The Marketing Matters Newsletter

I have a milestone to celebrate soon. March 24 is my content-versary. That’s the day I published my first piece of writing on the Interwebs. It wasn’t a masterpiece. Or, most probably, even a good piece, though I’m not sure—the death of Blogspot has mercifully spared me from having an archive that old. But it…

“There you go,” the flight attendant smiles as she hands me a bite-sized, Lufthansa-yellow, rectangular piece of chocolate. For a second, I wonder. Why milk chocolate? Why not a deeper, velvety dark one? That tiny treat and that random thought have a lot to do with content marketing, I swear. Because in both cases, it’s…

I’m coming to your inbox a day later than usual, but I didn’t want to miss some time with you even while traveling across Italy this week. Ciao, belli! Over the past couple of months, there’s been a recurring pattern in my client content reviews. The foundation is there. Lots of well-researched educational content. Solid…

When markets get tough, it’s tempting to follow the crowd. Your competitor drops their prices, so you drop yours. They offer more features for less, so you pile on extras. They promise faster delivery, so you speed up your timeline. But what if we flipped the script entirely? I was listening to Seth Godin on…

“People don’t really care… They don’t think as much about you as you do about you. So even if you think the post is a bit cringe and it’s a bit half-baked, just put it out there.” These words from Will Poskett summed up my thoughts exactly. We were part of a live event focused…

Client: “I don’t know, this headline just doesn’t sound right to me.” Marketer: internally screaming Sound familiar? This happened more often than I care to admit when I first started doing brand messaging and copywriting work. Most people think that copywriting is about what “sounds good.” But it’s not art. It’s not a subjective preference.…

“Nobody reads online anymore.” This phrase haunts every messaging review meeting I’ve ever been in. And I heard it again last week. I presented a landing page proposal, and the client got visibly uneasy. “Isn’t that too much info? Won’t we overwhelm visitors?” And before you ask, I didn’t put War and Peace on the…

“This all looks great, but…” I’ve come to dread these words during content strategy workshops. “But we’d never get approval to do this kind of content. Management wants measurable wins, not long-term investments.” The room filled with knowing nods. These were experienced professionals who’d spent years watching their strategic initiatives get whittled down to “quick…

I had a realization while reviewing the latest data on AI brand mentions: We’re not moving forward. We’re coming full circle. Or rather, we’re moving up along a spiral where old tactics come back with new twists. Remember the golden age of advertising? When brand visibility was primarily driven by word of mouth, and the…

Want to know the most impactful customer research I did in my early days? It happened by accident. During the busiest weeks of the year when I was drowning in customer support tasks. I was Head of Marketing at what would become one of the biggest e-tailers in my home country. And every December, as…

I have a confession to make: I’m a framework nerd. I have a dedicated Google Docs folder filled with templates. My Evernote has clippings from all sorts of sources with different thinking models I want to try. But there’s a purpose to this hoarding behavior. It’s about finding the right tool for the right moment.…

I’ve been watching some gymnastics lately. Not because I’m particularly skilled at it (trust me, my coordination peaks at walking and chewing gum simultaneously). But there’s something mesmerizing about watching athletes perform these incredibly complex routines with such precision and grace. The other day, I caught myself holding my breath as a gymnast approached their…

“Save it for January” is the worst advice when it comes to clearing up some mental bandwidth. Big strategic planning? Sure, save it for 2025.  But those tiny tasks you’ve been avoiding since spring? December is their perfect home. I realized this last week as I finally tackled two tasks that had been living rent-free…

There are two types of conversations I have with AI. In one, time melts away as we explore ideas together. The output isn’t just good—it’s illuminating, pushing my thinking in new directions. These sessions produce content and messaging that feels greater than the sum of its parts. Then there are the other times. Every interaction…

Today is one of those days. The kind where every task feels like trudging through molasses, and every idea slips away before it can stick. Honestly, I’d probably better close my laptop and call it a day. If you’ve ever been here, you know how frustrating slow days can be—especially if you’re a perfectionist like…