The Real Definition of Value in Your Emails (That You’ve Probably Missed)
Let’s talk about this word: value.
It’s everywhere in online business.
Give value. Lead with value. Show up and be valuable.
Cool. But also:
What does that actually mean?
Because somewhere along the way, value became code for “free advice.”
Tips, tricks, how-tos.
3 steps to do X.
7 things you need to know before Y.
Content, content, content.
And yeah — education is valuable.
But when “value” becomes “teach everything you know for free forever”… that’s not generosity. That’s burnout.
And here’s the truth nobody says out loud:
Value ≠ education.
At least not exclusively.
Value is anything that helps your reader.
Moves them.
Makes them feel.
Makes them think.
Makes them decide.
And that could look a lot of different ways — many of which you’re probably already doing (and discounting).
So if it’s not just tips… what is value?
Let’s reframe the word.
Here are 5 things that count as value — even if nobody told you they do:
A story that makes your reader feel seen
People don’t just buy based on logic — they buy because something in your story mirrors their own.
When you tell the truth about what it’s really like to build, grow, struggle, try again… it builds trust.
It says: “I get you.”
And once they feel that? They’ll want to hear what else you have to say.
A bold opinion that cuts through the noise
There are a million voices online. What stops the scroll — and gets remembered — is clarity.
Having an opinion doesn’t alienate your people. It helps them recognize you.
When you say what you really think (even if it’s unpopular), you magnetize the ones who say,“Finally. Someone said it.”
A perspective shift that clicks into place at just the right time
You’ve probably read a sentence that hit you like lightning — not because it was long, but because it was true. That’s the power of a reframe.
It takes what someone already knows and shows it to them in a way they can finally act on.
That’s valuable AF.
A moment of permission, vulnerability, or clarity
Sometimes the most valuable thing you can do is let someone off the hook. To name the thing they’re scared to say out loud. To tell them they’re not behind. That they’re not broken. That this gets to feel better.
Those tiny moments build massive emotional connection. And connection is the real conversion engine.
A nudge to say yes — to you, to your offer, to themselves
You don’t need to teach for six months before you’re “allowed” to make an offer.
A gentle, well-timed invitation is value.
It helps people make a decision. It reminds them they have options.
That they don’t have to do it alone.
That they can start now.
What’s more valuable than that?
Let’s take it one step further:
What if selling is a form of value?
We’ve been taught to believe sales = taking, and value = giving.
But what if your offer is the most useful thing you could give your audience?
What if reminding someone you’re available to help them — with a product, a service, a solution — is the exact thing they needed to see today?
TL;DR? Here it is:
If it moves someone closer to clarity, closer to action, or closer to you that counts as value.
Even if it’s not a checklist.
Even if it’s not a carousel.
Even if it’s a quiet little email with a story and a P.S. that says, “If you’re ready, here’s where to go.”
So let this be your permission slip:
Go write the email you’ve been holding back.
The story. The offer. The opinion.
Because if it’s helpful, true, or timely?
That is value.
Hey! I’m Elizabeth
Email marketing expert with a decade-long track record of helping clients make bank from emails. Because the easiest sales you’ll ever make start with an email.
