News
Entertainment
Science & Technology
Life
Culture & Art
Hobbies
News
Entertainment
Science & Technology
Culture & Art
Hobbies
A Prompt from John Mulaney: How to Come Up with Better Ideas for Content in Less Time
He did it by accident, but John Mulaney just gave us the prompt we need to differentiate our work. In support of their big comedy festival recently, Netflix released a special interview between David Letterman and Mulaney. They touched on Mulaney’s battle with addiction, becoming a father, the stat
"The Only Way to Figure Out a Story Is To Tell It" - Andrew Davis, Keynote Speaker - How Stories Happen #1
I know a ton of storytellers and creators and entrepreneurs, but I know exactly zero other people who have learned how to do what they do from both legendary news broadcasters and Kermit the Frog. Meet Andrew Davis. He is a powerhouse business speaker who’s given speeches in 35 different countrie
Are Your Ideas Worth Developing Further? A 6-Point System for Measuring Resonance
The woman marched across the beige hotel carpet straight to me. I could see her coming from across the conference room. "I just have to tell you," she said before I could get a word in, "the entire time you were talking about making espresso, I was thinking about washing my car."
Introducing How Stories Happen, Where Creators Dissect Their Signature Stories (Like Song Exploder for Our Work)
How Stories Happen is my new show where creators, entrepreneurs, and experts dissect their signature stories and important drafts, piece by piece. We hear how they found the idea, how they developed their story, how it might improve, and how they’re using it to build their business and leave their
Myrtle the Turtle and Content Creators' Mountain of Missed Opportunity
One of the things they don't prepare you for when you become a parent is just how many things they don't prepare you for when you become a parent. (Read it again. I made sure it makes sense. Which is good, because parenting little kids does not.) Some parenting things are hard, like how to tell wh
Quantity or Quality? The Dumbest Debate Dominating Our Digital Domain
Ever since the internet was a twinkle in Al Gore's eye, content creators have wondered: quantity or quality? (87% of people just read "Al Gore" as "A.I. Gore," so maybe quantity is winning. Anyway, back to the debate...) "What'll it be, my friend?" I say as you wa
How I Broke Through: The Messy Process I Used to Develop a Differentiated Premise
In 2015, I decided to attack an enemy with my work: average content. I'd spent years working on marketing teams at brands big and small, ranging from Google and HubSpot to a tiny startup nobody’s heard of. After that time, I emerged disillusioned with the entire field. I was ashamed at how much m
What's Your Premise? The Missing Piece Helping You Differentiate and Resonate
When I worked at Google, a colleague used to loudly declare (usually over drinks), "Let's play one-two-three-honesty!" What followed would be some kind of hilarious or hard truth about our office, our company, our industry, maybe the broader culture -- something which otherwise would go un
The Good, Bad, and Ugly of Becoming Known Online
We're singing a song that isn't ours. I blame social media. Experts, entrepreneurs, and creators the world over seem to want to be known online today. Mostly, this manifests as a potent but aimless desire. It's not overly focused, so people run around grabbing at all the tactics, strapping themselv
You Can't Own Your Audience - But You Can Own an Idea in Their Minds
Imagine you're putting up a sign in a town square. Let's assume it's one of those old timey wooden signs you hammer through the cobblestone with a mallet. (While we're at it, let's also assume we're wearing knickers and saying things like, "Dickens, my good man, how doth your smithing business
Want Your Content to Resonate More with Others? Start by Being More Honest with Yourself
"I get what you're saying, but how do you really feel?" It was 2016, and a friend was listening to a dry run of my speech's closing bit. I'd spent 11 months developing this particular keynote, but the ending still wasn't ready. I was starting to stress out too. The stakes felt higher tha
How to Stand Out With Substance, Without Needing Stunts and Gimmicks
The great modern philosopher-slash-fictional pop singer Powerline had two hit songs in Disney's A Goofy Movie and also my heart. I grew up in the '90s, when Powerline came dancing into our hearts (stay with me now), Recess and Rugrats ruled, and Doug Funnie and the Fraggles welcomed us into t
6 of the Most Accomplished Business Storytellers Dissect Signature Stories in This Podcast Miniseries
Signature Stories is a miniseries inside Unthinkable where world-class business storytellers dissect a single story together with us. We analyze what makes it work, how they built it (and how it’s evolved), and how they use it to support their brand and serve the audience. You can find every epi
Signature Stories: Hall-of-Fame Speaker Jay Baer on How to Find and Develop Inspiring Stories
