Pat Flynn’s Unstuck – Break Through Mental Blocks

Pat Flynn has a $2.1M passive income empire with Smart Passive Income.

And the engine that fuels it?

His newsletter Unstuck.

Full disclosure: Pat has gone through many iterations of his newsletter throughout the years, while growing that $2.1M empire, but we'll be looking at his newest version that has been around since early 2023.

We have seen Pat come up in many deep dives like our Niche Down X Brand Wide framework and even when discussing different paid offers, but now, as we venture into new formats, Pat's Unstuck is the second of our newsletter content breakdowns.

Each week I deep dive exceptional newsletter content to show you how top creators craft engaging emails, structure their newsletters and seamlessly build trust and authority—so your newsletter can fuel growth and sales on autopilot.

Before we dive into the content, though, I want to start by sharing one of my favorite quotes from Pat regarding the power of newsletters (and your email list):

“That less visible but more important element of email marketing? Relationships."

THIS is how we build the trust and authority.

And it's why I always say:

• Social Media = Rented Discovery Platforms
• Newsletters = Owned Relationship Platform

Let's take a look at Pat's unique content.

🎯 The Value Proposition

As always, we're starting with the value proposition.

And Pat makes it very clear who Unstuck is for, and what it promises to help them with.

Let's take a closer look...

In his Main Header Text [H1] Pat calls out who Unstuck is for, stating:

"The newsletter designed for future entrepreneurs"

And, if not already clear enough, he makes a point to circle the callout of "future" to make it even more obvious.

From there we can move onto his Sub Header Text [H2] where he gives us the full value proposition:

Pat Flynn's free Unstuck newsletter will help you break through your mental blocks, find your blind spots, and fill skill gaps - every Tuesday

This is Pat's value proposition.

He is promising to help us become unstuck by breaking through mental blocks, finding blind spots and filling skill gaps.

Now let's take a look at how he does it.

🔑 How He Delivers His Promise

In each of Pat's Unstuck newsletters you find a handful of the same sections surrounding a few variable sections we'll go through as well.

Some of the core sections we'll cover are:

1. Header Branding
2. Sponsorship Section
3. Story of the Week
4. Quote of the Week
5. SPI News and Notes
6. Branded Signature
7. Dad Joke of the Week

Let's start with the first three sections...

🚪 Sections 1-3: Header Through Introduction

Each of Pat's newsletters start the same. 

Here's what we can see at quick glance as the first three sections:

1. Header Branding
2. Relevant AI Image
3. Introduction Section

We'll break down what we need to know about each of these sections, starting with his header branding.

Header Branding is one of the 3 must have sections within a Creator Newsletter.

This is something I expect to be seeing in a large majority of the Creator Newsletters we break down each week.

Next up we have an AI Image. This is always in the same style, and relevant to the topic of the newsletter in some way.

The only time I have seen something different in this slot is when Pat hit 1M YouTube subscribers and shared an image of himself holding his YouTube Play Button.

Next up we have Pat's introduction section. This section always starts with "Hi, it's Pat!" and ends with "Let's get unstuck."

In this section Pat typically teases the larger topic without fully explaining it, but also throws in some type of curiosity hook or unexpected statement.

Here are some examples:

• "I need to confess something: I'm sick of my new book."
• "Have you ever watched someone who's incredibly skilled at what they do and wondered, 'How did they get so good?'"
• "Random fun fact: this is Issue 115, going out on 11/5."

After this he gives some kind of behind the scenes thoughts or brief short story before getting into the core content (main topic). 

And, as I said, he always finishes with "Let's get unstuck", moving us into the main section below.

🤝 Section 4: The Sponsorship Slot

Next up we have Pat's sponsorship slot.

Normally I may buzz over this section, but I wanted to take a second to make a specific note to some of the different ways Pat uses this.

Here are some notes:

1. Pat often has a very large section in this slot and includes a colored callout, image, brief description and CTA.
2. Pat ALSO uses this slot to promote his own products, as shown in the middle image above.

In our deep dive on how to add sponsorships to your newsletter we learned that you likely won't want to add sponsors until 15-20K+ subscribers, but a great way to use them early on is to have your own products (and waitlists and other CTAs) in this slot.

This not only allows you to make some sales, but it also gets your subscribers used to seeing this section so that it's not abrupt if and when you decide to add sponsors.

📬 Sections 5-7: The Core Content

We begin getting into the core content in sections 5-7.

I already told you that Pat leads off with an introduction that teases this core content, and now in section 5, with only one section (the sponsorship section) dividing the intro and core content, he gets into his Story of the Week.

This core content section is pretty self explanatory, but Pat shares real life examples that align with the main lesson.

He also gives a clear takeaway with encouragement and sometimes includes a soft CTA.

From there we make it to section 6: The Quote of the Week.

These quotes can range from Michaelangelo to John Wooden, but is always related to the value proposition of the newsletter in some way.

Finally, we have our SPI News and Notes section, that is sometimes subbed for a singular event (you can see one Pat was holding on email strategies above, and early in the breakdown I shared one he was co-hosting with Nathan Barry; but sometimes it's even just a single featured podcast episode).

🔄 Sections 8-9: Wrap Up Through PS Section

Pat begins wrapping up his newsletter in section 8-9, starting with his Branded Signature.

Similar to our Header Branding, our Branded Signature is another one of our must-have sections of the newsletter, and something that we will likely be seeing in almost every Creator Newsletter we examine.

And, staying in line with Pat's quirky style, he ends with his final section: Dad Joke of the Week.

🧠 Key Takeaways

Pat Flynn’s Unstuck newsletter is a masterclass in audience engagement, brand trust, and value-driven storytelling.

While he has had multiple iterations of his newsletter over the years, Unstuck represents his most refined approach to building relationships through email.

Pat makes money selling courses and his community (shown above in the sponsorship section), but he also makes money via other sponsors and affiliate marketing as well.

Pat has a massive audience, so his value proposition and Flagship Offer have grown over time, but he knows his audience well and gives them exactly what they need to ascend into his community at different levels.

Here are some key takeaways we can learn from Pat and his Unstuck newsletter: 

1️⃣ Your newsletter's value proposition should be clear on who you serve, and how you help them.

Pat immediately tells us Unstuck is for future entrepreneurs and helps them break through mental blocks, find blind spots, and fill skill gaps.

2️⃣ Storytelling is crucial for building trust and relationships.

While some newsletters thrive on pure insights, storytelling is a powerful way to make ideas stick and build deeper connections with your audience.

3️⃣ Consistency builds brand recognition and authority.

Pat has developed a consistent structure that makes Unstuck recognizable:

• 📌 "Hi, it’s Pat!" → A personal, familiar greeting.
• 🎯 Story of the Week → Real-life example tied to the lesson.
• 🧠 Quote of the Week → Reinforces the core idea.
• 🤝 Sponsorship Section → Promotes either a partner or his own offer.
• 📬 SPI News & Notes → Updates on events, podcasts, or community.
• 😆 Dad Joke of the Week → A quirky, branded sign-off.

Developing a clear structure is ideal, even if some of them can be slightly variable at times.

4️⃣ Simple can still be extremely valuable.

You need to understand YOUR audience.

Pat's audience is beginners who are looking to get Unstuck and take action, so storytelling and motivation is what they need, while others a step above may need deeper insights.

It's important to know exactly what your audience needs when developing your value proposition AND how you solve it.