Weekly Round Up #96
Your once-a-week digest filled with copy tips/tricks/hacks, must-read articles, and some pretty cool copy examples.
Welcome to the 96th edition of the Weekly Round-Up — your once-a-week digest filled with copy tips/tricks/hacks, must-read articles, pretty cool copy examples, and much more!
In this week’s issue:
Copy Tip: Use stories to make your point
It’s Time to Ditch Discipline (via Around the Bonfire)
How to Make Competitors Look Like Aliens (via Marketing Ideas by Tom Orbach)
Q2 2025 Email Patterns, Trends, and Outliers (via Really Good Emails)
Ew, Feelings: 7 emotional triggers that drive users to take action (Podcast Pick)
Copy Examples for Your Swipe File
Job Openings
Copy Tip of the Week
Stories hijack your brain.
And I mean that literally.
When you hear facts and data, your brain processes them in the language centers.
You evaluate, analyze, and often resist.
But when you hear a story, something different happens.
Multiple brain regions light up simultaneously. The visual cortex activates when you hear about colors. The motor cortex fires when someone describes movement. Your sensory areas respond to textures and sounds.
Neuroscientists call this "narrative transportation." Your brain stops analyzing and starts experiencing.
This is why stories bypass logical resistance:
❌ "Our software reduces processing time by 40%"
(Brain response: "Is that claim accurate? Compared to what? How do they measure that?")
✅ "Sarah used to stay until 8 PM every night, manually processing orders while her kids waited for dinner. Now she's home by 5:30."
(Brain response: I can see Sarah at her desk... I feel that frustration... I want that relief)
The first example triggers evaluation. The second triggers identification.
But here's the key: Your story has to be relevant to your reader's experience.
Generic success stories don't work because they don't activate the right neural pathways.
"John made millions" means nothing to someone struggling to pay rent.
"John went from 3 clients to 30 clients in 6 months" connects with someone trying to grow their business.
When people get absorbed in a story, their guard drops. They stop fact-checking and start feeling. Their brain literally simulates the experience you're describing.
The rule? Use stories to make your point, not just to entertain.
Every story needs a clear connection to your reader's situation. Show them someone like them solving a problem like theirs.
Facts tell.
Stories sell.
Because facts hit the thinking brain.
Stories hit the feeling brain.
And feelings drive decisions.
Must-Read Articles
It’s Time to Ditch Discipline (via Around the Bonfire)
Why I recommend it 👉 This is a great read if you’re trying to adopt new habits/behaviors, but it’s also good if you’re a marketer wanting to speak to the long-term motivations of your target audience. Congratulating good behavior is effective, but affirming someone’s chosen identity is even more powerful. And for brands who want to build loyalty, it could make all the difference.
How to Make Competitors Look Like Aliens (via Marketing Ideas by Tom Orbach)
Why I recommend it 👉 If you share a category with competitors (who doesn’t?), then how do you make your brand stand out? Answer: own the problem that only you can solve. Read more…
Q2 2025 Email Patterns, Trends, and Outliers (via Really Good Emails)
Why I recommend it 👉 If you touch any kind of content strategy for a brand’s email marketing program, then you should read this. Personally, I like that trend #1 is a thing in the first place because… #marketingpsychology
You also need to read this:
UNSPAM
Ew, Feelings: 7 emotional triggers that drive users to take action
Watch on YouTube
Why I recommend it 👉 Lianna Patch’s Unspam 2025 keynote is a crash course in writing emotional copy that actually works — without feeling gross or manipulative. She breaks down six key feelings (like pain, hope, and flattery) and shows exactly how to use them to make people stop scrolling, start reading, and take action. Her big message? People don’t buy products—they buy how those products make them feel. If you're writing emails, landing pages, or anything in between, this talk is full of gold.
🔓 Want access to my entire swipe file database?
Subscribe here to unlock the magic link.Pretty Fly Copy
ASTRONOMER
Format: Ad
Why I like it 👉 This was a GREAT play from Astronomer’s PR team. They actually hired Ryan Reynolds’ agency is help spin this up. But they used the spotlight to shed the light on what they actually do in a hilarious way. Bonus points for using Gwenyth Paltrow (Coldplay reference).
DOG IS HUMAN
Format: Email
Why I like it 👉 Enjoyed this post-purchase (pre-delivery) email I received after ordered my senior pup some supplements. It was a great way to set expectations for what comes next (with some pro tips to boot!).
HUMM KOMBUCHA
Format: Email
Why I like it 👉 Lawyers killing your copy vibes? This was a creative way around it.
HOLLOW SOCKS
Format: Email
Why I like it 👉 First of all, I loved the design of this campaign – the hero especially! But for a returning customer who’s solution-aware, this was a great email to help them decide: which version of this product is best for me?
MARS MEN
Format: Email
Why I like it 👉 Facts don’t sell – stories do. More specifically, transformation stories. This was a dead simple campaign that shows (and tells) how this particular product (coupled with lifestyle changes) transformed one person’s life. Well done.
Career Opportunities
These remote opportunities are updated every week with copywriting and marketing roles ambitious job-seekers should definitely apply for.
Member Engagement Copywriter at Carrot
📍Remote ℹ️ Healthcare 💸 $100,000 - $120,000/yr (USD)
Copywriter at Colgate
📍Remote ℹ️ B2C 💸 Not Listed
Senior Copywriter (Freelance) at Tilt Creative + Production
📍Remote ℹ️ Agency 💸 Not Listed
Staff Copywriting (TVC & Brand Storytelling) at hims & hers
📍Remote ℹ️ B2C/DTC 💸 $165,000 - $190,000/yr (USD)
Lead Copywriter at Health-E Commerce
📍Remote ℹ️ B2B/B2C 💸 $70,000 - $90,000/yr (USD)
That’s it for this week! If you have questions or comments — drop a note below.
✌️
Matt
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