tear the whole curtain down. Every week we tackle practical no fluff marketing strategies and host honest discussions on what works and what doesn't. Join me and my expert guests for actionable insights to help you grow your dream business with confidence. Pull up a seat and get ready to be challenged, inspired and empowered. This is the Goal Digger podcast.
Cassie Greshel
What if I told you it's possible to grow your email list to a.
Jenna Kutcher
Thousand engaged subscribers in less than a year.
Cassie Greshel
Now, you might think it sounds ambitious, but today's guest is ready for the challenge.
Jenna Kutcher
Meet Cassie Greshel, a registered dietitian, a mom, and a member of the Gold.
Cassie Greshel
Digger community who is setting her sights on big growth in 2025.
Jenna Kutcher
Cassie's on a mission to help busy.
Cassie Greshel
Moms reclaim their energy and time through holistic nutrition, meal prep and wellness routines.
Jenna Kutcher
Her goal is to grow her email.
Cassie Greshel
List from 93 subscribers to a thousand by the end of the year.
Jenna Kutcher
She's already rolling out her second freebie.
Cassie Greshel
Which is a challenge and we're going.
Jenna Kutcher
To talk all about that. And she's dreaming up other ways to.
Cassie Greshel
Reach her audience in a deeper, more meaningful way. But like many entrepreneurs, Cassie faces the challenge of limited time and resources. She's trying to figure out how to.
Jenna Kutcher
Prioritize her energy between content creation, email.
Cassie Greshel
Marketing, and nurturing her audience. Sound familiar? Well, in today's episode, we're diving into all of it.
Jenna Kutcher
How to make sure her offers land.
Cassie Greshel
With the right people, the power of going deep instead of wide with her audience. How to spend her time wisely when.
Jenna Kutcher
It comes to content and email strategy.
Cassie Greshel
And an easy system for batching emails so that she's consistently showing up in inboxes every week.
Jenna Kutcher
If you're ready to grow your list.
Cassie Greshel
Serve your audience and maximize your impact without feeling like you're stuck on a content hamster wheel.
Jenna Kutcher
This episode is for you.
Cassie Greshel
And if you're dreaming of a one on one coaching session like Cassie, be.
Jenna Kutcher
Sure to join the Gold Digger Podcast.
Cassie Greshel
Insiders group on Facebook, which is linked in the show notes Cassie.
Jenna Kutcher
Welcome to the Gold Digger Podcast.
Cassie Greshel
Let's dive on in.
Jenna Kutcher
Growing a business isn't for the faint of heart.
Cassie Greshel
It's a whole lot of everything.
Jenna Kutcher
Building an audience, nurturing leads, managing channels, tracking metrics, and juggling all the moving pieces of your strategy. And let's not forget those late nights, long days and working weekends.
Cassie Greshel
Sound familiar?
Jenna Kutcher
Sometimes it feels like you're wishing for.
Cassie Greshel
Just one thing to make it all.
Jenna Kutcher
A little bit easier. Well, meet Breeze, HubSpot's brand new collection of AI tools built specifically for marketers just like you. With Breeze, attracting the right audience, increasing leads and turning those leads into loyal customers just got faster and dare I say, easier than ever before. Imagine less stress and more success, more wins and fewer all nighters. With Breeze, you're not just keeping up, you're staying ahead. And pretty soon your business is going.
Cassie Greshel
To have a Lot to celebrate.
Jenna Kutcher
Check out breeze@HubSpot.com marketers to learn more. That's HubSpot.com marketers.
Cassie Greshel
All right, today is a coaching episode with the amazing Cassie. And funnily enough, you have to tell the quick story of your inbox and what you discovered inside of it when you were looking up my name.
C
Oh, yes. So I said I was listening to Jenna about like a year and a half ago and I'm like, jenna Kutcher. Man, that name sounds so familiar. And I went into my email inbox and I typed her name and I was like, oh, that makes sense. I did ask her to be my photographer for my wedding and she of course, had already been booked, so it was just so crazy. It was fun to see your name in there, buddy.
Cassie Greshel
Yes. So Cassie's another Midwestern girl. We actually have friends in common that we discovered. So, Cassie, give us the lay of land of where your business is currently and then we can dive into some questions and lead into the coaching session.
