Author: Johnrille Manalo

  • Customer Remarketing Isn’t About Tools and Platforms… It’s About Messaging.

    Sometimes I see rants like these online:

    ======

    We tried remarketing to existing customers manually through text and Messenger. However, it’s not been as successful as I hoped it would be. 

    It was also extremely time-consuming, which is not something I wanted to push over to our admin. We’re currently looking for a tool that lets you send mass texts. I think we can hit our ₱1M a month goal if we have the right tools.

    ======

    Love it.

    It’s one of those good problems for biz owners.

    They already know that the real game comes after you get the sale.

    It’s all about the Lifetime Value of the customers. And when a business knows that, they’re on the right track…

    … Unless they got stuck picking the “tool” to make it possible.

    Which I hope is not the case for the rant-er above. 

    Because here’s my take…

    Just pick any broadcasting tool that fits your niche.

    Automation is easy today anyway. You can send your messages on whatever platform with all the tools these SaaS companies are making.

    And most of them are good.

    (But with my obvious personal bias, the best bang for your buck is still email.)

    So again, you shouldn’t be stuck with that problem. 

    Because the most important thing to think about in this stage is your messaging.

    What are you gonna say to your audience? How do you bring them back without sounding desperate? How do you stack more sales without burning them out?

    Most biz owners answer those questions like this:

    1. Newsletter full of random updates nobody asked for.
    2. Occasional flash sale that trains customers to wait for discounts.
    3. And if they’re feeling fancy… a holiday greeting card email with “Wishing you and your family a Merry Christmas.”

    (Which is sweet. But sweet won’t always get you to that 1M a month)

    Meanwhile…

    The businesses that get it right?

    They send emails that feel like conversations. They sneak into your head and make you click the link before you realize what happened. 

    Or at least they make your customers think about you FOR DAYS.

    So yes, it’s all about the messaging.

    And because most people never get to feel what good messaging actually does, they keep thinking the answer is “better tools.”

    So I built something called the Campaign Test Drive.

    It’s a 5-day simulation (with time hops) that puts you in the customer’s seat.

    You’ll see exactly how sales emails should unfold, how they create curiosity, tension, desire, clicks.

    And it’s free.

    More details here: https://johnrillemanalo.com/campaign-test-drive/

  • Email Marketing Tips for Filipino Passion-Driven Biz Owners

    People love to say freelancers and business owners have “full control of their time.”

    Nope.

    Lies!

    Well, at least for me.

    Since I started freelancing, building a biz, and taking care of my mama, just going out feels like a mission.

    And being in the Philippines during the rainy season? Forget it. Every damn storm keeps me stuck inside… for days. Sometimes weeks.

    So yesterday, as soon as I saw sunshine… My laptop is packed (so was my umbrella), and I was good to go.

    Sure, I still planned to work– but at least it’ll be on a desk that wasn’t mine!

    Now, if you’re running a biz, you’re familiar with this: leisure is a luxury.

    Yes, business is good, but most days, your engines are running 24/7.

    Even email notifications begin to sound like trauma.

    Can’t. Stop. Working.

    But here’s where I’m different…

    I actually like the work.

    I think, I write, I set things up, I talk to people. 

    (Well, I don’t like that last bit a lot, but you know, it’s tolerable… could be interesting sometimes.)

    But if you’re in a passion-driven biz– Like a hobby shop, a fitness studio, or even an entertainment space?

    You better enjoy what you’re doing.

    Because when you set things up right, some days your “work” could literally just be writing one email to your list.

    Yep. Emails.

    Emails are criminally underrated here in the Philippines. 

    See, people here are family-oriented to the bone. That’s why when you knock on every door on a random street in Manila, you’ll see that most households are extended households.

    It’s in our DNA…

    We love our people…

    The ones we’re born with…

    And the ones we choose.

    So if you’re running a passion-driven biz? That’s your secret weapon!

