copywriting tips

How to Make Your Message Short, Powerful, and Impossible to Forget If your big idea can’t survive being shrunk down to a handful of words, it’s probably too complicated. That’s where the Bumper Sticker Test comes in. The idea is simple: Could your message work as a...

Marketing is becoming safer. We're scared of offending someone. We're using AI, which creates based on what's been done before. It's not new. But it's dangerous. Unless you're happy being ingored. And won't ever get a decent competitor entering your market. Good luck...

Our most basic need is survival. But once that's met, we quickly move onto something else. If you guessed status signalling well done. We have a hard-wired need to gain/maintain status within the tribe (world). It makes us do funny things. When someone we know gets a...

I'm going to be completely honest. Most marketing bores people. Hopefully not yours. But if it does there's a solution. It's to commit to being the bravest marketer in your category. To do something no one else is doing or is brave enough to do. And you don't even...

The harsh truth is most marketing is ignored. And the harsher truth is it's your fault. Still with me? Here's why it's your fault. But first know it's OK and normal. Your marketing is safe to ignore. Anything that is safe to ignore, will be ignored. It's human nature....

The 3 Questions Every Ad Must Answer Before you run a single ad, you need to be crystal clear on: 1. Who’s your best client? It’s not everyone. Trying to appeal to everyone guarantees you appeal to no one. Instead, focus your message on your best-fit clients—the ones...

Is there one pill that can fix all your marketing problems? I want to say yes. But you know the truth is no. There is however something that comes close. It's saying less. In fact, any piece of marketing should contain just one main idea. This means your ads. Your...

I learnt this at school and never forgot it. When you assume you make an ass out of u and me. It's just as true in business and marketing. So many times a piece of marketing and the assumptions are obvious. And very often wrong. Have a look at this shopping centre ad....

Most marketing misses the mark. Often because the marketer doesn't know what the mark even is. It's because you fail to say something interesting, to someone who is potentially interested. The worst offenders are. Billboard ads. In shopping centre ads. Retail point of...