Direct Response Marketing Copy & Strategy
Thursday, 5:13pm
Saint Paul
“He fell for it! Ha ha ha hahahahahaaa hahaaaa ha…”
My daughter is prank calling people in my phonebook.
(Of course, I had to teach her the *67 trick to hide my number…)
To be clear, this is the first time I’ve been involved with a prank call as an adult.
And it’s kinda fascinating, to be honest…
Continue reading “Prank Call marketing lessons”1:38pm Tuesday
Saint Paul
Hey, thanks for joining me on my birthday!
Every year… for a few years at least… I reread Seneca’s Letter to a Stoic, number 26, and reflect on the fact that we’re all getting older.
Turns out, this year is no different—I got older again.
In letter 26, Seneca is estimated to be about age 65.
Today, I turn 45.
So he has a few more years on me.
And when he writes,
“I feel that age has done no damage to my mind,”
I can very much agree.
In fact, as I age, I can see things more clearly than ever.
Or, at least, it feels that way. (Could be confirmation bias.)
What’s more striking, however, is his line
Continue reading “Seneca’s Letter 26 (Annual birthday post)”12:09pm Monday
Saint Paul
I’m not going to make you wait for the answer.
Marketing is the highest ROI activity you can do in business.
A business’ customers only have so much money.
They only have so many hours in a day.
And their market only has so many buyers.
So if that business relies on space advertising, aka brand advertising, to put their name in front of prospects…
And fail to give them a reason to buy from that business…
Continue reading “What’s the highest ROI activity in business?”12:37pm Friday
Saint Paul
Do you write fast?
I remember a story about Stan Lee the comic book writer. I think Ben Settle told this story.
And Stan said, “if I want to buy something, I can always just write more.”
As a freelance writer, that can be a challenge.
Continue reading “Get paid… sooner”Wednesday, 3:30pm
Saint Paul
Hey *|FNAME|* I’ve unearthed Matt Rizvi’s podcast—and now it’s on YouTube!
Maybe you were here when this was first recorded… or maybe you’re newer to the list (welcome!).
Either way…
I recorded Episode 4 of my Persuasion Play Podcast with direct response copywriter Matt Rizvi waaay back in 2019.
Then, like all my podcast episodes, it got bumped when the next was recorded…
Lost to history… forever.
But not really.
Now I’m putting old episodes up on YouTube so anyone can watch ’em—free.
Here it is, the Persuasion Play Podcast episode 004:
Persuasive Copywriting with Matt Rizvi.
10:20am Wednesday
Saint Paul
Experts are everywhere.
A former boss once told me, “once you know more than the other guy, you’re the expert.”
Which is why you see gurus all over the place, having moved from Level 0 to Level 1, touting their expertise.
Nothing wrong with self-promotion, of course.
But there is always more to learn!…
Continue reading “Copywriter, read more of THIS.”10:54am Friday
Saint Paul
Two months ago I got an urge to write advice for my two young children.
Something they might not understand today, but that would be available to them when they are ready.
So I fired up a Google Doc and started writing.
9:47am Wednesday, April 3
Saint Paul
Is there a song dedicated to YOU on Spotify?
I just finished reading an article from the New York Times Magazine about a musician, Matt Farley, who records hundreds of songs each year.
Songs about cities. Songs about poop. Songs about… you?
Continue reading “A song for YOU”1:37pm Tuesday, April 2
Saint Paul
Hey *|FNAME|*,
There’s a shrinking middle class in the United States.
From 1971 to 2021—a span of 50 years—the middle class has dropped from roughly 61% of the population to roughly 50% of the population.
The lowest income group, meanwhile, expanded from 25% to 29%.
And the highest?
High-earners also expanded, from 14% to 21% of the US population.
So, while there is still a decent-sized middle class, it is trending downward.
Now, I’ve sold—via sales copy—at all levels. Here are my experiences:
Continue reading “Who can afford the “best”?”12:07pm Monday, April 1
Saint Paul
Happy April Fools Day!
My kids started our day by taping the kitchen sprayer to the “on” position. And when I went to make coffee…
Here are three news items—can you tell which story below is false?
Continue reading “Which of these isn’t April Foolin?”