“In the country of the blind the one eyed man is king.” – Desiderius Erasmus, Born Oct. 28, 1466. One of the eternal worries of most freelancers is what they call “impostor syndrome”. It’s the deep seated fear that you’re a phony. That you’ll get called out as a fraud. That you’re not worth what […]
Expertise Is Relative and You Should Aim Your Work Accordingly Read More »
“I always aspire to that, where it feels like the film was made by the characters as opposed to the filmmakers. I try to be invisible.” – Spike Jonze, Born Oct. 22, 1969. When you create marketing messages for clients, it should be this way, too. You’re creating a message from the client to their
“Knowledge is not skill. Knowledge plus ten thousand times is skill.” – Shinichi Suzuki, Born Oct. 17, 1898. If you want to get good at something, study less and practice more. Study is great, don’t get me wrong. But practice is where improvement actually occurs. Discipline creates routine. Routine creates comfort. Comfort creates quality work
The Secret Shortcut To Securing Sublime Skill Read More »
“If you can’t describe what you are doing as a process, you don’t know what you’re doing.” – W. Edwards Deming, Born Oct. 14, 1900. A lot of people who get into copywriting mistake it for other kinds of creative writing. They believe it is all art, and invention, and creative genius. And hey, work
Let Your Processes Become Your Secret Weapon Against the Betrayal of the Fickle Muse Read More »
“In the factory we make cosmetics; in the drugstore we sell hope.” – Charles Revson, Born Oct. 11, 1906. This is something to remember for all you would-be copywriters out there. The product is the product. It has features and aspects and components. Even a digital product has a page count or a domain name
This One Word Describes The Only Thing Worth “Selling” (No Matter What Your Product Is…) Read More »
“There is no decision that we can make that doesn’t come with some sort of balance or sacrifice.” – Simon Sinek, Born Oct. 9, 1973. You can play with this well known fact about making decisions. Everyone knows that a decision is ultimately a choice – between a thing you pick, and a thing you
Focus On What The Buyer Will Sacrifice (Besides Money) Read More »
“The average voter has to hear a point seven times before it registers.” – Paul Weyrich, Born Oct. 7, 1942. Repetition is key. Repetition is key. If you want your message to be received… Repetition. Is. Key. Here is the rub. The trick to making this work is that you can’t just say the same
Say it. Then say it again differently. And yet again, but not the same, and Etc… Read More »
“If we all tried to make other people’s paths easy, our own feet would have a smooth even place to walk on.” – Myrtle Reed, Born Sep. 27, 1874. This really is the fastest and easiest way I know to get into business – especially online. Find or create an audience, and serve them what
“A merchant who approaches business with the idea of serving the public well has nothing to fear from the competition.” – James Cash Penney, Born Sep. 16, 1875. Well, J. Cash, I think times have changed. Service is still key. But you no longer need to be concerned with serving “the public” at large. We
Figure Out Who You Will Serve, And Then Satisfy Them (Fully and Repeatedly) Read More »
“The two words ‘information’ and ‘communication’ are often used interchangeably, but they signify quite different things. Information is giving out; communication is getting through.” – Sydney J. Harris, Born Sep. 14, 1917. A lot of people who market things on the internet care about having a “content strategy” as a way to draw prospective customers
The Difference Between Worthless Information and Valuable Knowledge Is… Read More »
