Can we talk about sex?

Okay, we’re not going to talk about sex, but now your attention is locked in. That’s because the desire for intimacy is tied to dopamine, one of the four main chemicals in our brain.

Now, dopamine is the strongest chemical our bodies can handle. It’s connected to those burning desires, those pain points we can’t stop thinking about, the questions driving us to impossible lengths to answer, and those problems we’d do anything to solve.

It’s what catches our attention from across the room or on the subway platform when even the name of that desire or problem is mentioned. It’s the most important, raging interest we have in our lives that our brains love obsessing over.

That’s why stories of love, purpose, intimacy, wealth, success, and meaning are so powerful. It’s activating our dopamine deficit with an insatiable hunger.

As you go through today, I want you to focus on one question. What is the strongest burning desire your audience has that you can solve for them? Write down your answer and tune in tomorrow to hear how to leverage dopamine with your Message.

The Keynote Clarity for Thought Leaders Flash Briefing is presented by Jon Cook, founder of Keynote Content. Jon and his team help thought leaders, namely speakers, coaches, and consultants, craft and share their messages to better serve their audiences. Connect with Jon and his team at Keynote Content by visiting keynotecontent.com. You can subscribe to The Keynote Clarity for Thought Leaders Flash Briefing by visiting bit.ly/KeynoteClarity and enabling it there. Then, all you have to say is, “Alexa, what’s my flash briefing?”

I spent the past three years investing thousands of hours and tens of thousands of dollars studying brain science and neuromarketing. 

Did you know there are four base chemicals found in our brains that can be activated by specific types of statements and experiences? These create a chemical reaction in our brains that releases one of those specific chemicals. We can literally turn storytelling into chemistry class and mix certain stories to create emotionally positive responses from our readers.

If that sounds interesting and maybe even a little scary, you’re right - it is...unless we treat our brains with the utmost respect. Over the next few days, I’m going to share about each of these four main brain chemicals and how we can ethically leverage brain chemistry to better connect with our audiences.

I hope you’re ready to get your ‘nerd’ on. Talk to you tomorrow!

The Keynote Clarity for Thought Leaders Flash Briefing is presented by Jon Cook, founder of Keynote Content. Jon and his team help thought leaders, namely speakers, coaches, and consultants, craft and share their messages to better serve their audiences. Connect with Jon and his team at Keynote Content by visiting keynotecontent.com. You can subscribe to The Keynote Clarity for Thought Leaders Flash Briefing by visiting bit.ly/KeynoteClarity and enabling it there. Then, all you have to say is, “Alexa, what’s my flash briefing?”

I love podcasting. It’s audio content, so whether you’re walking your dog, hitting the gym, waiting at LaGuardia, riding in an Uber, or preparing dinner, podcasts are extremely versatile. The accessibility is better than ever with more platforms coming online every day.

I knew about flash briefings two years ago, but honestly, I wrote them off as a fad, just another way for Amazon to win our attention. What I didn’t see is that flash briefings are a great way to package my Message for a crowd that’s already used to audio content: our podcast listeners.

That’s the beauty of learning a fresh, new way to package your Message. Give it a try this week. If you haven’t tried podcasting, hit record on your phone, talk into your earbuds, and then, share it with your crowd. It doesn’t have to be polished; it just needs to be you and your Message. If you’re new to using video, do a short video and post it to Facebook or Instagram TV.

Whatever you decideto create, post it online and then, tag me @keynotecontent or send me a message at [email protected].

Have fun!

The Keynote Clarity for Thought Leaders Flash Briefing is presented by Jon Cook, founder of Keynote Content. Jon and his team help thought leaders, namely speakers, coaches, and consultants, craft and share their messages to better serve their audiences. Connect with Jon and his team at Keynote Content by visiting keynotecontent.com. You can subscribe to The Keynote Clarity for Thought Leaders Flash Briefing by visiting bit.ly/KeynoteClarity and enabling it there. Then, all you have to say is, “Alexa, what’s my flash briefing?”

Too many sales pages talk about the product or program, share about the features, benefits, what’s included, and then, you have to schedule a call to talk about the product or program. Why not just put a “Buy Now” option on the page?

If they’re uncertain, you can have another button that also says “Book a Call” or “Let’s Talk!” but you need a way for fast decision-makers to take action right away. The principle is if you don’t make an offer, you won’t make many sales.

