EP 466 | Using AI to Write Human-First Emails featuring Kinsey Soderberg [Empire Exclusive]
Listen to the podcast on:
LIVE Masterclass on January 28 at 1:00 pm ET
Bundles That Don’t Suck
Why most Bundles fail—and the proven framework for hosting one that grows your email list with buyers and fuels your next launch
What if AI could help you write better emails without making you sound like a robot?
In this Empire Exclusive episode, Allison Hardy chats with AI expert Kinsey Soderberg about how to use AI tools (like ChatGPT) in a way that actually amplifies your authenticity, without sacrificing your voice.
Kinsey breaks down the exact ways she uses AI to boost email engagement, open rates, and connection with her audience, all while keeping things human-first, creative, and actually fun! If you're even a little AI-curious, but you don’t want to lose the human-ness in your emails, this episode’s going to blow your mind (and possibly overhaul your inbox strategy).
TAKEAWAYS:
You don’t have to choose between using AI and sounding like yourself. Kinsey shares how her “human-first” approach ensures every email reflects your voice, not ChatGPT’s.
Kinsey’s “Quick Grab Prompts” are fun, swipeable prompts that she uses in her emails that skyrocket engagement and get your email list excited to hear from you.
Kinsey reveals her sneaky-smart “Scrolly Box” trick for delivering long prompts without cluttering up your emails, and how ChatGPT helped her build it.
Discover why “Catch the Latest” sections might just outshine the classic PS (!) and how short, punchy CTAs are outperforming wordy end-of-email pleas.
Kinsey gives tactical tips to ditch the dreaded em-dash, beat the cliches, and make ChatGPT sound more you than you might on your own.
Resources:
Hang out with Kinsey on Instagram
Visit Kinsey on her website
Want to learn how to host a Bundle that grows your email list with qualified buyers? Snag a spot in the upcoming Bundles That Don't Suck Masterclass.
Snag 1 of only 12 VIP Days in 2026. Email subscribers nurtured with strategic emails spend 47% more than non-nurtured leads, which means you need an email funnel that does more than sit pretty. Let Allison build your entire email nurture and pitch sequence in just one day, packed with personality-driven, sales-focused emails designed to sell. Your email funnel will become your best-selling salesperson, on autopilot. Click here to claim your VIP Day before all 12 spots are gone!
Know you need email marketing support, but not sure what offer works best for you? Fill out this form, and Allison will be back in your inbox with a few options that fit you, your business, and your budget best.
CONNECT WITH ALLISON:
Follow Allison on Instagram
DID YOU HAVE AN 'AH-HA MOMENT' WHILE LISTENING TO THIS EPISODE?
If you found value and are ready to take action from listening to this episode, head to Apple Podcasts and help us reach new audiences by giving the podcast a rating and a review.
Music by: www.bensound.com
License code: 8G1GJZZDCLKGU9NR
Artist: : Benjamin Tissot
🤔 Want to work together?
Here’s how to get started!
Join the email marketing membership for coaches and experts, who want to sell their offer on autopilot.
Host a bundle that builds your email list, your visibility, and your sales.
🤷♀️
Know you need email marketing support but not sure what offer fits you, your business, or your budget best? Click the yellow button and fill out a quick form. Allison will be back in your inbox with a few options and suggestions for you.
Transcript:
Hey Kenzie. Welcome to the podcast. I'm so excited to have you. Yay. I'm so excited to be here. Thanks for having me. I am really excited for this because this is the very first Empire exclusives episode, and you and I have known each other for a little bit.
We had the pleasure of meeting in real life back in November, so I'm so excited to dig into how you use email marketing in your business. So first off, can you just like paint the picture for our listeners and just tell us a little bit more about who you are, who you serve, and about your business. Yeah, totally.
I know. Thinking back by the way, guys, Allison and I enjoyed coconut margaritas for the first time together in Mexico is the in-person meeting she was talking about. But anyway, I digress. My name is Kinzie. My brand is authentic, and so I help women entrepreneurs. Especially use AI tools in your business in an authentic way without sacrificing your thought leadership, your quality of work, your authenticity, of course.
My business actually, it kind of started as one of those happy accidents in a way where I had been doing branding, social media marketing for years, and I heard about chat GPT coming on the scene a few years ago. And at first I was like. Ew. What a robot writing my emails for me. No, thank you.
And I actually was somewhat a curmudgeon, I like to say, when it came to AI tools. And then I actually had kind of one of those realizations when I was on a long drive one day and I realized, you know, AI is here. I have concerns. But probably instead of being against ai, let's turn toward it and get curious about how we can use it in a way that aligns with us.