C
Awesome. Yes. Also, I just want to say thank you so much. I'm thrilled to be here, so humbled and blessed by this opportunity. So thank you so much. But a little bit about myself. I am a wife, a mom of three, a dietitian, and in my business, wellness that fits. I help busy moms overcome exhaustion and burnout with holistic nutrition, healthy meal prep wellness routines so that they can be energized, productive, and fully present for what matters most to them. I'm so passionate about building a world where, where women are more in tune with their body rather than so focused on those societal norms like women. I just like love the idea of women prioritizing their health rather than placing it on the back burner like I think so many of us do, even the ones who know that it's, you know, important to us and just really prioritizing that nutrition through sustainable nutrition, sleep and stress management. So basically it's my mission to inspire and lead women toward better health and wellness so that they have the energy and the confidence to serve others and make a lasting impact on those around them and they can really thrive as the person that they were put on this earth to be like, can you imagine what we could all do if we were so fully energized? So now I've only in the last, I guess pretty recently, in the last year, leaned into this arm of my business, helping busy moms. So I'll give you a little bit of a background. About a year ago, I had a full time job teaching at a university and I had it. I still have a consulting business in nursing homes with a team of dietitians. So for the past decade I've always had a full time job and then at least one or multiple side gigs. So I'm your typical passionate, sometimes chronic achiever who says yes to probably too many opportunities. And you know, it worked pretty well for me until I had kids. And you know, they have a way of really sucking the energy out of you, don't they? Like in the best way. In the best way. But last fall I hit my busiest season yet and I had finally hit that six figure mark and it felt like this great achievement. But I didn't feel like the things that I truly valued in my life were shining through. Like I related so well in your book, how are you really to you, when you said that you had hit that six figures and it was like you thought it was going to feel so much different than it actually felt and it didn't feel great. So that was, that was me 100%. I was, you know, crabby with my husband, snapping at my kids, Overall, all just exhausted because the work was never really done. Like though I was working non stop all hours, getting four hours of sleep every night. So in a way it was good because it forced me to reassess my values and then create time management strategies to make time for my values, including health. Like here I was this hypocrite of a dietitian who knows that health and wellness can fuel your goals, like make you better, make you do more. But I was not prioritizing my health and I knew I wouldn't be able to have the energy to run my foot, you know, have a full time job, run my side gigs, my consulting, and then create this new business and like also have the flexibility to be there when my family needed me. Like that's just business stuff, right? Like then there's your family. Like so I, I just knew I wouldn't have that energy without focusing on my health and nutrition. So just kind of long story short, I quit my full time teaching job to create more time for my family and my true passion of with busy, exhausted moms. So I still have my somewhat passive income stream of consulting at long term care facilities, but I'm making time for this business.
Cassie Greshel
Love it.
C
So here we are. I am ready to learn from the best and be coached by you, Jenna. Yes.
Cassie Greshel
Oh my gosh. Okay. I can so relate to that. Obviously I think we have very similar stories and it's so fascinating to me how Sometimes it takes, like, hitting that big goal that felt like, so elusive and scary and impossible and recognizing, like, maybe that wasn't the goal all along. Right.
Jenna Kutcher
Like, it's just.
Cassie Greshel
It's so interesting. And one thing I just want to commend you on before we dive in is that every time I've seen my trajectory, like, shift exponentially in my business, it was times where I claimed back time is my currency. So where I made those big, scary moves of like, I'm going to shoot half the weddings next year and I'll make half the income, but now I have more time. And so I feel like you are already on the right path in claiming back your time. And I'm excited to kind of walk through the best use of that reclaimed time so that it moves the needle the most. So walk me through just kind of a basic overlay of like, what the vision of the business will be in terms of what is the core offer and how are you planning to get people into that?
C
Yeah, good question. Because right now I have a meal prep course and it's pretty hard, it's pretty competitive. But I want to have so many things. Like, I want to have a signature coaching program, like a wellness routine reset. I want to have a membership. I do host retreats, so those are usually once a year, but in person. Retreats take up so much of your time. So I want to, you know, grow my email list. I. This is, you know, of course we all want to do so many things. Like, I want to start creating long form content so that my audience can find me.
Cassie Greshel
Yep.
C
So it's a hard question for me to answer. I'm still trying to answer it right now because I think I'm trying to find what my core audience really wants.
Cassie Greshel
Okay, perfect.
C
And like, what they can afford too.
Cassie Greshel
Yes. Okay. So dive into your first question and then hopefully we can kind of like put the pieces of the puzzle together.
C
Yes. Okay. So in general, I struggle to get in front of my target audience. So I do have like a freebie, the healthy snack guide that I've had some traction on. And I just created another seven day challenge. But, you know, and I have a Facebook group called Wellness that fits Community and there's like about 140 people in there. So my question is, like, how do I get my ideas in front of the masses? Busy moms who struggle with exhaustion without spending every waking moment on, like, Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn and that, you know, so I can create or use more of my time creating that valuable content. It's like, how do I get in front of my audience?
Cassie Greshel
Yes.
Jenna Kutcher
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Cassie Greshel
But that's just the beginning.
Jenna Kutcher
You can offer health benefits, 401k plans, and so much more, all tailored to nearly any budget. Their software is super simple. It's all online. You can access it from anywhere. And you can run unlimited payroll for one monthly price with no hidden fees and taxes. Gusto takes care of those two, automatically filing and paying them across all 50 states. Businesses save on average $2,600 48 hours a year by switching. No wonder four out of five businesses.
Cassie Greshel
Say Gusto is worth it.
