I’m dog-sitting at Aeriel’s as I write this.
Been doing this gig for 3 years, and let’s just say, I’m pretty good at it.
These normally rowdy beasts do nothing but sleep on my watch.
It even got to a point where it’s been hours since they stood up, so I had to check on them one by one — just to see if they’re still breathing.
For the record, they are.
And it’s not like they’re just scared of me.
Because if they’re frightened, they wouldn’t even dare to blink when I’m around.
Dogs are guardians by default, you know?
They’d rather die in panic than sleep when there’s bad juju lurking.
So, them being scared of me is not the case here.
Because just as I write this, Loki — the biggest one — puts his head on my lap.
Cute. But now I can’t move my damn legs…
… and I have dog hair all over me.
Now, I don’t claim to be a dog expert.
But I gotta say, there was a time when I was really into dog training.
I was so fascinated with the whole ‘pack leader’ thing.
Are you familiar?
If you own a dog, you should be.
But for the sake of those who aren’t: it’s a dog training philosophy.
Essentially, it’s where you act as the leader of your pack.
And as the leader, you should always be calm and assertive.
You give the rules, the do’s and don’ts, the corrections…
… while still letting them feel proper affection.
So in a nutshell, the idea is to make the dogs feel protected — that nothing bad will happen — because you’re there.
As a result, the dogs are calmer.
Worthy to be called a good boy.
Now my theory is that I did that with these dogs.
I think this is the reason why all they do is sleep around and chill when they’re with me.
Almost a 180 from their normal behavior.
Sometimes I like to take pride in that.
Now I know we’re talking dog psychology here, so what I’m about to tell you next might sound weird…
Because, surprisingly, this philosophy applies to how you should treat your email list.
No, I don’t mean treat them like dogs.
I mean… be their pack leader.
The legendary copywriter Gary Halbert did this a lot.
When he talked to his audience, he’d sneak in some psychological bits that painted him as the top dawg.
He wants them to treat him like their daddy.
Ballsy move.
Same with copywriters like Daniel Throssell.
He’ll tell stories where he’s the teacher and his list is there to learn from him.
He even creates these fictional storylines, like the one where he ‘kidnaps’ other big-name marketers. (As a joke, of course.)
Everything implies that he’s the ruler in his world.
And no, I’m not saying that you should do exactly what they’re doing.
In fact, I compel you NOT to.
Because not everyone can pull that off.
All you need to understand instead is that you gotta paint yourself like the leader.
Remember, you own the email list.
They willingly joined in.
So in a way, you’re the captain of the ship — and you’ve gotta act like one.
Because when people sense leadership, they listen.
They stop looking for the exits and start paying attention.
That means, as their captain, you have to make your people feel safe and entertained and as satisfied as a spoiled Shih Tzu.
In return, they’ll hand over their trust on a silver platter…
… and that’s the best position to be in when you have an offer to bring.
In my little experiment called Campaign Test Drive, I wrote emails that put this idea into practice.
If you want to project that same calm authority onto your audience — the kind that makes them “good boys and girls” that trust your word — you’ll want to see this
Click here: