Everything is Copy
You'll never run out of ideas for content if you embrace this philosophy.
✏️ ON MY MIND
Whilst on my morning walk one day this week, I was listening to marketer Camille Trent sharing her approach to Linkedin on the Marketing Spark podcast.
Something that Camille said set off neurons in my brain. Camille quoted a phrase from a documentary she had watched about Nora Ephron.
The phrase, and the title of the doco, was this:
“Everything is copy”.
It’s so simple yet so profound, and I’d heard a similar message years ago.
So, who is Nora Ephron?
Nora Ephron (1941-2012) was an American journalist, writer, and filmmaker. She is best known for writing and directing romantic comedy films, such as When Harry Met Sally..., Sleepless in Seattle, You've Got Mail, and Julie & Julia.
Ephron's films are known for their witty dialogue, strong female characters, and realistic portrayals of relationships.
Nora Ephron's philosophy, "Everything is copy," is packed with insights that you can harness as a business owner or marketer.
Here's how you can apply this wisdom to your strategies:
Authentic Storytelling: Nora believed in turning personal experiences into compelling narratives. Take a page from her book and craft authentic stories around your brand. You can forge a deeper connection with your audience and build trust by sharing your real stories and challenges.
Embrace Your Mistakes: Everyone encounters challenges. Instead of hiding from them, use them as stepping stones. Sharing your setbacks and the lessons learned can humanize your brand and highlight your commitment to growth.
Know Your Audience: Nora had a gift for tapping into universal emotions. Similarly, you should strive to understand your audience's desires and pain points. Doing so allows you to design messages that truly resonate and drive action.
Stay Adaptable: Life is ever-changing, and so is the business landscape. Like Nora, who used life's occurrences as material, ensure your brand remains relevant by evolving with the times, leveraging trends, and adapting to the changing environment.
Harness Emotions in Marketing: Nora's writings often touched people deeply because they were rooted in emotion. Emotions play a vital role in influencing decisions. You can leave a lasting impression on your audience by infusing emotion into your campaigns - be it humour, nostalgia, or inspiration.
Value Feedback: Think of customer feedback as your "copy." Embrace both praises and criticisms as tools to refine and enhance your offerings.
By embracing the "Everything is copy" mindset, you can be more observant, adaptable, and bold in your approach.
Humans who are shining examples of incorporating this idea into their content
Shining Example #1: Kate Toon
Kate does a remarkable job of calling out what many of us feel but don’t say in her posts. And this wins her fans.
Who can’t relate to this common scenario of attending a conference and getting a “goodie” bag filled with crap? I know I have!
Shining Example #2: Amanda Natividad
After following Amanda for a while, I truly believe her superpower is combining sharp observations of BS in the marketing world with memes. Here’s one example.
Any marketer or agency claiming that they can tell you precisely what marketing channel or campaign is working is lying.
Shining example #3: Rob @ Email Marketing Heroes
Take a look at how Rob takes a conversation that many of us have experienced (in my case, daily) and uses it to teach us about sales and the power of email marketing.
As AI continues to shape the content landscape, the need for human touch, authenticity, and personal connection becomes even more paramount.
Your personal experiences, insights, and emotions provide depth to your content, making it more relatable, trustworthy, and impactful. It’s how you become irreplaceable.
It's a gateway to creating genuine relationships and meaningful engagements with your audience.
-Anf
(This newsletter was drafted with the help of GPT-4, Claude-2 and edited by yours truly.)
👍 3 THINGS THAT CAUGHT MY ATTENTION
1/ Read: Why you shouldn’t join Y Combinator
I’ve written previously about the problems with chasing fast growth and how the Silicon Valley venture capital culture has contributed to this dangerous obsession.
In this piece, Daniel Vassallo makes the case for not going all in on building a startup (and joining YC) and offers a different approach.
2/ Watch: Everything is Copy (documentary)
Behind iconic films like 'Silkwood,' 'When Harry Met Sally,' and 'Sleepless in Seattle' stood the brilliant Nora Ephron.
Her son, Jacob Bernstein, delves into her guiding principle: 'Everything is copy' —believing life's highs and lows can all be comedic material.
Charting her journey from a budding reporter to a Hollywood luminary, the film gathers insights from Ephron's circle, including her sisters Delia, Amy, and Hallie, as well as close friends like Meryl Streep, Meg Ryan, Tom Hanks, Steven Spielberg, and more.
3/ Listen: Work has changed. Why haven't resumes? | Nicos Marcou
Jumping into the world of job applications, have you ever paused to wonder, "Why the fuss over resumes?" Turns out, there's scant proof that these neat little docs (one page or two?) really push the needle for job-seekers or firms. Nicos Marcou, a frontline HR leader, cheekily unpacks the quirks of resumes and dishes out a fresh take on how businesses can truly spot talent. Ready to rethink hiring?
💸 WEALTH BUILDING TIP
🐦 COOL SOCIALS THIS WEEK
🔧 TOOL OF THE WEEK
AudioPen
With AudioPen, you can finally think out loud and let your thoughts flow freely. ✍️✨
This app utilizes AI technology to convert your voice notes into beautifully summarized text, eliminating all the filler words, repeated sentences, and pesky 'umms'. 🚀🗣️
It can effortlessly capture the essence of your ideas and condense them into clear and concise text. It'll make your note-taking process a breeze! 🌟
Here are four use cases I can think of for this:
Meeting Notes: Capture and convert meeting discussions into concise, shareable text.
Research: Record interviews or gather data and transform them into written form for analysis and reference.
Content Creation: Speak your ideas aloud and have them converted into text.
Ad Hoc Ideas/Brainstorming/Inspiration: Quickly capture and transcribe spontaneous ideas, brainstorming sessions, or moments of inspiration, allowing you to revisit and develop them further. You can even use Zapier to send your notes into a tool like Notion.
You can give the free plan a go before upgrading (you'll only get 3 mins recording time compared to 15 mins on the premium plan).
Works on both desktop and mobile apps.
🤔 PARTING THOUGHTS
Great to be back in Sydney. Had a nice coffee catchup with my buddies Ivan Chew and Tam Cao today. Life is better with great mates.
Anfernee Chansamooth
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