A version of this story appeared in Total Annarchy, my fortnightly newsletter that helps you be a better writer, storyteller, marketer. Get it in your inbox; you’ll love it.   Where to Do Your Best Work Yesterday, I disturbed the spider ecosystem thriving on Tiny Porch (TP), the official name of the screened porch of my […]

A version of this story appeared in Total Annarchy, my fortnightly newsletter that helps you be a better writer, storyteller, marketer. Get it in your inbox; you’ll love it. * * * This is a story about the best Call To Action (CTA), and why it works so well. In my two decades of marketing experience, […]

A version of this story appeared in Total Annarchy, my fortnightly newsletter that helps you be a better writer, storyteller, marketer. Get it in your inbox; you’ll love it. * * * This summer, millions of new college grads are vaulting into adulthood and trying to stick the landing on a mat slippery with uncertainty. […]

A version of this story appeared in Total Annarchy, my fortnightly newsletter that helps you be a better writer, storyteller, marketer. Get it in your inbox; you’ll love it. * * * If the outrage and events of the past weeks have taught us anything, it’s the importance of sharpening your voice. Not just sharing […]

A version of this story appeared in Total Annarchy, my fortnightly newsletter that helps you be a better writer, storyteller, marketer. Get it in your inbox; you’ll love it. * * * “Hello… My name is David.” That’s the start of a confirmation email that landed in my inbox recently. Not surprising, really: I’ve been […]

A version of this story appeared in Total Annarchy, my fortnightly newsletter that helps you be a better writer, storyteller, marketer. Get it in your inbox; you’ll love it. Consider this a reminder: There is no right way to Covid. * * * I was out on my daily forced family walk around the neighborhood […]

A version of this story appeared in Total Annarchy, my fortnightly newsletter that helps you be a better writer, storyteller, marketer. Get it in your inbox; you’ll love it. Recently, I gave a mini writing workshop for a MarketingProfs client. The workshop (“How to Write Your Face Off”) was online, which meant the 30 or so […]

 There are two truths I’ve realized about the Coronavirus pandemic: Everyone feels they are dramatically, uniquely affected. Everyone is right. Every one of us is affected. No one knows exactly how much. There is a relentless, invisible virus among us, and there is also a weird anxiety in the air. Like one minute I’m in […]

  A global pandemic is a great time to launch an email newsletter. Why? Because a crisis is not a time for Marketing to be clever or snarky. It’s a time to be helpful and sincere. It’s a time to build relationships, nurture customers, and create long-term loyalty. There’s no better way to do that […]

A version of this story appeared in Total Annarchy, my fortnightly newsletter that helps you be a better writer, storyteller, marketer. Get it in your inbox; you’ll love it. I’m in a meeting in a Dallas, Texas, hotel. The drinks station at the back of the room has a few fun retro bottles of Dr […]

  Author, YouTuber, VidCon-co-creator Hank Green distills the 8 things he wishes he knew when he was writing his first novel. There are lots of gems in his 4-minute video that apply beyond fiction-writing. Here are the 6 that apply best to any writer: You have to care about whatever you’re writing about. “I had […]

In 1955, Dorcas Reilly invented Thanksgiving Green Bean Casserole. Dorcas worked in the test kitchen at Campbell’s Soup, where she wrote the recipe in response to a question from the Associated Press: What’s a good Thanksgiving side dish that uses ingredients found in most American kitchens? The dish she invented went viral. Millions of Americans […]