    Filipinos love to be a part of something. (We can adapt pretty well)

    We want to hear stories. (Whether we relate to it or not.)

    We eat up connection, drama, moments that make us feel like family.

    And you can satisfy all that through email marketing.

    Let me paint you a picture.

    Let’s say you own a Dance Studio…

    You built it from the ground up. You’ve got students, classes, and a decent set of offers. You’ve been doing this for more than a year now.

    Clearly, you can attract new customers.

    And that’s where email marketing comes in.

    Excluding the technical mumbo-jumbo preps, you can make a huge impact on your passion-driven biz when you implement this 4-step plan:

    Step 1. Stop relying on ‘hope marketing’

    If you’ve been around for years, why are you still dancing for free on TikTok?

    Praying someone sees your “content”? 

    Come on. You’ve done that part. 

    You don’t need strangers scrolling at 2am.

    You need a list of people who’ve already touched your dance floor — past students, trial-takers, workshop joiners. 

    Collect their emails.

    Step 2. Send emails

    Do it regularly! If you can make it daily? BETTER.

    It doesn’t have to be a polished newsletter. Just a quick story, a funny behind-the-scenes, a lesson from class, or whatever industry or personal rant you’ve been keeping in your back pocket.

    Example email: “The most embarrassing thing a student did last week… and why it actually made them better.”

    That’s it! Tell what happened, then end with: “By the way, two slots left this Saturday. Want in?”

    Step 3. Sell story arcs, not time slots.

    See, nobody wakes up excited for “7 pm Hip Hop.”

    Your enthusiasts want transformation, or maybe just bragging rights. So stop selling hours. Sell your packages as journeys:

    • Beginner’s Confidence Arc: 5 classes to look smooth on the floor.
    • Date Night Salsa: bring a partner, drink after.
    • Unlimited Pass: your diehards live here.

    These are offers you can push every day without sounding like a broken record.

    Step 4. Stretch your emails.

    Now this is why I said stop “relying” on hope marketing… not stop it altogether.

    It’s still a good idea to have a social media presence, especially here.

    So what I suggest you do is not let today’s email just vanish. 

    Recycle them. 

    Those fail-stories? Post it on IG. A transformation story? Make it a reel. That rant about “perfect form”? Use it for your launch campaign.

    If you email regularly, after a year of sending, you’ll have your own library of persuasion. Do it for more, and your audience will treat you like a buddy.

    Because they’ll know you…

    Not as a brand, but as a part of their daily life.

    Like a family.

    Bottom line: This model buys back your time. 

    Instead of burning hours begging strangers on socials, most days you only need to send an email. 

    That’s it.

    Which means more time to actually run some errands, refine your craft, or heck, just go sleep for god’s sake. 

    And on the business side, your enthusiasts will love you more!

    You just made them feel like they belong. Like they can talk to you anytime. And that builds trust…

    That’s the most important thing you can get when running a business.

    Now, in this model, your busiest days would be your launch days.

    That’s when you launch a new offer, or partner up with another brand, or whatever else you can conjure up.

    And yes, that takes planning.

    But here’s the fun part: I actually built a way for you to test-drive how this whole email launch thing feels in your customer’s POV.

    It’s not some PDF of lessons. It’s a real campaign simulation.

    My reason?

    So you can see firsthand how mixing personality + stories into your offers makes people adore you.

    Details here: https://johnrillemanalo.com/campaign-test-drive/

  • The Dream Barber Effect: How to Lead Customers Who Don’t Know What They Want

    A while back, I was on the hunt for a ‘dream barber.’ 

    Someone I could fully trust with my hair. 

    Yup. I could be a little obsessive when it comes to this.

    Don’t care much about how I dress. Don’t care what shoes I wear. Don’t care about perfumes and watches.

    But when we’re talking about how my hair looks? 

    I could be as picky as a spoiled nepo baby.

    (At least back then.)

