The smartest strategies are often defined by the things you decide not to do. For anyone looking to build a successful content platform or side hustle business, the first step isn’t about chasing every trend. It’s about finding your unique sweet spot.
Hollywood has a formula for making you desperately want to see a movie months before it ever hits theaters. They spend hundreds of millions on a blockbuster and know they have a tiny window to make it all back. So, they don't just release a film; they orchestrate a launch. It starts with a teaser trailer a year out, then a full trailer, then a media blitz that builds anticipation to a fever pitch. By the time opening weekend arrives, people are lining up, eager to see what all the buzz is about.
It all started in an office in Anchorage, Alaska. Scott McMurren was working in media sales for a local TV station, a job that gave him a great view of Mount McKinley and a list of contacts all over the state. He also hosted a travel show on the side, but he never thought it would amount to much. For two years, his friend Gary Blakely had been nagging him about a business idea, but Scott kept brushing it off. Finally, worn down by the daily grind and his friend’s persistence, he caved. “OK,” he said, “let’s give it a try.”
For three years, I was convinced my hairdresser was a perfectionist. He’d come to my house like clockwork every week and give me the same great haircut. I stuck with him because I believed he had an incredible eye for detail, and I trusted him completely.
An irresistible offer, as the marketing guru Ray Edwards put it, is one that sells itself. People don’t need to be persuaded to buy; they ask you if they can. At the heart of any great sales page or pitch is the offer. It’s a combination of the transformation you’re promising, the product or service that delivers it, and the price.
There's an old saying in sales: "Timid salesmen have skinny kids." While writing copy for an online business isn't exactly the same as a face-to-face pitch, the core principle holds true. You have to be willing to ask for the sale. This is the single most important part of your copy, yet it's where so many people freeze up, especially when they're just getting their off the ground.
You’ve done all the work. You’ve studied your audience, figured out their biggest fears and frustrations, and learned the exact language they use to describe their problems. You know your product inside and out, you’ve pinpointed the benefits that truly matter, and you’ve even come up with a big idea that ties it all together.
"Half the money I spend on advertising is wasted; the trouble is, I don’t know which half.”
Hal Varian, Google’s Chief Economist, once pointed out that in today’s internet economy, the one truly scarce resource is attention. This single idea unlocks the strategy behind some of the world's most successful companies and holds powerful lessons for anyone looking to build a business.