Hey,
You’re reading Hook to Cash — the weekly newsletter that breaks down how top content & info businesses turn content into clicks—and clicks into cash.
Each week, I dissect either a scroll-stopping piece of content (like an email, ad, or post) or a profitable business model—and why it works.
🧠 The Hook This Week
What do the Chicago Cubs and the Persian New Year have in common?
They’re both part of Sunny Lenarduzzi’s emails — and they’re brilliant examples of storytelling that sticks.
In a world of “value-packed” content, sometimes the most powerful thing you can do… is tell a good story.
Let’s explore and break down why it works.
🔍 The Breakdown
📘 Example #1: From the Chicago Cubs to the power of systems
Sunny opens an email with a detailed story about the Chicago Cubs — a team that hadn’t won the World Series in 108 years.
It reads like a Netflix documentary. There’s a curse, heartbreak, and a breakthrough.
Then—pivot.
She ties that sports saga to her own entrepreneurial journey: from burnout to an 8-figure business, powered by systems.
The reader is already emotionally invested, so when she introduces her 7-step framework, it doesn’t feel like a pitch — it feels like a solution.
✅ Why it works:
– Narrative tension hooks you (Will they finally win?)
– The story delivers emotional stakes before offering a framework
– The transition feels seamless: from baseball to burnout to breakthrough
– Her CTA lands harder because the reader feels the transformation
📘 Example #2: The personal side of Nowruz
In a different email, Sunny goes intimate.
She walks us through Nowruz, the Persian New Year—an ancient celebration of spring, light, and renewal.
With poetic visuals (garlic for protection, sumac for sunrise), she turns a cultural tradition into a universal metaphor for personal transformation.
This isn't about selling. It's about human connection.
✅ Why it works:
– Cultural storytelling makes the message feel rich and timeless
– Her vulnerability invites trust and intimacy
– The story becomes a mirror for the reader’s own life
– The CTA is a soft ask, driven by shared values—not urgency
🎯 The Takeaway:
Sunny’s emails remind us that stories:
Grab attention better than bold claims.
Keep people reading longer.
And make your point feel personal, not generic.
You don’t need to be a master storyteller. Start here:
Open with a real moment — not a marketing line
Tell a story before you teach
Let the message emerge, instead of forcing it
When a reader feels something first, they trust what comes next.
Storytelling doesn’t just entertain. It opens people up.
It creates emotional context. It builds connection before conversion.
The best stories don’t say, “Here’s what I sell.”
They say, “Here’s what we’ve both lived through — and what’s possible next.”
📬 Got a reel, ad, or email that hooked you?
Hit reply and send it my way—ad, tweet, email, landing page, reel, whatever stopped your scroll. I might break it down in a future issue.
Or forward this issue to a friend who’s always thinking about how to improve their content:
Next week: A welcome email that made me feel like a VIP — and how to design one people actually want to open.
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