Read online Welcome to this week's issue of Unpacking Meaning. If you received this from a friend and enjoy it, subscribe here. "I don't like it. Can I get a refund?" The woman at the specialty coffee shop counter held her barely-touched pour-over with two fingers, as if it might contaminate her. The barista—a lanky guy with a meticulously trimmed beard and tattoos peeking from beneath his rolled sleeves—blinked twice. "Do you usually drink coffee?" he asked carefully. "Yes, of course," she...
1 day ago • 4 min read
Read online Welcome to this week's issue of Unpacking Meaning. If you received this from a friend and enjoy it, subscribe here. I'm writing this as I'm about to fly back from Edinburgh after attending Turing Fest 2025. Among many brilliant speakers discussing AI, one presentation particularly sparked my thinking: Sharon Zhou, PhD, Founder & CEO of Lamini (a developer platform focused on making AI not hallucinate). In her talk about fine-tuning AI models, Dr. Zhou showed how even AI agents can...
9 days ago • 2 min read
Read online Welcome to this week's issue of Unpacking Meaning. If you received this from a friend and enjoy it, subscribe here. You know what's funny about working with AI? The more human skill you bring to the interaction, the more "intelligent" the AI seems to become. There's this misconception that AI tools should just work magically with minimal effort. But the reality is quite different. Just like you wouldn't expect a new team member to deliver exceptional work without proper onboarding...
16 days ago • 3 min read
Read online Welcome to this week's issue of Unpacking Meaning. If you received this from a friend and enjoy it, subscribe here. When most people hear "CRO," they think about tweaking button colors, A/B testing headlines, or optimizing form fields—all with the singular goal of bumping up that conversion percentage. But this approach has always felt incomplete to me. It's like focusing on the destination without considering the journey. That's why at Conversion Alchemy, we're adopting a...
23 days ago • 3 min read
Read online Welcome to this week's issue of Unpacking Meaning. If you received this from a friend and enjoy it, subscribe here. I've been working with a client recently on validating and optimizing their existing website copy, and I stumbled upon something that's been hiding in plain sight all along. While most copywriters are busy studying competitors' websites and running surveys, there's an underutilized goldmine of insights sitting right under your nose: product team interviews and user...
30 days ago • 3 min read
Read online Welcome to this week's issue of Unpacking Meaning. If you received this from a friend and enjoy it, subscribe here. There's this false dichotomy that's creating unnecessary tension in the copywriting world right now. On one side, you've got the purists who are completely shunning AI. On the other, you've got people who think you can just throw a basic prompt at ChatGPT and get conversion-focused copy in return. The purists: These are the folks who pride themselves on being "100%...
about 1 month ago • 4 min read
Read online Welcome to this week's issue of Unpacking Meaning. If you received this from a friend and enjoy it, subscribe here. "Is AI going to replace copywriters?" It’s the question almost every host has been asking me lately. It's a fair question, but I think it misses the bigger picture of what's actually happening. I just saw something Steven Bartlett (The diary of a CEO) posted: The new "moats" are attention, community, and genuine connection – the things AI can't replicate. Fast tools...
about 2 months ago • 4 min read
Read online Welcome to this week's issue of Unpacking Meaning. If you received this from a friend and enjoy it, subscribe here. Why most SaaS messaging never takes off I've been reading Brandon Sanderson's Stormlight Archive series lately (we're talking 1000+ page epic fantasy books), and I'm completely hooked. I'm not typically a fiction reader, but after hearing him on Tim Ferriss's podcast, something clicked. During the interview, Sanderson shared an idea that immediately resonated with my...
about 2 months ago • 4 min read
Read online Welcome to this week's issue of Unpacking Meaning. If you received this from a friend and enjoy it, subscribe here. Why prospects aren't connecting with your solution I've been deep in the weeds with a client this week working on their value propositions—and noticed something fascinating that many businesses get wrong when crafting their messaging. Our value prop canvas, going from problem to copy When mapping out the conversation happening in their customers' heads, there's a...
2 months ago • 3 min read
Read online Welcome to this week's issue of Unpacking Meaning. If you received this from a friend and enjoy it, subscribe here. Are you working on an art project or building a commodity? A lot of SaaS companies struggle when it comes to finding that perfect balance between showcasing their unique vision and connecting with what the market actually needs. It’s something I see all the time with the founders and marketing teams I work with. There's this constant tension between two approaches to...
2 months ago • 4 min read