I bought something I shouldn’t have.
A book about building a Substack newsletter. From someone who felt… off. Too much hype. Too much promise. But I was curious about the person, not the content.
Big mistake.
Here’s what happened next. Before I’d even opened the bloody thing, my inbox exploded. “Bonuses.” “Limited-time offers.” “Special deals just for you.”
Translation? Buy more of my stuff. Now. Before you’ve even used what you’ve already paid for.
This is what passes for customer care in 2025?
Look, I’ve been doing this digital marketing since 2000. I started in direct response indie-publishing in 1994 and moved my mail-order publishing business online in the late 1990s. Full-time!
I’ve seen it all. Learned from the pioneers. Jonathan Mizel, John Reese, Frank Kern, Yanik Silver, Jim Edwards, Ryan Deiss, Jimmy D. Brown. Most have vanished. Some are still around.
And here’s what they taught the world.
Customers are wallets. Extract cash fast. Move to the next victim.
I was on private calls before John Reese’s Traffic Secrets which launched 17th August 2004.
The first time anyone made over $1,000,000 in 24 hours online. Revolutionary, right?
Behind closed doors? Different story. They preached respect. They talked about serving customers. They said all the right things.
What they actually did? Treated people like ATMs.
Disgraceful humans. All of them.
That’s all I’ll say about these low-life internet marketing gurus, except this: buyer beware.
So when this Substack guru bombarded me with upsells, I recognised the pattern immediately. Same old playbook. Same extractive nonsense. And it made me furious.
Because there’s a better way.
Let me tell you about customer onboarding. The right way. Not the way they teach it. Not the “maximise extraction” approach. The way that actually builds something lasting.
When someone buys from you, even a £15 book, you don’t immediately pitch them more products. You help them win with what they’ve already bought.
You guide them. Thank them. Show them how to get results. You send short, helpful emails that walk them through the product. You reassure them. You support them.
A week of onboarding emails works brilliantly if your market can handle it. These emails prove you genuinely care. Done right, you’ll see over 70% open rates. Mine do. Every single time.
Why does this work?
Because you’re building trust. Real trust. Not the fake “hey friend” nonsense that fills inboxes everywhere.
Only after that trust exists do you introduce other offerings. When they’re comfortable. When they actually want to hear from you.
This goes against everything the gurus teach.
They’ll tell you to extract maximum cash until people unsubscribe. Burn through customers. Who cares? There’s always more.
I can’t sleep with that approach. It’s scummy. It’s predatory. It’s extractive capitalism at its worst.
We need something different.
A business model that’s caring. Service-oriented. Where extracting money from people, with zero regard for their wellbeing, isn’t the goal.
Because that’s not service.
That’s exploitation.
Are you feeling into what I’m saying?
The choice is yours. You can follow the old playbook. Chase the quick cash. Burn through customers like they’re disposable.
Or you can build something that lasts. Something you’re proud of. Something that actually serves people.
What’s it going to be?