A fabulous wrap-up show for the podcast.

Dealing with the good and awful aspects of using – or avoiding – humor in your marketing efforts.

Plus, a deep dive into what makes someone funny... with a mini-course on helping even unfunny marketers find a groove that can open up entirely new ways to nurture real relationships with clients and customers.

This is a nearly complete seminar on being a crack-up, and using humor to bring people into your world while making your contacts with them bristle with smooth connections and influential prowess.

A near-perfect show to end the series on.

Thanks for sharing the ride with us!

The guys reveal the genesis of their transformations and journeys to becoming who they are today...

... and it's riveting stuff. John's story goes back to his grandfather, who was an entrepreneur who got crushed by the Great Depression... yet somehow instilled the core sense of working for yourself into his grandkids (without even meeting them). Kevin's adventures leading to Copy Chief (and then abruptly leading away from it) are a modern parable for anyone seeking to dominate a niche. And Daniel's quest for a simple and lean operation is a complete model for anyone seeking to go it (almost) alone in the brave new digital world.

You'll also learn about the different types of entrepreneurs out there: Cutthroats, collaboratives, and agents of chaos. (Yes, you already have, or soon will, deal with all three during your career... so it's nice to see how each type operates, and what to watch out for if you wanna survive the experience. Cuz it's capitalism at its finest.)

So much good stuff here. Insights to who you're sharing space with online, plus how to avoid burnout , and dealing with the loneliness of going solo.

Everyone's life has ups and downs, and occasional stumbles off the main path...

... but only a few discover the proven ways to actually craft your future so it's exactly what you want.

Clues and specific tactics abound here. Great stuff...

Very fun episode here – Kevin received a large, mysterious and very lumpy envelope in the mail... and wanted to open it live on the podcast to see what wonders were inside.

Very interesting insights from the three professionals, with John's long history in direct mail marketing, Kevin learning about copy from old school guys raised on mail, and Daniel having no idea that direct mail still existed (just kidding – but only John ever worked in the medium).

The surprises inside are one thing.

But the savage commentary afterward was one of the most vicious dissections of an ad you'll ever witness. It was gruesome (and deserved).

And boy, are you gonna be happy you watched it unfold. This show became a one-stop complete seminar on how to target audiences with real power, grab their attention quickly, and drag them kicking and screaming deep into your pitch...

... while applying everything in your Bag O' Tricks to win your prospects over and get them to throw money at you gleefully.

Direct mail is the grizzled parent of all marketing done today by email and websites. Everything that worked to make direct mail so potent a few decades ago still brings home the bacon, no matter what medium you're using.

Essential show here. Plus, you'll laugh your butt off, as usual...

The guys explore the roles of controversy in swaying public opinion, how deepfakes will demolish trust in society, and how data collection will affect things in the near future.

Yet not all is dystopian doom: Yes, astroturf movements, strategic manipulation, and the perceived lack of privacy online threaten society's core...

... but by looking ahead – particularly how forward-thinking people are raising their kids – we see visions of unprecedented freedom and prosperity available for those willing to fight for it.

It's a brave new world, but it doesn't have to be a bad science fiction tale.

Hope and dreams still abide.

John wants you to know how his teen years spent in rock bands transformed his shy ass into an adventure-seeking gonzo writer... and why this kind of experience is so critical for long successful careers in business.

What's more, the guys go deep on:

• Defining "success" with personal goals, and skipping the nonsense of external standards
• Why it's important to understand how much conversational fluency differs from native fluency in language (and why this matters when you're training your brain)
• How email marketing swamps social media when it comes to building crucial relationships with customer bases
• How to goose your creative output and murder burnout early

And more: Making conscious choices about which opportunities to grab and which to run away from screaming... sampling the "big fish in a small pond" lifestyle to see if it's a better fit for you than going after whales... and balancing your day job against passion projects (and why both might break your heart and your bank account).

So much good stuff. Learn from the masters, and then go grab your destiny...

Deep dive here into the unregulated (and still ill-defined) world of mentors and students,and how that fits into your career and business growth.

Including:

• All the different models of mentorship (paid vs free, formal vs informal, offered vs stalking)
• Why top mentors know they're training future competition, and don't care The hazy but crucial difference between teaching and mentoring (and why one is so much better)
• The "Papa Kev" mentorship style (and why it's so effective)
• Why top writers value behind-the-scenes work and building a legacy

Lots more: How getting too rich can disconnect you from what made you successful in the first place... why it's so hard to find mentors who will be honest with you... and how to get the attention of a mentor without pissing them off.

Do you really need a mentor? Well...

The guys go deep on trust, the main factor behind any longevity in a brand's lifespan. And boy, has the landscape for that kind of trust changed. Old school brands still rely on consistency in quality and message... and also offer stark (and gruesome) examples of how to blow up even decades-old reliability with a single blunder.

Yet, modern influencers on social media seem to thrive on "influence economics" that leave OG advertising veterans scratching their heads.

But the guys think they've uncovered the common binds that even the trolls have to respect: Intent.

If you market to human beings, you need to hear everything said in this episode, and take it to heart.

And good luck to us all...

It's a show about writing killer bullets, using the show as an example. The guys go over nearly every submission in detail, giving brilliant insight to technique, structure and Effectiveness.

You will discover: The critical difference between blind and revelatory bullets... how to make a short, punchy, and riveting bullet sing like a lyric from a rock song... the dangerous trap of allowing zombie bullets to ruin your entire pitch... and why AI-written crap often sounds so hollow.

And finally: Why a single awesome bullet can actually close the sale, no matter how much the rest of your copy sucks...

Never shy about trying new things, the guys invited hundreds of fans to tune into the Zoom call and ask questions (a vast mob showed up, loaded for bear)...

... covering topics like how to get good enough for a legendary reputation, why practice sucks so much, how to deal with lawyers whose job is to just say "no" to everything, and the best sneaky ways to beat dangerously evil competition.

Plus: The truth about John's notorious "apology letter" (which sold more than the original ad that pissed so many people off)... why writers able to fix AI-generated slop that doesn't work will always be in high demand... and going deep into the dark arts of using emotionally-loaded copy to get past objections quickly.

Capped off with tips on using your shyness as a weapon in your quest for becoming a top-dog writer…

Do you have "dream clients" you'd like to work with? Every top writer and consultant has that list, though they may keep it secret. The guys spill their client bucket lists here, and there are surprises.

Then they tackle a familiar subject to every creative who ever lived: How to balance your gut instincts against data-driven decisions. (It will haunt your entire career, and there actually is a well-thought-out process to do it right.)

Then everyone both praises and trashes AI, which is how every thinking person should be approaching the robots squeezing into our collective lives. Plus: How to use real- world travel and adventure as fuel for amazing copy.