Email Sequence to Build Your Team

What follows is a series of emails to send over the course of the three-or-four-week period prior to the beginning of the Challenge and is intended to build interest and encourage enrollment. You can send these emails to everyone you know: clients, employees, friends, family members, et cetera. (Remember: People do not necessarily need to be in your geographical region to join your team.)

You can use these directly, or as inspiration to create your own emails. Either way, be sure to read through them carefully and make sure they represent you authentically. Some require dates and other information to be added. Those data points are indicated by brackets in the sample emails.

Email Sequence to Build Your Team

1. Initial Invitation and Follow-Up to Initial Invitation Emails (Send 3-4 weeks before the Challenge starts)
2. Community Email (Send 15 days before the Challenge starts)
3. Goals Email (12 days)
4. Preliminary Invitation (10 days)
5. Join Me Email (A week)
6. Huddle Email (10 days)
7. Environment Email / Challenge You Email (4 days)
8. Last Chance Email (1 day)

1. Initial Invitation

Send this initial invitation to all of your potential teammates (students, employees, friends, family members, colleagues, etc.) four weeks before the Challenge begins. [Brackets] indicate information that you should add/update.

Subject: Will you do this with me?

Hi [insert recipient’s first name],

I’m reaching out to you because I want you to do something with me.

I just signed [insert the name of your gym/office] up for the Whole Life Challenge, and I really want you on my team.

All you have to do right now is read a quick overview of the 7 Habits on this page, and then hit reply if you want more info. Do it!

Best, [Insert your name]

P.S. If the above piqued your interest, you might want to check out the How to Play section for a quick overview of the rules and gameplay of the Whole Life Challenge.

Follow Up to Initial Invitation

Send this to people who ask for more information. [Brackets] indicate information that you should add/update.

Subject: Cool … I’m glad you are going to do this

Hi [insert recipient’s first name],

Great! I’m so glad you want to do this with me.

Okay, so here’s the deal:

The Whole Life Challenge is a game that you play with your friends and family that has you focus on your daily habits for six weeks specifically in the areas of nutrition, fitness, and well-being. The purpose of the game is to help you create long-term, sustainable habit improvements that translate to changes in your body, confidence, outlook on life, health, and general well-being. It starts on [___________- just in time for _________]

So just for a minute consider something…

Knowing where you are today, what would have to happen in six-weeks for you to feel happy with your progress? 

What would a win be for you? Is it just getting unstuck? Or is it reclaiming your body, life, health, certainty, confidence - any or all of the above? How would that feel? What impact might that have on your life? 

Imagine your body after six weeks of daily focus in the WLC? How would it feel to have lost 10 lbs, reduced pants or dress sizes? 

That’s a serious possibility that's available to you by participating in the Whole Life Challenge. We’ll be on a team together, holding each other accountable in all the areas of the game (like nutrition, exercise, mobilization, hydration, wellness practices, for examples).

I’m also going to post a sign-up sheet, but for now, register here so you can officially join my team ([Insert your team’s name]) and take advantage of early registration: [Insert your team’s unique URL].

Thanks, [Insert your name]

P.S. When I post the sign-up sheet, please put your name on it right away—even though you’ve already registered online. I want people to know you are on my team because I think it will encourage them to join as well.

2. Social Relevance & Community Email

Fifteen days before the Challenge starts, send this email to your list of students, employees, friends, family members, colleagues, etc. [Brackets] indicate information that you should add/update.

Subject: Me, you, and our team

Hi [insert recipient’s first name],

This is a good read: http://www.brainpickings.org/index.php/2014/06/23/nothing-jo-marchant-heal-thyself/

Specifically, here’s what I found fascinating. (Stay tuned to how this relates to [name of your gym/office]. I’ll get to that—I promise!)

“Being lonely increases the risk of everything from heart attacks to dementia, depression and death, whereas people who are satisfied with their social lives sleep better, age more slowly and respond better to vaccines. The effect is so strong that curing loneliness is as good for your health as giving up smoking.”

That’s worth repeating: Curing loneliness is as good for your health as giving up smoking! The article goes on…

“It’s probably the single most powerful behavioral finding in the world… People who have rich social lives and warm, open relationships don’t get sick and they live longer.”

[If you run your team from a gym, insert this language]: This is a big reason I was drawn to [CrossFit] in the first place. I didn’t want to go the gym, and have it be just another workout, where I left the gym and went home. I didn’t want fitness to be this isolated event, like grocery shopping. I wanted it to be a part of my life, with a community and friendships.

