Back in the days before mammals evolved, I used to lurk on Reddit, specifically the r/copywriting subreddit.
It was almost entirely a giant waste of time. Each day would be a new pile of worthless posts like:
“I just rewrote this Heinz ketchup ad, what do you guys think”
“Ugh how do I get clients”
“Is it really true that copywriting can make you millions”
But, every Mercury retrograde or so, a little bit of gold dust appeared among all the mud and sand.
So for example, somebody once asked a question about the “essential Dan Kennedy.” In other words, out of the millions of words of written content and thousands of hours of recorded seminars and courses that Dan has produced, where to get started?
One guy, apparently a big-time DK fan, wrote up a very thorough comment in response.
I won’t reprint it here. You can look it up on Reddit if you’re curious.
But at the end of his 1,052-word comment reviewing the best Dan Kennedy material, this guy added in something unusual. Something that wasn’t created by Dan. In fact, a Hollywood comedy.
“This is a movie that Dan has said shows the ideal positioning you want to have as a coach or consultant,” the Reddit DK fan wrote.
“Aha!” I said. “Finally something to pay for all those wasted hours on Reddit.”
The movie in question is called The Muse. It was made in 1999 by Albert Brooks, who also stars in the lead role, along with Sharon Stone, Andie MacDowell, and Jeff Bridges. It even features cameo appearances by Martin Scorcese, Rob Reiner, and James Cameron.
I watched The Muse a couple years ago, right after reading that Reddit post. I rewatched it again last night.
It’s cute but not great. But that’s not the point.
The point is I can see why Dan recommends it as an illustration of the perfect positioning for any coach or consultant.
And I would also add, maybe even the ideal positioning for for any highly successful copy chief.
At least that’s what I thought a few weeks ago. I was reminded of The Muse while listening to a certain very successful copy chief talk about the yearly retreats he takes his team on.
During the retreat, this copy chief and his copywriters don’t talk copy or marketing.
Instead, they just go for hikes and listen to music in synchrony. It reminded me of the aquarium scene in The Muse.
Anyways, if you are a coach, consultant, or maybe even copy chief, The Muse might be worth a look. Or not.
What’s definitely worth a look, or not, is my daily email newsletter. There tends to be a lot of mud and sand, but occasionally some gold dust in there as well. In case you are curious, you can sign up for it here.