Jenna Kutcher
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Cassie Greshel
Okay, so this is good. So I'm gonna answer in, like, a couple different parts because actually I heard, like, a few questions, which I think are really good ones. So my first challenge to you, Cassie, would be to consider you probably don't have to get in front of the masses. And I think that that is something that our brains trick us into, because as the achieving women that we are, the masses is kind of like the new six figures in your brain of, like, I need to get there. And it's going to be one of those things that, like, when you get there, it's pro. Probably not going to feel like you thought so. One thing that I think would be really helpful after this call and I will actually review this for you if you send it to me, is almost reverse engineering. What do you actually hope to earn? And, like, how many people would you actually need to sell something to? In a gen, it can even be generalized. Like, let's say your main offer is $200 and you want to make X amount. Like, reverse engineering that just so that your brain can really compartmentalize that you don't need to get in front of the masses. In fact, I'd argue that if you go deeper in your niche and go deeper with those people in your niche, you'll actually not only make more money, but it'll be more fulfilling. And it was interesting because I just recently did an Instagram Live, and it was just predictions for 2025, and one of my predictions was is that, like, niche expertise is going to be king in 2025. Meaning people don't want everyone that's, like, good at a lot of things. They want, like, the expert in a really specific area that speaks to them. And so that would just be a first reframe that I would have for you in terms of, like, you don't need to get in front of the masses. And that's the treadmill that you're going to step on. If your brain thinks that that's never going to allow you to step off. So that's first thing. Second thing is, is that I love that you just created a second freebie. And I would argue that that is a very good place to be spending time for a few reasons. And I would also argue that potential potentially making a third would be wise. And here's why? Years ago, before Drew became a stay at home dad, when we were in our season of struggling to grow our family, we were in this very weird in between where his deepest desire was to be a stay at home dad and we didn't have kids. Right. So it's like, you're not going to be a stay at home husband. We've got to figure something out. He, like you, is very passionate about health and fitness. And so he started his company when we were starting his health coaching business. We created two freebies. One was about exercising, one was about meal planning. And it was insane because he was planning on making his whole company around exercising. And when we launched the meal like, it was our grocery shopping guide that like blew up and it changed the entire direction and the messaging of the business. And so your freebies, even if it was like 40 people versus 20 people opting in, it doesn't have to be these giant numbers. It's going to help tell you what people actually value, which is going to help you create better offers that people are excited about and willing to spend money on. And so when I think about that, I think that it would be interesting to use that as like an experimentation ground where there's not a lot of risk involved. Right. You're not spending a lot of money. The thing that you're exchanging is your time to get that insight into what people want. And then one really random tip in here. As you said, you have a seven day challenge. And my challenge would be to consider doing it a five day challenge. And here's why. As a busy mom, seven days, I'm already thinking about a busy weekend, chasing my kids around, or our weekly brunch date that we go on. And I'm already disqualifying myself from being able to follow through on a seven day challenge. Whereas I feel like I have more control in a five day. And you'd probably have more success if you shorten the time span. And if you get people success and you get them their first win for free, they will be more likely to invest. So I just laid a lot on you. Walk me through what you're thinking right now.
C
Yeah, I agree, like, as I just see so much of these seven day challenges. But I agree as a busy mom, it's like even in my meal prep course, it's very revolved around five days. And some of the weekend days are just like throw stuff together, you know?
Cassie Greshel
Yes. Free for all of you.
C
Pizza night. Yeah, free for all. So that is amazing advice. Thank you. I will definitely consider that and probably change that. But yes, going deep, niching down is something I've really been struggling with, which I think a lot of people do. Because I don't want to put myself in a box.
Cassie Greshel
Put it in a box.
C
It is a big box.
Cassie Greshel
Busy hired moms is a giant box. Now, if you were gonna say like, busy tired moms who are working as lawyers or something, I would argue like, actually there's still probably a decent subset for that as well. But busy tired moms is a way big enough box. I don't think you have to worry about niching down too hard. And I think that the clearer you can get in your messaging in that and the relatability of. I understand this here is exactly where I was. I know this. I wasn't even doing this and I know this. Like, let me help you. Don't be afraid of that. Do not be afraid of that.
C
Okay. Yeah, I really like that because I know you talk a lot about going deep and not wide. And I think, like, I launched my meal prep course this past fall and I think I just need to keep offering it, get the copy correct. Like, yep, just hunker down and really work on that program. I think what scares me a little bit is it's a completely saturated market, even though I bring something different to the table. But maybe it's just the way in which I get.
Cassie Greshel
Sure, yeah, let's talk about that for a minute. So I was actually like brainstorming future episodes of the show. And like one of the ones was, is like, how to stay creative without constantly creating. And it's interesting because I've recently just introduced in like micro business coaching with a few different business owners that I know and have known forever. And I can see this tendency where I didn't realize that somewhere along the way I reframed within myself this tendency of wanting to like, constantly be creating something new, something new, something new. And instead of refining what is already built and good. And it's interesting because it's like, if you have this course and the course content is really good, which I am sure it is, what if you gamified and like made the creative process more around the marketing of it or the emails around it or the graphics around it or the social around it. And you still got to express that like, multi passionate, creative desire in different ways. But it wasn't reinventing the wheel constantly. Right. Because when I look at my business and I think that this should be inspiring to people is that I had Coco six years ago and I have not created a new course in six years. And I've had the same course and my business is growing. And so when I think that I've spent the last six years refining the same offers, it's pretty awesome. Right? Like, and so I think that a lot of times it's like, we're quick to throw the baby out with a bathwater when we really need to just like, focus on that. And so I just, I want to encourage that and like, figure out ways to be creative around that. But like, the course is probably really good. And I agree it is a saturated market, but if you made the creative piece, the messaging, and like, exactly how yours is different, that will be awesome. And I also want to argue that I think every market is saturated. Like, I mean, I could say the same about like email marketing or any.
Jenna Kutcher
I mean, there's just a million courses.
Cassie Greshel
For a million things, but people are willing to pay people that they trust.
Jenna Kutcher
Right.
Cassie Greshel
And that they've seen get results for themselves or other people. And so don't let yourself trick it into like, it has to be incredibly different. You just want to make sure that you can get people results, which you can.
C
Yeah, I agree. I really do think, just like you said, being more creative with what actually makes it unique, but again, results driven and just honing in on like specific resources, like checklists and like very specific things to like, help people get through the course better. So. Yeah, I, I appreciate that a lot. I think I've been really scared to make that decision.
Cassie Greshel
Yeah.
C
And because I have so many ideas, like, I just want to do everything, but I can't. I. Yeah. Yeah.
Cassie Greshel
Okay. Do you have another question? Let's scooch to the next. Yes.
