Why Story Power
I 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…
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On 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…
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In 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…
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We 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.…
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Happy 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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“I don’t have an interesting story,” Elizabeth said. Her shoulders slumped. She stared at her shoes. Elizabeth was a client. We’d discussed how storytelling captivates prospects and inspires them to act. She understood and agreed. But then she told me she didn’t have what it takes. “There’s nothing about me worth telling. My story is…
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Breaking news: If you want to convert leads to clients… Email doesn’t work. Neither does text. Same goes for video So says a frustrated consultant who posted a cry for help on Facebook “20 years in business, I don’t remember ever it being this hard to connect with prospects. Text and email, videos, and articles…
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My favorite Alfred Hitchcock movie is The Trouble With Harry. It’s not a thriller or murder mystery… …although there is a dead body. The dead guy is Harry. He’s lying flat on his back in the woods in Vermont, with a bullet hole in his head, dead as a bug on a windshield. The movie is…
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There’s this bloke down under named Daniel Throssell who fills my inbox with entertaining (and informative) story-powered emails every day. I’d like to tell you about a pair of emails he sent last month… …because they’re so spot on… …and so relevant to anyone who has ever struggled with selling their services. Last month, Daniel…
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Paul McCartney says his song “Yesterday” came to him in a dream. Shazam! The song popped into his head while he was sleeping. He wrote it down when he woke. I’ve never had a song, email, or anything else I create appear to me in a dream. Bad luck for me, I guess. But that…
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