Direct Response Marketing Copy & Strategy
I received a fundraising email last week from Bernie Sanders campaign. (Screenshot below.)
The email itself asked Bernie supporters to follow a link a form, where you could mark which campaign issues mattered to you, the voter.
Everyone likes to be consulted and have their opinion heard—especially if you’ve self-selected as a supporter to get on this list. I would bet the survey link was pretty busy! Continue reading “Persuasive Elements in Bernie’s Fundraising”
I’m always in the lookout for new books of interest. I tend to buy far more than I have time to read, and it ensures I always have something cooking in my brain.
List subscriber Philippe wrote in a month ago to suggest Chris Voss’ Never Split the Difference. Philippe said it might be the best book on persuasion that he had read. I bought it… and immediately moved it to the top of my pile.
Continue reading “10 Things You’ll Learn from “Never Split the Difference” by Chris Voss”
I’m not entirely sure when I first heard about copywriter Ben Settle from BenSettle.com. I signed up for his daily email list in July of 2018, some 10 months ago. I’ve since received over 600 emails from him.
And I open every one.
Ben’s emails discuss email marketing and adjusting your mindset towards success.
Continue reading “Business Growth with Ben Settle
(Persuasion Play Podcast 007)”
615am
Saint Paul
Yesterday we discussed how we can increase support and investment in our ideas and plans.
Check it out if you haven’t seen it:
https://www.persuasionreadinglist.com/building-with-the-power-of-why/
Today we’re looking at the destructive power of the word Why: Continue reading “Destructive Power of “Why””
6:12
Saint Paul, Minn
People are an emotional lot, aren’t they?
Telling someone what to do (or how to do it)… rarely works in your favor. When you tell someone what to do, you’re taking away their agency, their ability to think and act for themselves.
People rebel against that authoritarian decision making, even if it’s in their best interest. Sure, they might do it Continue reading “Building Momentum with the Power of Why”
I’m thrilled to present today’s podcast with magician Paul Gertner!
When I was young, at family gatherings my grandpa would perform magic tricks and slight-of-hand for the grandkids. Turning flour and sugar into cookies. Making a dollar bill disappear… and reappear elsewhere. He could pull coins from my ears… Continue reading “Dreamstorming with Paul Gertner
(Persuasion Play Podcast 006)”
This chair is Ass.
5:22
Saint Paul
Yesterday morning while I was getting ready for work, I listened to a bit of the Joe Rogan podcast with comedian Kevin Hart.
Kevin is hilarious. His new Netflix special “Irresponsible” is great (unlike the dirty and actually irresponsible stand-up special by a pregnant comedian whom I shall not name.)
Now, on Rogan’s podcast, Kevin talks about surrounding yourself with positivity.
It’s so easy to complain, he says: Continue reading “Kevin Hart’s Guide To Complaining”
Confirmation bias, straight ahead!
5:23
Saint Paul, MN
Be careful what you wish for…
the saying goes…
you just might get it.
Our brains have an excellent ability to find examples in the world to confirm our theories and prove that we’re right… even about our selves.
This is confirmation bias— the phenomenon that new information confirms what we already ‘know.’ Continue reading “What is your label doing for you?”
5:52am
Saint Paul
Oy, what’s the good word?
I’m getting a late start today, and –I know– I missed emailing you on Saturday. No excuses.
On Saturday night we watched the film, Crazy Rich Asians. It was much better than most rom-coms out there. Going into it, the most I knew was about a single scene where some fancy watch was flown around the world for the filming.
Watches. What can I say, Google Now knows what I like.
(Actually it’s pretty bad — I get too many stories about Super Hero shows and movies! I can’t tell GNow often enough that I’m not interested in whatever super hero film of the week)
Anyway, during the Crazy Rich Asians movie, of course my kids wake up and call out for water and all that. While my lovely lady was helping them, I took the opportunity to record a video for you.
5:28am
Saint Paul, MN
I don’t want to be too alarmist here, but your phone has the potential to melt your brain.
If you’re holding it in just the right any-which-way, the visual stimulation can
overwhelm your understanding of reality!
You see, your phone’s visual power hijacks your prefrontal cortex and amygdala. That 200,000 year-old-brain doesn’t stand a chance!
It’s hard to look away when there is more information to be read or watched; more altered photos of a perfect life you’d like to lead; more outrageous headlines to glance at.
(A new study this week says that people who read Facebook news previews —not the full article— believe they’re more informed than they actually are. That doesn’t mean those articles are accurate of reality of course…)
When you’re poking at your phone, your sense of time changes. Minutes or even hours go missing from your day — precious time from your bank of life. And once that… time is gone…
you’ll never get back!
Your understanding of the world changes. You begin to see the hostilities of the semi-anonymous people on the other end of so many interactions. You wonder if everyone is so hostile, and you begin to keep to yourself in a crowded area. Why converse with the people around you if you can stare at your phone?
Stories and news feeds are customized to your interest; echos of your opinion are reflected back at you, re-enforcing your beliefs because, hey, everyone seems to feel this same way!
And the people that feel otherwise…
are wrong!
must be stopped!
don’t have a heart!
don’t believe in science!
Do you know who Alex Jones is?
He’s a right-leaning Texan with his own rant-filled “news show.”
On the show, Jones connects conspiracy dots across time and space from many different sources, painting an
alternate understanding of reality.
It’s all quite entertaining to watch, and his sources are all out there for you to find. I can’t say that he’s correct, but I can’t say that he’s not ever correct either.
But if you were to follow one side of the media, *|FNAME|*, you’re told that Jones is dangerous, or that he doesn’t believe that horrific school shootings happen.
Now, Jones has spoken out to say otherwise, to clarify his position in light of different evidence. He made an appearance on the Joe Rogan Podcast last week and his stance on horrific school shootings was one of the first things they discussed.
But for the media to cover that story (or make any corrections to their narrative) would give Jones credibility—
something the media cannot allow!
So the media keeps pushing their profit-driven agenda to divide people,
You willingly stare at the headlines on your phone,
Your brain is fed stories which override critical thought and creativity,
And everyone pays for this very privilege.
Orwell envisioned a future where we’re all being watched by devices that can’t turn off; where the powerful devise a storyline about current events and the people follow along.
Orwell never considered a future where we willingly refuse to turn off our devices, where we willingly carry tracking mechanisms in our pockets, where we willingly fight among ourselves and keep people divided.
And… it’s more profitable than Orwell ever imagined.
Jeffrey
PS. I try to reread Orwell’s 1984 every few years, and it’s been a while. I picked it up recently and it’s incredibly sad how much of current reality it seems to reflect. Check it out if you’re not familiar with the story or if it’s been a while. Find it here on Amazon, and I’m sure your local library has a copy.
If you’re interested to learn more about the divisiveness in the media, check out the movie Hoaxed. It’s all about the profit motive in media and how easy a narrative can be pushed. If you’re resisting this idea, the movie is all the more important.
http://hoaxedmovie.com/
Additionally, this Sunday, right-leaning political maverick Candace Owens has a conversation with the left-leaning leader of Black Lives Matter New York, Hawk Newsome. They’re looking for common ground; I can’t wait. Watch the trailer here
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lFUKLwzvA-s
Good luck out there.