9:22am
Saint Paul
Ever have a promotion that went well…
But not quite as well as you expected?
Maybe it was the audience… didn’t like the offer.
Maybe it was the offer… not valuable enough.
Maybe it was the copy… not compelling action.
There’s an idea in direct response marketing that:
Continue reading “How to SOLVE your lack of sales (it’s not ALWAYS with better copy!)”1:14pm
Saint Paul
“Hmm. That’s pretty good,” the embarrassed webinar host said.
He was selling his copywriting course as a way to beat AI.
And to show off, he asked his partner to demo using ChatGPT to write an email.
Continue reading “ChatGPT ate his lunch”2:34pm
Saint Paul
I have tattoos.
They’re leftovers from my younger years.
And now… as my kids are growing… I wish I didn’t have them. Because my tats give my kids a reason to—someday—mar their own beautiful skin.
They’re not my only shortcoming, I know.
Continue reading “Why “experts” have skewed your idea of successful marketing”A few years ago, I wrote to Direct Response Copywriter Denny Hatch.
He wrote the book “Secrets of Emotional, Hotbutton Copywriting” (summary here) and I was trying to get a copy.
Denny told me that he’s got a guy working to get it republished.
I checked in with Denny again last month. I asked if he was open to record a podcast.
You know, dig for a little gold, here in the Goldmine.
Denny responded:
Continue reading “Digging for Denny Hatch’s Gold”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!)”