How to get people to read your emails?

[yaxomoxay]

I had a day job and lost it. And I am working on a startup business, which exists legally, but not so much from a functional standpoint (e.g. my website is not done yet). And I definitely have no income at this point.

Then you do have a day job, and you're not unemployed. The lack of income does not equal to being unemployed. Being unemployed sucks, but you either focus on your company and really build it, or you find a job, I do not recommend doing both at the same time because your company is going to weigh on your search for a "regular" job or a job itself. You have an employer: yourself.
And don't use more time and effort on other activities, such as sending stuff to police departments on Covid-19.
I am no entrepreneur, but I am pretty sure that if you don't see your company as "having a job", you lost already.

If/when I get my website done, then *hopefully* some of the earlier advice about "letting people come to me" versus "intruding" on other people's time/space will apply. And then I will have a legitimate website and side things like a YouTube channel, podcasts, books - although unlikely on COVID-19 - and so on.

It takes a minute to build a basic website, I am not sure what the wait is for. If you're pressed for time, then just pay $20 to some guy on fivrr to get a basic website. If you have some basic tech experience, go on Godaddy and build a website, even if it's with Wordpress. Also, your presence on social media is also non-dependent on the website, but on the business itself.

A large part of my frustration is that history is passing me by each day, and I am not yet ready to properly report on it, and more so, I have obviously failed to get my public-service message out.

You have to decide what to focus on, man. In all honesty it seems you want to be everywhere: doing covid-19 research, in the public space, with a day job, and with a company. Choose a path. Read "So Good they Can't Ignore You" by Cal Newport asap.

 

[Ambrosia7177]

Now I just really want to read this PDF. I never though it'd g—WAIT, THIS WAS YOUR PLAN ALL ALONG!

So you're a standup comedian, eh?

 

[AngerDanger]

So you're a standup comedian, eh?

Kinda confused by the intention of this post. I made an innocuous joke, but I get the impression you've taken it offensively.

 

[Ambrosia7177]

Then you do have a day job, and you're not unemployed. The lack of income does not equal to being unemployed.

I do not yet have an operational business, I haven't "gone live" yet, so while legally I have a business, from a practical stand-point, it is still on a drawing board.

And dreams and ideas won't feed me.

Being unemployed sucks, but you either focus on your company and really build it, or you find a job, I do not recommend doing both at the same time because your company is going to weigh on your search for a "regular" job or a job itself. You have an employer: yourself.

Originally my plan was to enjoy the free time, and try to get my business/website done by say Memorial Day. But today is pay my bills for the month day, and I have 2-months of $$$ to live off of, so that sorta changes my focus. (Knowing my state, they will either fubar my unemployment, or delay it, or deny it for some stupid reason, so I'm no longer counting on it being guaranteed "insurance" like one should be able to.)

Looks like I am in deep doo doo...

And don't use more time and effort on other activities, such as sending stuff to police departments on Covid-19.

No regrets for the history I have captured, but clearly that is not where I should focus moving forward.

I am no entrepreneur, but I am pretty sure that if you don't see your company as "having a job", you lost already.

I had an Anthony Robins tape back in the early 1990s about how he went "from a one room apartment making $400/mth to owning a 3-bedroom house and making $4,000 (or $40,000)/mth in under a year."

Great material for selling a tape, but not reality.

In good times, it would probably take me 2-3 years to get to the point where I could quit my day-job. With the pandemic, all bets are off. And as I just said, by the Fourth of July, I might be living in the park...

I have been working on this business for years, and it is 95% done, but will take me another month or two to go live.

Due to A LOT of bad luck in 2019, and now 2020, I'm not sure what will happen.

But trying to get back to work just became my #1 priority.

It takes a minute to build a basic website, I am not sure what the wait is for. If you're pressed for time, then just pay $20 to some guy on fivrr to get a basic website. If you have some basic tech experience, go on Godaddy and build a website, even if it's with Wordpress. Also, your presence on social media is also non-dependent on the website, but on the business itself.

Now it's time for me to dole out some tough advice...

That is ridiculous.

I'm building a "real" company and a "real" website, not a blog. And IF things go well, there is the potential that I could become a multi-millionaire off of my business. (I could also fail miserably like most startups do.)

When done, my website/web-application will be approaching 100,000 lines of hand-written code - hardly something anyone does with Wordpress or GoDaddy.

And I say that not to impress anyone, rather to ask, "please don't minimize my 'real' business".

What I have been working on is a larger project and system than what I used to support at a large bank before I lost my job.

Definitely not small potatoes!

You have to decide what to focus on, man.

Exactly. Right now I don't want to become homeless - especially because the poor Wi-Fi reception will make it hard to post on macRumors, and to finish my website!

In all honesty it seems you want to be everywhere: doing covid-19 research, in the public space, with a day job, and with a company.

COVID-19 was admittedly a folly, but it is related to what I am doing in some ways, so I decided to write and report about it. It is also history, and as someone who used to be a serious amateur photographer, I would never pass up the chance to capture history.

(I lost my job on Sept 11 when I lived in NYC, and I took 2 months documenting the aftermath, and what an incredible scrapbook I have. To capture all of those raw emotions and the bad and the good was priceless. Come June, experts predict the U.S. will lose as many people as died on Sept 11 (i.e. 2,996) EVERY DAY for who knows how long. So this pandemic is much, much, much more devastating and historic...)

I will keep updating my spreadsheet, but I'm done writing for now, and I will probably never e-mail anyone again! (Lesson learned!)

And while I am desparately looking for work, I'll stay up late and try to finish my site.

Choose a path.

In normal times, I agree 100%.

In these times, it is all-hands-on-deck!

Read "So Good they Can't Ignore You" by Cal Newport asap.

I'll go research it now...

Thanks.


P.S. Glad to see your softer, more nurturing side is coming out. I like this much better!

 

[Tech198]

Well, at least from my perspective, what you're describing is spam. Don't get me wrong, it may be informative, but non-solicited email has no chance.

If you want to reach, let's say, some local services, like your local PD / Sheriff's department, I'd track them on down social media, get engaged, link out to your documents through an authorized channel. NextDoor is a great localized social platform, in addition to the usual suspects (FB, Twitter).

If you're using some kind of bulk emailer service, how are you sourcing the emails?

Technically, any email you wish not to get could be 'spam' even from friends you unsubscribe from.

You can't stop it, but that don't mean they must read it either.... mail filters on users mail client can be used to filter out based on anything nowdays in an email, or subject line, or email(s), and once matched, move to deleted folders, or just delete message, or take other actions.

That could be set up for either: ISP, exchange, user end.

Only thing you can really do, is not to make it sound intrusive to users.

 

[jpadhiyar]

On one level, I empathize with you and your spirit of doing more. However,
if you see this from a reader's perspective, you are spamming. And since you are not an official authority, why should anybody trust you.

If you want to help and make a difference, social media is a better platform. Both to contact officials and to reach the general public. Let's say if you convert the charts in images and use a simpler language, everyone can be benefited.

But please, only do this if you are absolutely sure of the facts and figures you are putting there. Don't take this as a click-bait opportunity; just be genuine at whatever you do.

 

[Ambrosia7177]

Kinda confused by the intention of this post. I made an innocuous joke, but I get the impression you've taken it offensively.

After all of your snarky posts?

No, you lost your chance to see anything I do...