Why Story Power
Before he became a famous and wealthy editor of Ladies’ Home Journal, Edward Bok was just another depression-era kid trying to scrape together some money for his ill mother. He was standing outside of a bakery, watching as the baker put cakes and cookies in the window display. The baker asked young Edward, “Don’t they look…
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In the 1920’s, a copywriter named Max Sackheim wrote an advertisement for a book entitled, “How to Master Good English in 15 Minutes a Day,” by Sherwin Cody. It was one of the most successful direct response advertisements ever written. The publisher hired other copywriters to try and outdo Sackheim’s. But every time they tested…
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Stephanie Michelle was hunting for a job, and she wanted an edge. So she dished out $29.95 for a 7.5 ml vial of “Liquid Trust.” The product description on Amazon says Liquid Trust “can help people gain the trust of others.” Great for sales people, job hunters, and anyone else who wants others to “feel…
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Yesterday, I ran a group training for my Story Generator VIP members. I showed them how to boil down storytelling to a simple process of gathering the building blocks and then assembling them. “We don’t write copy,” I told the VIPs. “We assemble it.” When you learn the simple process (the gathering), the “hard part”…
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When I was a lovesick teenage boy, I listened to one song more than any other: “Don’t Let Me Be Misunderstood” by the Animals. It usually worked like this: I had a crush on a girl. She didn’t have a crush on me. That made me sad. I’d come home from school, close my bedroom…
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Joshua and Rob bought 100 little thrift store objects because they wanted to prove a point. They wanted to show that one person’s thrift store junk is another person’s treasure… …if you can attach emotional significance to the object. So, Joshua Glenn and Rob Walker enlisted 100 creative writers, assigned one of the objects to…
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When a top-notch copywriter forwards to me an example of great marketing, I pay attention. My buddy Adam is one of the best copywriters I know. And yesterday, he forwarded to me a subject line that caught his eye. The subject line: “MIT Device Cuts Power Bills By 65%” Adam said, “That’s about as good…
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In the most recent Monday Mash-Up, I shared with you this ad from Apple which I love: Great visual storytelling. Great special effects.  But as great as the “Jump” ad is, it’s not the greatest I’ve seen from Apple. This one, named “Bounce,” is even better: When Apple released this ad in 2019, I showed the ad…
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In 1987, world chess champion Garry Kasparov declared, “No computer can ever beat me.” That was the year I graduated from college, ready to make my mark. I was cocky as Kasparov. Supremely confident in my abilities. A problem solver. A go-getter. Ten years later, an IBM super-computer called “Deep Blue” whipped Kasparov in a…
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You’re Invited… I’m hosting a free, online training on Thursday. How to Harness The Magnetic Power of Storytelling to Captivate Prospects and Inspire Them to Act… So You Can Get More Clients Quickly and Easily I dug an old pair of shoes out of the attic and shot a new video to tell you all about it. …
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