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What would happen if marketers stopped thinking like marketers? And what if they became storytellers instead?

Imagine that … marketing copy would become so engrossing that you wouldn’t notice what happened around you—just as if you were reading a gripping thriller.

Discover the 5 types of stories that’ll help market your business …Read more »

For a moment, I appreciate the peacefulness.

Lying on the sofa for a mid-afternoon break, I hear a dove cooing. A car drives by at a distance. The bright sunlight lights up the room, and my pillow feels comfy.

Seconds later, I enter the hustle and bustle of an Istanbul market …Read more »

How are you coping, my friend?

We’re living in strange times where most of us have seen our world turned upside down and routines disrupted.

Collectively, we’re probably more worried than ever before.

We don’t know how long this is going to take, and whether life will ever feel normal again. We’re worried about our health, our loved ones, our finances, the future.

How do you cope with your worries?Read more »

I have an irreverent streak.

Just ask my Dad. He’ll tell you I’ve always done my own thing.

But even I have to admit … I’ve learned a lot from the original copywriters—the famous direct response writers, most of whom passed away a long time ago.

Want to know the most useful lessons of 5 legendary copywriters?
Read more »

Do you ever get tired of reading all the pretty, shiny advice? And watching the pictures of perfect people online?

Sometimes, I’d like to run away and become an old-fashioned hermit.

But that seems too easy. Let’s instead make the online world a little more human and more compassionate. Are you in?

Discover how to write like a human and let readers fall in love with your work …Read more »

Henrietta wonders …

Is there’s a secret trick to writing better?

She’s revising her blog post, and she’s pulling out her hair. She seems to have written a bunch of crappy paragraphs with only a couple of good sentences in between. Henrietta wonders whether great writers produce such crappy drafts, too. And what if she could ask Ernest Hemingway for advice?Read more »

May I tell you?

It upsets me a little. When people talk about creative writing, they refer to writing fiction, poetry, or a memoir. Somehow, writing for your business is thought to be devoid of creativity.

Why? Oh why? Read more »

In the last few years, it’s become my habit to write a personal review at the end of the year. And rather than ask myself what I’ve achieved, I like to consider what I’ve learned.

I’m less interested in achievements. Perhaps because I never quite achieve in a year what I planned. Or perhaps because achievements are so fleeting. Achievements are often the outward signs of success, and, for me, they’re rarely a real measure of personal success and happiness.

So, what have I learned this year?Read more »

Have you ever read a question that made you stop and think?

I’m not talking about the kind of questions where you quickly nod yes, and read on.

Nope, I’m talking about questions that make you curious but not in a clickbaity or gossipy way. I’m talking about questions that make you want to learn more, read more, think more. Perhaps a question that’s so fascinating you wonder whether a good answer even exists …Read more »

Howard sighs.

He’s reading his draft blog post, and wonders, why does his writing seem so dull? Is it because he’s writing about boring topics? Or is it his writing style?

Today’s writing technique is one of the easiest to make your sentences hop, skip, and dance, so nobody thinks you’re boring. And you might even put a smile on your reader’s face. Read more »