If your email just says, "Buy my stuff", frankly, it turns me off, and my response is, "Nope...Next!".
Exactly my thoughts, I look for something more, something that actually adds some value to either Hive, Listnerds or someone that tried to add value in some way. Not just the person above me profiting from a sale.
I have no interest in buying these products anyway, to be honest, I'm Hive focused :) And stories, personal experiences etc, they work. It also makes your content stand out instead of looking like 1 in a dozen emails that all look the same but come from 12 different people.