C
Okay. So I currently work part time in this arm of my business. And I guess my question is, should I be focusing the 14 hours, give or take I have each week on creating valuable long form content, like through a blog or through podcast, first to grow traffic and audience and then create an email marketing freebie, or create more, I should say, email marketing freebies. Like what comes first, the chicken or the egg? And can they exist together at the same time?
Cassie Greshel
Yes. Okay. So I would argue that they can exist at the same time. And one of the best ways to ensure that this happens is that as you are creating for your business, whether it is an Instagram post, a blog post, a podcast episode, like, whatever is your lowest barrier to action. You know, we always say like, lowest barrier to entry. I want to know what is the lowest barrier to action. Like, if you're thinking, okay, I want to start a podcast, but now I need to go out and buy microphone, I need to get lighting, I need to figure out the software, I need to record, I need to edit. Like, what is the easiest way for you to show up consistently? So I would start with that. But whatever it is that you are creating for your business, you are already creating email content. And when I think about how I am creating, whether it is a podcast where I am writing the intro out or I'm writing the outro, or I'm writing the questions, like, that is amazing email content, right? And I can just take and repurpose bits and pieces of it and then have the link to whatever else I've created, right? Like, how do I make this a teaser? You could literally copy and paste whatever you've created for your business, whatever platform it is, copy and paste it into chat GPT and say, I want to use this for email content. This is the tone, this is who I'm serving. And I want to make people click on the link so that they see more of what I've created. Help me do that. And ChatGPT could probably do a damn good job of doing that for you. And you could literally just insert in a little bit more of your tone, you know, a witty story or the personality that it doesn't have access to. Right? And so I would argue 14 hours a week is more than enough time to be able to do one and the other, whatever you choose as your one. And when you create, I teach this. I actually have a program. We never promote it or like really talk about it anywhere. It's called the Content Lab. But the whole thought is when you are creating content, create in the frame of mind that you can repurpose that one piece of content on every platform. And so if you're creating in a way that it allows it to translate well to whatever platform you're going to be focusing on, it makes it so much easier and it's less work. And so I think a lot of times our brain wants to compartmentalize those as two very separate things, when in reality they can very much coexist and work together and they can support each other when it comes to the long form side. So if I were thinking about, like, where I would invest my time personally for me, when I started, I've been blogging for the last, I mean, since 2011. So I started my blog. That was the first thing I did in my business. And we still blog to this day. I love it because it creates that Resource library where people can still find and reference, reference back to. Same for podcasting. But I would say that podcasting has a lot more steps and it takes a lot more to get a podcast episode published. It's totally doable. I teach people how to do it. But if I were looking at a limited amount of time, I would do that. And here's what I would argue to think through the lens of your ideal customers. So if you are trying to attract busy moms who are already overwhelmed and tired, maybe it's really short blog posts with like one key tweak or something. It doesn't have to be, you know, 20 paragraphs long and have tons of research and all of that. Maybe it's like really digestible, interesting content that your ideal audience could take in.
C
Yeah, I love that. And I, I think, like, what would be more approachable for me right now? Because again, I just, like, fear that I won't be consistent. But maybe I just need to wrap my head around creating this ideal week where this is what I'm doing, you know, this day. But I think, think with blogging, I could be more consistent with it. But podcasts, I think would really be best for my audience because for me personally, I'm like, unless it's at night, I'm not like looking through my phone trying to read blogs. I am, you know, I'm in the car, pickup lines.
Cassie Greshel
Like, that is where five minute episodes, like, they were super short. Like, you know what I mean?
C
Listen to that. I could totally, definitely do that. You think? Yes.
Cassie Greshel
So back in the day, we used to do three episodes a week. So our cadence has been Mondays and Wednesdays. But I used used to do really short Friday episodes that were like five to 10 minutes and they were really short and digestible. And I went deep on one thing and they did really well. And so. But like, if you think of your, you know, you could be like, hey, mama, you're probably in the pickup line, or you're, you know, packing a lunch or you're doing your skincare routine and you're tuning in. Here's one tip to optimize your health today. And it could just be one thing. It's not overwhelming. They're going to be more likely to get results, right?
C
Yeah, absolutely. I love that. Okay, that's good to know. Like, it could be very short. It doesn't need to be an hour long podcast.
Cassie Greshel
No, and I would argue that that's not. I mean, I was laughing the other day because Drew and I were watching Holiday Baking Championship this tells us a lot about our marriage. And we were laughing because we are still on episode one of the season. It's now on like episode 12. It took us like an entire week to watch a one hour baking show because we just watch for like 20 minutes and then it's like, you know, we're cleaning up and we're packing lunches and all these things and like we were just laughing that like it takes us a whole week to get through, you know, 60 minutes of content. And so I would argue that that's the stage of life that we're in, you know.
C
Yeah. And I relate to that too. So. Yeah.
Cassie Greshel
Amazing.
Jenna Kutcher
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Cassie Greshel
Noise.
Jenna Kutcher
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Cassie Greshel
To be.
Jenna Kutcher
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Cassie Greshel
RocketMoney.com Gold Digger okay, where does this lead us?
C
Well, my other question, you kind of answered it. So it was, you know, I'm not really consistent right now with nurturing my current list. Yeah, I feel like I have kind of been throwing a little bit of salesy stuff at them, which I don't like. I want to nurture them. I probably, you know, with my meal prep course and my retreat coming up in May, and I want to nurture them better. So let's talk about. Yes. And so I think what I'm hearing from you is that creating that long form content where you could almost snip and repurpose and put it into that email is like the best way.
