How to Write Emails People Actually Want to Read with Laura Belgray

In this episode, I sit down with the brilliant Laura Belgray—renowned copywriter and founder of Talking Shrimp—to talk all things email marketing. We dive into why your email list is still one of the most powerful tools you can have as a business owner and how to write emails people actually want to open and read.Laura shares her journey into copywriting, breaks down what really works in crowded inboxes, and gives practical advice on storytelling, humor, and being unapologetically yourself in your emails. We also explore how to use AI as a writing assistant without losing your voice, plus how often to email your list without burning it—or yourself—out.This conversation is packed with honest insights, refreshing perspectives, and actionable tips you can use right away to build stronger connections with your subscribers.What We Cover:Why email marketing still matters more than everHow storytelling and personal anecdotes build trust and engagementUsing humor to stand out (even if you think you’re “not funny”)Finding the right balance with email frequency and sellingHow to use AI to tighten and improve your writing—without sounding robotic3 Key Takeaways:Your email list is your biggest business assetSocial media comes and goes, but email allows me to build a direct, authentic relationship with my audience—on my terms.Stories and personality beat “perfect” copy every timeThe more human, specific, and real I am in my emails, the more they resonate. People don’t want polished—they want relatable.AI should support my voice, not replace itUsed thoughtfully, AI can help me tighten my writing and spark ideas, but my personality and perspective are what truly make my emails connect.LINKS TO RESOURCES MENTIONED IN TODAY’S EPISODEConnect with Laura on Website, Instagram, Facebook, XConnect with Teresa on Website, (Grow, Launch, Sell), Sign up to Teresa's email list,  Instagram, LinkedIn, or Facebook, Subscribe to my YoutubeTranscriptTeresa: If you've been in my world a while, you will know I am a big fan and advocate of every single business owner having an email list. It's one of your greatest assets, but if you've ever sat there thinking, I'm not entirely sure what to write, or I'm sending emails and they're just not doing anything, then this is the episode for you.If we've not met, my name is Teresa Heath Wareing and I help course creators, membership owners, and coaches grow their online businesses. And every single week I put out an episode and a YouTube video where I give you strategic, practical advice on how to grow your online business. This week is gonna be a little bit different because I have the pleasure of interviewing the amazing Laura Belgray.Now, if you are a longtime listener to the podcast, you will know that I have done hundreds and hundreds of interviews with some of the industry's top voices. But since starting YouTube, I have. Slowed that down a [00:01:00] little. And in fact, we're not taking interviews at the moment, but when an amazing interview comes up, I'm obviously going to say yes.And so when I met Laura back in June of 2025 at Atomic Con where we were both speaking on the main stage, I couldn't help but fall in love what she had to say and knew that I wanted to bring her onto the podcast so you guys could learn from her amazing ways. Laura is one of the sharpest and funniest copywriters in the online space, and that's why she has worked with huge names in the online space to help them refine their copy.In this episode, we are going to be covering how to become someone's favorite email in their inbox, why most people are using emails wrong, how often you really should be emailing, and how to tell those stories without feeling like it's fake or you're forcing it. And we discuss AI and how you can actually use it to make sure that it sounds like you, there are so many good value things that Laura is giving in this episode.But [00:02:00] without further ado, here is the interview with the amazing. Laura. Laura, welcome to the podcast. Laura: Oh, thank you so much, Theresa. I'm so happy to be here. Teresa: Me too. So Laura and I met in person in real actual life, uh, at Atomic on this year. I keep saying it's last year, but it's not as we are recording this, it's November.No. And it's this year, uh, she was keynoting on the main stage and then later on I was also on the main stage, which was cool. But it was great. What did you think of, had you done an event over here in the UK before? Laura: No, I had not. And I think even if I had, it would not have been anything like at automaton.No. It was so fabulous and it was, it was nothing like any event that I've been to, um, just full of. Freaks, and I mean that in the best possible way. The nose freaks like blue hair, pink hair, pierced, everything. Just cool. People being themselves. Teresa: Yes. Yeah. A lot of polka Laura: [00:03:00] dots, um, just, and people, people like just living out loud and I loved Teresa: it.Honestly, it's such a great event and you are entirely correct. That event is like. No other event, really in the uk. So I think that was a great one. And also that main stage, because you were a keynote, it was round. Mm. Like how I, was it like 1400 people? I think the sports, yeah, I heard Laura: 1500, but uh, it might've been 1400.Teresa: It was a lot. I didn't Laura: see any empty seats. Um, yeah, it was a lot. And I walked out there and that was the biggest one that I've ever done. And I'm used to doing the, these events that are in like, you know, carpeted ballrooms with round tables mm-hmm. And people sitting there with their notebooks. And so that's kind of what I was picturing, and then I went in for soundcheck and I was like, oh my God, that is no pressure.Teresa: No, that is not a small room. That's not what this is. No. So, [00:04:00] okay. That surprises me because you hang around with some pretty cool people in the online space and you are. Connected through doing work and helping with some pretty big people in the online space. So I'm surprised that you, that that was probably the biggest you've done and you hadn't done bigger than that.'cause if I had to have guessed, I would've said that was probably your wheelhouse and you were very used to that. Laura: Oh, thank you. Thank you for guessing that. Yeah. No, I haven't like. Most of the people I know do smaller events. You're right. Yeah. They're usually more intimate and I've never got, I've been very lazy about my speaking career, even though I always say I wanna speak more and then I don't, and so I don't make...