    That’s when I found this barber in Mendiola.

    I sat on his chair like a nervous virgin.

    “So, what kind of haircut are we doing today?” he asked.

    “Uhh… I want it brushed on the side, and just long enough so the waves still show.”

    That was the closest I could get to explaining the haircut I wanted.

    For me, that’s perfectly clear.

    But still…

    8 out of 10 times, I’d walk out of the shop looking like Humpty Dumpty after a great fall. 

    I never knew if the problem was me, my hair, or if the clippers were just too freakin’ loud for the barber to hear me properly. 🤷

    But this dude was different.

    See, showing a picture for reference wasn’t a thing back then. You just gotta trust your barber– and your ability to explain what you wanted.

    That’s why when he answered me with:

    “Oh, kinda like Jericho Rosales, right?”

    😲

    I saw the skies open.

    Finally. 

    FI-NA-LLY.

    Someone gets me.

    That’s exactly what I had in mind.

    I wanna stand up from the chair to give my man a brotherly hug.

    From that moment, even though he was on the pricey side for me back then? I knew I’d gladly sacrifice one meal a week just to let him cut my hair every month.

    And here’s the funny part…

    I still didn’t get the exact haircut I had imagined.

    Only this time, I understood why.

    He explained that I’d never quite get the look I wanted because—surprise, surprise—my fallen Humpty Dumpty head shape (and hair type) just didn’t fit the style.

    And honestly, what he gave me looked good. 

    Maybe even better than the one I wanted. 

    Moral of the story?

    When you market your biz, you could be the ‘dream barber,’ and I would be your customer.

    See, the dude positioned himself as the leader…

    Someone who guided me to the best option.

    Because really, most of the time, customers don’t actually know what they want.

    They think they do. But when a leader lets them see the bigger picture, and it makes perfect sense?

    They follow.

    Because at the end of the day, we’re all looking for someone we can trust.

    And when you manage to show that 

    1. You understand them
    2. You can solve their problem, and most importantly,
    3. You can give them a new perspective that changes their status quo…

    You become the kind of leader they’ll follow.

    But here’s the catch…

    You have to transform that kind of sales message smoothly and effectively for it to work.

    Let me show you how I do it here: https://johnrillemanalo.com/campaign-test-drive/

  • A copywriting technique taught by knuckleheads on the day of protest

    Yesterday was the day of protest against corruption.

    Unfortunately (or maybe fortunately), I wasn’t out on the streets to fight alongside my people.

    I’m sick, and I don’t wanna jumpstart a new strain of virus by getting down and dirty with the crowd.

    So I spent the whole day watching the news instead.

    The movement was peaceful and powerful… Until some knuckleheads started a riot.

    As of now, nobody really knows where they came from.

    They could have been angsty rebel kids, or wannabe anarchists, or paid trolls, or a group of really angry citizens…

    They could’ve been anyone.

    And honestly, I could almost understand them attacking the police… I mean, those guys had it coming.

    But destroying and looting a hotel chain? 

    That doesn’t sit well with me.

    At least, not at first…

    Because hear me out…

    Those fools actually got me thinking…

    If the whole point of the protest is to show the corrupt elite that we’re watching and ready to fight…

    And to warn them that they’d better act the way we want them to act… 

    Then, yeah, maybe the knuckleheads going full anarchist might be way over the line.

    BUT it strengthens the people’s ‘do this or else’ message.

    See, protest is like legal blakkmail.

    But once violence enters the picture, it shifts into something else.

    “Do better, or else the whole nation could get this unhinged and this angry.”

    That’s the kind of thing that strikes fear in the hearts(???) of corrupt officials.

    And fear makes them act.

    All of which brings me to copywriting. 

    In copywriting talk, ‘do this, or else’ is also a powerful technique. 

    “If you don’t act now, this will happen.”

    “Every day your business isn’t using this strategy, you’re losing money.”

