Ben Settle - Email Players 1 - 15 Jun 2026

A short story involving a conflict, an observation, or an argument.

In these issues, Settle demonstrates that the "sell" is not an interruption; it is the resolution to the drama created in the email. The product becomes the tool the reader needs to achieve the same results or avoid the same pitfalls the writer described.

He explains the You let people smell the candy (free emails). You let them see the candy. But you do not let them taste the candy unless they pay. This builds desire. He argues that over-delivering free value is the fastest way to go bankrupt. Ben Settle - Email Players 1 - 15

Before we crack the spine, let's clarify the artifact.

: Moving from weekly to daily emails to build deeper connections and explosive authority. A short story involving a conflict, an observation,

By issue #12, Settle introduces his "Retro-Funnel" concept—using old-school direct mail postcards to drive people to an email list. The twist: the emails themselves are plain-text, personal, and often sent from a phone.

: The issues challenged the idea of providing constant "value" in exchange for sales, instead teaching how to bond with subscribers through personal narratives that make them look forward to every email. He explains the You let people smell the candy (free emails)

In today’s world of 90-day drip campaigns, Issue #3 is heretical. Settle suggests that long, pre-written sequences smell like automation. Instead, he advocates for "live-ish" emails—batches written daily that reference current events. He reveals how he writes 30 emails in one sitting and then sprinkles "freshness" into each one (date stamps, news references) to fool the brain into thinking a human typed it just for you.

. While the specific "1-15" sequence often refers to the core training and first 15 issues, Ben frequently offers the first issue as a to new subscribers on BenSettle.com Core Content of Early Issues

Furthermore, the world has changed slightly since these issues were written (circa early-to-mid 2010s). Email deliverability is harder. Spam filters are smarter. However, Settle addressed this in later issues (#16-30), but the principles of issues 1-15 are timeless.