Inspiration is everywhere -- if you're paying attention. Signature Stories is a miniseries where world-class business storytellers take us inside one important story and dissect it with us. It's like Song Exploder meets storytelling for our work! In our sixth and final episode of the series, bestse
Signature Stories: Simone Stolzoff on Imbuing Moments with Meaning to Inspire Audiences
Great stories aren't found and reported. They're built and practiced. Effective storytellers know how to imbue any moment with meaning. Signature Stories is a miniseries where world-class business storytellers take us inside one important story and dissect it with us. It's like Song Exploder meets
To the Endless Stream of A.I. Junk: Thank You and Uh Oh
To the endless stream of junk… Thank you. To the people willing to publish crap... Thank you. To the charlatans, the hucksters, the spammers, the cheats... Thank you. And of course, to those who abuse AI and use the technology to produce mediocrity at incredible scale... Thank you, thank you
3 Reasons Your Audience Would Ignore Your Ideas
Consider the mighty hamster. There he sits upon his sturdy wheel, running and running and running, pausing only to nibble at his water bottle before recommitting himself to his noble work. Lately, this image has been popping to mind somewhere between five and 500 times a day. That's because for tw
Signature Stories: Amanda Natividad Encounters the Paradox of Business Storytelling [Unthinkable #213]
In our third episode of this mini-series, a prolific creator shares three different possible intros for a powerful new story -- and our dissection takes a surprising turn. (This series is like Song Exploder meets business storytelling!) In this episode, we're joined by Amanda Natividad, the VP of m
The Paradox of Storytelling (Or, How to Ensure Your Stories Connect)
My daughter is obsessed with this Disney+ show, Elena of Avalor, and if you're a parent, just reading that name caused the theme song to start playing in your head and a muscle to start twitching in your face. Anyhoo, I had never heard of this character (apparently, introduced in 2016), so once Ari
Signature Stories: Jenny Blake on Creating Massive Meaning from Small Stories [Unthinkable #212]
In our third episode of the mini-series "Signature Stories," we're looking at how a small story can create massive meaning. We're joined by Jenny Blake, author, speaker and podcaster. She's written three books and hosts the wildly popular podcasts "Free Time" and "Pivot.&qu
Escaping the Content Hamster Wheel: The Idea Impact Matrix (Part 2)
This is Part 2 of a series on how to craft higher-value, more original content — without magically adding more resources. Find Part 1 here. It’s the introduction to the visual framework, the Idea Impact Matrix. * * * The best way to describe the genius of Michelle Warner is with a smile
Crafting Incredible Episode Intros: Going Beyond Pull-Quotes and Summaries
Forget intros for a moment. I know that’s why you’re here, but we’ve got to start in another place: What is a podcast FOR? Is it for awareness? Reach? Net-new audience growth? I say, nay-nay, my dear friend. Nay-nay. A podcast is among the absolute worst vehicles imaginable for fast growth of bra
Signature Stories: Telling Tiny Stories with MBS [Unthinkable #211]
In the second episode of our mini-series “Signature Stories,” we're joined by Michael Bungay Stanier, speaker, coach and author of the wildly popular book "The Coaching Habit" and the brand new book, "How to Work with (Almost) Anyone." Michael shares a story about a very bad job
The Idea Impact Matrix: How to Craft Higher-Impact Content (Part 1)
The scariest stats ever released to podcasters -- especially those who, like me and probably you, are not mass-market famous -- is about the behavior of weekly listeners. According to Edison Research, among people who listen to podcasts on a weekly basis: 81% listen to 10 or fewer episodes
How to Create Original Work Consistently
Deep in the archives of a library far away where they keep such things, there sits an original manuscript from an ancient Greek storyteller. It's the tale of a hero who, unlike most stories following the Hero's Journey, refuses the call to adventure and remains at home. And he remains there. And
From Telling Stories to BECOMING Storytellers: Introducing Signature Stories [Unthinkable #209]
In a brand new mini-series, we're diving into signature stories from our favorite storytellers. Like Song Exploder but for stories, we want the world's most brilliant business storytellers to take us inside their practice. It's there we can all learn to become more effective storytellers. Up first
Ending the Myth of Writer's Block, the Maker Monster We Get All Wrong [Unthinkable #208]
Writing matters... a lot. You don't need me to tell you that. But what happens when you feel like you can't write? Yes, on this episode we're talking about writers' block - what it feels like, how it shows up, and how we can tackle it once and for all. This is our fourth episode hearing
When You Want to Make "Breaking Bad," But Your Work Is Just Breaking. Badly.
