Tom Ruwitch
A few days ago, I was watching David Letterman on the living room flat screen. He was interviewing the singer/songwriter Billie Eilish, and he said this: “I have seen your concerts…And the commanding power that emanates from you and the music is stunning. Do you remember the first time you recognized…” Dave paused for a…
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Every so often, I hear from a sad-sack marketer who plays the “easy for you to say” card… …as in “Write story-powered emails that captivate prospects? Easy for you to say, Tom. You’re a storytelling genius.” (Sigh!) I heard from someone yesterday who griped about my list-building advice. In yesterday’s email, I encouraged you to…
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How can I build my email list? That was the question I got yesterday from a member of my Content Transformation Academy during our weekly group meeting. He has transformed his emails from boring to brilliant. Now he wants to share his content with a larger audience and reap the rewards. My answer: Just ask. …
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I touched a nerve yesterday. In my Monday Mash-Up yesterday, I shared an article that called “B.S.” on Simon Sinek’s “start with why.” I received lots of replies from subscribers who agreed. No one defended Sinek. Sinek’s big idea from his 2010 TED talk, “People don’t buy what you do; they buy why you do it.” That…
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Recommended ReadingWhy ‘Know Your Why’ Isn’t Great Content Marketing Advice I say this often: Storytelling for business is not about fashioning your origin story. It’s about discovering your prospects’ stories. That’s why I love this article by Robert Rose. So many marketers “start with why,” thanks to Simon Sinek who touted the idea in his TED talk…
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Yesterday, while I was walking Moose around the block (actually, Moose was walking me) I heard this gem from marketing master Justin Blackman: “Want your writing to sound more natural? Make zero effort to sound smart. That’s it…Sentences are short, and my vocabulary is on par with a toddler. And no big words. I just…
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Quick question: Why did you open this email? Really, it’s not a trick question. Please shoot me a quick reply and let me know. You can do that now (the rest of this email can wait). … … … So…back to the question at hand… Why’d you open the email? It couldn’t have been the…
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I met yesterday with a friend who’s feeling down in the dumps. His business is struggling and so is he. And even though he’s a brilliant mindset coach, he now questions everything he’s doing – including all things marketing. “I don’t like marketing,” he told me. “It’s the use of psychology to deceive people into…
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The email from longtime subscriber “Scott H” landed in my inbox last week with a “thud” It flashed as a notification on my iPhone’s home screen, revealing just the first line… “I have a problem with your…emails…” “Uh-oh!” I thought. I took a deep breath, sat up straight, and clicked the notification to open the…
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Memorial Day ViewingHonoring Soldiers on Both Sides of the Battlefield Memorial Day. Every year around this time, I re-watch Flags of Our Fathers and Letters from Iwo Jima — a pair of films directed by Clint Eastwood and released in 2006. Both tell the story of the Battle of Iwo Jima — “Flags…” from the perspective of the Americans and…
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