    “Buy this today because after tomorrow, you’ll never get it this good again.”

    See what I mean? It’s going after the people’s fear. Like a pseudo threat. 

    And it works!

    It gets people to take action right now, even if they’d never heard of you until five minutes ago.

    Yet very few marketers, copywriters, or businesses use it today.

    Which is crazy, because it’s insanely powerful.

    So now, you can either get ahead and learn to use it in your own business… or hire someone who knows how to do it well.

    Here’s the link to that someone’s website: https://johnrillemanalo.com/

    Or else…

  • Why AI Can’t Replace Authentic Expression in Marketing or Protest

    Being a marketer and copywriter, AI topics on my newsfeed aren’t new.

    Gurus and wannabes have been drooling over this.

    “WHOA! This is a game changer, man!”

    And it’s been like that for what— 2-3 years now?

    But recently, I’ve seen people toying with AI outside the marketing realm.

    Yesterday, I saw a laughable one.

    A guru/influencer sharing an AI-generated email of himself ‘joining’ the protest against corruption (✊)…

    And then, yup, you guessed it.

    He shared the prompt he used.

    Okay, let me cut you off right there. I am NOT anti-protest. 

    If this is an anime, protest would be our ultimate attack.

    But that form of protest? It’s just funny to me. 

    See, art and protest have always been married to each other. 

    Placards, effigies, songs, paintings, photographs, and even cinema… 

    People expressing anger, sorrow, desire through art…

    And now…

    AI prompts???

    From artists pouring their hearts out into their craft. To common people, writing and shouting with all their vigor.

    Emotions always rise and rise and rise when they do these.

    It’s so freakin moving.

    Inspiring.

    And here come the AI-heads…

    Copy-pasting a prompt.

    [Hey AI, create a photorealistic portrait of the subject from the attached photo (with exact same facial features and hairstyle), wearing black shirt that says “STOP CORRUPTION”]

    Wow.

    Goosebumps. 

    So expressive.

    😱

    I wonder how we got here. 

    Whatever happened to being unique? To authenticity? To showing your true emotion?

    I don’t know, man. 

    That’s why it’s funny to me.

    I believe people still love real stuff (at least most of us).

    … not something that looks and feels real.

    Huge difference.

    Yes, go use AI to help you do stuff faster.

    But when you use it to express and make people act? No. Just no.

    Be real.

    The same goes when you use it for your biz.

    Don’t just rely on AI.

    You can always combine tech and art while still being authentic, anyway.

    We’ve literally had digital artists and online writers doing it for decades already. 

    And I’m sure that’s barely scratching the surface.

    I mean, you can write messages packed with personality and stories… And then use email tech to automate sending them.

    Seriously.

    You don’t have to sound like a robot in those automated emails.

    Why?

    Because doing that risks your relationship with your customers.

    If you want to make your brand beautiful and just so damn adorable? Be human.

    That’s exactly what I do when I write sequences.

    Imagine buying a shirt online or passes for a class, and then you get an email showing genuine appreciation for your purchase.

    Or when you forgot about your online cart because life got in the way, and then hours later, you get a cheeky reminder about it.

    It would make anyone smile.

    And that’s as simple as 1-2-3.

    Emotions felt at the least expected time hit the hardest.

    So give that to your customers. Not fake shyt.

    If you need help writing those dangerously good emails, check out my website: https://johnrillemanalo.com/

  • The Motivation You Need to Step Up Your Marketing Game

    My mama was watching the Senate hearing earlier. 

    You know, the show about our country’s guilty pleasure… corruption. 

    She’s been tuning in to these for the past few weeks, like everyone else.

    Which means I’ve been forced to see those sEnaToRsz for the past few weeks like everyone else.

    And every time they open their mouths, I can’t help but ask myself (and the universe),

    “Bat ba nandyan pa din yan?”

    You know the ones I’m talking about.

    Seriously. Why? 