Cassie Greshel
Yes. Okay, so here's a few tips that I would do. So just, just yesterday we planned out like an entire month's worth of email content. So this is like a rhythm that I have in my business where I sit down and I say, okay, I want to send. So we send about eight emails a month. So it's about two a week, which is a high frequency. I would not recommend that for somebody starting out. I would say one email a week would be amazing. And so I just sit down and I look at, okay, here's the month coming up. Here are our focuses. Here is where we already have promotion blocked in. What else can we do to serve? What else is going on? What else would support, like, what does that look like? And honestly speaking, like, we have a really good ratio of serving versus selling. And that's why I think we have a really high engagement rate and we have a very low unsubscribe rate. And so I've done a lot of research because it's like the average entrepreneur is spending like 45 minutes to an hour and a half a day responding to emails. And it's like we're responding one to one all day, day, all week. What it would it look like if we could just sit down and tangibly create one email that will serve many. It's a way better use of our time, right? And so what I think I would do if I were you, Cassie, is I would say I would look at like, okay, here's the month coming up. Here are four things. And I would create some sort of cadence for yourself where it could be like you're just telling a relatable story in an email and that's it. And there's like no links. And you're just like reminding people like, I relate to you or like my kid asked the funniest thing the other day and this was my response. Or have you ever noticed that like, when you wake up, you're still exhausted? This is one thing that's helped me, like, it can just be something really quick, easy, no links, no call to actions in it, just like straight up serving. Then I would do one email that's pointing to an additional resource that you've created. And the goal of the email is to sell the click. So the goal of the email is to get somebody to click the link. So you don't want to give away everything about like, let's say the podcast episode, in that you want to make people actually click to listen, right? Because that's another form of hearing from you, another way you're invited into their life. And then you could have one email that is a little bit more promotional, that shares about an offer. And again, the goal of the email is to get them to click to the landing page. So I think a lot of times our emails feel incredibly salesy because we're almost trying to take the sales page and put it into the email. And that's not the goal of the email. The goal of the email is to get people to click to the page that has already been built that shares about the offer in its entirety. Right? And so how can the email still have good content inside of it and focus on selling that click. And then the last email of the month could maybe be a roundup of like three tips or three products or three meals or three, you know, it could be whatever, but just something that like gives something for everyone. We do one email a month where it just kind of rounds up. Like, if you love to read, here are blog posts. If you Love to listen. Here are podcasts, episodes. Here is my favorite Instagram post of the month. Here are three products I bought on Amazon that I love. Like, it's just like a something for everyone type of email. And it's really fun to write because it kind of makes you pause and be like, what happened in the last month? They're like, what do I swear by? Or like, what's new? So I would just kind of map out, like, a cadence. It doesn't have to be rigid by any means, but it might just help your brain sit down and understand. Okay, week one, week two, week three, week four, and then you could write them all out and literally lock and load them and schedule them into your email software, and you wouldn't even have to think about it for the rest of the month. So I would argue that that would probably take a couple hours of your entire month, and you could rest assured at night that, like, something is happening behind the scenes each week and it's dripping out for your audience. And you won't feel that guilt, because I think a lot of people feel that guilt of, like, I grew this list. I gave the free value off the front. Now I'm not reaching out. And then I'm only reaching out when I'm selling. And it almost becomes this, like, weird, weird shame, guilt feeling of like, I know I should be doing more, and I think there's a lot of easy ways to do more that doesn't feel really overwhelming.
C
Yeah, I. I love that so much. And I think I'm all about batching everything.
Cassie Greshel
Yes.
C
So I do think that is approachable. And it's like, you know, you know these things, but you just need to do them. Yes.
Cassie Greshel
And I mean, something too is like, if somebody were to, like, reach out to you, and you could even have your friends, like, if you had a group, group of, like, mom friends, and you could just say, can you text me, like, five questions that you would want to ask me and use that to inspire the content? Or one of my friends recently just said, he went on to chatgpt, and he said, okay, this is who I am. This is who I serve. Generate 52 questions that my ideal audience would be asking me. And then he used one question a week to kind of theme his content, whatever that was, whether it was Instagram, email, podcast, whatever. And that way, every week, he was answering a question of his ideal audience, and that was all generated from ChatGPT. So I think there are a lot of different ways that you can inspire that content. And again, it's like one to many. So you just have to see it in a different way versus, like, the one to one interactions that a lot of us spend a lot of time, you know, fostering.
C
Yeah, I love that, man. That is my idea of batching.
Cassie Greshel
That's right.
C
Two questions.
Cassie Greshel
Oh, awesome. Okay. Where does this lead us? What are you thinking? What are your hesitations? Do you have any obstacles in your brain?
C
Not really. I. I do have, like, one more question. I'm just curious. Just from all the conversations you've had with people and, you know, with your success, I'm just curious which ideas that maybe I've had or that I share that or that you have.
Cassie Greshel
Yeah.
C
That you feel like would reach my ideal audience and, like, I guess and then be able to kind of create a lead magnet out of it, which I feel very equipped to do. Like, I actually like doing that. But, like, what do you feel like? Like, what are your top ideas for? Like, yes, these three. Like, we have to have a resource, a checklist, a template, something around that.
