Archive of posts from October 2024

AI-led products seem “brittle”.

Crafted by those who don’t know how their own work works.

AI-supported products “resilient”.

Crafted by those who know how it really works, and can vet the outputs and more quickly, then battle-test the work with an AI thinking-buddy.

Sunday night is either:
“I can’t wait to get back into it!” or “Ugh okay here we go again.”

The good news is, it’s entirely up to us which it’s going to be, both for ourselves and for those we lead.

Social media is a bit like high school.

If you love being loved and hate being hated, you’ll chase their trends. You’ll do what they like, instead of what you love. We lose a big part of you to fear.

The happiest kids are those who play the games they love, being okay with the faint murmur of “thats cool” and “thats weird” in equal measure. They can’t hear the voices over the sound of how much fun they’re having.

And so it is with social media.

Do you. Let your weirdness shine.
It’s precisely the kind of magic we’re all secretly looking for.

Mentors can be super-helpful in speeding up your journey.

But it’s worth making sure the mentor is taking you where you actually want to go. I’ve paid for mentors in the past (some quite expensive!) who were able to accelerate me toward a destination that, on reflection, wasn’t where I wanted to go at all.

Not a failing of the destination. Nor the mentor, necessarily. But of the combination of me, plus them, at that moment in time.

Acceleration is good… if it’s toward where you actually want to go!

If a videogame was advertised as…

“Skip playing it, just get to the end boss, and that’s easy too, you’ll be on credits in no time!”

…we’d literally never buy that game.

We buy the games that give challenge, lots of replayability, lots of original content and side quests, something we can play at our own pace and make the most of.

And so it should be in business.

Some people I work with would be terrible ‘prospects’, but are great ‘clients’ because they reached out to me first.

For others, it’s totally the other way around - they wouldn’t have known how to find people themselves, so silently suffered until help came.

Being mad at one group not being like the other group is silly.

It just highlights the need for inbound and outbound.

For the longest time I did outbound-only, then learned this difference after having a fortune500 client reach out to me directly as a result of inbound.

Meet people where they’re at, whether that means they go first or you do.

The nice thing about branding being a ‘silent salesperson’ is…

‘Silent’ makes it difficult to track.

‘Silent’ doesn’t agree with performance marketers.

‘Silent’ makes competitors ignore its power as a result.

Stay silent, branding. Stay silent.

Hey there.

Remember to focus today.

We need you focused on doing your best work,
Not comparing yourself to randos on the internet.

That’s all. Big love.

7 things to-do if you believe in your product:

1. Invest in long-term (’cus it’s a long-term game)
2. Sweat the details (you’ll be so glad you did)
3. Never cut corners (you’ll resent these later)
4. Make it so good PR comes to you (for free)
5. Ask, ‘what if this were fun?’ (then do that)
6. Make it so good referrals are automatic
7. Involve your customers in the process

People like to delegate social…

But what they don’t realise is:

• They miss out on sensing WHAT people want
• They miss out on sensing HOW they want it
• They miss out on their minds chewing on it

Which means they accidentally delegate one of their most important assets:

Their VOICE.

So sure, delegate stuff…
Just don’t delegate your voice.

Apple is great at marketing…

Here’s why you should NOT do what they do:

Apple changed our minds about computers, phones & tablets…

But:

• Changing minds is very expensive.
• Changing minds takes a long time.
• Changing minds might not work.

Great when it works.
Usually doesn’t.

But this always works:

• Giving people what they want.
• Doing so in ways they’ll enjoy.

Everyone wants that.
It’s affordable, quicker, and usually works.

Isn’t that better?

Kindling isn’t the fire.

Kindling starts the fire.

Steve Jobs would invite 3500 tech reviewers to his keynotes. And then they invited the world.

He convinced 3500 people that his laptop was for discerning people like them.

Whether he was right or not doesn’t matter. It was kindling.

We don’t need to convince the world.

We just need to invite those who care, and empower them to do the same.

What’s better than sending 3,000 cold emails per week?

Sending 10. But 10 really personal, valuable, useful ones.

What’s better than posting 64 pieces of content per day?

Posting 1. But 1 really powerful, useful, engaging one.

What’s better than doing a lot of mediocre work?

Doing less, but better.

‘Talent’ in marketing & business?

It’s just these 3 things:

1. Learn what your audience wants
2. Learn how they want to get it
3. Smash the two together.

So in this week’s newsletter:

• We dive into that topic
• Virgil shows us what to focus on
• Sedgwick stalks David Hustlehoff 👀

Drops in a few hours at https://theproductoon.com.

