Eeeewwwwww. A word of warning: Don't read this copywriting lesson if you're eating. Or just finished eating. But if you aren't, let me tell you a story... ... about a brilliant professor who discovered that every word you say or type has a different flavor: This professor was waiting at the front of the class for everyone to arrive. After they did... ... he pulled a bag of cookies out of his bag... ... brought them towards the desks where all the students were seated, and gestured for everyone to take a cookie. Everyone reached in the bag. Grabbed a cookie. Some of them two. And they started munching away. "How do the cookies taste?" the professor asked. And some replied that they weren't bad, others said that the cookies tasted good, yet others said that the flavor was a bit off but it was still passable, and on and on it went. Until finally: When everyone had given their opinion... ... the professor held the bag up... ... turned it around so people could see the label... ... and on the front of the bag it said: "Dog Biscuits" - - - - The students were shocked. Some of them went green in the face. Others started retching like crazy. And a lot of them held their hands to their mouths, and started rushing out of the classroom and towards the washroom. After which, the professor said with a laugh: "Congratulations! You now know that the mouth does not just eat food. It eats words as well!" Now: I have no clue whether that professor was just pulling stuff out of his butt and trolling them. Or whether he really fed them dog food. But... ... fact of the matter is... ... the words you use in your content, copy, or whatever else you use them for, really have 'flavors'. Flavors that can either make people barf, or make people binge. But the sickest thing? Most people are constantly using words that make you puke. Especially, AI-generated words, because AI can't tell the difference between a hot pizza fresh out of the oven and a dog biscuit straight out of the pet store.

"Do you know how hard I work to make money?" That's the refrane. And it's bullshit. Groaning and lamenting about how hard they work to earn their small stack of loot. "Today, it's really tough to bring home the bacon." _ _ _ What's your reply to that? Well, MONEY isn't hard to make... in fact, it's quite easy! You've been doing it for a very long time... it's just that... You're terrible at creating real value for people. _ _ _ Money wasn't always on paper... in fact, today, it's basically 1's and 0's. Way back when, It used to be sea shells, and rocks, and shiny pebbles, and eventually they started trading goats, and sheep, and even lads and ladies, to get whatever they wanted to buy in a hurry. But the commonality? "Money was designed to be.... an exchange of value!" That's it. Genius, really. _ _ _ Meaning? Making money is easy... if you know how to create value. If it's hard for you, that just means you're not adept at creating value for others. Don't get down. This is habit (and a mindset) that you can break. We're all indoctrinated by the traditional education system to believe the myth that the only way to create value for society is to work hard for your boss, first to work, last to leave, and accept your 2-week vacation (or for you freelancers) your weekend as your life.a THE SHIFT... comes when you figure out HOW to create loads of value for lots of people, preferably people who create lots of value too so they have lots of cash to spend with you... THEN ... it really doesn't matter whether you do it onsite or from home... ... online or offline... ... or how much or how little time or effort it takes you... ... you can simply 'print your own money' on demand! The faster and easier you can deliver VALUE, the more green pieces of paper you get to print. _ _ _ SO ASK YOURSELF? What do I pay for? What do others want? How can I put myself in between them and what they want? Can it be done faster? More easily? With better results? TRY THIS:

Why didn't any of you (or I) invent this for a 32-team tournament?

Whether you're a freelancer or an agency, if you need cash now, the fastest way to make that happen is to send a note (or better yet), make a call to an existing or past client. They know you best and often have a project or two that could easily go your way. You just might not be as top of mind as you once were. Also, frustratingly so, many clients ONLY know you as the one to handle ONE type of marketing or design problem.... you're the "catalog guy", the technical writer, the "web guy", social gal, always-makes-me-laugh comic. They don't (or didn't care to know) that your capabilities are far greater than what you've shown. So contact them. Not out of desperation (even if you are 😳), simply to reconnect. They already trust you — you don't need to re-earn that — here are a couple of conversation starters: ""Hey, it's been a while since our last project, and I wanted to see how things have been going. I was thinking about you this morning (true) and wondered what you've been working on." or "I realized it's been far too long since we last talked. I wanted to check in, see how business is going, and let you know I'm still here if you need another set of eyes on a project." or "We've worked together on catalogs (or websites, packaging, social, etc.) over the years, but I also wanted to mention that I've expanded what I'm helping clients with. If there's ever a branding challenge, a marketing problem, or a project that's sitting on the back burner, I'd love to help." or "Is there anything on your marketing wish list that keeps getting pushed to 'next quarter'? Sometimes those are the projects I can help get across the finish line." _ _ _ _ The point isn't to ask for work. It's to restart the conversation. Once you're back in their orbit, opportunities have a funny way of appearing... and paying. 💰💰💰

Here are a few examples of ads that stand out in unexpected ways. Don't confine yourself to the common... "you need eyeballs on your stuff." FIFA STORY OPEN TABLE Mall Banner