TA #95: 💪 Brave Enough to Suck at Something New; Is Memorable Copy More Shoppy?

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Welcome to the 95th issue of Total Annarchy, a fortnightly newsletter by me, Ann Handley, with a focus on writing, marketing, living your best life. THANK YOU for being here! I appreciate you.

Boston, Sunday, September 12, 2021

Welcome, hot cakes.

"Be brave enough to suck at something new."

The quote is attributed to business book author Jon Acuff, the great Greek god Pinterest, or that Etsy shop that printed it on a baby onesie.

As near as I can tell, anyway... after inching my way along a very deep research rabbit hole, one useless click at a time.

Sourcing in 2021 can be messy. But that quote <clicks to new site> belongs <leads to another reference> to no one <backtracks to original> and therefore <throws up hands in frustration!> to all of us.

It belongs to everyone and no one. Like the Internet itself.

Or Santa.

* * *

A few weeks ago I signed up for an online drawing class. The instructor is an artist based in Berlin.

I met her on her Instagram account, Farbe und Fabeln, and I fell in love with her images. One in particular:

(The slightly perturbed expression on the bird's face. The toes clutching for dear life. Life's an uphill battle, little friend! Keep your footing! Relatable.)

The artist and I became friends, of sorts. And when she invited me to take her online class, I felt both fear and intrigue.

Sure, I like to doodle with Sharpies (meetings, notes to friends). But an art class? Like... an artist? Me?

But... on the other hand: Why not me? Could I...?

* * *

I thought about it over the weekend.

"Whatever scares you, go do it," Pinterest told me. The onesie from Etsy nodded in agreement. (Jon Acuff was silent on this one.)

"You don't have to be good at drawing," Farbe said over Instagram messenger. "You just have to have a love for drawing and be curious about what you can create with your hands."

"Curious about what you can create."

Let go of the result, Farbe willed it from Berlin. Don't worry about what you create—just explore for the fun of it.

I could suck! I probably would suck! Could I be brave enough to suck at something?

The root of curious is cura, meaning care. The decision isn't, Would I be any good? But, rather, Do I care enough to try?

On Monday I went to the art store and spent an hour choosing colored pencils.

* * *

The industry of Autumn can feel intense. September alone shows up like a Gatorade-fueled Extreme eSports Avatar, suited up and ready to Get Stuff Done and Check All The Lists.

All in! Let's do this! Annnnddd... BREAK.

Inboxes fill up; calendars bulge.

The rush of Autumn Adrenaline can be exhilarating, this re-entry when everyone's back.

But after the slower, liquid days of August... September can also feel like an abrupt about-face.

September loves outcomes, performance, getting stuff done. Which is satisfying. And good.

But, at the same time, it can be empowering to do something completely unrelated to anything. Totally out of left field. Just for fun. Just out of curiosity. (Could I...?)

* * *

And a bonus: It turns out... it wasn't out of left field.

Working in pencil on the fur of a skunk during one class, Farbe said: "Each hair on his back has a personality, doesn't it? Each one is different. What does each hair want to say? Where does it want to go?"

You might first look at the fur of a skunk and see "pelt" not "hairs."

But then the monolith of black and white skunk fur became something else. A collection of individual hairs, all arranging themselves in formation, each one in relation to the other.

Like fruit in a still life.

Like a marching band on a fall football field.

Like... words on a page?

You might read something and not notice each word or each sentence. You might read it and see story or action. Not "words."

But as a writer, you're aware of the way each word carries a tiny bit of momentum. The way each earns its spot in the larger paragraph.

You and I... we write the hairs.

* * *

That last part was a bit of a tangent LOL.

But anyway... We're all back! You're back! Me, too.

But in the midst of Autumn Adrenaline: Leave some room to suck at something new. It's curious how satisfying that can be.

* * * * *

EVERYBODY WRITES WRITING TIP OF THE FORTNIGHT

TIP: Your readers are more likely to remember and trust information when it's delivered as a rhyme. The brilliant Nancy Harhut taught me that.

There's a lot of science behind why rhyming works. One is a study titled
Birds of a Feather Flock Conjointly—which makes the point in a meta way that rhymes are more memorable.

Nancy further cites the Eaton-Rosen Phenomenon, or Rhyme as Reason Bias: People judge rhyming phrases to be more truthful/accurate.

Trust..? Why, exactly?

"The brain has an easier time processing them, so they feel right," Nancy said. "When something feels right, it's not a big leap to think it is." (If it doesn't fit, you must acquit.)

When to use it: Rhyming is useful when you need to trigger an action or a click: Ad copy, email subject lines, direct mail calls to action, landing pages, headlines.

Recommended tool: Word Hippo. It can be tricky, to prompt that clicky. (LOL) So try Word Hippo. The tool does other things, too, but I like the rhyming feature. Type in a word you want to rhyme; Hippo comes through every time.

QUICKIES

Five Types of Conflict in Storytelling. Because conflict is the key to any marketing story. (Actually, any story... period.)

Related >> George Saunders on Storytelling A story will take you where it wants to go if you ask the right questions. (Man I love George Saunders.)

"GenZ doesn't read newsletters" is a big fat lie. [h/t Joe Waters]

SPECIAL EVENTS

📅 THIS WEEK! Webinar Days is 3 days of sharp insights, fresh perspectives, practical advice on the changing role of webinars in marketing. I'm doing a fireside chat on Thursday, September 16. DEAL: I have 100 free tickets; code WD21Ann gets you in for free (vs. 99€) until they're gone!

📅 MarketingProfs B2B Forum is one month out! This year, a ticket to the event includes one full year of PRO membership! Which means you get access to learning and community all year round. DEAL: Code ANNSENTME saves you 100 clams.

STANDOUT SENTENCES: CONTEST UPDATE

Last week I invited you to submit standout sentences to celebrate great copy. Six of the best won $25 in $WORD.

The funniest was this submission from Rebecca Monterusso. It describes a desk-sized WAVING INFLATABLE ARM-FLAILING TUBE MAN, like the full-sized versions you see outside of car dealerships and car washes and (in my town) the farmer's market. (We get v. excited about produce, I guess?)

An excerpt:

But does he manically flail just like the real thing?

Of course he does, you beautiful fool. This battery-powered masterpiece goes all over the place. He's uncontrollable. Wiggling. Shimmying. Shaking like a toddler after some original recipe Sunny Delight.

Full-flailing description.

DEPARTMENT OF SHENANIGANS 😲

Your fall reading list is here.

LOVE LETTERS will be back next week.

* * *

Thanks for reading this far. Thanks for your kindness and generosity. Thanks to everyone who's asked about my shoulder. We're getting there.

Stay safe. Stay sane. Start wearing a mask again.

I'll be back on September 26.

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.

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