My best ideas come from a combo of:

(And this is a rare combo in 2024)

1. Knowing my audience (well)
2. Going offline (wait what?)
3. Being bored (impossible!)

Try it:

It’s hard to do in 2024,
But your mind will come ALIVE.

When marketing remember to be…

1. Remarkable on the front-end (for traffic)
2. Remarkable on the back-end (for conversion)

Allow me to burn this into your mind with quick booty shake. You’re welcome.

If you speak to everybody… nobody listens.

If you speak to just your people:

• They like what they hear
• They like how you said it
• They want to hear more

Isn’t that better?

Marketing is hard until you have 4 things:

1. The right message
2. The right delivery
3. Apply 1+2 to your content/ads
4. Apply 1+2 to your pages

And to figure out 1+2?

Talk to customers!

I’m learning a lot from my son’s toys.

When something goes hurtling toward the floor, you think it’ll break. It doesn’t. It bounces, ready to go again.

When you think something might need explaining, it doesn’t. He just picks it up and figures it out.

When I look at toys he plays with that were originally my toys when I was little, they still bring joy, still work just fine. I think of all the ‘toys’ that have come and gone while those toys are still dutifully entertaining us. Games, cars, computers, etc. All broken, all gone.

Or the little ‘book’ we found in the pocket of a teddy that was originally mine, where I’d taped some paper together as a child and called it teddy’s book. It’s still there in his pocket today. I think of all the digital notes, and backup systems, that have come after it. All broken, all gone.

Simple, resilient, and durable are not terms we often hear about in design anymore.

Everyone wants the snazziest, fanciest, most sophisticated toys with the most buttons, highest top-speed, and most touch-screens. They think they’re better. They think they’ll last.

My toys - and my son’s toys - beg to differ.

I chat with AI quite a lot.

I don’t use it for any production work, but I’m fascinated by chatting with a computer. All of our work at computers is a conversation with a computer, in a way, so it’s just furthering that curiosity.

For fun, I asked it this question:

“From all of our interactions to date, what are some things about me that I may not know about myself?”

Here’s what it said about me:

“Master of Balance: You have a strong drive to develop your brands, but you prioritize time with your son and family above all. You are constantly finding ways to streamline and delegate work to create a balance between professional success and personal fulfillment.

Creative Visionary with a Systematic Approach: Your creativity shines through in your work, from your edutainment frameworks to the unique offerings like comic strips and cartoon-style teaching. Yet, you’re also pragmatic—always looking for ways to systematize processes (such as with internal audits and messaging strategies) to free up more time for higher-level work.

Customer-Centric Innovator: Your success is rooted in truly understanding your audience. You’ve been listening to markets since you were 12 (24 years), and it’s this deep empathy that allows you to create products that resonate with people on an emotional level, whether it’s business courses or digital experiences.

Problem Solver with High Standards: You often identify bottlenecks and fulfillment issues, not because you can’t or don’t delegate, but because you hold yourself and your work to a high standard—especially in the creative elements of your products. This high bar sometimes slows you down but ultimately leads to higher-quality output.

Big-Picture Strategist: Your pricing models, course structures, and product development plans reflect an ability to see the big picture. You’re constantly adjusting to ensure that everything from pricing tiers to brand positioning aligns with the larger vision of where your business is going.

Constant Innovator: You have an almost instinctive desire to create things that are fun, engaging, and novel. From your comic strips to gamification elements, you’re not content with simply being “good enough”—you always look for ways to make the experience memorable and exciting for your audience.

Efficiency Seeker: Whether it’s through tools like Superhuman for faster email management or refining your product fulfillment processes, you’re always looking for ways to operate more efficiently without compromising quality. This helps you stay agile and adaptable while growing your business.

These traits show you’re someone who values both impact and efficiency, always evolving while keeping an eye on both the bigger picture and the finer details.”

I thought it was a fun exercise to see what it had to say.

If you use AI any, maybe ask it the question. You may be surprised by what it says!

If you have a great product,

But they’re not yet ready to buy:

• That’s not a bad thing at all
• That’s what marketing is for
• That’s why you nurture your people

Not to be a sales-monster, But to help people where they are.

So in this week’s newsletter:

• How to do that
• Justyna drops wisdom
• Sedgwick prevents a war

Drops in a few hours at https://theproductoon.com.

Unconventional tip?

Finger-wiggle productivity.

