The fastest, easiest, most-effective way to write attention-grabbing headlines…

…is to not write them at all.

Here’s a quick copywriting hack I’ve been using more and more.

This also works when trying to determine a good subject line for your emails.

Just start writing.

Go for long-form copy.

Have you ever heard that quote from Mark Twain?

“I apologize for such a long letter – I didn’t have time to write a short one.”

Longer form copy is actually much easier to write.

So go for that.

And then when you’re done, look towards the middle and bottom of your copy.

I guarantee at LEAST ONE great hideline is hiding there.

In the newspaper business, they call this, ‘burying the lead’

Newspapers, like copy, want to start with a strong lead/headline.

Your headline is there. It’s just buried. So extract it from your copy and place it at the top of your body copy or in the headline space of your ad.

You can still leave it where it is in the copy if you like!

It’s totally fine to be repititive, all copy simple repeats benefits throughout.

Even if you keep saying the same thing over and over, it reinforces the benefits of what you’re saying.

Don’t worry about being redundant, I’ve seen copy where the same benefit is repeated in every single paragraph over and over, just written in different ways.

Catch my drift?

The gold of your copy starts to emerge as you get into a flow.

Look there for your headline, you’ve already written it.

My Definition of True Success

Last December marked the 1 year anniversary of going full-time into digital marketing as a freelancer.

Since then, the past 12 months have felt like I’ve lived 3 lifetimes already.

I thought I knew what to expect and in a lot of ways, it’s a very similar experience and journey as when I started King of Pops in Richmond back in 2012.

Lots of questions from people as to why I was leaving, what I would be doing, etc.

And then thinking, “well I’ve been down this path before, this will be easy the second go-around”

Well, let’s just say it hasn’t been easy.

I made a couple videos around this theme as well:

Nothing is easy when you’re starting from scratch. And even with amazing friends and family supporting me, carving a new path in life is alwasy difficult.

But the challenges have been the best part of it. I’ve grown tremendously this past year, more than I thought possible.

I thought I had done all my growth during the King of Pops era, where I had lots of ups and downs, before settling in to a consistent business where I no longer worried for future cash flow.

These struggles now have been similar but also much more deep.

There was a time when I thought I could never start over. “How can I start from the beginning again when I know so well what that’s like?”

Yet, a year ago, there I was. Starting over again into an unknown path and future.

This go-around has been plagued with far more self-doubt than I ever would have thought.

Afterall, I’ve already taken a massive risk once and succeeded.

“Who am I to think I could make this work? Maybe I just got lucky before, and I’m actually not as good as I think.”

And I can’t help the thoughts that creep in, “Why do I do this to myself AGAIN?! Maybe I should get a full-time job, the thought of a steady paycheck would be so comfortable.”

There was a time I remember vividly when we had gotten burgarlized 3 times in a month back in 2013, and I was sitting on the sidewalk feeling hopeless.

I decided that day to build something that’s indestructible, something that could never be destroyed or stolen.

I soon realized that that unbreakable thing was my mind. My knowledge, experience, and outlook in the world that can never be taken from me.

Since then, I’ve continued to focus on my self-growth, to become the best version of myself that I can be. The type of person that my younger self would be immensely proud of

It’s that path, more than the entrenpeneurial path, that’s been the most rewarding.

Because at the end of the day, when you’re alone with just your thoughts, how you feel about yourself is the only thing that matters.

Your bank account isn’t there to comfort you, nor your possessions, and not even your supportive friends and family.

All there is is you.

I work for that moment.

I yearn for that moment.

And when I’m there, I feel at peace. I feel happy. I feel loved.

I’m not perfect but I think I’m close.

Having these moments of peace is the greatest success I could ever hope for.

What IS a business?!

A thought occurred to me…

What is a business, and how do you know when you have one?

Back story….

I heard Eckhart Tolle (author of The Power of Now) say something to the effect of: “What is a room? Is it 4 walls, a floor, and a ceiling? No, you look at a wall, and it’s just a wall. A floor and ceiling isn’t a room either.

When you put them together, how do you know you have a room, and not a large box, a prison cell, or something else? Is it when you add furniture? No, because a couch is a couch, it’s not a room. These are all things that point to what a room is, but none of them is the actual room.”*

*Definitely paraphrasing here

If you’ve never read any Eckhart Tolle or heard him speak, make it happen.

So back to the story. My understanding of what Mr. Tolle says about the room is that what makes a room is the possibility of what a room could be. So it’s the memories and events that occurred there, and the events that could happen in the future, and the emotions tied around all those things. That makes up a room more than anything it’s composed.

So a room is actually more real in our minds than it is in the physical world because of the possibilities of what it could be, which is what a room really is and not of the things that comprise it physically.

Is your business your LLC, operating agreement, or business bank account. Is it your client list? I don’t think it’s any of that.

I think it’s like the room; a business is the possibilities of the things you could create, the impact you can have on your life and others’ lives, the change you could lead, the people you can inspire, the lifestyle you create for yourself and your family, plus the roller coaster of emotions, desire, drive, and all kinds of positive qualities that help create and maintain a business.

Imagine hearing someone talk about their business without mentioning any of those things above. Is that a business worth having? Is that a business that’s going to succeed?

When you create a business of possibility, how can you NOT succeed? People believe in possibility. People want to see possibility take form in reality, whether that be your employees, suppliers, friends, network etc.