Weekly Round Up #114
Your once-a-week digest filled with copywriting insights, AI tips, must-read articles, pretty cool copy examples, and much more!
Welcome to the 113th edition of the Weekly Round-Up — your once-a-week digest filled with copywriting insights, AI tips, must-read articles, pretty cool copy examples, and much more!
In this week’s issue:
Copy Tip: Every sentence should earn the right to exist
AI Tip: Build “Why Layers” Into Your Context (Not Just Examples)
Ai Doesn’t Reduce Work, It Intensifies It (via HBR)
Welcome Flows Are Dead. Entry Flows Are Thriving. (via Astral)
Leading Brands Win on Consumer-Perceived Value (via Branding Strategy Insider)
Authentic Emotion in Marketing: Going Beyond Valentine's Day Clichés (via The Copy Minimalist)
Video Pick: Marketing Legend: The True Future of AI in Marketing
Swipe File Additions
Job Opportunities
Copy Tip of the Week
Every sentence should earn the right to exist
Most copy doesn’t fail because it’s bad – it fails because it’s unnecessary.
Mid-level writers tend to stack sentences that sound fine but don’t do anything. They flow well, but they don’t move belief, reduce friction, or increase clarity.
They’re dead weight.
A sentence earns its spot if it does at least one of these:
Moves the reader closer to a decision
Removes a doubt, fear, or question
Sharpens understanding of the offer or outcome
Increases trust or perceived competence
If it doesn’t do one of those, it’s probably indulgent.
How to apply it in practice:
When editing, don’t ask “Is this good?”
Ask “What job is this sentence doing?”
If you can’t name the job in plain language, cut it or merge it with something that has a job.
This is especially important in intros that warm up too long, feature explanations that repeat themselves, or transitions that exist just to sound polished.
Imagine you’re paying per sentence.
Would you buy that one?
AI Insight of the Week
Build “Why Layers” Into Your Context (Not Just Examples)
Most teams show AI what worked:
“Here are our best ads.”
High-performing teams teach AI why it worked:
“Here’s why these ads won.”
How to apply it:
For every winning example in your brand context, add 2–3 quick notes:
Why it worked
Which objection it neutralized
What audience belief it leveraged
Now the model isn’t just copying patterns — it’s learning how to think through creative decisions.
Must-Read Articles
Ai Doesn’t Reduce Work, It Intensifies It (via Harvard Business Review)
🔗 https://hbr.org/2026/02/ai-doesnt-reduce-work-it-intensifies-it
Why I recommend it:
This piece from Harvard Business Review makes the smart point that AI doesn’t magically shrink your workload — it often expands it unless you define precise use cases and stick to them, because without intentional boundaries you can easily trade human judgment and decision-making for busywork, not better work.
Welcome Flows Are Dead. Entry Flows Are Thriving. (via Astral)
🔗 https://weareastral.co.uk/thevault/welcome-flows-are-dead.-orientation-flows-are-thriving
Why I recommend it:
Reframes welcome flows as “orientation flows” that prioritize the customer’s actual experience and needs first — a mindset shift that helps you design journeys that feel helpful and human instead of purely transactional.
Leading Brands Win On Consumer-Perceived Value
🔗 https://brandingstrategyinsider.com/leading-brands-win-on-consumer-perceived-value/
Why I recommend it:
Argues that the brands that consistently win aren’t just selling features or prices — they’re shaping consumer perceived value in a way that transcends industry or vertical, reminding us that how customers interpret your product’s worth often matters more than the product itself.
You Might Also Like:
LEVELING UP WITH ERIC SIU
Marketing Legend: The True Future of AI in Marketing
📺 Watch on YouTube
Why I recommend it:
In this conversation, Seth Godin joins Eric Siu to unpack ideas from This Is Strategy, reframing strategy as a long-term compass rooted in empathy, systems thinking, and infinite games, while arguing that in an AI-driven world, the real advantage comes from consistency, judgment, and telling true stories that build trust over time.
🔓 Want access to my entire swipe file database?
Subscribe here to unlock the magic link.Pretty Fly Copy
MUDITA
Format: Email
Why I like it:
Love the idea behind this email – it’s about presence not presents. It was captured well in the headline toward the bottom of the campaign: “This Valentine’s Be Present, Not Just Together.”
FREE FLY APPAREL
Format: Email
Why I like it:
If you’ve been following me for some time, you know I love a good theme. This campaign (and its product feature) is geared toward anglers (fishermen/women). What’s powerful about it is the product feature callouts are things an angler would care about (I know because I am one and am thinking about the guide pants!).
TASTESALUD
Format: Facebook Ad
Why I like it:
Super simple ad, which just adds to the notion that “less is more.” In particular, I liked the headline in the bottom of the ad: “Hydrate. Protect. Repeat.” It does a good job conveying the benefits and simplicity of the product.
Career Opportunities
These remote opportunities are updated every week with copywriting and marketing roles ambitious job-seekers should definitely apply for.
Brand Copywriter (Contract; Part-time) at Huckleberry Labs
📍Remote ℹ️ SaaS/B2C 💸 $40 - $55/hr (USD)
Marketing Copywriter (Contract; Part-time) at Huckleberry Labs
📍Remote ℹ️ SaaS/B2C 💸 $40 - $55/hr (USD)
Senior Copywriter at DTN
📍Remote ℹ️ B2B 💸 $71,000 - $95,000/yr (USD)
Content Marketing Managers & Strategist at Novora
📍Remote ℹ️ B2B 💸 $85,000 - $105,000/yr (USD)
Copywriter at Unreal Snacks
📍Remote ℹ️ CPG/B2C 💸 $100,000 - $120,000/yr (USD)
That’s it for this week! If you have questions or comments — drop a note below.
✌️
Matt
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