Read online Welcome to this week's issue of Unpacking Meaning. If you received this from a friend and enjoy it, subscribe here. Roll for persuasion I've started playing Dungeons & Dragons. Not something I ever expected to write, but here we are. For those unfamiliar, D&D is this tabletop roleplaying game where a group of people sit around telling stories, rolling dice, and pretending to be fantasy heroes. My girlfriend got me into it and convinced me to join her family's game night. Now I'm...
3 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. Why AI writes terrible copy (and how to fix it) Ever stared at AI-generated copy and thought "this is... technically correct but completely soulless"? Here's why: AI has access to literally everything ever written on the internet. That's both its superpower and its kryptonite. Without proper direction, it's like a kid in a candy store who ends up eating everything...
10 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. The best copy doesn't demand attention – it deserves it The champagne glasses clink softly against the backdrop of murmured conversations. Paris, 1917. You're wandering through a gallery opening, your shoes clicking against the polished wooden floors. The post-war art scene is alive tonight – women in dropped-waist dresses examine bold canvases, men in well-cut suits...
17 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. Can your copy be strategic AND clever? I came across a quote that sent me into a strategy-induced existential crisis (in a good way): "As you'll discover when you work on advertising problems, you often lose the selling idea in the act of trying to express it creatively. There is a continual push-pull between being on-strategy and being clever. Each wants to wrestle...
about 1 month 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. How to stop overthinking your copy I was watching legendary music producer Tom Lord-Alge work his craft, and something clicked. There he was, navigating a massive mixing console with thousands of controls, moving with perfect intuition. No hesitation. No second-guessing. Just flowing through complex adjustments until the sound in his head matched what was coming...
about 1 month 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. Stop answering questions, start solving problems I was listening to Marie Forleo interview Seth Godin when something fascinating happened. Marie asked what seemed like a standard question about morning routines - you know, the kind that usually gets those minute-by-minute "wake up at 5 AM, meditate for 20 minutes" responses. But Seth did something brilliant. Instead...
about 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. Would you like decision fatigue with that latte? Last week, I walked into my usual coffee spot - a cozy little place near my house. You know the type - minimalist but warm, smells like freshly ground beans and possibility. Like clockwork, the barista catches my eye, smiles, and before I can say anything: "The usual?" A quick nod, and five minutes later I'm settled in...
about 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. This research skill makes AI work smarter and copy write itself Let's talk about something that's been on my mind lately: having good taste. No, not the kind that helps you pick out a decent bottle of wine. Not even the one you need to write snappy headlines. I'm talking about developing a sense of taste for research – you know, that thing we marketers are supposed...
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. If your audience needs an instruction manual, you’ve already lost them Ever get totally thrown off by something that should be simple? Like trying to do laundry for example. The other day, trying to wash some darks turned into a small life lesson about communication—and why it’s so easy to lose your audience when you assume they know more than they do. I’ll admit...
2 months ago • 5 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. The copywriter’s theory of everything “Wow, you really did your research here!” My guest commented excited and (admittedly validated). I had just asked them a question that nobody brought up before on any of the podcasts they’d been on. I get that comment a lot after my podcast interviews. To which I should reply “Thank god, I’m a copywriter, I hope so!”. The...
2 months ago • 4 min read