[If you are in an office, insert this language]: One of the things I love about working with all of you is that work doesn’t feel like an isolated event. You are all a part of my life. We are a shared community. This is why I’ve registered [insert the name of your office/gym] to start the Whole Life Challenge on [May 2nd.] This will strengthen our community by giving us support and encouragement about our whole lives—about the most important part of our lives: health and well-being.

You can learn more about the Whole Life Challenge here: [Insert your team’s unique URL].

You are an important part of my community, and I hope you will join my team. ([Insert your team’s name].)

Best, [Insert your name] 

P.S. Here’s the link for signing up: [Insert your team’s unique URL] to be on the [Insert your team’s name] team! We’re doing this together!

3. Goals Email

Twelve days before the Challenge starts, send this email to your list of students, employees, friends, family members, colleagues, etc. [Brackets] indicate information that you should add/update.

Subject: You did it backward

Have you ever heard of “Big, Hairy Audacious Goals” or BHAGS? If you haven’t heard of them, you still know the concept: Goals have to be huge and aggressive if they have any meaning at all.

But that’s all wrong.

Visions are big. Goals are easy and doable.

I got this idea from Andy Petranek, who is one of the founders of the Whole Life Challenge. (And if you haven’t registered for the Challenge yet, do it now. NOW!) [ Insert your team’s unique URL].

I want to share with you what he wrote:

“There’s nothing wrong with having a vision that is big and bold. But that vision should exist as something long-term: three or five or even twenty years out.

“Big change takes time. It happens slowly. Trying to make burly changes immediately will not work—at least not work for long. Eventually, the intensity of the change will smack you down.

“People are most likely to succeed when the changes they make are so small that they barely even notice.

“Change, by definition, must be regularly occurring and consistent over time, but it doesn’t necessarily mean that it has to be intense. Showing up, day after day, is the important part.

“In fact, most anyone can get off the couch and throw himself into an intense and focused three- to six-month period of hard core diet and “get fit” training…

“But you cannot declare yourself a “changed person” if you then go back to your wily ways: eating the crap, gaining back the weight, and returning to the couch.

“No.

“True change has occurred when the gurus have long gone home, the onlookers are asleep, and you are left to your own devices. What choices do you make when no one is looking?

“The journey to becoming a changed person begins with one infinitely small step that is both simple and easy. Taking this step is nothing short of psychological momentum. When you meet one small goal, your brain says, ‘Okay, I can do that. Check. What is next?’”

The Whole Life Challenge is an easy, doable way to make a massive change in your life. It was created by guys who know what it means to change. (Andy Petranek was a classically trained trumpet player who studied for eighteen years and even attended the prestigious Eastman School of Music, before going into the military, before focusing on extreme endurance racing, before founding one of the first ten CrossFit gyms in the world. He’s also a Zen Buddhist with a master’s degree in spiritual psychology.)

If you want a chance to “try on” fitness in a way that allows you to bite off small, chewable pieces, join my team, which is called [Insert your team’s name]:

Sign up: [Insert your team’s unique URL].

Thanks,

[Insert your name]

[Add P.S. if you are promoting the WLC by offering a free class, or other incentive. Insert a note here explaining the promotion. For instance, an office might give participants an extra 10-minute break so they can stretch. If you are a gym and have the space, consider giving participants an extra class each week for the duration of the WLC if the cost-benefit analysis makes sense.

Remember the message this gives your students: You consider their “whole lives” important enough that you will give them an extra class just for paying [$49] to join the Challenge.] 

4. Preliminary Event Invitation

Send this email ten days before the Challenge starts to all your friends, family members, students, employees, colleagues, etc. inviting them to join/watch the preliminary workout for the Whole Life Challenge. [Brackets] indicate information that you should add/update.

Subject: Preliminary event: Please RSVP

Hi [name],

As you may know, there is something BIG going on at the gym next week. We are holding the Preliminary Event for the start of the Whole Life Challenge.

At the event on [insert date], we will be measuring ourselves (because what gets measured, gets managed) for the Whole Life Challenge during our preliminary event. This is part of your “Body and Fitness Inventory,” and it is an important event because it establishes your starting point. On [END DATE OF CHALLENGE], it will be “who you used to be,” and you’ll be able to see how far you've come in just six weeks.

And while it might feel intimidating to do some of these things... remember, that measurements - no matter what type they are - are just tools to help you see things more clearly, to give you handles on where you are today, and to give you a starting point for seeing progress in the future. 

BE HERE SATURDAY! You'll even be able to sign up on the spot if you haven't already! (and if you're not doing the Challenge, that's okay too... we welcome you with open arms.)

It’s going to be a great event, and we are going to see some team members start an amazing journey.