By adding a “Buy Now” option or button on your site, it lets your sales copy actually complete the sale instead of hoping your sales skills can close the deal. A “Buy Now” option gives the reader the satisfaction of knowing they can take immediate action without delay. It also means you’ll make more sales by giving them a clearer runway towards success.

The Keynote Clarity for Thought Leaders Flash Briefing is presented by Jon Cook, founder of Keynote Content. Jon and his team help thought leaders, namely speakers, coaches, and consultants, craft and share their messages to better serve their audiences. Connect with Jon and his team at Keynote Content by visiting keynotecontent.com. You can subscribe to The Keynote Clarity for Thought Leaders Flash Briefing by visiting bit.ly/KeynoteClarity and enabling it there. Then, all you have to say is, “Alexa, what’s my flash briefing?”

“Above the fold” is a journalism term that referred to the top of the front page of a newspaper before the fold across the center. It’s where the most important news stories, the leading headlines, and articles lived.

Bringing that term into the digital marketing space, I like to refer to the section at the top of a website page as “above the scroll”. What’s the one action or idea you want your reader to see and understand before they ever have to scroll?

Your call-to-action button is one of the most important items you can place above the scroll. If your reader loves your headline, knows the action you want to take, and they want to take that action, it’s obvious you want your button easy to access.

Today, I want you to look at your website, your sales page, any page where you want readers to take action. Ask yourself, “What do I want to be above the scroll on this page so if the reader says “Yes!” then they can take immediate action?”

The Keynote Clarity for Thought Leaders Flash Briefing is presented by Jon Cook, founder of Keynote Content. Jon and his team help thought leaders, namely speakers, coaches, and consultants, craft and share their messages to better serve their audiences. Connect with Jon and his team at Keynote Content by visiting keynotecontent.com. You can subscribe to The Keynote Clarity for Thought Leaders Flash Briefing by visiting bit.ly/KeynoteClarity and enabling it there. Then, all you have to say is, “Alexa, what’s my flash briefing?”

A new client of ours is creating a safe conversation for kids of all ages to talk about bullying. During one of our first conversations, she shared her frustration that people weren’t connecting with her Message.

She told me, “I know there are a lot of people who want to end bullying, but I’m just not getting my Message across!”

We talked through her beliefs about bullying and this hell on earth so many kids of all ages face each day. And then, she blurted out, “Kids deserve to know they’re safe and people love them for who they are right now!”

That’s the truth we needed to convey. It wasn’t that bullying is causing irreparable harm, we all know that; it’s the belief that freedom from bullying is an intrinsic right every child deserves to have.

What is the fundamental truth you believe about your audience? What is the intrinsic right you know your audience deserves to experience? That is what separates theory from conviction. That is what will separate your Message from the noise in your industry today.

The Keynote Clarity for Thought Leaders Flash Briefing is presented by Jon Cook, founder of Keynote Content. Jon and his team help thought leaders, namely speakers, coaches, and consultants, craft and share their messages to better serve their audiences. Connect with Jon and his team at Keynote Content by visiting keynotecontent.com. You can subscribe to The Keynote Clarity for Thought Leaders Flash Briefing by visiting bit.ly/KeynoteClarity and enabling it there. Then, all you have to say is, “Alexa, what’s my flash briefing?”

I can’t tell you how many websites I’ve seen for speakers, coaches, and consultants that fall into the trap of spotlighting. I’ve made this mistake myself: putting the spotlight on my expertise, what I can do for your Message, and how great I am at getting results.

The reality is it’s not about me - it’s never supposed to be about me. I’m never supposed to be in the spotlight when talking with my Market. We are not the heroes - we are the guides helping show the way for our clients to be the heroes in the story.

I see spotlighting all over websites, videos, podcast episodes, keynote speeches, everywhere. My encouragement to you today is to see how you can shine the spotlight on your audience. Focus on what they’re great at that you can help bring more of to the world around us. That’s when we can truly serve our clients when we take the spotlight off ourselves and celebrate our clients being the true heroes.

The Keynote Clarity for Thought Leaders Flash Briefing is presented by Jon Cook, founder of Keynote Content. Jon and his team help thought leaders, namely speakers, coaches, and consultants, craft and share their messages to better serve their audiences. Connect with Jon and his team at Keynote Content by visiting keynotecontent.com. You can subscribe to The Keynote Clarity for Thought Leaders Flash Briefing by visiting bit.ly/KeynoteClarity and enabling it there. Then, all you have to say is, “Alexa, what’s my flash briefing?”

