In this episode of Poetry in Marketing, I’m leaning into vacation mode... But more importantly, a fundamental truth that a lot of business leaders get wrong:

Great copywriting

Provokes the strongest feelings

Not the deepest thoughts.

We like to think that more information leads to better decisions, but that’s not how people actually buy. In this episode, I break down why emotional connection beats information overload every time, and why trying to “cover all the bases” in your messaging often backfires.

Whether you’re writing a website, a blog post, or a sales pitch, the goal isn’t to make people think harder: it’s to make them feel something.

This week on Poetry in Marketing, I’m tackling something that hits a nerve for a lot of business owners:

Best marketers don’t

Shame what isn’t working:

They show you what is.

In this episode, I talk about a bad habit in the marketing world: walking into a business and pointing out everything that’s wrong. It's not often true and it's certainly not helpful.

Great marketers don’t start by tearing things down. They start by identifying what’s already working and building from there. Because real progress doesn’t come from making people feel bad; it comes from giving them a clear path forward.

If you’ve ever had a consultant or agency make you feel like your entire business was broken, give this episode a watch.

It's time for Poetry in Marketing and fair warning: this topic gets me a little heated:

A good agency won’t

Make you a prisoner of

A bad contract.

In this episode, I discuss one of the biggest (and most frustrating) problems in the industry: predatory agency relationships. If you can’t leave your marketing vendor without losing your website, your data, or your sanity, that’s not a partnership, that’s a hostage situation.

I share why great agencies earn loyalty instead of forcing it, what a healthy contract should look like, and the red flags every business owner needs to watch for before signing on the dotted line.

If you’ve ever felt stuck with a vendor... or want to make sure you never are, this one’s for you.

Today’s episode of Poetry in Marketing is coming to you from the balcony, because… well, that’s kind of the point:

There’s no good reason

Not to test your assumptions

With your marketplace.

In this episode, I talk about one of the most overlooked truths in marketing: your answers aren’t inside your office, they’re out in the world. Too often, we build strategies based on assumptions instead of conversations. We create for ourselves instead of for the people we’re trying to reach.

If you want better marketing, get out of your head and into your market. Talk to customers. Run interviews. Test your ideas. Because the fastest way to improve your results is to stop guessing and start listening.

Today’s episode of Poetry in Marketing is coming to you from the glamorous Vistage speaker circuit… specifically the Hyatt Place by the airport in Raleigh, North Carolina.

Today’s poem tackles one of the biggest misconceptions about artificial intelligence:

If your AI work

Doesn’t feel like doing work

You’re doing it wrong.

A lot of people see AI as a shortcut: type a sentence, get a finished product. But that’s not how good work happens. AI can help you create better marketing, but only if you bring expertise, thoughtful prompts, and real effort to the process.

In this episode, I talk about why strong AI output still requires real thinking, why most AI-generated marketing content lacks substance, and why the best results come when you treat AI like a powerful tool, not a magic button.

Today’s episode of Poetry in Marketing was inspired by a viral moment that had the internet talking… about a hamburger.

Who knew hamburgers

Were such powerful emblems

For integrity?

In this episode, I order a Snarfburger — the best burger in Denver for my money — and break down the marketing lesson hidden inside the now-infamous video of the McDonald’s CEO trying (and failing) to convincingly enjoy his own company’s food. The problem wasn’t the sandwich: it was authenticity.

When leaders talk about products the same way they do in the boardroom, repeatedly referring to a hamburger as a “product” and talking about test markets, they forget the most important rule of marketing: speak to the audience outside the window, not the one in the mirror.

Marketing works best when it’s honest, human, and grounded in real enthusiasm. Otherwise, people can smell the inauthenticity faster than a cold cheeseburger.

Today on Poetry in Marketing, I’ve got a windy, dramatic backdrop and a pointed little haiku:

Why pay for tactics

If you don’t understand why

You’re paying for them?

In this episode, I dig into a common (and costly) mistake: business owners signing off on a long list of marketing activities without truly understanding what those tactics are supposed to accomplish.

Social posts on multiple platforms. Lots of blogs. SEO. Lead magnets. Press releases. Great. But what job are they actually doing for your business?

There should always be a straight line between the money you spend and the results you expect. If you can’t clearly explain why something is on your marketing plan, it’s time to ask better questions.

 In this episode of Poetry in Marketing, we dive into a hot topic with a fresh haiku:

AI can’t achieve

Beyond a user’s skill set—

Just like other tools.

There’s a lot of noise about artificial intelligence replacing marketers, but here’s the truth: AI isn’t a solution. It isn’t an employee. It’s just a tool... One that’s only as good as the person using it.

This week’s episode explores the myth of AI as a magic fix and reminds us why human expertise still matters. I share why AI is powerful only when guided by experience, and why your marketing strategy still needs a smart human at the wheel.

Hey, it’s Erik Wolf, and in this episode of Poetry in Marketing, I reflect on a conversation that happened during a Vistage talk in Philadelphia which inspired this week’s poem:

Marketing’s bigger

Than what most CEOs think

That marketing is.

Spoiler alert: Most CEOs underestimate what marketing really is. It’s not just websites, logos, emails, or trade shows. Marketing — real marketing — is a holistic business strategy. It’s about aligning product, message, and customer insight to drive growth. And yes, it lives way up in the C-suite, not just in Adobe Creative Suite.

This episode dives into why so many business leaders view marketing too narrowly... And how to shift that mindset.

In this pre-workout episode of Poetry in Marketing, I’m dropping a haiku inspired by my time at a conference earlier this week:

Often, the conference

Outside the conference center

Is more valuable.

In this one, I dig into a truth every experienced marketer knows: the best conversations don’t always happen on the trade show floor. The real gold often comes from hallway chats, dinner meetings, hotel bar intros, and those unplanned collisions that happen outside the official event.

If you think success equals business cards and booth traffic, you’re missing the point. Listen in as I talk about how to reframe your conference strategy for deeper connection and better long-term results.