That's when I started my AI business. Everything you'll hear from me usually comes from that lens of authenticity, making sure. Feels good to you kind of thing. I love teaching people how to train AI to think and sound like your brand. And then also lately I've been getting into next level nerdy AI systems and automation stuff, which we could totally geek out about as well.
But, yeah, I'm super excited to talk to you about email marketing, especially because it's been a journey from like, you know, having an established email list. But who with people who were feeling the same way as I did about ai, like not necessarily into it, to then having to turn them into, alright, let's get curious.
Like I kinda had to take my email list on the journey with me, which was a fun time. I think that anytime, I mean, it goes back to your idea of being authentic, you know, authentic and transparent and this is what I'm doing, this is what we're going, this is what I'm thinking. I think it just really.
Makes you a real person and that's why people love your brand and love you is because yes, you use ai and yes, you have this very specific perspective and thought process on it, but you've also made it into this very like personal brand. And I think that is just. So incredibly refreshing. So now that we know a little bit more about you and your phenomenal business, I wanna talk about email Avi.
So on these episodes, what we're doing is really digging into how you are utilizing email in your business. And so I know you have some really innovative ways that you've been using it in your marketing, in your sales emails. So the first thing I know you have are these like quick grab prompts. So can you tell us more about what in the world that actually is?
This is one of the things I've been doing that I think is so fun and really has helped to boost my open rate, my engagement keeps people interested and just like excited to open my emails. And also it is. Something that pretty much anyone can do. It's kind of an analog way to use ai, which I think is just so funny.
It's innovative, but also like analog and old school and great. When I started introducing AI into my email list and stuff, I realized people. Have an easier time adapting to things when they have fun with it. Right. And that's of course, actually just kind of an underlying thing of my brand is like, let's have fun guys.
So, when it comes to AI in getting involved in it, I myself found that one of the. Funnest ways to use it is to just like, try out random prompts or put the prompt into chat GBT and see what happens for you or whatever, right. And or just like get a super great prompt that then like, can help you do the thing that you really just needed help doing today and stuff.
Right? And so, um. For emails. I was like, why don't I just start adding prompts to some of my emails that my people can literally like copy paste into their chat GBT today. And sometimes they're super helpful or actionable. Emails usually focused on one super helpful thing or actionable thing.
Right. And then also sometimes they're super just like. Fun and dorky ones like, what is your brand personality for Halloween? Or like, there was the make ai your drunk bestie proms that was going around like last summer. You remember that one? I love that one. That was so fun. And mine was hilarious.
And I was like, yeah girl, you got this. I know. I kind of wanna do that like once a month now. 'cause it was, it's kinda like a good pep talk, you know? But it was great. Yeah, and so there's like tons of just like fun or actionable and helpful prompts that you could share with your people that
could be based on your brand or what you're teaching them or even be a little bit more strategic with them. Help them overcome some objections they might be having or whatever it is, right? But like, um, when I started, including little quick grab prompts. In my emails on a regular basis, people got excited to open my emails, you know, um, it gave them like a quick action.
It got them used to taking action with me and then it would actually like pair with this robot that is like my hype, woman along with their hype woman, you know? And, um. And also the other thing it would do, especially for those fun prompts where it's like, what's your personality or whatever, people would reply to my emails saying, oh my gosh, I got this.
Or Oh my gosh, thank you so much for this. Right. Including prompts in your emails, I think is a really great way for kind of anyone to keep your email list engaged, responding, taking action, without it feeling like salesy with it, feeling super helpful. Um, and then the other thing too that's like all a part of this is.
With chat PT prompts a lot of times, like they're way too long to include in an email, which I think is why a lot of people don't do it. 'cause I'm like, why aren't more people doing this? So I actually got chat GPT to help me create this little HTML code box that I concluded in my emails. I call it the Scrolly Box.
But essentially like anytime I share a prompt, it's like this little box that is. Colorful. And then it hosts the prompt, but it scrolls down so the entire long prompt text isn't just there taking up a lot of space, and it helps people find the prompts, like define the prompt.
But, it's just another little thing I've added. It's colorful, it's branded, and I think it helps with the whole, sharing of the prompt thing. And Chad, GPD helped me code it, which was super fun. So not only are you giving people chat, GPT prompts, you actually use chat GPT to build this for you, which is so like, watch me do the thing that I teach.
So what I'm hearing from this is that you've used these prompts to not only increase engagement, but you've also helped to increase your open rate, and you're helping your people to, if they may be like AI hesitant, this is a really easy entry point into using ai.
So these are all like fundamental email marketing, strategies, but the way that you're doing it. Is in a different way. I am like loving this. How can I do this for my business? What would this look like? Okay. That's super cool and I can share my code with you guys if you want, if you wanna include it in the show notes or anything.
I have a little like download thing with like my email scrolly box code. I'd be happy to share it with you guys if you want. Oh my gosh. We will put that in my notes for sure. Okay, cool.