    Imagine… industries have risen and collapsed, the internet rewired our brains multiple ways to Sunday, AI rose to fame, and worst, lives have been lost and taken… 

    But somehow these pigs still have their VIP parking at the Senate. 

    (plus a couple new friends in the recent election)

    Whatta joke.

    🤪

    Now here’s another uncomfortable truth.

    Love them or kyll them? Those clowns are there because they did something right.

    Not necessarily for the country… for themselves.

    They knew how to stick around. How to keep getting picked.

    Honestly, I don’t get it — at all. But best believe, that’s what’s been happening.

    🤷

    And here’s where my brain jumps straight to marketing (my happy place).

    These seNatoRsz are just like a certain kind of ad.

    You know?

    The kind that stick around… People remember them… And then they get a lot of,

    “Deym, nice ad”

    “Oh, catchy!”

    “HAHAHA solid”

    But most of the time, that’s just it. 

    Cool… but useless.

    And that’s a problem. 

    Because appreciation does not always equal results.

    If your ad only makes people clap for your creativity, uniqueness, congrats! 

    You’ve made art. 

    And art is good. 

    But art doesn’t necessarily make people pull out their wallets.

    And maybe you can find your business in that trap.

    Someone told you to chase applause… When you should be chasing desire.

    Because the ad that wins isn’t the one that gets remembered.

    It’s the one that gets people inspired, or educated, or entertained… and then makes them lean in and go:

    “Yup. Need that. Take my money.”

    That IS the job.

    Move people and, at the same time, make them move.

    Otherwise? Your ads are like the seNaToRsz.

    Hanging around, getting the claps, but never moving the needle.

    ALTHOUGH…

    Let’s be real…

    Err…

    How do I say this…

    Okay..

    The sEnAtoRsz may be a few steps ahead of you. Maybe miles.

    Because even when they float around or freak around…

    The besterds ALWAYS get their payday. 

    (And more.)

    If that does not make you wanna step up your game, I don’t know what will.

    So it’s time to do your marketing right. Let the rest of the world go on about their foolish gimmicks and ‘hope marketing.’ 

    It’s time you get paid. 

    Here’s a good place to start: https://johnrillemanalo.com/

  • Day 21 – Plain Sight

    Surprisingly, it took 21 tries before a coffee brand landed on this challenge.

    Coffee has been a staple in my daily life, so I assumed these caffeine people would’ve targeted their ads towards someone like me.

    Anyway.

    Today’s brand is Plain Sight. They sell coffee beans, they do workshops, they offer everything coffee. I went around their website, and their variety of coffee stuff really stood out to me. 

    I can see how this could feel like heaven to the baristas and true coffee enthusiasts.

    But I’m not in that exact market (at least not yet), so I’m not sure if Plain Sight has a lot of competitors doing the same thing. In my eyes, they’re doing something unique.

    Although my direct response brain wants to tell them to focus on selling only their coffee products on the front end, and then make the rest of their offer, a back-end product/service. But that’s a whole different ball game.

    What I’m here for is the product description. 

    Plain Sight is one of the few who get it.

    They are connecting a story to their product. Especially the Jason Magbanua line. I mean, they call it the “Sleep Deprived Editor”!

    That product name will slap you right in the face! 

    Now, not all their products are as wild as that one, but obviously, there’s already something there. 

    But as always, I’ll just barge in, turn things up a notch, and see where else we could take this.

    Let’s go.

    Sleep Deprived Editor (a collaboration with Jason Magbanua)

    Behind every sleep-deprived editor is a trusty cup of coffee by their side.

    Yes, trusty. Too bold will scatter the flow, too delicate a buzz could miss them altogether. Because whatever you do, if you’re giving up sleep, you’d better trade it for a hug-my-tongue-and-kiss-my-soul-while-I-work goodness.

    This is Sleep-Deprived Editor. It has the DNA of Uganda’s misty highlands, Brazil’s sun-kissed fields, and Guatemala’s rich mineral soils. 

