Toxic Humility
First I must tip my hat to the absurdity of this position. We all know humility is a positive trait. It is one of Benjamin Franklin’s 13 virtues. It sits with competence and honor and responsibility. It is the guiding hand of Jesus, Socrates and everyone’s favorite grandma. It is the sort of quality a […]
Introducing the Fourth Way
In the soft pink hues and twinkly cityscapes of Spike Jonze’s movie Her, sad sack Theodore Twombly bumbles between skyscrapers, drawn like a moth to the warm glow of holographic projections and the floaty promise of connection. It’s a mesmerizing movie. But there’s a particular scene that’s stuck in my head. Theodore (Joaquin Phoenix) is […]
The Recognition of Necessity
Significant, life-altering, “Oh my God, what happened to you?!” mindset shifts all come from the same place. If you research history, literature, movies and sacred texts there are dozens of different examples. But they all amount to the same whisper in the dark. Julius Caesar crossed The Rubicon. Joseph Campbell christened it “The Call to […]
The Power of Promise
A quick marketing challenge for you: How do you take a book that few are buying and quickly push it onto the best-seller list? Revise your target market? Optimize your online presence? Run ads? First, take a step back. The first question to ask: “Is the book any GOOD?” Yes, the book is good. Very […]
The Wisdom of Iain Trickett
In a recent Copy Custard video about long Vs. short copy, I went on a 2-minute tangent about my favorite fashion brand, TRiCKETT. It’s a small DTC (Direct To Consumer) operation from Accrington, known as a working-class town in the north of England. It is run, as far as I can tell, by a man […]
Understanding the Buyer’s Formula
It was a peaceful moment. I had been chewing over high-level copywriting courses. I had three options, one favorite, and a quiet Wednesday afternoon to scrutinize the sales pages and make my high-stakes decision. The problem was the favorite was also the most expensive. Or was it more a confirmation of prestige? I wasn’t sure. […]
A Copywriting Tutorial from James Bond
March, 19603307 North Street, Washington, USA James Bond author Ian Fleming is sitting opposite the soon-to-be president of the United States. Along with other dinner guests, they’ve spent the evening chewing on world affairs. But one issue is at the front of John F. Kennedy’s mind. He is looking at wartime British intelligence officer Ian […]
When Agora Meets the Creator Economy
My good friend @MercureCopy introduced me to former Agora staff copywriter Thom Benny last week. We met up for lunch, coffee, and vermouth in Berlin. Over 3 glorious hours, we dug into his experience at the direct response behemoth, the creator economy, and how pole dancing made it into his portfolio . . . There are […]
27 Things I Know About Freelance Copywriting
You only have 5 seconds to get someone’s attention. Long-term dopamine beats short-term dopamine. Short-term dopamine comes from reading pithy articles like this. Long-term dopamine comes from adding value to the lives and businesses of others. They say writing is an art and good writing is subjective. To that I say copywriting is an art […]
How to Work with Fitness Coaches
There are five levels of health and fitness businesses on social media: Big audience, targeted content, big money. Big audience, unfocused content, okay money. Medium audience, “hit and miss” content, average money. Small audience, targeted content, great money potential. Small audience, unfocused content, jack all money. The problem with this entrepreneurial fitness “ladder” — most […]