Also published on LinkedIn!
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Yesterday we talked about webinar funnels. The same principle applies here: a sequence beats a single asset.
A PDF lead magnet is a transaction. Someone gives you their email, gets the download, and disappears into the promotions tab forever. You train them to open one email and never open another.
A 5-day email course trains them to open your emails every single morning for a week.
By day five, they know your tone, your face, what you sound like in their inbox. They've built a habit of expecting you there. That's not lead capture. That's onboarding.
The best example I can point to
Dickie Bush and Nicolas Cole run a free course called Start Writing Online. It's a 5-day email course that's helped over 100,000 writers get started.
The landing page is almost embarrassingly simple. One headline. One promise ("Become a prolific digital writer in 5 days"). One button ("Send Me Lesson #1"). One email field.
That's it. No phone number, no "what's your experience level," no form fatigue. Just an email.
The segmentation happens after signup, not before. On the thank-you page, they ask one question: are you a beginner or experienced? That answer personalizes the course. It also tells them who you are, what product to pitch you later, and how to segment their list.
This single funnel has generated millions in revenue for their paid programs (Ship 30 for 30 and Premium Ghostwriting Academy). Not from the course itself. From the relationship the course builds.
What makes email courses convert better
You're not competing with 50 other tabs. When someone downloads a PDF, they open it once (maybe) and forget it. An email course shows up in their inbox every day, in the place they already check obsessively.
You get multiple shots. Five emails is five chances to show them who you are, five subject lines to test, five opportunities to prove you're worth listening to.
You learn what they care about. You see open rates per lesson. You see which lesson gets the most replies. That feedback loop doesn't exist with a PDF.
The soft pitch at the end feels earned. After four days of free value, a pitch on day five isn't a sales email. It's a natural next step.
The structure that works
Here's a simple framework you can use:
Day 1: The shift. Reframe how they think about the problem. This is where you hook them.
Day 2: The foundation. Teach one core concept they need to get right.
Day 3: The tactic. Give them something specific they can do today.
Day 4: The deeper layer. Address the objection or misconception most people miss.
Day 5: The next step. Soft pitch your paid product, service, or community.
Each email: 300-500 words. One idea. One clear takeaway. End with a subtle hook to the next day.
What to teach
The topic should be specific enough to teach in 5 days but big enough that people want to go deeper after.
"How to write your first newsletter issue" (too small)
"How to become a writer" (too big)
"How to start and grow a newsletter to 1,000 subscribers in 90 days" (just right)
Pick something where your reader gets a real result by the end, but also realizes there's more to learn. That's where your paid product comes in.
How to actually build one
You don't need anything fancy. You need:
→ A landing page with one headline, one promise, one email field
→ Your ESP to send the emails (Beehiiv, Kit, whatever you're using)
→ Five emails written in advance, set up as an automation
That's it. No course platform, no membership site, no complicated funnel software. The whole thing runs on email.
The takeaway
A PDF is a one-time transaction. An email course is the start of a relationship.
If you've been running a checklist or a guide as your lead magnet and it's not converting the way you'd like, try turning it into a 5-day course instead. Same content, different delivery. You'll be surprised how much it changes.
Full ESP comparison table with pricing at different list sizes here!
See you tomorrow.