I’ve dropped some balls this week. 

Actually, I’ve been dropping everything. 

But yeah, dear reader, the kids are back at school (actually, one just started) and those of us with little mouth-breathers can breathe a collective sigh of relief (and then immediate yearning, which I’ve come to realise is parenting). 

Otherwise, I’ve signed two new projects and a new creator (more on that later). Meanwhile, our bedroom looks like the back of a charity shop, and I can’t stop eating toast. Business as usual.

So let’s get into it..

🧠 Copy Chops →  How to sell online (and not feel dirty)

🧲 Magnetic Marketing → With or without you energy

📣 Client Chronicles → Selling to women (and a quick tip)

🌀 Weird Marketing → Boobs on billboards

Selling online gets a bad rap. Blame the spam lords with “last chance” countdowns that reset every morning. Or the emails that assume familiarity when you never opted in. Or the absolute duffers on LinkedIn who follow a cold message, with 3 more, then finally just Annabelle… (I mean honestly, does this ever actually work??)

Anyway, selling your stuff doesn’t have to feel like a con. Especially when you’re playing the long game -  y’know relationships, not hit-and-runs. 

So when I feel like I need to come home to some common sense, I like to tune into my old pal Seth Godin. He says.. “Selling to people who actually want to hear from you is more effective than interrupting strangers who don’t.”

I mean, the man makes sense doesn’t he??

So here are a few Seth inspired shifts - that make selling feel less sleazy and a little more human:

Permission Principle → People like being sold to when it’s relevant. (Godin built a whole career on this: permission > interruption.)

Tone over Tactics → A warm, motivating voice → yes. A fake countdown timer → nope.

Ethical Urgency → Scarcity works, but fake scarcity kills trust. Trust is the scarcest resource.

Value First → Earn attention with teaching + entertainment, then the CTA feels natural. Because in Godin’s words, ‘marketing isn’t about the stuff you make - it’s about the story people tell themselves.”

Microcopy Matters → “Save your seat” lands softer than “BUY NOW.” Tiny words can make a big difference.

So yeah, selling works best when it makes your buyer feel like the main character, not the mark.

This is ripped off from Daniel Priestley.  

If you know me IRL you know that I’m a bit of a fan girl, like before he was on DOAC and stuff. I mean look at me when I met him FFS..

Annnnyway, DP talks about “with or without you” energy.

That whole, buy from me or not, this train’s leaving, you can hop on, or not, nae bother.

But here’s the shitter: the more desperate you are, the harder it is to sell. Like trying to catch smoke.

People can smell it. They know when you’re winning and they know when you’re needy.

So I reckon part of this whole self employed/business game is two parts momentum one part dark arts. But that with or without you energy sells better than any marketing hack.

I spend a lot of time talking to men in marketing (what an odd opening line). But it’s true. And some of them talk about selling to women like it’s a whole new world.

But whether or not you think you’re selling to women, across industries women drive the purchasing decision.

And here’s the thing..
Women tend to ask more questions and think more dimensionally (“How does this affect my family, future, space?”).

Which means if you’re not preemptively answering those questions in your sales copy, you’re missing a chance to handle their objections.

So try adding “What happens when ___?” scenarios to your copy.

Example: “What happens if I get too many clients?”
OR → How will that affect my family life? My schedule? My freedom?

Solve those questions before they’re asked, and you’ll boost conversion without having to push harder.

Australian lingerie brand Nala just dropped a campaign called It’s Just a Boob.

On a giant mural in Melbourne, artist Caroline Lejeune painted nine bare chests — different bodies, skin tones, mastectomy scars.

The stunt promotes their new Fit Guide 2.0, but also challenges beauty standards and the taboo around nudity.

It’s bold, inclusive and it’s sparking exactly the kind of conversation most brands run from.

Lesson → weird marketing doesn’t always mean silly. Sometimes it’s powerful, artistic, and brave.

👀 Reader of the Week

It’s you baby, thanks for reading. No seriously. I appreciate you. What’s happening this week?

Annabelle