Players 1 - 15 |verified|: Ben Settle - Email

The Unfiltered Archives: A Deep Dive into Ben Settle’s “Email Players” Issues 1–15

In the crowded, noise-polluted world of email marketing, few names inspire as much cult-like devotion (or sheer agitation) as Ben Settle.

While most gurus push funnels, clickfunnels, and “automated webinars,” Settle preaches a return to the raw, ugly, and brutally effective art of direct response email. He doesn’t do podcasts. He doesn’t do YouTube interviews. His entire empire is built on a daily emailed newsletter called "The Email Players" — a newsletter so notorious for its "no-holds-barred" style that it feels less like a marketing lesson and more like a caffeinated pirate shouting battle strategies from a burning ship.

For new subscribers, the most tantalizing (and expensive) artifact in Settle’s catalog is the "Email Players 1 - 15" collection. This is not a course. It is not a PDF checklist. It is the raw, unedited foundational archive of Settle’s brain from the first 15 issues of his newsletter.

If you want to understand why Ben Settle has a rabid following of business owners who despise "bro marketing," you must understand what lives inside Issues 1 through 15.

Here is the complete breakdown.

5. Anti-Popular Wisdom

Settle spends much of #1–15 debunking marketing myths:

• List segmentation? "A crutch for boring copy" (#2)
• Welcome sequences? "Digital junk mail" (#6)
• GDPR compliance freakouts? "If your emails need permission to be interesting, you’ve already lost" (#8)

Part 1: The Context – Who is Ben Settle and Why "Email Players"?

Before dissecting the first 15 issues, you need to understand the man. Ben Settle - Email Players 1 - 15

Ben Settle is a convicted felon (a story he does not hide, using it as a badge of honor). He is an anti-guru. He famously refuses to "grow" his business beyond a certain size because he values his time and sanity over chasing an extra zero in his bank account. His clients range from supplement sellers to B2B consultants to adult entertainment moguls.

The "Email Players" newsletter is his flagship product. Unlike typical marketing newsletters that teach "10 tips for open rates," Settle’s newsletter reads like a private journal from a cynical, hilarious, highly successful mercenary.

The first 15 issues are particularly raw. They were written before he became the "established" figure he is today. In these issues, he is still fighting, still testing, and still furious at the "polite marketers" who lie to their audiences.

Issue #14: Killing the "Launch"

The marketing world loves "product launches" with webinars, countdown timers, and scarcity carts. Settle hates them.

The Lesson: Launches create feast/famine cycles. Instead of a launch, just send a "Now Available" email. If your daily emails have built desire, you don't need a 5-day video series. You send one email saying, "It’s out. Grab it here." And it sells.

He details how he replaced a $25,000 launch with a single email that did $18,000 in 6 hours. The Unfiltered Archives: A Deep Dive into Ben

You should buy "Email Players 1 - 15" if:

• You sell high-ticket items ($500+).
• You are tired of "engagement metrics" and just want sales.
• You have thick skin. Settle uses crude humor, curse words, and insults his readers intentionally to prove a point.
• You want a library of swipe files that are 100% unique (nobody else is using these templates because they are buried in 10-year-old newsletters).

Issue #14: The "Stupid Tax" Refund Trick

Refund requests kill momentum. In this issue, Settle reveals his "Stupid Tax" strategy. When someone asks for a refund, he gives it instantly—no questions asked—and then adds a P.S.: "Since you didn't get value, I'm going to assume you made an honest mistake. But to protect my tribe, I'm putting you on a 'do not sell' list. You won't be able to buy from me ever again." Result? People panic and withdraw the refund request. Why? Because being banned from a valuable resource hurts more than losing $97.

Issue #12: Politics & Pandering

Settle addresses the elephant in the room: Do you talk about politics in business email?

The Lesson: Hell yes, if you want to. He argues that neutrality is a lie. By trying not to offend anyone, you excite no one. He details how to use controversial topics (pro-gun, pro-choice, left, right—doesn't matter) as a "filter" to find your tribe. He warns: Do not do this unless you have thick skin.

The Verdict: Is Email Players 1-15 Still Relevant?

Here is the shocking truth: It is more relevant today than the day it was written.

Why? Because human psychology hasn't changed. The triggers Settle dissects in Issue #5 (curiosity gaps) and Issue #11 (social proof via negative reviews) work exactly the same on an iPhone 15 as they did on a BlackBerry.

In an era where AI writes generic, polite emails for everyone, the strategies in the first 15 issues of Ben Settle’s “Email Players” become more valuable. AI cannot replicate controlled irritation. AI cannot fabricate a genuine enemy. AI cannot write the ugly, specific, human truth that makes someone smash the "buy" button. List segmentation

If you are serious about email marketing—not the "newsletter" kind, but the "deposit a check today" kind—you need to go back to the beginning.

Start with Issue #1. Read through Issue #15. Ignore the dated references to old software. Steal the psychology.

Just be warned: After reading Ben Settle’s first 15 issues, you will never be able to read a “5 Tips for Better Engagement” blog post again without rolling your eyes so hard you strain a muscle.

Disclaimer: This article is an independent analysis of the content and philosophy found within the referenced collection. The author is not affiliated with Ben Settle, though it’s likely Settle would call this article “pretty good, but too long.”

Ben Settle’s Email Players newsletter (issues 1 through 15) represents not merely a collection of copywriting tips, but a foundational manifesto on the philosophy of autonomous business ownership. To understand these early issues is to understand the transition from "opportunity seeker" to "business architect."

Here is a deep analysis of the core themes, psychological frameworks, and strategic imperatives found within the first fifteen issues of Email Players.