marketing

People buy you, not the product

/ Stuart Danker / 16 Comments

I subscribed to an influencer’s workout programme once. Not because they offered anything special. But because I respected them as a person.

The programme was priced at USD20, and while I don’t regret making that purchase, I feel like I could’ve easily gotten that information for free.

But that’s not the point. It’s not about how cheaply I could scour the internet for information. They could’ve charged USD50 and I’d still have signed up. The real reason behind my subscription was because I liked them. I liked how they lived their life, and I liked their message.

That’s when it hit me—I buy things for the brand or personality, not just for the actual product.

Because every product available today will have its alternatives: writing courses, diapers, goat blood. Everything that can be sold will be offered by someone else.

The differentiator is who sells it. And that’s where the magic lies. The magic is in each and every one of us. It’s us being ourselves. Hemingway is already taken. So too is Michelle Obama. But you can be you. That’s something nobody else can ever emulate.

Remember that the next time you’re worried about your Etsy store or your online editing services.

The person behind the product is just as important—if not more—as the product itself.

Here Are Some Copywriting Tips That Don’t Include ‘Learn SEO’ Or ‘Find Your Niche’

/ Stuart Danker / 84 Comments

Man in cafe with a Macbook holding a book titled Expert Secrets

If you google ‘how to be a copywriter’, you’ll find 33.6 million articles that supposedly cover the ins and outs of the vocation.

But upon further inspection of the search results, you’ll quickly learn that some of these posts have typos in the first paragraphs (automatic disqualification), while others read like fresh-grad material instead of actual copywriting. There are a few posts that offer solid advice, though most of them end up trying to sell you a course.

But I digress. We’re not here to judge content. Instead, for this week, we’re going to discuss things beyond ‘build a portfolio’ and ‘learn SEO’.

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How To Grow And Maintain Your Site With These 9 Blogging Tasks

/ Stuart Danker / 173 Comments

A group of people doing gardening outside flowers

Maintaining a blog means different things to different people, and ever since I started taking things seriously (circa May 2020), I’ve realised that there are a certain number of blogging tasks required to put forth a respectable front.

Sure, when I launched the site in 2014, all I ever wanted was to share my inane ramblings. Sometimes I posted once a week, sometimes once a month. I was as casual as casual got.

But like any beginning blogger, I also wanted a readership. However, it would take another six years before I actually put any effort into this blogging thing.

And while I’m nowhere near my aspirations of being the next Mark Manson, I’ve still managed to grow my engagement from something cosy to the all-time high I have today thanks to your support.

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Improve Your Blog Posts And Grow Your Audience In 7 Simple Steps

/ Stuart Danker / 125 Comments

Fans in a concert with someone making the heart sign. Photo by

We need to talk. You, yes you, the typical blogger. No, not you regular readers. You guys are cool, because I check your blogs every time you comment. No, this is for those who’ve found this blog through the Reader. I’m writing this for you.

You need to stop publishing every brain fart of yours on WordPress. I mean it. I say this because I want you to flourish. And if WordPress flourishes, then we all do too, right?

But back to the subject at hand. You can’t half-ass your posts and expect your readers to care. So let’s go back to exploring the basics.

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The Ultimate(est) 5-Step Guide To Writing A Killer Blog Post

/ Stuart Danker / 79 Comments
Kid standing at the base of a high stairway

Photo: Jukan Tateisi

You’re reading this, so that means you’re most likely on WordPress. And if that’s the case, then you’re probably spending too much time reading other people’s posts instead of writing your own.

Wow, you might think, this guy has such an astute observation!

Elementary, my dear Watson. Most people are already born procrastinators, what more those who choose words as their form of expression.

Because if you can describe procrastination in five different ways, then you’re five times more likely to doing said procrastinating. Boom, quick maths.

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