If you've ever opened an email and instantly hit delete, you're not alone—and your audience feels the same way. These days, people can spot a salesy, cookie-cutter message a mile away. The good news? You don’t need to be a copywriting expert to write emails that feel personal and still drive results.

The secret is connection over promotion. And it’s a concept that echoes one of the key lessons from Dale Carnegie’s How to Win Friends and Influence People: treat people like people.

Write Like You're Talking to One Person

Before you write your next email, picture one specific person you’re trying to help. Not a vague “audience,” but a real or imagined customer who needs what you offer. What are they struggling with? What would you say if you were chatting over coffee?

This mindset shift helps you write in a friendly, helpful tone—and that’s what makes people read your emails instead of skipping them.

Lead With Value, Not the Sale

Carnegie reminds us that people are most interested in themselves—their needs, their problems, their goals. So your email shouldn’t just be about your product or service. It should speak to why it matters to them.

Share a helpful tip. Tell a quick story. Offer a free resource. When you lead with value, your email feels like a gift—not a pitch.

Use Simple, Human Language

Fancy formatting and clever subject lines aren’t as powerful as sounding like a real person. Keep your language simple. Avoid corporate jargon. Use contractions (like “you’re” instead of “you are”). You’re not writing a press release—you’re starting a conversation.

Final Thoughts

Your emails don’t have to be perfect. They just have to be real. When you focus on being helpful and human, people are more likely to trust you—and trust leads to clicks, replies, and conversions. Less pressure, more connection.

Dataczar Tip:
Use Dataczar’s email tool to create a welcome email that shares a short story about why you started your business. It’s a simple way to make a personal connection from the start.

 

This article is part of our Business Coaching blog series. At Dataczar we talk to a lot of small businesses. We’ve found a few books that we keep recommending time and again. To better help our customers, we’ve added a Reading List for Small Businesses to our website. We encourage every small business owner to read and keep these timeless business books on their office shelf.

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