This piece was the 100th edition of my fortnightly newsletter, Playing Favorites. Together with my writing, my podcast, membership, and coaching are all dedicated to helping you make things that matter to your career, company, and community. In the newsletter, I talk about storytelling, resonance, c
Fun with Formats: An Overlooked Approach to Craft Irresistible Experiences [Unthinkable #207]
In this episode of Unthinkable, why formats matter so much. If you want listeners to stay engaged, for readers to finish an article, for your whole experience to resonate deeply, then we need to go beyond grabbing attention to genuinely HOLD it. Today, we focus on why formats are mission critical
Six Types of Hooks to Make Your Content Irresistible
What makes content irresistible? Antoine de Saint-Exupery was a French aviator, writer, and author of The Little Prince . He also knew a thing or two about motivating others. He once said this: “If you want to build a ship, don’t drum up the men to gather wood, and divide the work, and give orde
Speakeasy Business: How to Build Your Brand Without Social Media (Unthinkable #205)
What does it look like to bet your entire business on resonance, not reach? In this episode of Unthinkable , a refreshing concept: The Speakeasy Business . In a world where everyone exhausts themselves chasing traffic and growing awareness, a world of endless hype and optimizing everything to ran
4 Ways to Say It: How to Use Stories to Amp the Power Your Advice
It's a big moment for those of us who love to tell stories pulled from our own memories and daily moments. Generative AI ensures generalized advice void of personal perspective is both cheap and ubiquitous (and not worth anyone's time). Shows like Succession , Barry , and Ted Lasso all rea
How to Differentiate Your ideas: The XY Premise Pitch
I’m not exactly sure which synapse in my brain fails to fire correctly, but for my entire life, I’ve been a huge fan of the basketball team known as the New York Knicks. (Please clap. Or send condolences.) For most of my childhood and 100% of my adult life, the Knicks have been bad. Oh-so-very-bad
Pick Your Audience, Pick Your Future: How to Define Quality Content
Sitting on a stage to talk to some marketers (as Hollywood writers do from time to time), Aaron Sorkin once said the following: "If you prepared beef the way that you are sure would appeal to the most people, it would be a McDonald's hamburger every time, [but] I try to w
How to Create Super-Stories: One Story, Endless Power, Infinite ROI
They like to scoff: "What are you gonna do with an English degree?" Until the summer of 2008, my answer was simple. "Become a sports journalist." Little did I know... * * * When you're an English major, you hear a phrase floating around the ether: Your degree "teaches
Unthinkable #203: Song Exploder Exploder ft. Hrishikesh Hirway
Episode Summary Hrishikesh Hirway, musician and creator/host of Song Exploder, dissects clips from his show. Plus, we explore the overlap of grand ideals and the daily grind, both found when doing creative work. Listen In Your Preferred Player: Apple Podcasts Spotify All others
What Do You See When You See an Elephant? (How to Tell Any Story Your Way)
Any story you find can serve your cause -- if you know how to mold it and change it appropriately to tell it your way, for your specific goals. As an author and podcaster, I've learned there are just a few ways to change a story to illustrate the big idea or advance the mission I'm exploring or pu
Creativity Is a Form of Leadership
I'm a sucker for standup comedians whose material dances down the line between laughter and sadness. I love the big-hearted, the introspective, the borderline cheeseball, and of course, the inspiring. It's no surprise then that I love comedians like Bo Burnham and Mike Birbiglia. (I listened to t
Why Marketing Teams Will Soon Create *Creators,* Not Just Content
Here’s a post that didn’t make the newsletter, pulled from my notebook in messy fashion. Soon, marketing teams won't just create content. They'll create creators. This is built on 2 truths: TRUTH #1: The WHO behind the content has never mattered more. In a world full of AI-generated work and