TA #92: 🍫 The most powerful word in writing; Junior Mintapalooza

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Welcome to the 92nd issue of Total Annarchy, a fortnightly newsletter by me, Ann Handley, with a focus on writing, marketing, life. THANK YOU for being here! I appreciate you.

Boston, Sunday, August 1, 2021

Hi, boo.

Last week, 108 boxes of Junior Mints arrived on my doorstep. They arrived a few at a time, every day a few more. If I opened them all and dumped the chocolate-coated mints inside into a kiddie pool, it would resemble a ball pit at Willy Wonka's summer barbecue.

Two weeks ago, in this newsletter, I mock-lamented the absence of the classic movie theater candy in the film premiere swag that Vidyard's Tyler Lessard sent me. ("Sad," I said.)

Some of you felt bad for me. Or mock-bad. (Speaker and friend Allison Levine felt VERY mock-bad for me; she dug deep into candy brand extensions and unearthed Junior Mints Hot Chocolate. (Whaaaat...? Who even knew that existed?!))

So now I'm fully stocked with Junior Mints. I have what's close to a lifetime supply—depending on how carefully I attend to my health. ;)

* * *

Last Sunday morning, this newsletter got a sudden rush of subscribers—a waterfall of names within 30 minutes, coming in hot like churchgoers streaming into summer Sunday services.

For a minute it looked like a bot was having a field day with my subscription form. I imagined it hitting the page repeatedly and maniacally, popping a bunch of bogus names into the Subscribe field as automatically as I'm popping Junior Mints into my mouth.

But no.

It turns out that Total Annarchist Melissa Suzuno had recommended my work to the amazing product discovery coach Teresa Torres, who had in turn recommended *this newsletter* in her newsletter. (Are you still following?)

When Teresa's newsletter dropped on Sunday morning... well, cue waterfall.

* * *

Do you suppose the Junior Mint marketing department huddled up in an Emergency Minty Scrum to source a sudden spike in sales? Like I was trying to source the spike in newsletter signups?

Both of those scenarios, real or imagined, highlight the challenges of marketing attribution—figuring out where conversions or sales come from so that people like you and me know what's working in our marketing. What should we double-down on? What should we ditch?

But more than that, they also hold clues for what matters most in marketing in a world that's changing.

* * *

The thing that the Junior Mints Sales Spike and Teresa Torres have in common is trust. You trust me; Teresa's subscribers trust her.

It's a good time to double-down on trust, because attribution and demand gen are getting more complicated:

+ Google is eventually going to make good on its threats to take away tracking cookies.

+ US email regulations will become more in line with snugger Canadian and EU regulations.

+ Privacy is increasingly center-stage. My colleague Jen Smith details all that here.

Because I'm obsessed with translating vague, amorphous ideas like "build trust" into actionable things you can do right now, here are my suggestions.

Think:

Community over coercion. Grow your community and your database 100% organically. No exceptions. Offer trustworthy, empathetic, useful content—not by forcing signups, acquiring third-party lists, or adding any single person who hasn't expressly said YES! I do want to hear from you!

I know that sounds elementary. But if I had a dollar for every unsolicited email that darkens my inbox... I'd be rocketing to the moon with Jeff and Richard. (JK. As if.)

To do: Grow your subscriber list. I suggest starting with your newsletter, because most of us have one (and I deeply believe in their power). "25 Ways to Sign Someone Up for Your Newsletter" from InboxCollective is a solid place to start.

Relationships over railroading. It's time for a content glow-up. If you're focused on a high volume of content for a high volume of leads—shift your focus to creating pathologically empathic content for people who matter most to you.

Does your content have an emcee or a host? Does your brand have a face? Are you communicating as an actual person with an actual heartbeat?

And: How are you building a feedback loop? Are you monologuing or dialoguing? Is "monologuing" a word?

Lead with humanity and empathy. They're the lifeblood of loyalty.

To do: Give your subscribed audience a sense of the people behind your brand. Show your face. Here's one example. Here's another.

* * *

Oh... and if you sent me Junior Mints? Thank you. Most were signed. Some were not. If I didn't thank you personally, please know I appreciate you. You're wonderful.

* * *

Everybody Writes Writing Tip of the Fortnight (WaTOOF!)

Let's talk about most powerful word in your first draft: Just.

Just is a word we usually should exterminate from our writing.

It's makes you appear less confident ("just checking in...")

It projects an unnecessary pre-apology ("I'm just wondering...")

It diminishes the writer ("just a copywriter") or a wondrous magical miniature mint ("just a junior-sized nugget of minty nougat rolled gloriously in dark chocolate") (LOL)

An exception: When just is a powerful ally in getting your first draft out of your head and onto paper or a screen. Just can shut your inner critic right up. It's the word you need to recalibrate your thinking... See? Writing isn't so daunting after all, is it?

You aren't writing! You're...

Just making a list of a few points
Just writing an email
Just outlining ideas
Just jotting down some thoughts

The main idea here is to stifle both your inner critic and your inner editor.

Just get a bunch of ideas and words on the page—just whatever way you can!

CONTENT TOOLS

If your inner critic has pipes as powerful as Pavarotti's, muzzle it with a distraction-free writing tool. Four of my favorites:

Draft [free]
ilys [paid, $11.11/mo]
OmmWriter [paid, no set price, but minimum is $8.50 for a one-time download)
Typora [free]

DEPARTMENT OF SHENANIGANS

Sorry just saw this.

ON A PERSONAL NOTE

I'm recovering this weekend from shoulder surgery to repair a ruptured rotator cuff. I don't know exactly what I was expecting post-procedure. But I didn't expect recovery to quite *this* rough.

I wrote most of this newsletter prior to the surgery with the intent to finalize it once I was back home... but, well, the final touches didn't happen. Which is really my way of letting you know that sometimes done really is better than perfect. 😜

* * *

Thanks for reading this far. Thanks for your kindness and generosity.

Stay safe. Stay sane. Stay hopeful.

I'll be back on August 15.

P.S. If you like this newsletter and want to support it, you can:

1) buy a book.
2) Get yourself some $WORD coin. (Read more about creator coins here.)
3) Simply forward this newsletter to a friend with an invitation to subscribe right here: www.annhandley.com/newsletter.

SPECIAL THANKS to AWeber for being the provider of choice for Total Annarchy. If you are looking to up your email game, give them a shout.

Ann Handley is the author of Everybody Writes and other books.
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Ann Handley

9 Bartlett St., #313, Andover, MA 01810

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TA #92: 🍫 The most powerful word in writing; Junior Mintapalooza

Older messages

TA #91: 🚀 How to do a content launch right. Plus: the hottest meme of the week... but make it marketing.

TA #90: 🔥 The Cure for Burnout; Standout Sentence of the Week

TA #89: 🗣️ Public Speaking for Introverts (And Those Who Forget How to Be Around People); My Writing Framework

TA #88: 🌻 Show Me Your Summer Office; a Masterclass in How to Empathy

TA #87: 🎉 The Fun Parts of Writing; Ranking Content the Michael Scott Way

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