Ben Settle Email Swipe File Guide (Insiders Only)
Ben Settle Email Swipe File Guide (Insiders Only)
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I went through 2,684 of email expert, Ben Settle’s emails
(dating back to 2011). In this document, you will discover
everything I uncovered, including information even Ben
hasn’t shared.
FIRST: Download The Private Ben Settle Swipe File
Google Sheets:
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1ro8slg_pSHqD2v35mg9FylbKX5UPFN2
eu5_ghgom34c/edit?usp=sharing
* Note: if feasible, I prefer the Excel file. One of the columns contains the full email text & Google
Sheets forces the row height to be the size of the text whereas Excel doesn’t. For now, I hid the
“Content” column on Google Sheets so it’s easier to navigate.
The swipe file is a custom spreadsheet that I hired someone to put together.
It contains almost 2,700 of Ben’s emails. Each email includes the send date, the
word count, the line count, the subject line & the email content.
There are also 11 additional tabs in the document, each containing examples of
different types of emails & subject lines (which will be discussed in this guide).
1. Sort the emails by word or line count and see the correlation between his
longer & shorter emails.
2. Sort the emails by subject line to see what subject lines he used multiple
times & if he changed the body copy.
3. Sort the emails by subject line to see the different formulas he uses. (i.e.
there are 275 emails that start with “How To”)
4. Sort the emails by content to see the email content he reused & how he
may have tweaked the subject line.
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Why Ben Settle?
If you ask enough internet marketers, “who’s the top person to learn email
marketing from?”, the #1 answer is more than likely going to be Ben Settle.
For the past 8-9 years, his day-to-day has consisted of writing daily emails &
selling products that teach you how to write daily emails that get you sales.
All the big-name marketers & copywriters vouch for him & he’s got a ton of
content to learn from.
You are putting yourself in great danger if you try swiping his email style, without
considering the consequences.
For instance, one of his emails has the subject line, “Raw, uncircumcised emails”.
He actually sent this email four different times since 2013 (which means it must
be effective).
“In a lot of cases (especially if, say, you're writing to writers...) sending out raw,
unedited, "uncircumcised" emails can do more harm than good. Not saying to
spend 2 hours editing an email, either. But to write it fast, give it a quick run
through edit to make sure your facts are straight and you're saying what you
want to say, then send it out and move on with your day.”
Hopefully, you catch my drift. You have to adjust your tone & the words you use
according to the reader.
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With that said, the information below is stuff you can model in ANY niche or
business, WITHOUT having to “sound like” Ben Settle.
● 99% of his emails with 100 words or less (approximately 120 emails) are
promoting a podcast episode.
● He often recommends 200-300 words for speed & short attention spans.
● I’ve heard him & other copywriters mention this a few a times…”it should
be like a woman’s skirt: short enough to get attention & long enough to
cover the details”
Average line count: 70 (around 60% are less than or equal to & 40% are greater
than this)
● Ben is not one of those email copywriters that tries to avoid multi-line
paragraphs. Instead, he’s known for variety. He mixes in quick one-liners
with longer paragraphs, never adhering to any particular formatting rule,
yet still keeping his copy lean.
1. How (400)
2. Email (275)
3. Sales (114)
4. Get (113)
5. Marketing (107)
6. Secret (99)
7. People (95)
8. Elbenbo (88)
9. Like (77)
10. Copywriting (74)
11. Goo roo (60)
12. Clients (51)
13. Email Players (51)
14. How to get (48)
15. Free (47)
16. New (40)
17. Never (33)
18. Sales pitch (30)
19. Blatant sales pitch (22)
20. Goo roo fan boy (21)
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Email Examples
Note: there are over 40 examples of this in the swipe file spreadsheet.
Email Openers
● I used to be a big fan of...
● Contrary to what most [ ] think
● If you ask 9 out of 10 [ ]...
● Believe it or NOT...
● I'm not going to say [ ] are worthless. (I [ ] myself.) But...
● I’ve been noticing a disturbing trend lately…
● [ ] aren't going to like this.
● One of the most liberating things I have ever learned...