Cassie Greshel
Yeah. So, okay. One of my friends, her name is Kelly. She was in my mastermind years ago, and she has an account called the Family Freezer, and they teach freezer meals. And she is like, she's just amazing. And it's so funny because, like, my mom, my sister and I, I will all talk about, like, which Kelly recipe are you using if, like, one of us brings over a soup or something? Because we know it was probably a Kelly recipe, and so she would be somebody really good to follow, just because I feel like she does some really interesting things. One thing that would be really fun to go deeper on. This is a very random idea, but if you sent out a very small grocery shopping list and you did like an Instagram Live or a zoom call with a group of people, and you literally walked them through food prep and sent said, here's one hour. By the end of this hour, we're gonna prep 1, 2, 3, 4, whatever it is. Like, three meals and a snack for your week. And you could do it almost like a cooking show with your audience. I think that would be super fun and compelling. The other thing that I often struggle with, because, honestly, you serve a version of me. Like, I am someone who I very much prioritize my health, but when I don't have a plan for meals, that is when I go off the rails. Like, I was just talking to someone. I was like, I feel so dialed in in so many areas of my life. And today, after four podcasts, I'm probably Gonna go eat chicken nuggets from the freezer because I don't have a plan, right? And so you are talking to me. And so my dream scenario, my dream life would be like on Sunday afternoons when Quinn is sleeping and Coco's doing quiet time, I would prep a couple meals and some really healthy snacks for the week, right? And I could open my fridge and there is the plan. And so I think I often get overwhelmed or I'm looking up too many recipes and then I'm like, this is so many ingredients. Now I'm overwhelmed with my grocery shopping list. Now I'm just like throwing in the towel. And so it would be interesting to have something very simplified where it is entirety. Here's your grocery shopping list. I also know there's a feature now that you can share your instacart cart with people. So you could literally put the ingredients in the cart and share the link with somebody to make that part even easier and then have the recipes and the order and then you know, like, so it's just like thinking through some of those biggest hurdles of like where people get overwhelmed. But again, the other thing that I, I think would be really interesting for you to do is because you had like the idea of a membership and different things like that that I would say, and I know you already mentioned this is an idea, so it's your idea. But having like a container of like 10 to 20 women where you walk with them for four weeks or something and by the end of the four weeks they have X, Y and Z and you have a very clear what they will leave with. I think you'll get a ton of feedback, you'll get a lot of insight. You'll start to see where are people falling off or where are they getting overwhelmed. And I think that, that a lot of times we jump straight to a course and I think that's fine and great. But I learned so much when I did some one on one mentoring with people because I was like, oh, they're all asking the same questions. Oh, I didn't, I didn't even think that was interesting. Oh, they're emailing me about this.
Jenna Kutcher
They got stuck here.
Cassie Greshel
And so I think that when you're getting those new offers up, sometimes having those higher touch points at the beginning will lead to lower touch offers down the line that really solve the solutions that you're trying to solve. What do you think about that?
C
Yeah, I agree. Like, I think the members like having some sort of collective, like you had said, or a group program will really help Me fish out, like, the questions exactly how you said. So I'm not going to repeat everything, but, like, I definitely think that would be helpful. And maybe if I just offer, like, Q and A sessions where it's, like, brainstorming rather than. And then offer a really low ticket where they're not expecting, like, tons and tons of resources and all these things, I think that would definitely be a great place to start.
Cassie Greshel
Yes.
C
And I just have to say, like, your idea of, you know, you're like, perfect day, Sunday. This is literally what I teach in my meal prep course.
Cassie Greshel
I will be a customer because this is for free. Cassie, this is, like, the point of contention in our marriage. I am not even kidding you. Where every single night. This is literate. I will give you what actually happened last night. Drew came home from the aquarium with the kids, and I saw his car pulling in, and I'm like, oh, crap, I gotta get food on the table. So I'm like, cutting up an avocado. And I was like, I had, like, avocado grapes and an apple. And then I heated up a corn dog, and he, like, walked in and he's like, corn dogs again. And I was like, I didn't know you were coming home. I didn't have time to prep anything. Like, where this is, like, a point of contention. And I also think, like, so many of us have the desire for better things. Like, I'm like, if I had, like, a chipotle salad bar with, like, rice, prepped meat, prepped corn, and salsa and all these things, like, I could make a really healthy bowl every day. And so. So the thing that I think will be really interesting about your offer, and here's where I want to challenge you deeply, is that you are going to have a tendency or a desire to want to throw in everything in the kitchen sink to over deliver at the risk of overwhelming your person. And so your offer needs to be so stupid simple that anyone like me will follow through on it. It. And to you, it's going to feel so common sense and so silly, but to somebody who has failed to follow through, simple is going to be the only way they're going to get results. And so you're going to feel like you're underserving, but that is how you are actually going to get people results. I think that is actually going to be the challenge in a beautiful way. And I think when you create the offer, like, you want to not focus on, like, it's five hours of content, and da, da, da, da, da. You want it to be like 10 minutes of con, like, you know what I mean? Like digestible for that ideal audience. And it doesn't mean that you're not adding immense value. I would argue that the value is in the simplicity of it because it allows people to actually get results. And so that can be hard in its own way. Does that make sense?
C
I. Absolutely. I. I have that problem. Like, I want to provide so much. I want to give because, like, everybody's different, right? So somebody might want more ideas on the kitchen tools that I use. Somebody want, want more ideas on school lunches. And so I'm just like throwing all this stuff in my program in modules, thinking, oh, they'll just skip over if this isn't, you know, this doesn't pertain to them.
