Goldmine Marketing

Here’s what I’m up to…

  • Insult or Income?

    9:17am
    Saint Paul

    My first decently paying copy client was back in 2018.

    I wrote Facebook ads at first, as lead generation for Medicare reps. It was my second Medicare role.

    Then we expanded into life insurance lead gen for a well-known Christian insurance company.

    We started that campaign with quizzes and a VSL.

    I wrote both.

    But the guy who hired me had an employee record the VSL voiceover.

    And it was terrible.

    (more…)

  • LinkedIn is harvesting your data for AI.

    4:04pm
    Saint Paul

    Earlier today I read a LinkedIn post warning us that the platform is using your posts to train its AI.

    And apparently, everyone is auto-opt-in unless you toggle this switch:

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  • Make a Claim, and Frame It

    1:24pm
    Saint Paul

    Yesterday, as I was prepping dinner and the kids were at music and sports, I listened to Episode 277 of “Brain Software with Mike Mandel.”

    It’s a podcast that fellow copywriter John Bejakovic tuned me into.

    Mike and his co-host Chris Thompson talk about hypnosis from their headquarters in the hypnotic world epicenter: Toronto, Canada.

    Two things I took away from the episode that I wanted to share with you today.

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  • Why give a microphone to critics?

    11:44am
    Saint Paul

    By now you’ve heard about Charlie Kirk, a man who gave a microphone to his critics and responded to hostility with reason and humility.

    It’s a sad day in America when voices are silenced… people are killed… families are destroyed…

    …for speaking ideas.

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  • Do you have design skills? I might have work for you…

    2:16pm
    Saint Paul

    I have an obsession.

    Well, maybe a few…

    And I have a request for your help.

    This last month, I’ve been obsessing over a new patch of grass.

    See, we built a new garage during this past summer…

    (more…)

  • This is your cold outreach competition

    1:49pm
    Saint Paul

    They say you only have to try and you’re already ahead of 99% of other people.

    Is that true?

    Not in my experience.

    But it IS a good idea that makes people feel like they’ve accomplished something.

    I got a cold email today that starts by greeting someone else… and then it gets worse:

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  • Defining Success with Bob Bly (Persuasion Play Podcast #016)

    1:18pm
    Saint Paul

    Robert W. Bly has been a “true freelance copywriter” for over 45 years.

    He’s written sales copy in dozens of industries with hundreds of clients, and he’s the author of The Copywriter’s Handbook. Bob’s 110th book is coming out soon:

    AI Apocalypse Now

    Bob joined me for a wide-ranging interview about his life in copywriting, including stories of huge wins and terrible failures… digital marketing vs direct mail… his life in Jersey… and so much more.

    You can find Bob and get 4 FREE Special Reports worth over $100 at https://bly.com/reports

    Listen now to Defining Success with Bob Bly, episode 015 on the Persuasion Play Podcast.

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  • Kill the Industry Insider Talk (…except sometimes)

    8:45am
    Saint Paul

    Last week I came across this tidbit:

    Workplace jargon hurts employee morale, collaboration, study finds

    The short of it is that jargon——those “industry insider” words that most people don’t understand——doesn’t only confuse outsiders.

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  • Stay Sharp and Fillet Some Fish

    10:54am
    Saint Paul

    (Check out the PS for some fun news coming soon!)

    Heya summer break is over and the kids are back to school!

    We spent Labor Day weekend at my in-laws, fishing, cleaning gutters, and cleaning fish.

    That’s a new skill for me: cleaning fish.

    And after years of removing the fillets on these Wisconsin weekends, I was finally given the chance to do the main work.

    I felt like Karate Kid: do the simple things a million times before the next step.

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  • Kids wrote ads, got clients. And you?

    11:57am
    Saint Paul

    My kids want money.

    Ruby is 12 and wrote up some fliers for her babysitting services…

    Put them on doors around the neighborhood…

    And had 3 paying families within days.

    (more…)