9:06am
Saint Paul
Not gonna lie:
The fear of judgement holds me back.
Your judgement. People on social I’ve never met. My wife and kids. Friends, bosses, coworkers, whatever.
Not always, of course.
But it’s that stupid feeling that asks “who are you?”
Who are you to share those thoughts?
Who are you to try something new?
Who are you to make mistakes?
Imposter!
Years ago, some friends found this website. They didn’t like what I was writing about persuasion and how humans make decisions and how we can influence that decision-making process.
(more…)9:32am
Saint Paul
Last week we discussed a few ways money isn’t real.
It was prompted by a quote I heard at a marketing conference:
“People don’t respond to discounts any more.
“Especially if Corporate is paying the bill.
“And remember: money isn’t real anyway.”
Today we’re going to look at the first part of the quote.
And a few ways YOU can overcome price resistance.
(more…)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:
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.
(more…)2:13pm
Saint Paul
Heading to my parents’ for Sunday dinner last night when just ONE WORD made me pull a u-turn and whip out my wallet.
(more…)2:34pm
Saint Paul
When I was 12 the neighbor’s dog bit my brother.
We never had a dog of our own.
Goldfish, yes. A cat. A parakeet. A skink. A snake. Even a “grow a frog” that escaped its water tank… and a week later, hopped across the kitchen floor.
So I was never much of a dog person.
In fact I told myself I was afraid of them. The dog bite and all, you understand.
And any time I saw a dog, this fear consumed my brain.
But years ago I decided that was silly.
So I simply reprogrammed my brain.
(more…)1:26pm
Saint Paul
Let me ask you:
Which works better as a headline: highlighting a problem, or highlighting a solution?
I ask because I’m reading John Caples’ “Tested Advertising Methods” right now–4th edition, thank you for asking.
(Which, by the way, a few years back I could only find the 4th edition in Canada, and the seller would only ship to Canada. Knowing that the 5th Edition sucks (from my own personal experience), I found myself a Canadian mule…)
Anyway.
In it, Caples says that headlines that highlight the positive tend to out-pull the negative.
Because, he reasons… who wants to read an ad about problems?
And while he has a point…
(more…)11:54am Friday
Ever put out an ad on Google or Facebook or whatever…
And it just didn’t “work?”
Low clicks… and even fewer sales?
Here are three reasons why your ads may fail… and how to fix ’em.
1. If your ad is targeting the wrong audience, you won’t get clicks. Fix that by either targeting better… or—contrary to a lot of advice—don’t target at all!
Why not target, you ask?
(more…)Today on the Persuasion Play Podcast, episode 008…
I welcome a very special guest, Mr. Drayton Bird!
Drayton Bird is an old-school direct marketer and advertiser. He worked along side fellow greats such as Eugene Schwartz and David Ogilvy, who famously claimed that… (more…)