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Ben Settle - Email Players 1 - 15

The Unfiltered Blueprint: Inside Ben Settle’s Email Players #1–15

In the noisy world of email marketing, few voices are as deliberately abrasive—or as consistently profitable—as Ben Settle. While gurus sell $2,000 courses on “funnels” and “automation hacks,” Settle has spent years championing a return to direct, conversational, and often confrontational email.

But his real goldmine isn’t his public newsletter. It’s Email Players—a monthly print newsletter (yes, physical paper) mailed to a tight-knit circle of subscribers. Issues #1 through 15 represent the foundational era of Settle’s philosophy, before the brand became synonymous with "enemy-fueled email." Here’s what makes this collection a cult classic among contrarian marketers.

3. “Stop Building Funnels – Start Writing Letters”

Before ClickFunnels became a verb, Settle was arguing that complicated funnels are a distraction. The first 15 issues contain the blueprint for what he calls the "Email Players Method": a sequence of 5-7 plain-text emails that act as a single, persuasive sales letter broken into pieces.

Issue #4: Why "Value" is a Lie

The marketing world screams "Give value! Give free content!" Settle calls bullshit on this in Issue #4.

The Lesson: Unpaid "value" is just noise. If you give everything away for free, your paid offer is worthless.

He explains the "Candy Shop Model." 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

II. The Antithesis of "Brand Safety"

A recurring theme in issues 6 through 10 is the concept of Polarization.

Settle posits that the death of a business lies in the "bland middle." He attacks the corporate obsession with "brand safety" and being liked by everyone. In these pages, he introduces the idea that if you are not offending someone, you are not interesting to anyone.

This is where the "Settle style" crystallizes. He advocates for:

  1. Taking controversial stances: Even if they lose subscribers, they strengthen the bond with the remaining ones.
  2. The "Villain" Arc: Positioning oneself against a common enemy (often the "gurus," the "mainstream media," or generally accepted industry myths).
  3. Unfiltered Authenticity: Writing exactly as one speaks, including flaws, typos, and aggressive opinions.

The lesson here is psychological: People do not buy from faceless corporations; they buy from people they feel they know intimately. By risking alienation, the Email Player creates a cult-like following. Issues 1–15 teach that a small, rabid list is infinitely more valuable than a massive, apathetic one.

Issue #7: The Negative Option Close

This issue is a cult favorite. Settle details a specific psychological trigger: The "You’re Probably Too Smart For This" Close. Instead of hyping a product, you down-sell your intelligence. Example: "Look, 90% of you will delete this because you think you know it all. That’s fine. But for the 10% who realize they’ve been doing this backward… click here." Issue #7 provides three templates of this close applied to physical products, software, and consulting. Taking controversial stances: Even if they lose subscribers,

Part 4: Criticisms & Reality Check

No review of Email Players 1-15 is honest without criticism.

  1. It is abrasive. If you are a luxury brand selling $10,000 watches to quiet retirees, Settle’s tone will ruin your business.
  2. It is not for beginners. He assumes you have a product, a website, and a basic autoresponder. He doesn't teach "how to install WordPress."
  3. The "refund" policy. He famously doesn't give refunds for the newsletter, which angers people who expected a magic button. The value is in the application, not the reading.

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.

What Readers Actually Get (Besides Attitude)

The real value of Email Players #1–15 isn’t the snark—it’s the mechanics. Each issue includes:

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.

1. “The List is Your Only Asset”

Settle beats this drum until it cracks. In Issue #4, he argues that a website can be hacked, a Facebook page can be banned, and a bank account can be frozen—but a personal email list (one you own, on your own server) is the only digital asset a pandemic, a algorithm-change, or a government cannot take from you. The lesson here is psychological: People do not

Issue #1: The "Screw the Funnel" Manifesto

In the very first issue, Settle throws a grenade at the standard marketing funnel (lead magnet -> tripwire -> core offer -> high ticket).

The Lesson: Funnels are for farmers. Email players don't herd sheep; they lead wolves.

He argues that funnels commoditize you. When you use a standard funnel, you train prospects to expect cheap PDFs and $7 trials. Instead, Settle advocates for the "Daily Email Funnel" —selling directly from daily emails with no automated sequence between the prospect and the buy button.

Golden Quote (Paraphrased): "Stop trying to automate relationships. If you can't sell it in a single email, you shouldn't be selling it at all."