Weekly Round Up #99
Your once-a-week digest filled with copy tips/tricks/hacks, must-read articles, and some pretty cool copy examples.
🧹 Quick Housekeeping Note: This is the last issue for August. I’ll be skipping next week and drumming up some surprises for my subscribers for issue #100. So if you’re not subscribed yet, be sure to do so!
Welcome to the 99th 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: Perfect copy makes people suspicious
“I was there” (via Brian Kurtz)
Successful Marketing Focuses on Targeting, Not Segmentation (via Brand Strategy Insider)
38 Slightly Different Black Friday Email Examples (That Actually Get Attention) (via Convertcart)
Campaigns that People Buy From w/ Kuru’s Blake Brown (Podcast Pick)
Copy Examples for Your Swipe File
Job Openings
Copy Tip of the Week
Perfect copy makes people suspicious.
… and there's a reason for that.
When everything sounds too good to be true, your brain's fraud detection system goes into overdrive.
But when a brand admits a minor flaw upfront, something unexpected happens. Your brain relaxes its defenses and starts believing the positive claims.
This is why strategic vulnerability outperforms perfection.
👉 The catch is that the flaw has to be real but forgivable. Something your ideal customer can live with, but that might deter the wrong fit.
"Our onboarding takes 3 full days" filters out dabblers but attracts the committed. "Not for beginners" repels some but magnetizes experts.
Volkswagen proved this in the 1960s with their iconic ad campaigns.
"Think Small."
"Lemon."
"It's Ugly But It Gets You There."
While Detroit was promising perfection, VW admitted their car was small, odd, and basic.
Sales exploded.
They understood that acknowledging obvious drawbacks made their genuine benefits more believable.
🧠 Psychologists call this the Pratfall Effect, when a minor imperfection makes competent people seem more likeable and trustworthy.
Your brain interprets voluntary admission of flaws as a signal of honesty. If they're telling you the bad stuff, the good stuff must be true.
Companies that only share positives trigger your "too good to be true" alarm. Companies that admit limitations feel refreshingly honest.
So what can you do to adopt this approach?
→ Address the elephant in the room (high price, learning curve, time investment)
→ Filter out bad-fit customers ("not for everyone")
→ Turn weaknesses into positioning ("we're small, so we care more")
→ Admit what competitors will tell them anyway
Stop polishing away every imperfection.
Your flaws don't make you less trustworthy. They make you human.
The most trusted brands don't claim perfection. They claim the right imperfections.
Must-Read Articles
“I was there” (via Brian Kurtz)
Why I recommend it 👉 Amidst the metrics and optimization, Brian’s story reminds us that the real ROI often lies in the brief moments of connection we almost miss. Honestly, this is a great read for managers and leaders, but also any teammate. It’s an invitation to lead with heart and leave with something far more durable than “conversions.”
Successful Marketing Focuses on Targeting, Not Segmentation (via Brand Strategy Insider)
Why I recommend it 👉 If you live by the Rule of One (like me or any other person in the direct response world), this piece is worth your time. It reminds you that the “one reader” isn’t some broad demographic segment… it’s a carefully chosen target where your message can hit hardest. Meaning, don’t just write to a persona, write to the people who can actually take action.
38 Slightly Different Black Friday Email Examples (That Actually Get Attention) (via Convertcart)
Why I recommend it 👉 This is what it sounds like, and yes, it’s 100% worth bookmarking before Black Friday/Cyber Monday.
You also need to read this:
MARKETING PEOPLE LOVE
Campaigns that People Buy From w/ Kuru’s Blake Brown
🎧 Listen on iTunes | Listen on Spotify
Why I recommend it 👉 If you touch any type of ad creative, then this episode is for you. BUT WAIT! ✋ Even if you don’t touch ad creative, but rather craft/strategize messaging about a product to any type of audience, then this episode is for you. I definitely had one major takeaway from this episode, drop a comment below once you listen to it. I want to see if yours is the same as mine…
🔓 Want access to my entire swipe file database?
Subscribe here to unlock the magic link.Pretty Fly Copy
DADFUEL
Format: Static Ad
Why I like it 👉 I feel attacked targeted. But in all honesty, the headline is both convicting and motivational (in its own way). And the ad copy itself accentuates the simplicity of their product.
HUCKBERRY
Format: Email
Why I like it 👉 Sorry that I’ve featured Huckberry emails two weeks in a row, but I liked this one too. It’s a great VIP-centric email, which goes a long way for keeping people loyal to your brand (by offering exclusive discounts)
FELLOW
Format: Post Purchase Email
Why I like it 👉 I recently ordered a new hot water kettle for my manual brew bar, and received this email as a follow up the next day. Thought it was great post-purchase (pre-delivery) flow email that educated me about the product so I could start using it right away.
GORUCK
Format: Email
Why I like it 👉 I thought this was a great back-to-school email geared toward parents, not kids. It spoke to the importance of routine, self-care, and showcased a wide-range of products to help meet the reader’s goals.
Career Opportunities
These remote opportunities are updated every week with copywriting and marketing roles ambitious job-seekers should definitely apply for.
Senior Conceptual Copywriter at (Undisclosed - recruiter)
📍Remote ℹ️ Finance/B2B 💸 $45 - 50/hr (USD)
Senior Copywriter at Copy Squad
📍Remote ℹ️ Agency 💸 $50/hr (USD)
Marketing Copywriter at PWHL
📍Remote ℹ️ B2C/Sports 💸 $60,000 - $78,000/yr (USD)
Direct Response Copywriter at KittySpout
📍Remote ℹ️ B2C/Pets 💸 $36,000 - $70,000/yr(USD)
Email Marketing Copywriter at Concord
📍Remote ℹ️ eComm 💸 $20 - 39/hr (USD)
That’s it for this week! If you have questions or comments — drop a note below.
✌️
Matt
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