Direct Response Marketing Copy & Strategy
Dear reader, we’ve discussed mind-reading, remember? We know it’s probably not real… right?
Maybe it is, maybe it’s not. That’s beside the point. Honestly I don’t know the scope of reality beyond what my brain understands, and I’m sure there’s a lot I don’t understand.
A wise man is never certain about anything!
So I don’t know if some specially attuned people can read minds or not… but I’m pretty sure that your run-of-the-mill news reporter cannot.
Last week we discussed Reactance.
Reactance is people’s natural resistance to your suggestions. People prefer the known, they don’t want to change the status quo. If you suggest a change…
“What makes you so smart!?”
As people of influence, how do we combat people’s natural resistance to being told what to do?
This past weekend I attended a kid’s birthday party with my 5 year old daughter.
The party is at a gymnastics gym in the suburbs. Short and sweet and cake and we’re outta there. The staff takes care of everything, pretty good setup with minimal fuss for the parents.
“Ain’t no way that I can be happy when I’m happy” —Atmosphere, Give Me
How many times have you seen someone self-sabotage their own life?
I known people who have dropped out of school, directionless. I known people who have arrived to work drunk. I known people who have ruined a relationship over a few hours of fun. I’ve known people that sacrifice sleep and performance for video games.
All of these choices in the present have impacts that can last decades into the future.
Do you know why these people do what they do?
We can’t know people’s private thoughts. We can’t read their minds now, and we can’t deduce their feelings and opinions from the past.
#parenting #motivation #happiness #stories Continue reading “Persuasion Articles of the Week”
Mind reading, the art of knowing exactly what the other person is thinking.
It’s a dangerous sport, and one that we’re not very good at. It’s the source of many disagreements and misunderstandings. No matter, we all continue to try.
I’ve certainly tried to finish someone’s sentences and been completely wrong. Haven’t you cut in because you knew exactly what the other person was going to say? How did that work out for you? Not always very well, I would bet.
“I opened the door to see…”
“…She was in the house!?” Continue reading “Mind Reading isn’t Real. Here’s How to Do It.”
Andrew DeYoung has wanted to be a writer since he started reading Chapter Books in grade school.
And while Andrew’s been a writer for decades, his first published novel has made a splash.
The Exo Project was the winner of the 2017 Minnesota Book Awards for Young Adult Literature! Congratulations Andrew!
I am lucky enough to live across the street from Andrew. We spent an evening together drinking whiskey, chatting about his writing, and discussing the need for validation that comes with the creative process.
You are free to make choices, but you have no freedom in the matter.
Sam Harris presents this idea in his 2012 book, Free Will. Harris argues that we’re all products of our genes, our luck, and our experiences.
Free Will is an Illusion.
Continue reading “Why I Don’t Have Free Will (and Neither Do You)”
After reviewing Hopkins’ accomplishments, we get to the most important chapter of the book, Chapter Seventeen, Scientific Advertising.
Hopkins compares advertisements with salespeople. Each must prove their worth. Track results to know what is effective and what is not. Some techniques won’t work in various industries.
But some truths are universal. Hopkins lays them out in this essential chapter.
Continue reading “Hopkins’ Essentials of Advertising (My Life in Advertising: Chapter 17)”