Why Story Power
Sana met “Prince of Joy” in an online chat room after she grew tired of her husband, Adnan. She called herself “Sweetie” in the chat room, and she poured her heart out to Prince of Joy. Prince poured back. They had so much in common. Both from Bosnia. Both in loveless marriages. Both looking for…
Read MoreI got lots of great feedback from subscribers after sending an email yesterday about my humiliating Cinco de Mayo mishap. My favorite response came from the great Michael DeLon — America’s Foremost Authority on Credibility Marketing — who said: “Well done! I could just picture being at the table, drinking margaritas with you… and telling you, ‘You have salsa on…
Read MoreWhen Dr. Ruth Allan asked me during a podcast interview to, “tell us about an embarrassing thing that happened to you,” I didn’t hesitate. I’ve deposited piles of embarrassments in my memory bank. But Ruth was interviewing me during the first week in May, so I had to trot out the story of… My humiliating Cinco…
Read MoreYo! It’s Star Wars Day. May the fourth be with you! (Get it!?) So dust off your Chewbacca costume. Fire up your lightsaber. And let the celebration begin! One thing… …I won’t be joining you. I have nothing against the Star Wars movies. It’s not my favorite sci-fi (that honor goes to Battlestar Galactica, the 2004-09 edition), but…
Read MoreTomorrow, I’m hosting a live workshop (on Zoom) called… How to Harness the Power of Storytelling to Boost Sales — without Pitching and Prodding When: Friday, 4/29, 11:30-12:30 p.m. EDT, 10:30-11:30 a.m. CDT. Where: Zoom. Click the button below to reserve your spot Here’s a sneak peek… I’ll share the story of a business owner who was…
Read MoreI love it when the legends praise “story power.” It happened again yesterday. An email from Drayton Bird. He’s a living legend – among the most influential and successful marketers and copywriters alive. And in his email he broke down a century old ad for a mail-order business course. The ad tells “the story of…
Read MoreOn March 8, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky appeared on video before the British House of Commons. He delivered a defiant, confident speech that included these words: “We will not give up, and we will not lose. We will fight to the end, at sea, in the air, we will continue fighting for our land, whatever…
Read MoreIn case you missed, I sent an email yesterday that was bursting with dick jokes. Vance Morris dared me to do it (“…use “oversize reproductive assemblage” in an email to your audience,” he said). And I rose to the challenge. There’s a big lesson in that email (you can read the archived email for that)… …but there’s…
Read MoreWe lost a legend this week — Joe Sugarman, a copywriting great, who taught me (and countless others) tons about marketing. He wrote many great books, including The Adweek Copywriting Handbook. I pulled that book from my shelf yesterday and flung it open to the place I dog-eared long ago: Page 178. The section about storytelling.…
Read MoreHappy Belated World Storytelling Day. The big day was Sunday. I can’t believe I missed it. 🙁 I usually round up a bunch of my storytelling pals, head down to the corner tavern, and get drunk on green beer… …um…check that… Different holiday. World Storytelling Day? I don’t have any special alcohol-soaked traditions. In fact, I…
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