    How about that for today’s brew? 

    Tasting Notes:

    Every sip is a beautiful, creamy nuttiness in your mouth, with the sweet comfort of milk chocolate that gives that little kick of warmth inside. 

    And to make it more interesting, this smooth medium roast coffee with a balanced feel on your palate is interwoven with a taste of citrus-y marmalade brightness.

    This is why high-calibre editors like Jason Magbanua enjoy this coffee.

    This is why it’s a limited-edition blend.

    So don’t you dare sleep yet.

    Make a syruppy espresso, a pour-over, or a batch brew for sharing.

    Keep this in plain sight.

    Original copy (at the time of revamp):

    Overall: This was a fun exercise! And of course, I did it with a cup of coffee by my side.

    I had to research quite a bit on this one because, well, yours truly isn’t a coffee sommelier. I just long for the kick, but I don’t dive into the mouthfeel and acidity, and sweetness, and all the tiny details that our beloved baristas are geeking about.  

    So pardon me if I didn’t nail the description on this one. I haven’t tasted them yet, I just relied on what the original copy says and what the internet gave me on my quick research. 

    And that’s actually my issue with Plain Sight. They have the story, but they don’t give much visual and sensory description. 

    Instead, they use some kind of sliders to describe their coffee. I mean, yes, people will get it. But it’s one thing to make people ‘get’ what your product entails. And it’s another to let them crave for it by letting them taste your thing while reading.

    It reminded me of those Canva templated CVs where you rate your management skills 8 bullets out of 10. Like, what does that mean, brother?? I don’t know what 10 is on your scale. 

    Anyway, point is, describing the thing and painting it with words is still a lot better. 10 times out of 10. (🤣)

    And that’s what I did here. 

    I imagined how marmalade and nuts and chocolate taste and feel in my mouth if they’re in my coffee. I imagined how a medium roast is different from light or dark. And then I tried to paint that image so that the reader can see (and taste) it too.

    It is a great strategy if the brand sells any kind of food, drink, or alcohol, or this– coffee. You can simply describe the experience of eating or drinking the thing.

    And I told you, I was drinking coffee while writing this, so yea, that helped.

    Anyway, Plain Sight looks awesome. I’m definitely trying their coffee. Go visit them!

    If you have any questions, or you’re a brand that needs a quality product description, click this while my coffee is hot:

    Let’s talk over coffee. (Or tea. Or milk. Or whiskey.)

  • The Secret Sauce to Pulling Your Market into Your World

    Today I woke up with a message from Aeriel.

    “LUMABAS NA SI CLYRA”

    …

    My brain went, “Who??”

    Five seconds later… Oh. Right. The baby. His brother’s baby.

    …

    …

    Oh shyt.

    Lumabas na si Clyra. CLYRA!

    A whole new human just entered the world! 🥳

    And that’s the miracle of birth, greeting me a good freakin morning.

    But the weird part is… I’m not even that close to the couple. And for some reason, my heart did this little fist pump of joy after reading the news.

    Maybe it’s because I’ve known her dad since grade school?

    I mean, I’ve watched him be the boss as my senior at our alma mater.

    I went head-to-head with him, finding the bottom of the beer bottle in college. 

    (I won, btw. Unofficially.) 

    Now? I’ll see him as a father.

    It’s literally a story playing out before my eyes.

    And when I congratulated him, he texted back:

    “Thank you tol!!!”

    Three exclamation points… That’s the most emotion he has expressed towards me in over a decade.

    🙂

    Anyway. Why am I telling you this? 

    Because empathy.

    Your business’s sales message has got to revolve around this thing.

    See, what I felt that moment had nothing to do with me. It was about stepping into his shoes, feeling his win.

    Now, I’ve never been a father, so I don’t know EXACTLY how he feels.