Cassie Greshel
Let's position it. Okay, so this is good because then the goal here is to position it in a way so that the main course is super, super digestible, right? Like even, like our Pinterest course is two hours of content. And I'm proud of that because people actually finish it, right? And so like even the other day my friend Mel Robbins was like, hey, I'm going to take your Pinterest course. And I was like, awesome. It is literally two hours. And I love that because that means people will actually do it. So I would look at your positioning of your program and make the modules like walk it through so that you have to do these three to five things, right? These are the three to five non negotiables. And then have all of those extra things as like a choose your own adventure because the achiever in us, like women like us, want to do it perfectly or we don't want to do it at all. And so the positioning of how you present your offer and how it's laid out for people is going to really help them find success. And so it might be something you want to just revisit as to like, what is the core offer, what do they have to do step by step to get the end result? And then what are the extras that they might need so that I am adding that value and meeting them wherever they're at at. But it's up to them if they want to do that and let them know that too. So like, you are not a failure if you don't go through every single module. These are just extra things that might be helpful. Choose the ones that work best for you and leave the rest behind. That will also help in terms of them getting results.
C
I love that. That is very helpful. I will absolutely be changing that within the next couple weeks here. Because, yeah, it's so much information. But I think the framework is key. Like, I needed to get better at frameworks. Frameworks are so important. They need a clear map. And I think it's like, if the map is like across the whole us, I think people are not gonna want to go on that journey.
Cassie Greshel
Yes. Yeah. And I, you know, it's, it's so interesting because I think women often disqualify themselves before they even start something because they're like, I'm just, it's just not gonna work for me. And so that would be interesting. One other thing to consider is it might be interesting to do a really concentrated launch. Launch to your existing audience. It could be five people, 10 people, whatever it is, in terms of who signs up and do a weekly coaching call with that group. Like make it almost like an incubator where you're getting the feedback, you're hearing the questions. They're invested so they have skin in the game. You're kind of collecting that insight. Because that would kind of also give you that insight of like, what do people really need? Do they need the more one on one support? Can this be kind of an evergreen offer that's running in the background? What does that look like as well? And so maybe just doing like a really concentrated effort in that way would be really smart too.
C
Yeah, I like that and I do see value in that. I offered it this past fall and I had two connection calls and I did gain a lot of information and then I had like a individual coaching call with each of them. But I could increase it to weekly to really give more value into.
Cassie Greshel
While you're building it, just do it as a group. Because, Because I feel like people can learn so much from other people and it could also like decrease the amount of time you're on the phone ultimately and people will be willing to share or like let them be the guinea pig of the week. And so that could be a different way you approach it too, where it's not taking up so much time. Cause I remember the first time I did a course, I did the same thing where I did like one on one calls with everyone. And I was like, oh my God, I am on the phone all the time. This is not what I wanted ultimately, but it was, it was really insightful in terms of what I learned from. From it.
C
Yeah, I'm just like still in my head. I'm laughing because when you get the example of the Chipotle Bowl.
Cassie Greshel
Yes.
C
I'm like, that's literally like, in my course, I'm like, core. Create yourself. Like these, like, 10 core ingredients, and you can use them. Like, you can do tacos, you can make nachos, you can make loaded sweet potatoes. Like, there's so many different ways. So I'm just like, this is it.
Cassie Greshel
I told you, I am your ideal customer.
C
I know.
Cassie Greshel
I was arguing with Drew the other day because I was like, so I read this thing where you can literally go to Chipotle and get, like, family size where all the food is prepped for you. And we could just see that instead of meal prepping. And y'all was on. We can do it ourselves. And I was like, but we're not doing it. So I will be your ideal audience. This is something that I really want to focus on, and I know so many of my listeners. So as we wrap this up, you have a specific goal, and I want to help you reach it. So share what your goal is, and then we'll tell our audience how they can join in and see what you do next.
C
Yes.
Cassie Greshel
So.
C
Well, I just have to side note, my goal moving forward in the next month is really to hone in on the making the meal prep, of course, my full offer, but to kind of get people to know, understand, like, what I do and what I offer. I do have a seven day challenge. Well, five day. Five day. Yeah. Five day challenge of fit in your greens. So it's a way that we can inspire people to eat more leafy greens. So, you know, the actual vegetable leafy greens. And it is just really geared towards. There's so many benefits of eating leafy greens. The cognitive function, just helping your brain work better, energizing you more, creating that fiber, gut health. Gosh. I could go on and on, but it's gonna be amazing. Five day challenge, and I hope everybody can join. It's a downloadable guide that I will have.
Cassie Greshel
Awesome. And we will link to it in the show notes so you can check out Cassie and we'll help her get to her goal on that. Thank you so much for coming on the show. I hope that this was helpful and not. Not overwhelming. You are already making amazing progress, and I see so much of myself in you and the moves that you're making and the decisions that you're making right now. So I just. I want to say you are on the right path, and I'm so excited to see what unfolds and just thank you for being willing to come on.
C
Thank you so much. No, honestly, like, the value you provided me today and honestly, the value that you bring to so many people just through your podcast is amazing and inspiring to dream of. Like the impact that we all can create in this world just by connecting, collaborating and just building one another. Up, up. So thanks again Jenna. Honestly, it's just been my absolute pleasure.
Cassie Greshel
Aww. These coaching sessions are so fun and I hope they are so valuable for you. Now don't get me wrong, I love interviewing exceptional entrepreneurs, but let's be honest, most of them started many years ago.
Jenna Kutcher
And their stories aren't always relatable to where you are at today.
Cassie Greshel
My solution is these coaching sessions and I get so much out of them, but I hope that you do too. If you want to apply to be coached on the Gold Digger podcast, make sure you're a part of our Facebook community. It is an amazing place to be hanging out on the world Wide web. We've linked to it in the Show Notes. And if you love today's episode, can you leave me a review and let me know that you want the coaching sessions to keep on coming? I feel like they are chock full of insight and information and hopefully stuff that you can apply to your business today. Thank you so much for listening to this episode of the Gold Digger Podcast. It is an honor to show up in your earbuds today wherever you are, in your world or in your life. And until next time, gold diggers, keep on digging your biggest goals.
