Seth Godin, “Overwriting“
Overwriting has a long tradition, particularly among academics. Make it a bit more complex and wordy than it needs to be. Write run-on sentences. Apparently, complicated writing must be more true.
And yet, the articles and books that stand the test of time are straightforward. They’re memorable. They can be understood by the reader you seek to serve.
Domenica D’Ottavio, “The Personality Traits of Top Marketing Leaders“
Barry Schwartz, “Google: Keep Your Site Up to Date“
Scott McLeod, “How to Use Landing Pages to Test New Business or Product Ideas“
When it comes to writing landing page copy, I recommend that you:
Address the problem, and propose a solution
Use strong, positive headlines
Emphasize benefits over features
Keep it concise; landing pages should be scannable
Include a clear call to action
Successful copywriting is rooted in a solid understanding of who the customer is: how they think, feel, and act; what drives them to make purchasing decisions.
Avinash Kaushik, “Responses to Negative Data: Four Senior Leadership Archetypes“
Short-term, this let’s not listen to the negative data strategy sometimes actually works. No one is telling the Emperor he is naked, and the Emperor is delighted everyone loves his clothes so much.
Long-term…. : (
Peep Laja, “8 Ways to Grab Attention (and Hold Onto It)“
“Emotion drives attention which drives learning,” noted Robert Sylwester in A Celebration of Neurons. You can reinforce most messages with an emotional image and emotional copy.
Menzie Chinn, “Recession Anxiety, June 2019“
Kristen Shipley, “Precision Targeting for ROI“
Xfinity Mobile had a seemingly simple idea: give potential customers sticker shock by showing them how much their data actually costs them…
The approach paid off for Xfinity Mobile. The brand experienced a 113% lift in brand interest, 3X increase in search, and has gained thousands of new customers since the campaign launched. The campaign went on to win the YouTube Works Grand Prix and Best Media Work awards and Cannes Lions awards. We spoke to the people behind “Data In Dollars” to see how they used data as the creative foundation for the campaign.
Zachary Crockett, “The Restaurant Owner Who Asked For 1-Star Yelp Reviews“
“I’m the only person who beat them at their own game,” he says. “I left a black mark on that company. I trolled them. I humiliated them. And now, they avoid me like the plague.”
Yelp says that Cerretini is giving himself too much credit. Botto Bistro is an atomic particle in an ecosystem that contains 185m reviews. A member of the company called the act of defiance a publicity stunt that had a negligible impact on the platform’s operations.
But the chef still enjoys immunity: On occasion, he’ll screw around by changing his listed business hours, or renaming Botto Bistro “The Worst Chinese Food in the World.”
“Most people are not ready to stop caring about reviews — it’s a big risk,” he says. “But I’d rather sit alone in my restaurant then get business from Yelpers.”
Jackson Ryan, “Pokemon Sleep is Pokemon Go But For Bedtime“
We’re pleased to announce the development of Pokémon Sleep, a new app from @Pokemon_cojp that tracks a user’s time sleeping and brings a gameplay experience unlike any other!
— Pokémon (@Pokemon) May 29, 2019
Several Snorlax were consulted on this, in case you were wondering. #PokemonSleep is coming in 2020. pic.twitter.com/nJ7mJY09Dl