    But as a man? As someone who reads stories? And as someone who has locked eyes with his puppy for the first time?

    I have stepped at least on top of his shoes. 

    Am I truly empathetic? No clue. Science hasn’t tested me yet.

    (Altho my HS Buzzfeed-ish quiz said yes…)

    But here’s what I do know: I can take myself out of the equation when I write my ads.

    I remove my bias and my perspective from the big idea.

    Because I know that what I’m writing is made for a specific type of person, in a specific situation, and at a specific time.

    So, if I have the faintest idea about it? 

    There’s no way they would listen to what I have to say.

    Look, when doing your marketing, behind all the creativity and the hooks, your market only wants to know one thing…

    “Are they on my side?”

    When your ads make them answer ‘yes’, then you’re already in.

    That needs empathy.

    Now, I’m not sure where I read this, but I remember a copywriter saying he does the same process.

    Before doing research for his copy, he first thinks, “What would a single mom in the suburbs like to hear when she lands on this page?”

    And from there, he builds up.

    I did a similar thing to my Campaign Test Drive. I was writing an email launch campaign for a Functional Training studio. And before doing any research, I thought, 

    “What would a working man in Makati like to hear about fitness?”

    From there, I built a sales message. Sharpened it with research. Then, I crafted a campaign simulation.

    If it were a paid gig, I’d go even deeper– Talk to actual people doing functional training to soak up their feels and their words.

    Because that’s what any business needs to do.

    You’re not selling to you. 

    You’re selling to the market.

    So even if you have a heart that makes even Eskimos shiver, you have to feel what they feel. See what they see. 

    Or at least get to know someone to do that. Someone empathetic enough to feel what a new dad feels, even though he has no kids: https://johnrillemanalo.com/

  • Your business isn’t growing because all you do is ‘hope marketing’

    A while back, I read this sad rant from a biz owner that perfectly illustrated one of the biggest annoyances of biz owners lacking sales and marketing chops.

    Here’s the recap:

    They own a clothing line that’s been running for 7 years. 

    Yes, the sales are there, but they always fall short of hitting that ‘next level.’ 

    Back then, their video content sometimes went ‘viral.’ But now? Crickets.

    They tried influencer marketing too, but it was no bueno. Those influencers just wore the clothes while making finger hearts. But no selling or a simple shout-out.

    And now standing on thin ice, the biz owner asked:

    How the hell should we market our products??

    Well, this problem is why I think these local businesses should take a refresher course on foundational selling and marketing. 

    I have zero idea what kind of content they post or which influencers they dress up…

    But it seems to me that all they do is let Lady Luck and her boyfriend, annoying algo,  take the wheel.

    That’s not good, not good at all.

    Because here’s the truth most businesses don’t wanna admit:

    If you don’t know your market, don’t have an interesting offer, and can’t craft your sales message that makes people’s ears perk up… then you’re not in business. 

    You’re just gambling.

    Viral videos? That’s not a strategy. Especially these days, with the algorithm moodier than your ex, “luck” is way too big a factor to bet the house on.

    Same with influencers parading your stuff. Most of those people don’t know how to sell anything but themselves. That’s their power, their paycheck… not yours.

    All I’m saying is, running a biz on “hope marketing” is like walking on thin ice with a blindfold.

    You wanna go the ‘next level ’?

    Stack odds in your favor. 

    Instead of out-yelling the competition? Out-think and out-work them. 

    Use the fundamentals.

    And don’t put a single cent on ads, influencers, or content creation if you can’t recite the answers to these in your sleep:

    • Who the hell are you selling to (and no, “everyone” isn’t an answer).
    • What your offer is (not just a product, but the reason they’d be dumb not to buy).
    • How you’re saying it (your hook, your angle, your voice in the marketplace).

    This can make you stand out. It can make your biz much more enjoyable to scale. 

    7 years of “meh” when you wanna be “woah” is self-torture when all you’re doing is what everybody else is doing.