Jenna Kutcher
Thanks for pulling up a seat for another episode of the Gold Digger Podcast. I hope today's episode fueled you with inspiration, gave you information that you can turn into action, and realigned you with your true north in life and business. If you've enjoyed today's episode, head on over to gold diggerpodcast.com for today's show Notes, discount codes for our sponsors, freebies to fuel your results, and so much more. And if you haven't yet, make sure you're subscribed so that you never miss a future show. We'll see you next time, Gold Diggers.
The Goal Digger Podcast - Episode 847 Summary: "How to Make Your Email List Work Harder So You Don’t Have To"
Release Date: January 27, 2025
Host: Jenna Kutcher
Guest: Cassie Greshel
Jenna Kutcher welcomes Cassie Greshel, a registered dietitian, mother of three, and member of the Goal Digger community. Cassie shares her mission to help busy moms reclaim their energy and time through holistic nutrition, meal prep, and wellness routines. Her goal for the year is ambitious: to grow her email list from 93 subscribers to 1,000 by the end of the year. Cassie has recently shifted her focus from balancing a full-time teaching job and side gigs to dedicating more time to her passion for supporting exhausted moms.
Notable Quote:
Cassie: “I'm your typical passionate, sometimes chronic achiever who says yes to probably too many opportunities.” [08:20]
Cassie delves into the common struggles entrepreneurs face, such as building an audience, managing multiple channels, and balancing work with personal life. She shares her personal experience of hitting the six-figure mark but feeling unfulfilled due to neglecting her health and family values. This realization led her to prioritize time management strategies that align with her core values, ultimately deciding to leave her full-time job to focus on her business.
Notable Quote:
Cassie: “I was crabby with my husband, snapping at my kids… all just exhausted because the work was never really done.” [07:00]
Jenna and Cassie discuss effective strategies for growing an email list without feeling overwhelmed. Cassie highlights the importance of understanding your revenue goals and identifying the number of subscribers needed to achieve them. Jenna emphasizes niching down to serve a more specific audience better, arguing that depth over breadth not only increases profitability but also fulfillment.
Notable Quote:
Jenna: “If you go deeper in your niche... you'll actually not only make more money, but it'll be more fulfilling.” [11:28]
The conversation shifts to content creation, where Cassie expresses her struggle with consistency and deciding between long-form content like blogs or podcasts. Cassie is encouraged to repurpose content across multiple platforms to maximize efficiency. Jenna introduces the concept of the "Content Lab," advocating for creating versatile content that can be adapted for emails, social media, and other channels.
Notable Quote:
Cassie: “Unless it's at night, I'm not like looking through my phone trying to read blogs. I am, you know, I'm in the car, pickup lines.” [27:13]
Jenna: “Create content in the frame of mind that you can repurpose that one piece of content on every platform.” [23:52]
Cassie shares her concerns about the saturated meal prep market and the fear of not standing out. Jenna advises focusing on simplicity and creating a clear, digestible framework for her offerings. Emphasizing that success lies in making the program easy to follow, Cassie is encouraged to design her courses with essential modules and optional extras, ensuring that participants can achieve results without feeling overwhelmed.
Notable Quote:
Cassie: “I want to provide so much. I want to give because, like, everybody's different, right?” [44:41]
Jenna: “Your offer needs to be so stupid simple that anyone like me will follow through on it.” [43:38]
Cassie seeks advice on nurturing her existing email list more effectively. Cassie suggests moving away from sales-heavy emails to a balanced approach that includes relatable stories, valuable content, and strategic promotions. Jenna recommends batching email creation to save time and ensure consistency, advocating for a mix of serving and selling to maintain high engagement rates.
Notable Quote:
Cassie: “I'm not really consistent right now with nurturing my current list. Yeah, I feel like I have kind of been throwing a little bit of salesy stuff at them, which I don't like.” [31:55]
Jenna: “When you are creating content, you are already creating email content.” [23:52]
In the concluding segment, Cassie outlines her immediate goals: refining her meal prep offerings and launching a five-day challenge aimed at increasing leafy green consumption among busy moms. Jenna commends Cassie for her progress and reiterates the importance of connectedness and collaboration within the Goal Digger community. Both express optimism for Cassie's future endeavors and the impact her strategies will have on her business and audience.
Notable Quote:
Cassie: “It is so much information. But I think the framework is key.” [46:53]
Jenna: “Keep on digging your biggest goals.” [51:55]
Niche Down for Success: Focusing on a specific audience can lead to deeper engagement and increased profitability.
Repurpose Content Efficiently: Create versatile content that can be adapted across multiple platforms to maximize reach without additional effort.
Simplify Offerings: Develop clear and digestible programs that provide essential value, avoiding overwhelm for both the creator and the audience.
Consistent Email Nurturing: Balance serving valuable content with strategic promotions to maintain high engagement and low unsubscribe rates.
Batch Your Work: Allocate specific times for content creation and email batching to improve efficiency and consistency.
Episode 847 of The Goal Digger Podcast provides invaluable insights into effective email marketing and content strategies tailored for busy entrepreneurs like Cassie Greshel. Through candid discussions and actionable advice, Jenna Kutcher empowers listeners to refine their approaches, prioritize their time, and build sustainable businesses that align with their personal values and goals.