And you're giving people a reason to open, like they're looking forward to getting the scrolly box and seeing what's in there that week because it changes. Okay, now you got my wheels turning. So something else you have in your emails is like the catch the latest section, and you have told me that it works better than a ps.
So I am super interested in this because I have an entire digital product about profitable pss, but I wanna know like, how does this section work better than a ps? So tell us. A little bit more about that. So, I actually got this idea somewhat from Dama ju who teaches the four by four email, like, at the end of your emails and stuff, where she shares like four different things every week about like, books I read or things I recommend, or something like that.
Right. And it's kinda like a separate section than the ps. So, my catch the latest is like a similar concept where after the entire email. Like main body of the email and the Ps I have this little like, of course cute branded section, which I love, like branding my emails too. 'cause I think that like not enough people are doing that.
I think what I've been seeing in the past year is people are getting tired of overly wordy stuff, right? So usually in my emails, I share the words, you know, but usually throughout my email body I'll share little gifs or a little whatever, to help break it up and just keep it colorful and fun and visually interesting.
And then at the bottom, i'm just being super obvious and blatant about here are the things like happening this week or things you need to check out and it's just like a title and like the button to like click through. I think that it's working better than my PS because at this point people are somewhat like learning to scroll past the Ps even to where they end up on
a box that's like, or like multiple boxes that are colorful, they grab their attention and I don't get, again, like overly wordy or like, sometimes people are kind of vague with these sort of things. Like, I don't think that's working anymore, guys. I think that people really want like transparency like, do I wanna click this or not?
Right. In the past it might've been like, Ooh, maybe I do wanna click this. Like, what is this? But at this point, I think somewhat people are feeling a little frustrated with vagueness. I think that when it comes to the catch the latest boxes, those are the highest clicks I get on any of my email things.
'cause people who want to take action just like go there and they're like, okay, like, oh, here's the action thing, here's the action thing. In my catch the latest box, I do include one of 'em. Is the action that I want them to take in the main body of the email still. So it's like repeating itself, but also my people know like, okay, I'm skimming this, and they get to the catch latest.
Okay, here's the click the link. I can click for that and or all this other fun stuff that Kins is doing this week. Yeah, well, it's a different presentation of the same call to action, right? So in the body of the email you're talking about maybe like a summit you're in, but then in the catch latest, it's like a different way of saying the same thing.
And I think a lot of times in marketing that's, you know, boring for us, but you have to be consistent and repeat yourself multiple times to get people to actually do the thing that you want them to do. So can you give us like an example of, you said it's short and sweet, but also really specific. Do you have like an example of like words you may use down there?
Yeah. So the way my catch the latest boxes are set up, there's like, a little subtitle or top little heading, and then there's like, kind of like the, not even one sentence long, it's just like the header and then there's the call to action thing, right? So usually in the tinier subheading, I like name what it is.
Like, this is the. Ai, systems lab which is one of my offers. And then in the little heading box, I'll say just like, quick, call to action. Like join the lab or build AI systems it's usually like five words 'cause that's all that it allows for really.
But it's just like, there's something too. Having to get to the point super quickly and make it super obvious, that I think is really working for people right now. Yes, I would hundred percent agree with you on that one. I think the whole, what is it, Clear is better than clever. I think that is so just a mantra we all need to adopt in 2026 because I agree with you.
I think that's where marketing is going is how can we say what we wanna say in the shortest, most concise way. And I think it's just how we consume stuff now. It's what our society's doing to us. And we gotta step up to that. So while we're talking about ai, one of the biggest objections I hear, and I know that this is how your brand is built, is that AI.
Tells are so incredibly obvious. So like the, not this, not this, just this or, the M dash. I think everyone knows that one at this point, but there's so many AI tells and people are really put off by that. So if we're using Chad, GPT or any other AI piece of software to create things like emails for us, can you give us some tips on how to like.
Not have those come up as it's creating for us. Oh yeah, totally. I have some bigger picture things and then also some super specific things that I can share. The first kind of bigger picture thing is, and this is something I've been practicing in my business and also my email marketing especially that I think is working right now.
Is using a human, what I call a human first approach. So a lot of people will get swept up in the perfect prompt, right when they start using AI tools and be like, they wanna be a prompt master. Help me perfect my prompts. And I'm like, guys, it's not about the prompt, especially when you're using AI in a regular day to day in your business.
And for copywriting, what works better instead is bringing your own ideas, thoughts, perspectives, opinions to the tool. First, human first and then being like, okay, Chad GPT. Now help me write this email. Right? So for example, instead of going to Chad g PT and be like, help me write an email, to my email list, and maybe you even say about social media marketing or something like that.
