Author: 702writer

A couple weeks back, after visiting one of my daughters in Laguna Beach, I lingered for a while to let traffic die down before heading back to Vegas.

Sitting outside a downtown coffee shop that will sell you an espresso for $15, minding my business, I overheard a conversation between a man and a woman nearby which intrigued me.

During a lull in their conversation, I asked:

“I couldn’t help but notice you were talking about the film industry, do you make movies?” 

The woman said “Yes, have you ever heard of  [her company’s name, which I won’t name here]?”

“No.”

She was irritated, fluttered her eyes, forced a giggle and said to me:

“Have you ever been to the movies?”

“Yes.”

Then the man chimed in: “She’s a celebrity in town, she’s kind of a big deal.”

“Oh.”

And that became the prompt ending to my education on the cinematic arts.

I looked her name up later, and it’s true, she is kind of a big deal, but it appears her husband is the one, between the two of them, who has most of the talent…

All this to say, if you are great, don’t let your ego get in the way. 

Ego is not becoming of greatness. It will turn your followers away. Melt their adoration into “I’d rather not.”

Because true art and creation is about reaching people, it’s a language, a communion.

Just my two cents, Mrs. LB.

-Paul

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I was watching Ocean’s Eleven earlier this evening.

In one scene, Danny Ocean (George Clooney) surprises his ex-gf Tess (Julia Roberts), who’s sitting at a table in a fancy restaurant.

Clooney sits down at her table and tries to win her back.

But Tess tells him: “I’m with Terry now.”

And Danny Ocean says: “Does he make you laugh?”

And she says: “He doesn’t make me cry…..”

……

I thought that was pretty damn witty. Nice work Tess.

But in my situation, you know how I don’t let her make me cry?

I stop giving a damn.

Waka waka.

But seriously, when you’re making progress on anything–be that overcoming a past relationship, or a current challenge within a relationship, business, or new creation…

It’s not going to happen all at once. In fact, there’s a good chance it’s going to be painstakingly incremental.

At least, that seems to be the norm for me. 

But, there are things in your control that you can do to make progress on those big goals and projects that take forever.

With relationships in the past that were a clustereff, you can move on, however painstakingly slow it may be, one day at a time.

In a creative project at work, you can take two steps forward and one step back (repeat) until you reach the point where you are satisfied.

In marketing, an email campaign could be 3-10 emails, an SEO-campaign could take 3-10 months…

But one final thing is also true:

There are tactics–paths worn by those who’ve gone ahead of you, and strategies, that help speed up the process significantly.

And when it comes to copywriting, I hold access to some of those secrets buried within the dusty pages of the copywriters of old, that I apply to client projects in today’s digital-AI-crazy era, so you can reach more people.

Want me to share some of those secrets with you?

Book a call with me, and let’s chat.

-Paul

When I asked a lawyer friend of mine for feedback on my writing, he told me:

“No one wants to buy estate planning services from Hunter Thompson.”

Now, I’ll let you interpret that however you wish.

The last thing I want to do is taint your viewpoint about what I personally thought was a profound insight that touches on the subjects of marketing, copywriting, and branding.

But the reason I bring this story up is not to dissect it for its content (although I may in the future), but to illustrate the point that it is important to build your own personal World of Bro, as I have been fortunate to have built with this particular friend, and a few other select friends…

Because, I trust this guy to give me the type of feedback that points out my weaknesses, so I can truly grow.

Not just with writing, but with women, fatherhood, all that…

And he’s usually pretty good at–not sugar-coating or masking–but coloring advice/ feedback/ wisdom with some comedy, to make it more palatable and easier to digest.

Friends like this are priceless, and worth finding, and worth sharing with others, as long as you are selective and do not “throw your pearls before swine” as it were.

And as far as me “sharing” my friends, principles, values, and rituals with others, certainly my World of Bro is not a closed system, it is open to all who enjoy abiding by its rules of conduct…

But even still, your World of Bro is likely to be much different from mine, and reflective of your own personal passions and quirks.

In fact, your own World of Bro is virtually inimitable.

When I look at mine, I see my own patterns, traits, and preferences are a hodgepodge of ambition-adhd-anxiety-joy (and that’s just a Tuesday afternoon), and what can I do but accept it and embrace it, try to tame it or harness it and channel it, and keep making progress and failing-forward, so to speak.

And also, very importantly: I must protect it.

Because it is what is going to keep me pudgy and consistent (the new buff n’ rich).

