You don’t owe your list an apology. You owe them your truth.

Complete - See previous content.

Complete - See previous content.

Let’s talk about trust.

Not the "know-like-trust" triangle you see in marketing diagrams. Real trust.

The kind where someone opens your email and thinks:

"Ah. This is someone I want in my world."

But what happens when you’ve been quiet for a while?

What if you let your list gather digital dust? What if your last email had a typo, a broken link, or felt like a total flop?

Do you have to rebuild everything from scratch? Nope.

You just need to show up like someone they can believe in again.

Here’s how. 👇

Before we jump into what works, let’s get honest about what doesn’t.

🔴 Don’t pretend nothing happened If your list hasn’t heard from you in months, a random promo email isn’t going to land. They’ll feel confused. Or worse—like they’re just a dollar sign.

🔴 Don’t dump a full launch sequence on them Rebuilding trust takes relational deposits. Not a 7-day sales funnel from nowhere.

🔴 Don’t over-apologize We covered this Monday, but it’s worth repeating: guilt energy is not magnetic.

Okay. So what does work?

Let’s walk through the 3-part trust rebuild.

The best way to rebuild trust isn’t to deliver a perfectly formatted, multi-link newsletter. It’s to be real.

Let them peek behind the curtain.

Examples:

"I took a break from email because I didn’t want to add to the noise. But now, I’m craving connection."

"I paused for a while because I was rethinking how I wanted this space to feel. I want it to feel like a living room, not a billboard."

This shows intention. Not inconsistency.

Lena did this in a newsletter called The Break That Taught Me Everything. She didn’t ramble. She just shared three things she learned during her email pause.

And the replies? Overflowing.

People get it. Especially creatives. Especially now.

This is huge.

If your first email back is immediately asking for a sale, it can feel jarring.

Instead, offer something with zero strings attached.

Examples:

·       A free resource

·       A lesson from a recent client mistake

·       A story that doesn’t sell but serves

Here’s one from Lena:

"3 email openers I’ve been playing with lately:

1.     The sentence I’m scared to write is...

2.     I wanted to ghost this launch but...

3.     Let’s be honest: this week sucked."

She gave that away in her second re-entry email. No pitch. No lead magnet. Just value.

That generosity? It earns trust faster than any countdown timer ever could.

You don’t need to email daily. Or weekly. Or even biweekly.

You just need to pick a pace that feels good and stays consistent.

Tell them what to expect:

"I’ll be dropping in every Friday with one story, one idea, and one prompt."

"Twice a month, you’ll get something short, soulful, and strategic from me."

"This is my weekly letter to the creative part of you that knows email still works."

Consistency builds reliability. Reliability builds trust.

And trust turns a cold list into a cozy campfire of true fans. 🔥

If you want to earn trust, don’t tell your list:

"I’m committed to showing up."

Show them.

That means:

·       Writing like a person, not a pitch deck

·       Sending value even when you’re not launching

·       Being okay with small lists, quiet launches, imperfect words

Lena’s list isn’t massive. But the people on it? They open. They click. They reply.

Because they trust her. And she earned that not by being perfect. But by being present.

Trust isn’t something you beg for. It’s something you build, one email at a time.

So if you’re coming back from a pause, don’t over-explain. Just over-deliver on connection.

The rest takes care of itself.

"Consistency creates safety. Honesty creates trust."

·       📢 Hit reply: What would make you trust a creator again?

·       🔹 Forward this to a friend who’s trying to revive their list

·       ✨ Bookmark this issue for your next re-entry plan

Tomorrow: What to email when you have nothing to promote (but don’t want to disappear again).

You’re doing great. 💜

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Creator Anthony Maynard

Frominboxtoincome.com