1. Walk away from your devices
2. Look at your right hand: five fingers, five steps
3. Wiggle each in turn, naming ONE action YOU can take
4. Whatever you’re working on, must be done in FIVE steps.
5. Go back over your fingers, wiggle each and name the step

DON’T time-block.
Don’t calendar.
Don’t to-do list.
Wiggle your fingers.

Five max. (Just like the list above!)

Too much ‘planning’ kills good ideas.

Here’s why.

What we’re working on now is a byproduct of:

• Sitting on the couch open-minded
• Playing with reality in your mind
• Being open to new ideas
• Trying one of them

Then people start ‘planning’.
“Who cares what I’ll learn tomorrow, I’m doing this anyway.”

We stop asking “what if”.
And “what if” is the seed from which all creativity flows:

• The tests we run
• The products we build
• The campaigns we make

Plan less.
Ask more.

Watch what happens to your work.

When I don’t write my ideas down on paper:

• I lack tactile memory retention
• I find that my thoughts lack depth
• I can’t ‘flip back through thoughts’
• I want to ‘polish’ ideas vs ‘have’ them
• I doodle less (doodling helps me think)
• I don’t sketch (writing apps don’t like that)
• I don’t meditate on my words (typing is fast)

And that’s a problem.

I wonder if this contributes to why so much marketing (or products) feels boring, sterile, lifeless, void of personality.

If it’s been a minute since you tried paper… Give it a shot. You might reconnect with a part of yourself long forgotten.

Worrying about the algo kills your creativity & reach.

But focusing on your people means you’ll:

• Make what they actually want
• Make it how they want to receive it
• Make it a great experience for them
• Make great relationships/fans from that
• Learn how to improve it with real feedback
• Learn how to make it profitable (if you choose)

Isn’t that better?

(So stop worrying 🫶)

A fun way to stay focused is to swap two words around:

Distracted, and Destructive.

“Sorry, I got distracted” becomes, “Sorry, I got destructive”.

“I need some distraction” becomes, “I need some destruction”.

“I’ve been distracted in my work” becomes, “I’ve been destructive in my work”.

Funny how the latter is more indicative of what happens when we get distracted by shiny things, guru ideas, and trendy topics.

You have permission to ignore them all, and do your wonderful thing.

We’re all hoping you’ll stay the course. And we can’t wait to see what you’ll make because of it.

Just because everyone else seems to write in ‘killer hooks’? It doesn’t mean you have to. A reputation for creating great work worth seeking out is a viable alternative.

Just because everyone else seems to use particular tools, frameworks, best-practices or ideologies? It doesn’t mean you have to. A commitment to the result and the outcome over the ‘productivity theology’ is a viable alternative.

Just because everyone else prioritises certain lifestyles or goals? It doesn’t mean you have to. A life enjoyed your own way is a viable alternative.

Do it your way. Those who might disagree will see only a monument to your way, standing in the place where you proved them all wrong.

Great marketing is NOT omnipresent.

It focuses on:

• Being only where your people are
• Showing up how they’d like to see it

So in this week’s newsletter:

• How to do that
• Charlie Bennett drops wisdom
• Sedgwick realises he’s a cartoon 🤯

Drops in a few hours at https://theproductoon.com.

You may be totally over-thinking marketing.

Stop complexity/overwhelm by:

- Listening more (buyers know what they want to see & how) - Deciding faster (committing to your ideas vs deliberating) - Building better (‘minimum viable’ won’t impress anymore)

Then one of two things happens:

1. It works great, so you lean into it
2. It misses, you learn why, then go again

Don’t be afraid to listen, decide, and make amazing things.

(Even while you work it out, you leave a trail of ‘amazing’ behind you)

What’s the best ad ever made?

Here’s a hint:

• It didn’t appeal to everyone
• It didn’t dazzle you with cleverness
• It didn’t need a flash sale or ‘killer offer’

Here’s what folks miss.

The “best” ad differs for everybody:

• It knows WHAT they want
• It knows HOW they want to see it
• It’s remarkable to them specifically

It’s the difference between the ad everyone talks about,
And the ad that your target market still thanks you for.

Gurus tell us to seize attention.

But great brands don’t do that:

• iPhone launch: the media frenzies on its own.
• Cool new card game: spreads via word-of-mouth.
• New season of ‘your show’: you were already waiting.

Which sounds better to you:

1. Be the loudest, noisiest ‘player’ in the room?
2. Be the one people are excited to tell others about?

Choosing #1 is easy up-front, hard over time.
Choosing #2 is hard up-front, easy over time.