Tom Ruwitch

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Better Call Saul vs. Breaking Bad — and a Lode of Storytelling Lessons

By Tom Ruwitch

Here’s a question sure to prompt furious debate: Which show is better:Breaking Bad orBetter Call Saul?  If you don’t know these shows, stick with me. There’s a heaping helping of storytelling how-to below… …and you don’t need to know diddly about the shows to dig in.  If you do know the shows, cast your vote. Which…

Monday Mash-Up ~ 2022.07.18

By Tom Ruwitch

Recommended ListeningSmashing the Plateau I’ve began listening to David Shriner-Cahn’s podcast, Smashing the Plateau, since soon after I met him earlier this year. I think David and his podcast are great!  I was honored to be his guest recently, and the episode dropped this morning. We discussed:  Why I started Story Power Marketing Why I decided to focus on…

Shark Bites not Severe? This Story Paints a Different Picture…

By Tom Ruwitch

Shark-attack stories are in the news. East coast. West coast. Sharks are attacking from sea to shining sea. Two attacks off the same Long Island beach yesterday.  And earlier this summer, a swimmer in California nearly died.  He described what happened on the morning news: “I was bitten ferociously by a shark right across my…

Reply Quickly if You Want a Better Website

By Tom Ruwitch

Yesterday, I conducted a website makeover for a VIP member of my Content Transformation Academy. 30 minutes to transform his front page from “blah” to brilliant, prospect-repelling to prospect-attracting. In a week or two, after he launches the transformed site,  I’ll put the URL in a bookmarks folder called, “Websites – Good Examples.”  I also have…

How a Slobbering Rat-dog Inspired me to Fight Crime

By Tom Ruwitch

I witnessed a crime yesterday… …and I did nothing to stop it. Melissa, Maddie, and I were enjoying a quiet dinner on the patio at Saigon Cafe in St. Louis when we were interrupted by a high-pitched “Yip, yip, yip.”  Startled, I dropped my chopsticks in my bowl of Bun Tom Heo Nuong Cha Gio, turned…

Monday Mash-Up ~ 2022.07.11

By Tom Ruwitch

Recommended Listening/ReadingHow to Make B2B Content Less Boring “People want to do business with people, and also people that they trust. Those people have the same motivations and desires and emotions and challenges, just like the rest of us.” So says content marketing expert Julie Revelant during a recent episode of the Marketing Smarts podcast.  This episode…

Why This Legendary TV Character Would be a Rotten Marketer…

By Tom Ruwitch

Remember Eddie Haskell? He was the guy on Leave it to Beaver (a TV classic!) who oozed insincerity.  “Hello, Mr. and Mrs. Cleaver. Isn’t it a lovely day,” he’d say to Beaver’s parents.  And then, when the adults left the room, Eddie would wreak havoc.  The sweet-talking devil.  I had an Eddie Haskell flashback the other day. …

Reply Requested: Finish This Sentence…

By Tom Ruwitch

Finish this sentence I get my best content ideas from… Please reply to this email with your thoughts. If you’re not sure how to answer… …if you’re having trouble completing that sentence, please reply and let me know that. BTW, if you’re having trouble, you’re not alone.  I used to have no ideahow to generatea consistent flowof…

The Sad Tale of a Guy Who Failed at Content Creation

By Tom Ruwitch

Back when I ran an email marketing company, a client named Mike asked me to help him build a list. He ran a roofing company, and he wanted to send weekly emails.  My advice: “Before you build a list, write two or three practice emails. Make sure you have your content creation game down. Confirm…

You’ve Got to See This Rotten, Robot-generated Email I Received…

By Tom Ruwitch

I got an email from an artificial-intelligence robot this morning… …that’s so bad I had to share it with you and break it down. Here it is (display images to see it): I knew something was wrong when I read the first line: “We hope things are looking nice at Story Power Marketing.”  Looking nice…