Drew Hanlen is an NBA trainer for some of the world’s most elite players, his approach to writing his new book is a template for (long form) content of any kind.
- Simple
Very short sections so that you can pick it up, put it down, pick it up, put it down
- Direct
Trimming the fat and making it shorter and shorter out of respect to the reader’s time
- Actionable
Prompts that you’re doing and filling out as you go. Identify the changes you want to make and build out the blueprint to make those things a reality
Nested in 3 is to make it relatable.
Content bricks that build a story.
Boring is the default—fight it
What ideas are not boring and worth trying?
Ones that scare you to do. You should be worried about creating and releasing it, either because you think it’ll bomb or you’re worried about people’s reactions.
Stand out.
Be weird.
via the DemandCurve newsletter
Building on this post, I like the point made at the end of the episode.
The experiences are different because Sam’s Club zagged to Costco’s zig.
It makes sense to not replicate what your chief competitor is doing but offer something different and distinct because you’ll appeal to a different segment of consumers.
Find value for your consumers that’s not just being the cheapest product available, because you’re never going to win that race
Give consumers are compelling reason to shop at your store and trust your brand
Sam’s Club has overtaken cult favorite Costco. At least when it comes to happy customers.
It’s done this by focusing on the customer experience.
Technology + convenience + value
Through the tech they’ve created a retail media network that blends seamlessly with the in-store experience.
we didn’t ban noisy aircraft we banned supersonic aircraft
Incentives matter and words matter.
Here, poor word choice disincentivized an entire industry.
Clarity of messaging helps align incentives.
via Alex Tabarrok
TV is now the primary device for YouTube viewing in the US.
and according to Nielsen, YouTube has been #1 in streaming watch time in the U.S. for two years
And Mr. Beast has more subscribers than Netflix.
YouTube is mass media via niche media.
via YouTube
As Seth said:
Discovery doesn’t just happen in the online store’s search box.
I would go further and say true discovery never happens in the search box.
Awareness and exposure—the precursors to intent—happen elsewhere. In the rhythms and routines of life separate from shopping.
Anthropic released the Anthropic Economic Index
The Anthropic Economic Index aims to understand AI’s effects on the labor market and broader economy over time. The Index provides the clearest picture yet of how AI is being incorporated into real-world tasks across the modern economy.
Trends are based on anonymized usage data for their Claude model.
Seems like a useful indicator to add to the monitoring mix.
All advertising is unwanted, so if you’re going to crash the party, bring some champagne.
-Bob Thacker