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Simple Email Ideas to Send Your List When You’re Not Launching

You open up your laptop, coffee in hand, determined to finally send an email to your list.
But as soon as the cursor starts blinking in that blank email draft, your brain does the same, blinking on and off and feeling completely blank…….“What do I email my list when I am not launching?”

If you’ve ever found yourself stuck in that awkward space between launches, you’re not alone. This is one of the most common email marketing hurdles I see course creators and educators face. And the truth is, showing up only during a launch is one of the fastest ways to erode trust with your audience.

So today, I’m sharing five simple, connection-centered emails you can send—even when you’re not promoting a thing. These are pressure-free, value-packed ideas that will help you stay consistent, top-of-mind, and genuinely connected with your people.

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Links and Resources Mentioned in This Episode:

• Stop into my YouTube channel for weekly videos about all things content marketing.
• Check out my Playbook for Complete Marketing Game Plan
• This week’s action step: Pick and craft at least one of the emails from my 5 emails to send when you are not launching.
• This week’s book recommendation: How to Winter by Kari Leibowitz
• Find me on Instagram and tell us you what you thought of this episode: @mrsamandawarfield

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Why Showing Up Between Launches Matters

We all have that one flaky friend, right? The one who says “Let’s hang out soon!” but never actually follows through?

When you only show up in your audience’s inbox to sell something, you feel like that to them. Like you’re only interested in them when it benefits you. Even if that’s not your heart, that’s the impression inconsistency can leave.

Here’s what consistent emailing (even without launching) does for your brand:

•  Builds trust
  
•  Keeps you top of mind
  
•  Deepens connection
  
•  Positions you as a helpful, reliable expert
  

So let’s stop ghosting our audience during “quiet” seasons and instead send them valuable, thoughtful content that serves.

Teach Something Small and Actionable

You don’t have to reinvent the wheel or write an entire novel. Just teach one tiny thing.

Think:

• A two-minute tutorial
  
• A quick mindset tip
  
• A small shift your audience can make today
  

Example: Let’s say you’re a productivity coach. Pull one tip from a larger blog post like “10 Ways to Work With Your Energy, Not Against It.” Turn that into a bite-sized email about honoring your natural rhythms.

Bonus tip: If you’ve written long-form content like a blog post, podcast, or YouTube video, take one section and expand on it. You could easily turn a “5 email ideas” post (like this one!) into five separate emails.

Share a Behind-the-Scenes Peek

People are craving authenticity. They want to see what goes on beyond the polished sales pages.

Here are a few behind-the-scenes ideas:

• What you’re currently working on (even if it’s a future launch!)
  
• A book you’re reading that shifted your perspective
  
• An update you’ve made to an existing offer
  
• A personal or business goal you’re pursuing
  

You can keep it simple, like this one I sent recently:

“I’ve been quietly working on a brand-new member directory for the Playbook students, and I finally added a badge system to highlight our VIP tier. It’s a small thing, but it makes me so happy. Just had to share!”

These emails build trust, spark conversation, and remind your audience that you’re a real human behind the brand.

Curate a Recommendation List

Not everything has to come from you to be valuable to your audience.

Curation emails position you as a helpful guide—someone who’s already done the research and is pointing them in the right direction.

Try:

• Your favorite marketing books
  
• A list of helpful courses or educators you trust
  
• Business tools or templates you swear by
  
• Even personal growth resources!
  

Pro tip: Tie your list back to your audience’s goals. For example, if you help people create online courses, share “5 Books That Made Me a Better Educator.”

Repurpose Content You’ve Already Created

You are sitting on a goldmine of content. Seriously.

Don’t overcomplicate this. Take something you’ve already made and reshape it into an email. For example:

• Summarize a blog post and link to it
  
• Pull a popular Instagram caption and add a bit more context
  
• Share a snippet from a podcast episode with a call-to-action to listen
  

This is one of my favorite email strategies because it’s fast and strategic. No reinventing, just repackaging.

If you’re sharing weekly content already, make it a habit to send an email pointing to that piece every single time. You’re doing the work—let it work harder for you.

Ask a Question

Want engagement? Ask for it.

These are some of the simplest and most effective emails you can send. And they don’t have to be complicated.

You could ask:

• Which title do you like best for this upcoming workshop?
  
• What’s your biggest struggle with [insert your niche]?
  
• What’s your favorite business book you’ve read this year?
  

A recent email I sent asked my list to help me choose a workshop title. That one email sparked a ton of replies, engagement, and even conversations that led to new ideas.

When your audience replies, it deepens the relationship and increases your deliverability. Win-win.

A Quick Recap: Your 5 Connection-Centered Email Prompts

Here’s a quick summary you can screenshot or copy into your notes app for what to email your list when you’re not launching:

1. Teach Something Small – Bite-sized education that serves
   
2. Share Behind-the-Scenes – Real-life peeks build real trust
   
3. Curate Recommendations – Be a resource, not just a creator
   
4. Repurpose Existing Content – Make your hard work go further
   
5. Ask a Question – Open up the conversation and build community
   

Try One This Week — Just One

Pick one of these five ideas and draft an email this week. You don’t have to use all five right away. Start small. Start simple. But start.

Even if you’re not launching, feel unsure, or you think your list is too small to matter (hint: it’s not).

Consistency now leads to conversions later, and connection always comes first.

Oh, and because I mentioned it:
📚 My personal book rec this week is How to Winter by Kari Leibowitz I know, recommending it in April feels ironic, but I just finished it and it completely reframed how I approach the hard seasons—literal and metaphorical ones.

If winter makes you grumpy (🙋‍♀️ hi, it’s me), add this one to your fall TBR.

Want More Simplified Email Support?

If this post made you say, “Okay, this is the kind of marketing I can actually do…” then you’re going to love the Chasing Simple Playbook. It’s my signature tool for simplifying your content marketing so you can spend less time creating and more time serving.

Or, if you’re just getting started with content planning, join  Content Planning Bootcamp—it’s the perfect next step to take this email strategy and turn it into a complete plan.

You’ve got this, friend. Just one email. One step. You don’t have to do it all—just do it on purpose.