You say, Hey. I wanna write an email to my mail list. Here are my thoughts on the topic. Here are some tips I wanna include. Here's a personal story I think would work well for this. And you literally, I call it brain dumping. And you could even set a timer for this. If you wanna put it into practice, you can be like, all right, two minute timer.
Here are all my thoughts about this chat. Bt I'm just like typing my hands really fast guys, for those who aren't watching this. Um, and you just literally let your ideas. Flow. You don't even worry at all about spelling correct grammar, anything like that. Just get your ideas out of your heads into Chachi pt.
Chachi PT can then take that and turn it into an email that sounds so much more like you. It's coming from your perspective. It's capturing your brands. Uniqueness and your essence, Chad Bt can even pick up on your language cues or like weird ways of describing things from like a brain dump especially.
And so always starting with yourself first is the best way to get the most on-brand responses from Chad Bt from the get-go. Whether it's writing emails or social media captions or whatever it is, and then also something that I do a lot is storytelling. Because Chachi BT cannot know your lived experiences or the lived experiences of your clients.
People often disconnect this, right? They're like, well then cha g BT can only help me with like tips things or strategy or whatever it is. Well, no, actually Chacha BT can tell a damn good story, but you need to share your experience with Cha GBT, right? So making sure you're always asking yourself, Hey.
What like personal story do I have about this topic? It doesn't ever have to be a grand one. It could be, but it could be like, well, last week I sent out an email on accident to people. I'm like, here's what happened. Or like, whatever little life experiences you have, but make sure that you share that with.
AI and it can incorporate that into your email, actually, probably better than you could 'cause I found that myself. But that's a way to like keep continuing the personality in your emails that I think a lot of people are lacking these days, especially as more and more people use chat GBT without doing this.
And then the other things too, when it comes to the AI tells. I have like two somewhat opposite opinions when it comes to this stuff. Number one, often I call them the AI cliches, like, there's so many of 'em. Like I think that when you start to become an AI user, you notice them more than a lot of people do.
So I think sometimes we get obsessed with, I cannot have an M dash in my writing because like people will know Well, 50% of your audience probably doesn't even know that that's an AI cliche still. Right? Right. Because we're all UPIs, but at this point, not everyone in the world is and so I think we overly worry about them.
And I think that I talk a lot about like women using ai and there's a difference between like how men use AI and women use ai. I think women are a little bit more overly concerned with this than men, which sometimes holds us back from using the tools as often. Um, and so there's something to be said about maybe I just.
Leave an M dash in there on purpose. Ooh, the whore. But like, you know, like it's claiming your women empowerment, you know? And also if you ever want to like get rid of the AI cliches in your writing, I have found it is often hard to tell tr GBT do not use an M dash. Like if you just tell tr g Bt do not use an M dash, it does anyway for whatever reason.
So then going. Back and saying, Hey, please get rid of the M dashes. I've found that telling it to replace, the M dash with something else works better than just get rid of the M dashes, right? So, if you ever are like revising your AI copy and wanting to get rid of the AI cliches in it, you say, please rewrite this, keeping all of the original.
Structure or language, and replace all m dashes with either a comma or a whatever or whatever kind of thing. And, Chad, GBT follows that instruction where it can replace better than just the leading in a way, if that makes sense. Yes. No, this was all so helpful and I'm so glad you brought up like women in ai because I feel like I talk about this all the time.
Women are like apologetic for using ai. They think it's like cheating. When the reality of the situation is not cheating. And especially for using in the way that you are with this human first approach. It's your ideas. You're just using chat GPT to like. Put it all in, like something that actually makes sense.
So you're taking, it's taking your brain dump and making it cohesive and that's great because it's still your thoughts, it's still your ideas, it's still you. It's just you working smarter and in a faster way that probably gets you results better. Yep. It's so true, girl. I just, yeah, I have like a whole, I'm like working on a speech right now.
I was actually practicing it before this interview and one of the lines is, I've never seen a man shame another man for using ai. Yeah. You know? Right. Goodness. I love that. I think that is like the mic drop moment of this episode, so thank you for that. Kinzie, this was wonderful.
I so appreciate you sharing all of this knowledge with us today. I think that this episode is really gonna help people to use AI in a way that works for them in their emails, outside of their emails, the marketing of their business and all the places. So I would know that our audience is gonna wanna know where to find you.
So where should they go? Yes. Thank you. This has been so fun. You can find me at my website, DIY with ai, so that's D-I-Y-W-I-D h.ai. And then on Instagram is where I hang out, usually at. I'm at I kinzie on Instagram. Go ahead and send me a message. I love to chat with people at the dms. Amazing. And listeners, we will put those links in the show notes.
Kenzie, thank you again for being here. I so appreciate you. Thank you so much. This was fun.
