Category: Promotion
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Three things about competition
It’s awards season. In between discussing who should’ve gotten what, it’s also a good time to consider the relationship between competitions and creative work. In many ways, it’s always awards season—30 under 30, weekly funding announcements, grants and fellowships, Olympics, etc: Competitions pay the bills Competitions take place because we value stories, drama, and craft.…
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Three things about Dan Runcie building Trapital
Dan Runcie has built something really special with Trapital. Chenell Basilio breaks down how he does it. Some notable points: Write what you want to live: “Dan didn’t start Trapital because he was the most experienced, knowledgeable, Hip-Hop insider. He became an most experienced, knowledgeable, Hip-Hop insider because he started Trapital.” (via Jay Clouse.) I’ve…
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Two product and content marketing prompts
What your customers should do after they buy your product These are particularly useful for new customers, as well as prospects who are really close to buying: How your team uses your own product These are a fun, engaging way to cover two important things your buyers will want to know—what it’s like to work…
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The 50 best 50 Cent quotes
During the commute to work, I find myself returning to the audiobook of 50 Cent’s Hustle Harder, Hustle Smarter. While he’s best known for his music and TV productions, 50 Cent’s quotes, opinions, and ideas have resonated with me more than I’d expected (like here and here). In this post, I’ve put together a list…
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Tell people what you want to do, and it just might happen
Tom Critchlow recently published his list of dream clients, and how he believed he could add value to them. (The post started as a thread, which itself was a response to this prompt.) It wouldn’t surprise me at all if some of these came to fruition. (In fact, I’m expecting that to happen.) Tom’s thoughtfulness,…
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To earn an opportunity, steer into the concerns
In Backable, Suneel Gupta recalls a time when he was seeking funding for his startup Rise. He’d recently met Reid Hoffman and sought his advice: When Rise was being rejected by investors, Hoffman shared one of the keys to his success in the pitch room. “There will be one to three issues that are potentially…
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If you do the thing, then you can keep the job title
When Busayo Olupona was just starting up her fashion label—many years before it was stocked at outlets like Saks Fifth Avenue and Nordstrom—she had quit her job and practically ran out of money. Many stories, sadly, end up that way; Busayo’s didn’t. She says her mentor Mercedes Gonzalez would hold her accountable for making a…
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Going direct buys you freedom
A friend of mine works professionally as a keynote speaker. He gets a lot of speaking clients from his agency. His mentor once asked him, “Who’s your boss, you or your agency?” As long as his agency provides him with the majority of his business, he would be working for them. Similarly, if an artist…
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Celebrate the occasion, the offer is an afterthought
Every year, near the first day of December, Aesop sends an email out to its millions of customers. Its subject line is something along the lines of, “A rare reduction,” “A gift from us,” or “A gesture of gratitude.” It looks something like this: Notice the virtues—thoughtfulness, generosity, rarity—all highlighted. The 15% reduction offer is…
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Out the trunk
In his memoir Lucky Me, Rich Paul shares a motto—a philosophy, an approach, a stance, etc.—that I really like, “Out the trunk.” Rich is a jersey connoisseur; in the early 2000s, he had spent thousands of dollars buying rare jerseys at Distant Replays. He eventually met owner Andy Hyman and offered to invest in Distant…