Looks like I've upset the Facebook emo copywriters & sob sisters

Last week there was some fallout over an email I wrote. It was a sales pitch selling Dan Kennedy's 7-Figure Academy. And, specifically, it talked about how rankings are always bull shyt & rigged. That’s literally the whole point of rankings lists. It's hardly a controversy to anyone who’s been paying attention the last 100+ years, and I used it as an example of something talked about inside the course. To take it personally or read it as an attack or tirade is a bit silly. Whatever the case: I saw some Facebook screenshots of a candlelight vigil from the sob sister/emo copywriter brigade that erupted over what I wrote. I probably didn't see all the comments. There were quite a few. But if the handful I saw is any indication, then not only has the copywriting community as a whole gotten extremely soft over the last 4+ years since I disassociated from it (just focusing on my own list, away from social media), but some of them are even borderline illiterate. Really, there is no other explanation. “your rankings upset Ben!” “Ben’s ranting!” “Ben’s hating!” "Ben's got a rude boomer attitude!" Not direct quotes, but that was the gist of what I saw. And not a single comment I read had anything to do with what I wrote. Was all just pure nerd rage fan fiction. I suspect some of them probably'd been waiting months or years for an excuse to complain about me publicly and finally be heard. Was quite the amusing read if nothing else. My opinion? They all should just put away the candlelight vigils. Go take a shower. And at the very least log off Facebook for a few hours. Because the weepy group hug thing ain't good optics. It wasn't entirely useless though. Because there was also a guy in there complaining about me, prattling on about how: + I teach everyone they must do “Seinfeld” emails to be successful + The problem with that is it’s not “holistic” enough + I don’t take into account the other things needed for marketing, like sales page copy, offer, headline, quality of traffic, technical side, Onboarding new customers, etc etc etc. All of which has about as much basis in reality as Wakanda. For instance: True, I first coined the term "Seinfeld emails" back in 2012 in an Email Players issue. It’s based on Jewish humor like you see in Seinfeld, Curb Your Enthusiasm, etc. Basically an email about essentially nothing with a CTA. But I hardly ever use it myself, much less teach it. And I’ve never once taught it as the only way to do anything. Frankly, the only reason anyone outside of people who possess that issue has heard of it at all is because Email Players subscriber Russell Brunson mentioned it in his excellent best-selling book 8 or 9 years ago. As for the holistic shtick: Not sure what to tell these mopes. I’ve created & actively sell entire, extensive methodologies on branding (Brand Barbarian), launch & affiliate campaigns (Affiliate Launch Copynomicon), content creation (Breakneck Content), infotainment (Infotainment Jackpot), copywriting (Copy Slacker), list-building (List Swell), design (Markauteur), high-ticket book & newsletter publishing (elBenbo Press), client acquisition (Email Client Horde), social media (Social Lair), the psychology of influence (Villains books series), not to mention the lost art of world-building in business (my upcoming book BizWorld), and the entire body of almost 150 issues of Email Players that have gone deep into everything mentioned and more in it’s nearly 12-year run. Plus a whole lot more topics, ideas, strategies, etc not mentioned. Like, for example, profiting from mobile app technology with Learnistic. Which, ironically, is probably the most "holistic" marketing tool ever invented. Anyway, that's just one of the examples I saw. And it's also just one more example of why I urge people to get off Facebook. It was a low IQ wasteland when I was on there before. And just from what I saw from the emo copywriters, it's only gotten a whole lot worse over the last few years. All right, so that’s my side of the story. Do what you want with it. But while I'm on the subject, here’s something else to think on about: That same day I got to back-and-forthing with some folks who were in my old elBenbo’s Lair Facebook group who got wind of the candlelight vigil going on. elBenbo's Lair was a very rowdy place. Stefania used to liken it to a vikings den where people either were constantly fighting each other, or sitting around sharpening their swords and getting drunk waiting for a fight or looking to pick one. Quite a bit of fun, but also sometimes quite cruel & merciless. Lots of excitement and loads of conflict up in there, too. All of which made it both fun & addictive for the regulars. (Not so much for the lurkers, the blacklisted, or those who take things too personally) And they were thinking the same thing: This newer crop of Facebook emo copywriters & sob sisters rising up over the past few years in the copywriting community wouldn’t have lasted 5 minutes in elBenbo’s Lair before leaving, fleeing to their echo chamber safe places, locking & bolting the doors behind them, and probably having a nervous breakdown. Just how it was up in elBenbo's Lair. And the regulars in there would probably tell you the same. I bring this up, because I put my entire methodology for creating such a chaotically engaging, yet infinitely useful & valuable social place (even though I outright banned “value” from being shared & given, will not explain here) for its members to the point where people still tell me about all the money it made (and still makes) them... all the friendships & business relationships they created... and all the fun (and freak outs) they had during those months. It’s all in my Social Lair book. Something that will be on sale starting tomorrow. In the meantime? I’ve been toying with some of what I teach in Social Lair on Twitter. It’s not exactly the same. Because Social Lair requires a group-like environment. (Facebook group, SocialLair, etc, or even just a private forum) But some of it is translating over nicely. If you want to follow my Twitter antics go here: [https∶//www.EmailPlayers.com/twitter]( Ben Settle This email was sent by Ben Settle as owner of Settle, LLC. 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