If anyone can make the artifacts of a brand in a trivial amount of time, what distinguishes the ones that last from the ones that fade as quickly as they’re made?

A tweak on a question asked by Manton Reece.


What do you mean when you say “search”?

  • News / current events
  • Information
  • Entertainment
  • Local
  • Shopping

These are all different intents.

Google used to be the destination for all search types. Now different platforms are carving off different intents.

Search is ( and has been) splintering.


This EMARKETER podcast has me thinking…

Was the best way to ban TikTok actually to make a US contingent pay boatloads of money to onshore it, inviting perceptions of censorship and eroding the advertiser base?

Speaking of advertiser bases, time to zig while everyone zags to Meta.


I think the headline this newsletter sent with is better than the archive title

“Context Please!”

Everyone benefits from more context.

Lots of nuggets in this issue, but here’s a quick pull:

Know your persona, know what product you’re selling them, and know what has already worked at the hook level.

If it’s a coffee mug at the

top of funnel, you’re doing something eye-grabbing.

Mid-to-bottom-of-funnel should lean on USPs, functionality, and social proof.

At the bottom of the funnel you’re showing the lid screwing on leak-proof.

“Context is that which is scarce."


Trust + Communication

It works for internal teams.
It works for clients.
It works for customers.

**Leave black boxes to the algorithms. **