● The facts are weak with this one:
● Let's see if I can't rattle the [ ] critics...One of the things I sometimes catch
""flack"" for is…
● I once saw an amusing article on [ ]. The article title was:
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● "You're going to have your critics. Screw 'em" -Mike Ditka
Note: there are over 100 examples of this in the swipe file spreadsheet.
The quote is never mentioned in the subject line. It’s just used to start the email
and is usually tied in towards the end, like an open loop.
This makes them humorous since people usually share quotes that sound
profound or come from a significant figure. I would vary these up depending on
the audience.
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“I have a professional obligation to be malicious.”
— Pit bull
“Babe 2: Pig in the City”
In October 2017, a majority of the emails he sent started with a quote from
Crowley, a fictional character playing the King of Hell on the American
paranormal drama television series Supernatural.
“Crowley being the King of Hell/King of the Crossroads (the #1 crossroads demon
salesman who sells people their greatest desires in exchange for collecting their
souls in 10 years) from the hit TV show “Supernatural”.”
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http://archive.aweber.com/crypt0marketing/9mum0/t/Biz_nesss_coach_forced_
to.htm
Coach nabs $5k in fees from a small list using some of my wicked ways
http://archive.aweber.com/crypt0marketing/5c9Zi/t/Coach_nabs_5k_in_fees_fr
om.htm
elBenbo brings ex-Google employee and sickle cell anemia sufferer back from
near-death
http://archive.aweber.com/crypt0marketing/KE3Ei/t/elBenbo_brings_ex_Google
.htm
Fascinating Testimonials
A testimonial on drugs
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http://archive.aweber.com/crypt0marketing/MEDxw/t/A_testimonial_on_drugs.
htm
Note: there are over 50 examples of testimonial emails in the swipe file
spreadsheet.
Q&A Openers
● Reader Jon Jones asks:
● Reader Bob Dole asks possibly the most timely question anyone has ever
asked in the entire history of the multi-verse:
● Q&A time...
● Just got an interesting question.
● In which the question is asked:
● Here's a lively question:
● Came a question:
● Got this question about...
● An inquiring mind wants to know:
● A subscriber wants to know about...
● A subscriber wants [ ] advice
● A subscriber is puzzled...
● A subscriber asks:
● A reader asks:
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List-based answers where the last item is found in or relates to what he’s
selling.
How to persuade people to buy super expensive products with just one or two
sentences
http://archive.aweber.com/crypt0marketing/I4zfH/t/How_to_persuade_people_
to.htm
● Responds with two pointers. The second one is only hinted at & directs
you to buy the product.
* Note how many of his Q&A emails are turned into “How To” subject lines.
● After he gives some advice →”[the product] goes into a lot more detail
about this”…(“this” being whatever they asked about)
● “Then it's just a matter of… Enter [the product name]
● “All right, that's it for today. “Email Players" subscription info here:”
● “To check out my "Email Players" newsletter go here:”
● “So, do my methods work for…[ ]? The proof is in the doing:” → action
steps → “The rest takes care of itself.”
o http://archive.aweber.com/crypt0marketing/MU_7Q/t/Why_busy_
professionals_love.htm
“Speaking Of Which…”
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● After telling a story related to persuasion → “Speaking of which...The
February "Email Players" issue is full of tips and advice for being more
persuasive (not just in emails, but in your personal life) that are just as
effective and, I suppose, unconventional as the tip above. Where do you
subscribe? I'm glad you asked. Go here:”
Telling A Story From Outside The Market & Relating It To Your Market
“That’s Where [Blank Product] Comes In. I Teach How To [Do This Thing Related
To The Story]”
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“This is the most profitable [thing] you can learn. And, if you know how to
apply it the way I am teaching it in [blank product], you will never have to [do
this unwanted thing] again.”
Donald Trump's secret to getting your list to obsess over buying from you
http://archive.aweber.com/crypt0marketing/EwDxX/t/Donald_Trump_s_secret_t
o.htm
6. List-Based Emails
List of Best Resources (Your Product Should Be On The List Or Tied In Right
After)
Rules
Red Flags
NOTE: most of his list-based subject lines are used for emails promoting his
podcast. Remember, he doesn’t teach pure content in emails. The idea is to tease
you & “bait the hook” so you still want more after the email. Since the podcast is
free, the emails are shorter & it’s mostly about the link.
