Direct Response Marketing Copy & Strategy
Monday, May 1
9:34am
“I’m terrible! I’m horrible!”
My son was already in a bad mood.
I wouldn’t let him use the 120-volt outlet to build a cardboard and tin-foil lamp for his bed. (The repurposed-LED-flashlight solution wasn’t powerful enough for him).
And after he settled down and read a book, we went to play a little Mario Kart.
Continue reading “Mario Kart Spoils Everything”9:31am
Saint Paul
What’s your To-Do list looking like today?
I ask because this past weekend I started reading “The Ultimate Sales Machine” by Chet Holmes.
In this book, Holmes advises making lists of your To-Dos. Limiting it to six items or fewer. And tackling the hardest one first in the morning.
Continue reading “What’s on your To-Do List?”9:44am
Saint Paul
Today’s lesson: get paid up front.
See, I have a client with an unpaid invoice for work I’ve done.
The last time this happened—10 or 12 months ago—the client ghosted me.
Continue reading “Unpaid Invoice”10:20pm
Saint Paul
I was browsing my bookshelf the other night, looking for something to start.
(I have more unfinished books than I have fully-read books. Not every book is worth finishing, I’ve learned… though many I plan to return to… I think…)
Now, I noticed my slightly neglected Dan Kennedy section. Dan is a prolific and accomplished copywriter and businessman who has recently fallen ill.
I pulled down my worn copy of The Ultimate Sales Letter and Continue reading “7 things you’ll learn in Dan Kennedy’s “The Ultimate Sales Letter”“
Jim Clair is a direct response copywriter who spent years in the relationship and health niches, among others.
But after a few years Jim started to realize that something was severely scammy in the direct response marketing world.
So he quit!
Join Jim and I for this fascinating peek behind the curtain of internet gurus, direct response, motivational authors, getting more out of your reading time, and more.
Jim and I talk about…
Continue reading “Authentic Marketing with Jim Clair (Persuasion Play Podcast 012)”Your copy is only as good as the headline that gets the reader down the page.
That’s why David Ogilvy said 80% of your time should be spent on the headline.
It carries 80% of the weight. If they don’t read the headline, they’re not gonna read the body copy.
Here are a few ideas for your next Headline.
Continue reading “10 Ways You Can Strengthen Your Headlines (Starting Now!)”Do you ever feel unfocused and a bit antsy… when you should be working?
You have a To-Do List as long as your, er, arm. And even though part of you wants to get to work, other parts of you are doing everything they can to steal your attention.
And when you live in a distracting world, it’s easy to find something else to focus on.
If you look back at old books — even really old books, like Seneca’s “Letters From a Stoic” in which he writes,
Continue reading “How to Improve Your Focus and Get More Done in Less Time (aka “Deep Work” book summary)”Could you make better decisions?
I think we all could.
Do you have a hard time deciding what to order at a restaurant?
Do you ever make the “wrong” decision and, looking back, feel that you “knew” it would turn out bad?
Continue reading “Better Decisions with Annie Duke (Persuasion Play Podcast 010)”2021-03-31
Saint Paul
Over the last decade or two, cartoon violence has shifted dramatically, along with cartoons in general.
No longer are cartoons the mindless zaniness that you and I grew up with.
The shows my own kids watch now have complex characters and plots.
Continue reading “That Time When Tom Hit Jerry With A Baseball Bat”9:46am Tuesday
This morning I read a Sweepstakes Letter from the Publishers Clearing House.
With a no-obligation entry I have a chance at winning $7,000 per week for life.
That’s a lot of money!
The letter spent no time trying to be clever or discussing something that couldn’t tie into the benefits of their promotion.
Do you remember most brands behind your favorite commercials?
Continue reading “Give Me One Reason!”