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Talking Shrimp

Talking Shrimp

copywriting. jumbo style.

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blogs and blogging

Blog post vs. email — the death match

19 Comments

What should go in my emails and what should go on the blog? Can they overlap? Should they be the same, or different? I struggled with this one for a long time. Here’s what I used to do:

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blogs and blogging, business, content marketing, copywriting, email marketing, marketing, writing

Afraid to repeat yourself? Take a tip from every dumb ’80s sitcom.

26 Comments

“Did I ever tell you about my crush at Camp Well-Met? Her name was Laura Mills…” “We know.” “Have I ever told you about Grandpa refusing to take illegal kickbacks in his lumber business during World War Two?” “We know.” “Have I ever told you about my time-efficiency study for Eastern Airlines? It saved the […]

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blogs and blogging, business, copywriting, creativity, TV, writing

Enough with the V-word!

12 Comments

“Add value.” “Deliver value.” “Provide massive value.” It’s not a new word, this “value.” But if you’re new to the online marketing space (AKA “The Space”) you might be newly inundated with it. ‘Round these parts, they use it out the ying-yang. “If you want people to buy from you, get known for delivering tons of […]

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blogs and blogging, business, entrepre-nerd-ville, favorites, language, rants

Yes, it’s raining, humans are weird, and you can make a living telling us what we already know.

10 Comments

The other day, I was on my walk (fyi – when I say “a walk” it means just a putter around the neighborhood where I might stop into a clothing store and try on a top; when I say ​”my​ walk” it means a long one that counts as my workout for the day. A walk that must happen. Podcasts […]

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blogs and blogging, business, copywriting, creativity, work, writing

I Can Do Happy.

31 Comments

Yesterday’s blog post sucked. I knew it while I was writing it. I’d had nothing to write, a state which I’ve promised won’t stop me from writing. “No time to write today” is legit; “Nothing to write today” is not. Why? Because sometimes when I’m thinking,  I’ve used up all the thoughts and ideas I’ll ever have, […]

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blogs and blogging, random personal, writing

How to know if your idea is a winner or a dud

9 Comments

I keep a stash of images to post on Instagram. Sometimes, I get low on supply and say, f- it. I’ll use this dumb picture I keep passing over because it’s meh. To me, it’s the peanuts and filberts at the bottom of the nut mix when all the cashews are gone. It’s the unflattering, […]

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blogs and blogging, business, copywriting, creativity

20 Steps To Never Finding Your Passion

123 Comments

Do you suffer from FYPPS? Ever since I stepped into this online business world in 2009, I’ve noticed a pattern I found sad. I call it the “Find Your Passion Pyramid Scheme.” Or, FYPPS, pronounced “fips.” No one’s designed it as a scheme. There’s no Bernie Madoff behind it. What makes it run? Human nature. […]

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blogs and blogging, business

How to be concise in your writing. (Because “Sorry for rambling” is BS.)

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“How can I be more concise in my writing?” Everyone asks that. Usually, the first key to being more concise is…making an effort to be concise. Most people don’t try. They just decide, “I’m not a concise person.” That’s like deciding you’re a late person. Decide not to be. Look — ???? ???? ☢️ When someone […]

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blogs and blogging, copywriting, writing

How to type new copy into any website (and freak out your friends)

36 Comments

 Ever wish you could: Edit the existing copy on your website…without messing up the existing copy on your website? Change the tagline on one of the Internet’s most visited websites? Just for kicks? Get a more constructive, healthy hobby? Kidding. If you’re writing web copy – your own or anyone else’s – nothing could be smarter and more constructive […]

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blogs and blogging, business, copywriting, internet, writing

How not to write like a 90s business robot that had a baby with a college professor

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Fact: Good copywriting is always conversational copywriting. So, the first test of good copy is: Does it sound like something you’d say to a friend? Here’s the deal — most people still confuse “professional” with “formal and corporate.” Truth is, conversational is the new professional. Stiff and stodgy feels as dated as a smooth jazz cover of […]

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blogs and blogging, business, copywriting, language

Why I got fired, the sauerkruat smell, and how to be un-fire-able

3 Comments

If it’s 8am, I’m still sleeping. Go away. 9am? Still sleeping. Maybe even at 10. I’m not proud that I sleep so late, but I’m proud that I can. I’ve built a profitable business that lets me be the Queen of Snooze that I am. (So can you. More on that down the page.) Fun […]

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b-school, blogs and blogging, business, work

How to be famous

12 Comments

Last year, I attended a fantastic event in Florida called Heroic Public Speaking Live. Or, as I now call it, “HPS Live.” That’s insider lingo. At 8:25am on the first day, I met a woman named Brenda Barbosa. She’d lined up right behind me to register, in the “last names A-D” line. Brenda knew that […]

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blogs and blogging, business, copywriting, writing

Writing resolutions I want to start right now

20 Comments

Writing resolutions I want to start right now: Write every day. Write shorter copy. Write shorter sentences. Trim the fat, even if I’m in love with the fat. I meant that figuratively, but I do love fat. I’ve fork-stabbed my own husband over a piece of chicken skin. Stop using so many parentheses (though I might […]

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blogs and blogging, copywriting, writing

Don’t let this happen to your ideas.

20 Comments

I found two plastic bags of moldy muffin scraps in my tote this morning. They taught me an important lesson about creativity. (OK, that’s a major stretch, but why not make old bread products a teachable moment? Plus, let’s face it, everyone’s “lessons” on the internet are pushing it.) Here’s the backstory: I can’t snack these days. […]

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blogs and blogging, business, creativity, food, New York City, random personal

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