I personally worked with over 600 different speakers in a one-on-one context over the past three years helping them craft and share their stories. Every single one of those speakers wanted to make an offer from stage.

A vast majority of these speakers confided in me that they struggled in identifying who wanted to buy their offer.

That’s when we turned the situation on its head. Yes, you want to know who your offer is for, but it’s just as valuable knowing who your offer isn’t for...and calling it out for your audience.

When I’m working with speakers to craft the offer they’ll make from stage, I help them create a list of reasons why someone wouldn’t be a good fit for their offer.

We create a slide with the title “Who this isn’t for”.

If a speaker is making an offer for an online course, the “Who this isn’t for” slide would say this isn’t for someone who doesn’t want to learn. It isn’t for someone who thinks online courses are ineffective.

By calling out the people who wouldn’t be a right fit, it shows the rest of the audience that you know who you don’t want taking your course or going through your coaching program. This allows your audience to self-select their eligibility and you get better prospects saying “Yes!” to your offer.

Today, I want you to make a list of the characteristics of someone you don’t want to buy your offer. Then, announce that list to your crowd so they know, too.

The Keynote Clarity for Thought Leaders Flash Briefing is presented by Jon Cook, founder of Keynote Content. Jon and his team help thought leaders, namely speakers, coaches, and consultants, craft and share their messages to better serve their audiences. Connect with Jon and his team at Keynote Content by visiting keynotecontent.com. You can subscribe to The Keynote Clarity for Thought Leaders Flash Briefing by visiting bit.ly/KeynoteClarity and enabling it there. Then, all you have to say is, “Alexa, what’s my flash briefing?”

Technology is changing virtually every industry around the world. Chances are your industry and your audience are experiencing significant changes that affect how they’re seeing the world.

What’s been the biggest recent change in your audience’s situation or problem that you can help solve? If you’re a financial advisor, the trade war between the U.S. and China is probably causing significant stress for investors. This wasn’t happening last year, so how can you speak to this new challenge or problem? If you’re a health and wellness specialist, the keto diet is arguably the hottest trend in nutrition. Your audience wants to know if the keto diet is good and if it will work for them.

Whatever your industry or service is, identify the biggest recent challenge your audience is facing. Your solution is communicating and understanding that problem with more clarity than anyone else and then solving that challenge better than anyone else as well. 

The Keynote Clarity for Thought Leaders Flash Briefing is presented by Jon Cook, founder of Keynote Content. Jon and his team help thought leaders, namely speakers, coaches, and consultants, craft and share their messages to better serve their audiences. Connect with Jon and his team at Keynote Content by visiting keynotecontent.com. You can subscribe to The Keynote Clarity for Thought Leaders Flash Briefing by visiting bit.ly/KeynoteClarity and enabling it there. Then, all you have to say is, “Alexa, what’s my flash briefing?”

What I love the most about podcasting is how much content potential it carries for your brand. We launched Season 1 of our Copy & Content podcast in 2018 and now, we’re close to shipping Season 2. The crazy part is that I knew what I really wanted to do with our podcast in terms of creating additional content, but I wanted to start nailing my interview style and get more comfortable as the host.

Now that Season 1 is in the books, I’m focusing more on including video for Season 2. Why is that? Because my team can now take our Season 2 episodes and split apart the video and audio into different content pieces. They can splice episodes into bite-sized tweets or posts for Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn, you name it.

If you’re recording a podcast, add a camera in addition to your mic. You can turn the transcript of each episode into multiple blog articles, numerous social media posts, and with video, you now have video clips you can post on YouTube, IGTV, and Facebook.

This gives you the chance to leverage the full potential of your podcast content. Give it a try and let me know how it goes. Good luck!

The Keynote Clarity for Thought Leaders Flash Briefing is presented by Jon Cook, founder of Keynote Content. Jon and his team help thought leaders, namely speakers, coaches, and consultants, craft and share their messages to better serve their audiences. Connect with Jon and his team at Keynote Content by visiting keynotecontent.com. You can subscribe to The Keynote Clarity for Thought Leaders Flash Briefing by visiting bit.ly/KeynoteClarity and enabling it there. Then, all you have to say is, “Alexa, what’s my flash briefing?”