Tom Ruwitch
I have a new entry on my ever-growing list of “Stupid Marketing Tricks That Give Marketers a Bad Name” — Calendar Spam. It works like this… Tricky Marketer gets your email address. Maybe you opted in to Tricky’s list. Maybe not. Tricky schedules a public event — a workshop, webinar, whatever. Tricky puts that event…
A client told me he has stopped using em dashes in his content — like this — because they’re a “dead giveaway that AI wrote it.” That inspired me to launch an informal, 100%-unscientific poll: 1) Do you use AI to help you draft marketing content? 2) If yes, do you remove the em-dashes? 3)…
Recommended Resource The Unofficial LinkedIn Algorithm Guide for Marketers I recently downloaded the The Unofficial LinkedIn Algorithm Guide for Marketers from Trust Insights and found it very useful. It cuts through the guru noise and explains how LinkedIn’s AI-driven system actually evaluates your content. Updated through March 2026, it includes three practical checklists — for…
“The phone’s not ringing.” That’s what my client told me when he said his email campaign wasn’t working. He’s a commercial real estate broker. He sent property notices to prospects. Each email linked to a flier and prospectus. It wasn’t generating warm prospects and sales. So, for him, it meant “email marketing doesn’t work.” Before…
Here’s a story about how a little-known musician broke through and became a star — and how you can do it, too. A few nights ago, Melissa and I heard an all-star jazz band perform in honor of Miles Davis who was born 100 years ago — May 26, 1926. Miles grew up in East…
Steve Wozniak and Steve Jobs. Ever heard of them? Of course you have. They’re the guys who founded “Apple Computer” on this day (April 1) 50 years ago (1976). How about Ronald Wayne? Heard of him? He’s the Pete Best of Apple. The third co-founder. The one no one remembers. The April Fool. On April…
On a typical day, Javier Yat changes four or five flat tires at his auto repair store in Brooklyn. Decent, steady business but nothing special. When the sun sets, the business magic begins. Most nights, Javier parks a van, loaded with tires, along the Belt Parkway, just down the road from a 12-inch-deep pothole. Nighttime…
Recommended Reading đź’ˇHow to Communicate with Humans (by John Carlton) The secret weapon of elite salespeople — and the thing most people completely lack — is empathy. Not sympathy (feeling bad for someone), but true empathy: the ability to intellectually step into someone else’s shoes and understand what’s going on in their head while you’re…
In 1774, King Frederick II of Prussia was ruling over a land ravaged by famine. He urged farmers to plant potatoes to end the famine. But back then, potatoes were considered livestock feed in Eastern Europe, not suitable for human consumption. So farmers defied the king and didn’t plant them… …until King Frederick changed marketing…
At the bottom of this email, you’ll see a special invitation to hang out with John Bejakovic — one of the world’s great copywriters and author of one of my favorite books on the psychology of selling. Here’s a little taste of what makes John special… In his book “10 Commandments of Con Men, Pickup…