    Have you even tried to actually sell instead of promote?

    Look, there are so many touch points in your biz where your audience interacts with your brand. 

    For example, product descriptions. 

    Most biz owners sleepwalk through them. But they’re one of the last things your prospect reads before they buy.

    In my project, The Last Nudge Challenge, I revamp product descriptions of random businesses. 

    My process is simple:

    A quick check of what the biz is about, ask myself who would buy this, what kind of offer will make them smile, and then I carefully arrange words that will tickle them to their core.

    And that’s just from a single product description…

    Just a single touch point…

    But I wanna make sure
    it makes an impact.

    Because if you don’t talk to them the way they want to? They could walk away with no hesitation.

    So before you listen to generic advice like create more engaging ads, build a brand, create a community, stay consistent? Make sure you know the basics of selling. 

    And make sure you integrate them in those little touch points. 

    Now, as a working copywriter, I know exactly where those unseen touch points are. I’m not one of those who’ll just tell you to use puns and jokes to get attention. 

    That’s only a part of the game.

    If you’re curious about what else I do as a copywriter,  click here: https://johnrillemanalo.com/

  • Not another ‘be polarizing’ sermon.

    My Facebook feed has never been more divided because of Charlie Kirk’s passing.

    There are the Christians, men of Jesus, mourning from afar for their fallen brother.

    Then there are the folks who love to remind the Christians that the dude held stances that would make even Jesus raise an eyebrow.

    But whatever side you’re on, these right-wing people know how to be freakin’ polarizing.

    I mean, look! People who live wayyy across the planet are going to war in the comments like someone’s gonna win the debate there and the ethics trophy.

    I’ve seen people in the same circle… ordering the same coffee, sitting at the same lunch table on a daily basis… yet holding completely opposite views about him.

    Now, I know what you’re thinking:

    “This is another sermon
    on being polarizing. 😒”

    You might be thinking that I’ll say that your brand should swing hard, pick a side, and never flinch.

    And yes… that’s the part of it.

    But this is me talking.

    The dude who loves to overthink things and somehow lands on something pretty.

    See, it’s true that the second you lean into one side, your people will cheer and tattoo your name on their forehead… while the other side will write letters to Santa begging him to put you on the naughty list.

    But here’s where most brands screw it up…

    They stop there.

    They think polarization is enough.

    Well… it’s not.

    Because here’s the kicker I stole from Mr. Cole Schafer, the smokiest, sexiest adman alive:

    Your marketing isn’t just about getting people on your side.

    It’s about pulling them onto your side… and then turning them into snobs with elevated taste.

    Polarization gets them in the door while snobbery keeps them loyal.

    And for me, that’s the job of copy.

    You gotta make your audience say,

    “Okay, that one sucks. This one? Good. Like, really good.”

    It’s not enough to stand out. You’ve got to raise the standard so high your customers feel like anyone who doesn’t choose you is beneath them.

    Like Apple.

    Apple doesn’t just sell phones. Apple makes Apple users feel superior to the green-bubbled, Android-headed folks.

    Apple = good.

    Others = blegh.

    No debate. Whatever the other side says? Doesn’t matter.

    And here’s the beauty of it…

    When you do this right, you don’t just grab attention…

    You eliminate the
    paradox of choice.

    Your customer isn’t stuck doom-scrolling on YouTube reviews and then spiraling into anxiety over what to buy.

    They see your brand, and the decision is instant.

    No brainer, done.

    That’s the power of marketing and writing reliable copy.

    You free them from hesitation because you made your biz the obvious choice.

    Ain’t that a beaute?

    It is.

    That’s how my copy brain works. It’s why I learned not to rely on templates.

    See, people’s minds are complicated and simple at the same time. You can’t ever connect with them with mere fill-in-the-blank hooks, no, that’s not how I like to do things.

    How I do things is more like this: https://johnrillemanalo.com/