Not to say you and I won’t venn diagram at some point, or create a Galaxy of Bro from time to time, and hopefully we will…

But, if your own personal World of Bro gets threatened, either by me or by any other infidel, I recommend you cast me and he/ she/ it them or they into the fiery pit of eternal torment.

So you can continue on in peace.

And on the off chance you or someone you know is also seeking this type of peace, community, perspective, etc., just click the blue button below to subscribe.

-Paul

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Lessons Learned from TV Preachers

I remember as a kid watching faith healers and church pastors reach out toward the TV screen and ask my parents for money.

Which my parents did give.

And I think a lot of those TV preacher guys from the 80’s and 90’s have since been exposed as crooks, but one thing I liked about them was that they were always super positive, always talking about “expanding” and growth and all of that.

Turns out, a lot of those guys and gals were just looking to fatten their own pockets.

But I still think they had a good premise, they were still saying good stuff: that God loves you, wants you to succeed, and all of that.

And I don’t think every Christian broadcaster is evil (I don’t know any, to be honest), but even assuming evil intent, I don’t think wise words spoken with evil intent lose their truth or their magic.

In fact, the non-crook, non-crazies who believe that God loves them and has a plan for their life, actually turn out doing pretty well in life.

Take it a step further, and I don’t think you even have to believe in God per se, as long as you keep some humility and openness about you so you don’t stunt your own growth.

Remember that your life is like its own little universe, always aging, changing, always expanding outward…

Don’t forget the power you have when you harness your natural energy, and the power you have when you strategically align with business partners who understand your work and your vision.

Which leads me to my next point: don’t forget to reach out to me when you need help getting more leads for your business.

There are multiple ways we can partner up on sales pages, emails, campaigns, and projects.

Just shoot me an email at [email protected]

Last night I watched Mad Max: Fury Road for probably the 3rd or 4th time.

I’m a sucker for sci-fi and post-apocalyptic movies in general, but George Miller’s Mad Max movies really stand out because Miller builds worlds in his films that are distinctly unique.

Many of his characters have physical deformities, ailments, or other eccentricities.

His bald-headed, pale-skinned “war boys” have their own language (a dialect that refers to guns as “boomsticks” and flares as “sky blood”), and even cohesive religious beliefs and rituals about death and the afterlife (what they call “Valhalla”).

All very weird, yet all very “human” and relatable at the same time.

Which brings me to my next point: I”m a pretty weird dude, yet, here you are reading my email.

Presumably because we have enough common interests, similarities, worldview, etc.–the same kind of weird.

(If you want to get all “kamakrazee” on me and spray paint your mouth silver and shout “witness me!!!” as you sacrifice your life in battle a la war boy ritual, I will have to part ways with you, however.)

But branding and world-building is a powerful tool for connecting you more deeply with your audience.

When you use your weird to find other similar weirdos, it can create a bond over the long haul, which means repeated sales for your business. 

Understanding the proper language, dress, culture, mannerisms, backgrounds, likes and dislikes of your audience is not just helpful, but necessary if you want to develop a killer brand and returning clients and customers.

Sound interesting? Let me know your thoughts: [email protected]

In matters of love, I hold myself in pretty high esteem and confidence…

In marriage, sure I did ok, both times.

But the marriages did not last.

One might even say “failed.”

And the temptation–when hopes and efforts are abandoned–is to feel like a failure.

But I know I’m good at love, and that I’m a good man, and that I was a good husband…

So, what gives?

In studying copywriting and marketing, it’s easy to draw analogies between marriage and business because both are grounded in relationships and are made of the same elements of human emotion and psychology.

And the lesson in love is the same as in your business: people who love you or love your business are enamored, moved, and sold, by the way you benefit them.

It doesn’t matter if you’re a “good husband” or if you manufacture a new kind of dental floss that uses proprietary ionizing technology for a smoother glide. 

You have to be of good use!

The “good” husband must pay the rent or do something other than just carry the title; the new kind of floss must save me from painful cavities seeking to torment me for my sins of peanut butter cup gluttony…

What is your benefit to your consumer?

This is a common mistake many businesses and professionals make: they focus on the “features” of the product instead of how your products or skills benefit the customer.

This is the bird’s eye view of copywriting that every project needs to start with.

Just this simple perspective shift can really impact how well you turn website visitors into paying customers.

Need help sprucing up a sales page, website, or other marketing materials?

Just email me: [email protected]