Here are the details:

Date: [insert]
Time: [insert]
Location: [insert]
Schedule: [insert]

[Insert any other pertinent information. Is there a parking lot? Should you give them directions?]

See you there!

Best,

[Insert your name]

P.S. Please RSVP and let me know one way or another. And, bring as many people as you like. We want lots of loud cheering for our team, [Insert your team’s name], so that everyone brings their A-game.

P.P.S. It’s not too late to sign up for the Whole Life Challenge: [Insert your team’s unique URL].

5. Huddle Email

Send this email to all team members ten days before the Challenge starts. [Brackets] indicate information that you should add/update.

Subject: Pre Game Huddle

Hi Team,

We're hosting an event at the gym... we call it a "Pre-Game Huddle".

It's for the Whole Life Challenge... because there have been so many good questions from all of you, we wanted to address them with you all as a community, before we start the adventure together. 

Please make sure you've read through the  WLC quick start guide... and have any questions that you might want addressed, no matter how small, ready to fire.

During the huddle on  [insert date] at [insert time] at [insert location], we’ll talk strategy, go over the rules, and answer all your questions.

I’m so excited to get this rolling!

[Insert your name]

P.S. Remember, your mom, dad, best friend from college... anyone you want, can join you on our team. Here's the link to send them [INSERT TEAM LINK]

6. Join Me Email

Seven days before the Whole Life Challenge beings, send this email to your list of students, employees, friends, family members, colleagues, etc.

Subject: Who is it?

Hi [insert recipient’s first name],

Who is it?

Who would make the biggest difference for you by being on your Whole Life Challenge journey with you? Is it someone that you love who's health you're concerned for? Is it a colleague at work who is inspiring and fun? Is it your sister who lives thousands of miles away, with whom you've lost connection and you'd like some of it back? 

I want you to think of who that person(s) might be for you, and then forward this email asking him or her to take the Whole Life Challenge with you: [Insert Your team’s unique URL]

By having this person join you, YOUR experience will improve, YOU are more likely to get better results, AND, you'll have the bonus possibility that it will really make a massive difference for them. 

You and your person... you'll have each other's backs. You'll be accountable together... you'll celebrate wins, and you'll support one another in the journey.

So who do you know that matters most? Who do YOU deserve to have on your team, for what they mean to you? And who deserves this chance at an amazing future? 

Forward this email, and ask them to join our team ([Insert your team’s name]).

[Insert your name]

P.S. Learn more about WLC & join our team [Insert your team’s unique URL].

7. TEAMWORK Email 

Send one of these emails four-seven days before the Challenge begins to your list of students, employees, friends, family members, colleagues, etc.  [Brackets] indicate information that you should add/update.

Subject: TEAMWORK makes the DREAM WORK!

Hi [insert first name],

You know how in the gym we track our workouts with scores and points? We write down the results by measuring - the amount of weight lifted, the time it took, or the points we scored.

And you know how that serves you to help you see your progress? It also may inspire and motivate you to compete with yourself to lift more weight, move a little faster, or score more points?

Well, the Whole Life Challenge does this the same way, but in other areas related to health and well being - nutrition, exercise, mobility, sleep, hydration, well-being, and reflection. It has you track your daily habits in each of these areas and give you points based on what you did (or didn't do). 

These points end up on our team's leaderboard.

And therein lies the magic.

Suddenly, this isn't about health and well being, it's about score, points, competition, and accountability... which for most of us is WAY MORE FUN than thinking about doing things because they'll make you healthier.

As a result, there is "stickiness" in the WLC that just isn't there when left to your own devices. And while you get ranked in the leaderboard, in reality, EVERYONE that is participating wins.

So... get yourself registered. We want you on the team... as the more of us that are in, the more impact we make on ourselves and the world.

[HERES THE LINK TO JOIN OUR TEAM]

Let's do this!

[Insert your name]

PS - See you at the Preliminary Event either way on Saturday!!

8. Last Chance Email

The day before the Challenge starts, send an email to your list letting them know that the Challenge starts tomorrow! [Brackets] indicate information that you should add/update.

Subject: Challenge starts tomorrow!

Hi [insert recipient’s first name],

THE CHALLENGE STARTS TOMORROW!!  

3 things:

1. If you're in the area, BE AT THE GYM TOMORROW FOR OUR PRELIMINARY EVENT. You're not going to want to miss it!!

2. If you haven't already, join our team [insert link and team name] 

3. Choose one person who's REALLY important to you in your life, and invite them to join us. If they take you up on the offer, it will make BOTH of your experiences more impactful!

SEE YOU TOMORROW!

[Insert your name]