Boring Emails Make Broke Brands

In partnership with

If every email you send is “nice,” agreeable, and inoffensive…
You’re probably being ignored.

That’s not a dig, it’s just the reality of the inbox in 2025.

Attention is expensive. People guard it with firewalls, filters, and the delete button.
So if you’re getting no pushback from your list, it likely means you’re not hitting hard enough to matter.

No unsubscribes?
No one mildly irritated?
No one telling you, “That email was a bit much”?

That’s not a sign of quality. That’s a sign of invisibility.

Let’s break it down

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“Safe” Is the Fastest Way to Be Forgotten

Here’s what safe email sounds like:

• “Here are 3 tips to help you get better results…”

• “Just checking in with a helpful reminder…”

• “Thought you might find this useful!”

You know the type.

Polite. Pleasant. Completely unmemorable.

And listen, there’s nothing wrong with being kind or professional. But if your emails don’t stir anything up, no emotion, no reaction, no debate, then they’re not doing their job.

You’re not running a customer support line.
You’re running a marketing engine. And marketing, at its core, is about moving people to action.

That means you need to be noticed.
And you don’t get noticed by sounding like everyone else.

The Bold Stuff Wins

Here’s what high-performing emails often do:

✅ They trigger curiosity.
✅ They call out nonsense.
✅ They tell hard truths.
✅ They say what most people won’t.
✅ They push the reader just enough to wake them up.

And yes, sometimes, they annoy people.

But that’s not a bad thing.
That’s a signal.

The best brands in the world are polarizing. Tesla. CrossFit. Apple. Nike. They don’t chase approval. They draw a line and say, “This is who we are. If that’s not for you, cool.”

That’s not arrogance, it’s clarity. And clarity converts.

Polarization Filters and Focuses

Every time you send an email, you’re talking to two groups:

• The people who might buy.

• The people who never will.

And if you try to write for both, you’ll lose both.

The people who are ready to take action want strong leadership. They want to follow someone who has a point of view. They want to feel like, “Damn, this person gets me.”

And the ones who don’t?

Let them unsubscribe.
Let them get mad.
Let them go.

Because you’re not here to win everyone. You’re here to build a tribe of buyers.

And the only way to do that is by standing for something, even if it means pushing a few people away.

What Bold Emails Actually Look Like

You don’t have to insult anyone. You don’t have to be rude or reckless.

You just have to stop hiding behind neutral language and watered-down opinions.

Here are a few ways to write with more edge:

1. Call out bad advice.

2. Challenge the norm.

3. Use tough love.

4. Bring sarcasm.

5. State your values.

Notice something? These aren’t wild or outrageous. They’re just honest. Direct. Specific.

That’s what your audience craves, even if they don’t know it yet.

Will You Offend Someone? Probably.

But here’s what won’t happen:

• Your brand won’t collapse.

• Your reputation won’t disappear.

• You won’t be blacklisted by the internet.

You’ll get a few unsubscribes.
A reply or two from someone who didn’t like your tone.
Maybe a little discomfort in your gut.

But guess what?

You’ll also get replies from people saying, “Finally. Someone said it.”
You’ll see more clicks. More sales. More energy in your list.
You’ll attract buyers who are aligned, not just subscribers who are lurking.

That’s the tradeoff.
That’s the whole point.

Here’s Your Challenge:

Send one bold email this week.

Just one.

Say what you actually believe.
Share an unpopular opinion.
Point a finger at a lie you see people repeating.

Don’t do it to be edgy.
Do it to be clear. To take a stance. To say something that matters.

You’ll know it worked if:

• You feel a little nervous before you send it.

• You get replies, some positive, some not.

• Your list gets smaller, but sharper.

That’s what momentum looks like.

That’s how you cut through noise and create buyers.

And that’s how you stop being “nice”… and start being effective.

To louder emails and better results,
The InBoXer Team