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7. Addressing Negative Comments
Something Ben often brags about is how he uses responses from Internet trolls &
haters as profitable content for his emails.
The idea is to take their response, include it in an email & flip it into why you
should buy his product.
The key is, there has to be something about their response that you clearly think
is wrong (& that most of your audience will too).
For instance…
The 1 star was given mostly because of the book’s formatting & Ben goes on a
rant about why formatting should be irrelevant to you.
Here, He Includes A Hater’s Response & Counters It With Two Rave Reviews
With this approach you don’t even have to say anything. You let your audience
do the talking.
Here’s A More Indirect Example Where He Talks About People That Whine
About “Info Overload”.
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Sometimes, He’ll Also Call Out Newbie Remarks (People Just Getting Started,
Who “Think” They Know)
It’s not for everyone, but addressing negative comments in an email can serve a
purpose when done right.
The Deadly Mistakes You Can Make When Addressing Negative Responses
There are over 80 of these in the swipe file spreadsheet, but I’ll list a few below.
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Some of these are very ballsy subject lines, but they definitely grab your attention
& make it hard not to click through.
The downside, of course, is that certain people will be offended & unsubscribe,
but Ben likes this & considers it a filter.
It’s worth noting that, as dirty as these subject lines can seem, the email content
itself is never that dirty. I highly suggest studying how he transitions from the
subject to the body copy.
Examples
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I haven't showered in 8 days and I still smell fresh
http://archive.aweber.com/crypt0marketing/BMzve/t/I_haven_t_showered_in_8
.htm
Here Are A Few Examples (there are 60+ in the swipe file spreadsheet)
50 shades of Ben
http://archive.aweber.com/crypt0marketing/OtUOg/t/50_shades_of_Ben.htm
Copyocalypse Now
http://archive.aweber.com/crypt0marketing/MDIyz/t/Copyocalypse_Now.htm
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You can't handle the TROOF
http://archive.aweber.com/crypt0marketing/PAJbI/t/You_can_t_handle_the_TR
OOF.htm
These are definitely the most interesting & humorous of the bunch. You don’t
usually know what to make of them. They’re so random that you just might click
through to find out what the heck he means.
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Secret way of using checklists in emails can boost sales by 5x's
http://archive.aweber.com/crypt0marketing/L9n88/t/Secret_way_of_using.htm
He never discounts or offers free trials and if you want a previous issue, you have
to pay full price.
He never “hard teaches” in his emails & besides a few limited-time products, he
usually is just selling his paid newsletter.
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get a test drive (i.e. the opt in issue I give away). And while on that drive, you can
go ye forth and use my test drive to make all the sales you want with.
Bottom line?
Ben is very blatant about him emailing you often. He mentions it in his opt-in
form & constantly talks about it in his emails. It’s what he teaches & because he
makes it known, his readers are accepting of his frequent emails.
Of course, you want to use personal stories in your email to build rapport, but
another great source of story inspiration is on sites where your audience is
discussing their frustrations & successes.
I’ve heard Ben mention a few times that he will use stories he sees elsewhere,
from actual people in the market he’s writing to.
Instead of trying to come up with the right story that relates to your prospect,
look for an actual story told by them personally.
Ben considers not selling in your emails, a disservice. There are people out there
who want & will benefit from what you’re selling. Not selling them on it doesn’t
help you or them.
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7. Don’t Obsess Over Your Analytics. The Most Important Metric Is How
Many Sales You Made.
Ben often states how he barely pays attention to his open rates & he definitely
doesn’t count how many complaint emails he gets. The success of an email is
based on how many sales it made.
“I couldn’t even tell you what my open rates are. Or what my opt in rates are. Or
what each click is worth. Or any of that. I simply don’t care. What I do is look at
my sales each month. Did they go up? Then I’m good.”
Gurus or “goo-roos” are basically his enemy. By poking fun & comparing himself
to them, he creates a powerful form of contrast that wouldn’t exist without the
opposition.
It makes his philosophies stand out & makes his audience rally behind him even
more.
Quite simply, he references them often because it makes him more money.
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