Spicy Curry

The holy grail right now for online video ads is to be both funny and persuasive. To be relevant and engaging. Funny videos that sell are rare. Mostly because most people don't know how to create them. In this episode Joseph walks us through his 8-step process for creating funny videos that sell without hiring an expert.  Joseph Wilkins has a rich background in creating videos that convert. He launched his career in the infomercial business while working on the launch of Little Giant Ladder.  That infomercial went on to sell hundreds of millions of dollars worth of ladders.   I've had the privilege of working closely with Joseph on a mutual client - Tru Earth.  Joseph and his team created videos for Tru Earth that have now racked up over 100 million views!  More than that, though, they are driving new customer acquisition.   Here's a look at what we cover: Why having a crystal clear picture of your customer in your head is a must before you do anything else. You wouldn't write a letter without knowing who you're writing it to, would you? How Joseph assembles a team of people to write scripts and why this is more important than fancy editing skills. How to find talent for videos. Why you should probably forget about going viral. Getting your pace right and testing before you go live with a video. How and when to add humor to your ads. How to think about production quality.

Everything is easier when your product is awesome. Messaging is easier. Email marketing is easier. Getting repeat purchasing is easier. But, here's the thing,  the key to having a great product is NOT having a product focus. The key is to be a problem-first business rather than a product-first business. It's more important to fall in love with your customer rather than falling in love with your product.  Cathryn Lavery understands great product design. Her first product, the Better Self Journal, raised $322,000 on Kickstarter and won her the Build a Business Contest from Shopify. Her success (learned partially from failures) in expanding her product line and her business won her the, Build a Bigger Business Contest from Shopify, which is an amazing feat. In this episode we breakdown some really important approaches to designing your next product and understanding how to think about your product mix.

Misconceptions about GDN are rampant in the eComm world. It's too hard. It's too expensive. The targeting isn't as good as Facebook. It doesn't work. Justin Brooke knows better. Justin is an ad veteran who knows just about every ad platform out there. He's partnered with and trained media buyers for Russell Brunson, Frank Kern, Dan Kennedy and more. He also worked for Agora Publishing. He KNOWS his stuff. And he believes GDN ads are better than Facebook?  Why? You can still get $.40 and $.80 clicks. GDN offers targeting that you can't match on Facebook. GDN creates the impression that your brand is "everywhere". Here are some tips we cover: His unique approach to GDN for eCommerce.  His landing page must-have elements. How quality is in the quantity when it comes to GDN headlines and copy. Testing 3 angles for every idea - toward pleasure, away from pain, and something controversial.  Utilizing the overnight celebrity strategy with testimonial GDN ads. How deadlines and testimonials work together. How to work hand-in-hand with the algorithm for amazing results.

Tracking is harder than ever. Competition is fierce. But YouTube still offers the largest reach of any social media platform. It's the most visited site on the planet behind Google. It also provides incredible opportunities to zero in on your ideal audience. In this episode (taken from a recent talk given at Social Media Marketing World in San Diego) I break down two eCommerce case studies of companies who grew from $0 to over $1Million in profitable ad spend on YouTube. We'll show you how you can do the same or better.

Nick Shackelford was a pro soccer player for the LA Galaxy turned online marketing superstar. You've probably seen him featured in FOUNDR magazine or speaking on stage of the wildly successful event he co-founded - Geek Out.  I first met him when we both spoke at Ezra Firestone's event in Denver several years ago and I've been a fan ever since. Nick is a master of media buying. He knows how to build agencies. And he has a really fresh take on creatives. We go deep into his creative process in this episode. Here's a look at what we cover: How a lack of diversity in your ads could be killing your results. Nick's agency's creative process. This is pure GOLD. How to use Amazon reviews to jump start your creative process - This strategy is so simple, so effective, you'll kick yourself for not having used it. How a tool called, Monkey Learn, can help you key in on the right words and hooks to use with your audience. Why audience targeting is nearly dead and creative is KING. How Nick uses Creative Strategist and why you should consider one too. How to work with the algorithm rather than against it. 

Few people understand Facebook Advertising and Direct Response Marketing like Molly Pittman. You've probably seen Molly on stage at events like Traffic & Conversion Summit or Social Media Marketing World or you've seen her and Ezra Firestone create amazing content through Smart Marketer. In this episode we dive into a subject that is often glossed over - creating great offers and building acquisition funnels. Without a great offer, your ad efforts will fall short. And great offers aren't just about discounting.  It's the perfect subject to help you win in a privacy-first online world.  Here's what we cover: How Smart Marketer and BOOM are building and launching new acquisition funnels every month. How to test offers via email before investing in ad dollars. What metrics we should pay attention to in a post iOS 14 world. 3 ways to get more testimonials. What is likely to change in the future and what most likely won't. 

I've never met anyone quite like Miki Agrawal. She's incredibly creative. No really. She once hosted a "funeral for a tree" at an old cathedral in NYC hosted by comedians and actors. It drew a crowd of thousands, generated millions in free press, and helped shed light on the toilet paper waste that her company TUSHY can help solve.  She understands trends in marketing. She knows how to grab attention. So much so that she was banned by the NY transit authority from running subway ads. This led to a PR fight that she won…and in the end, got more press and attention than if they hadn't been banned.  She's also warm and kind and FUN.  She's created multiple 9-Figure businesses and has garnered some pretty incredible recognition. She was named, "Fast Company's Most Creative People", "Young Global Leader" by the World Economic Forum and INC's "Most Impressive Women Entrepreneurs". She's also the author of #1 best selling books Do Cool SH*T and Disrupt-HER. In this episode we unpack Miki's wacky, impossible-to-forget and wildly successful marketing strategies and tactics. Here's a look at what we cover: How Miki was banned from advertising on the NYC subway and turned that into a huge PR win for her brand THINX. How to use Accessible + Relatable language.  How to create ads that are both effective and "fridge worthy". How iteration is perfection. How to start with play to create great ideas.

No one knows more about eCommerce growth than my friend Ezra Firestone. Arguably, no one is a more interesting interview than Ezra either. This episode does NOT disappoint. Ezra bootstrapped growth for Boom from $0 to $40mill+ per year. He also recently bought another high-profile eComm brand (more on that in the show).This episode is straight fire. Here's a look at what we dive into: How Ezra is approaching email marketing and email list growth in 2022. I'm guessing you're missing his email strategy - even if you consider yourself an email marketing pro. How BOOM is approaching front-end offers. Why you should consider inventing a holiday and how BOOM has done that. Growing your SMS list. Plus MUCH, much more!