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.
(more…)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!…
(more…)12:20pm Monday
Saint Paul
I am not in the path of today’s eclipse.
But it reaches totality at 1:40pm Central time here in the US.
And I plan to watch NASA’s live footage of the moon perfectly blocking earth’s sun on YouTube.
Now, an eclipse is not a common event.
And it has everyone talking.
Which means marketers are tapping the eclipse as a reason to start a conversation with their audience.
(more…)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?
(more…)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:
(more…)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?
(more…)2:16pm Friday, March 29
Saint Paul
I just finished watching a YouTube video about a vintage Soviet camera lens. (The Helios 40, if you’re curious.)
That was after a handful of other videos on camera lenses.
Which was after reading an article on the baseball and the invention of the curveball.
Which was after a client meeting.
And then I added all these things to a running Google Doc mis-titled, “Things I’ve Read,” right above an article on the great teacup pig scam of 2016.
(more…)9:53am Thursday, March 28
Saint Paul, Minnesota
Not sure if you heard the news…
Daniel Kahneman, behavioral psychologist and winner of the 2002 Nobel Prize in Economics, passed away yesterday at age 90.
Daniel Kahneman wrote the book, “Thinking, Fast and Slow,” about how human brains have two systems for thinking:
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