I have a confession.

I click affiliate links like it’s a bad habit.

Not because I want to buy stuff. Not because I’m curious about some secret method or shiny loophole.

I click because I want to know what works.

What makes a total stranger reach into their wallet and say, “Yes. Let’s do this.”

See, if you really want to get good at affiliate marketing—or any kind of selling online—there’s one skill you need to master:

Understanding what makes people take action.

And the best way to learn that?

Watch yourself.

Watch what makes you click. Watch what makes you buy. And watch what makes you delete an email faster than you can say “unsubscribe.”

This article is a breakdown of the good, the bad, and the downright weird emails I’ve opened (or trashed). And more importantly—what you can learn from them.

1. The Emails I Couldn’t Resist Opening

Let’s start with subject lines.

Here are a few real ones that made me stop scrolling and click:

  • “You’re not gonna like this…”
  • “3am. I screwed up.”
  • “What happened with Jason?”
  • “Look—I didn’t want to send this.”

Notice anything?

Not one of them mentions “free traffic” or “$1,000 in 24 hours.”
They don’t promise riches.
They create curiosity.

They sound human. Unscripted. Like a real person sat down and typed it in the middle of the night.

That’s powerful.

Because when you’re in someone’s inbox, you’re competing with everything. Bills. Promotions. Cat videos. Drama from Becky in accounting.

So you better not sound like every other desperate marketer with a fake smile and a deadline timer.

2. The Body Copy That Sold Me

The best emails aren’t pitch fests.

They tell a story. They create a feeling. And somewhere along the way, they link to something that feels like the natural next step.

One time, I got an email about a guy’s lawnmower catching fire.

Seriously.

Turns out, it was a setup for a lesson on trying to do everything yourself—and how automation changed his business.

I laughed. I nodded. I clicked the link.

Another email told the story of a subscriber who used a “weird 3-word phrase” to double his email list.

I had to know what it was.

Turns out, it wasn’t some magic spell. It was the phrase: “I screwed up.”

He used it in subject lines. In offers. Even in refund pages.

And guess what?

I clicked that link too.

3. The Emails That Made Me Run

Now, let’s talk about the train wrecks.

You know the ones.

  • “Limited Time Freebie Bonanza!!!”
  • “🔥🔥 9-Figure Secrets Revealed 🔥🔥”
  • “URGENT: Make $45K by Tuesday”

Ugh.

These are the equivalent of a bad street magician yelling “Watch this!” while pulling a rubber chicken out of his pants.

They don’t build trust. They don’t make you feel anything except suspicious.

I don’t want to be sold like I’m at a used car lot. I want to be spoken to like a human being.

So do your subscribers.

If your email reads like a carnival barker wrote it on Red Bull, people are gone.

4. What Actually Made Me Buy

Here’s the truth:

I’ve bought affiliate products from plain-looking emails.
No graphics.
No sales funnel wizardry.
No hype.

Just a person telling me:

  • Why they loved it.
  • What it helped them do.
  • And why I should at least check it out.

That’s it.

When I feel like I know the person writing the email…
When it sounds like they’ve used the product…
When they tell me what they didn’t like about it too…

That’s when I pull out my card.

Not because I trust the product.
Because I trust them.

And that’s the secret.

The real money in email marketing doesn’t come from having a list.

It comes from having a relationship with that list.

What This Means for You

If you’re trying to make money online…

And you’re sending emails that are all tricks, hacks, and “limited time bonuses”…

Stop.

Try this instead:

  • Be honest.
  • Be raw.
  • Tell real stories.
  • Share what worked—and what didn’t.
  • And always… always… be someone your readers actually like hearing from.

Because when they trust you, they’ll trust your recommendations.
And when they trust your recommendations, they’ll click.
And when they click…

Well, that’s where the magic happens.

The Most Clicked Link I Ever Sent

Want to know the email that got me the most clicks?

It was a simple message.

No graphics. No hype.

Just me, telling the story of how I went from broke, working in a Starbucks, $50K in debt… to building a real business that now makes me more in one day than I used to make in an entire month.

I wasn’t bragging.

I was sharing the truth.

And I ended it by saying:

“If you want to see the exact system that made it possible, I’ll show you. But only if you’re serious.”

That link?

It led to the Next Level Success System.

The same system I still use today.

It’s not a course. It’s not some shiny new method.

It’s a complete business, done for you.

Websites? Done.
Autoresponders? Done.
Sales pages? Traffic? Coaching? Support? All done.

I built this thing to help people who are sick of being lied to. People who want something real. Something proven.

If that’s you, here’s what to do next:

👉 Click here to get your Next Level Success System

No pressure. But if you’ve made it this far, you’re probably one click away from changing everything.