Kennedy

Do I have an affiliate relationship with all these big names?

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A couple days ago, I opened the most recent Exploding Topics newsletter, which tracks topics and brands that are surging online.

The top Exploding Topic was Scandinavian Biolabs, “a hair growth startup” that raised $5M in funding last year.

“Hello,” I said, “this sounds familiar.”

I had a sense that I know the head copywriter at Scandinavian Biolabs. I suspected it might be one Liza Schermann, the original Crazy Email Lady, who also acted as a cohost of the Age of Insight and Influential Emails trainings I ran several years ago.

I forwarded the Exploding Topics email to Liza to confirm this is indeed the place where she works. Liza wrote back:

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Haha look at that, I’m back at work and growth is skyrocketing! That’s the place indeed. I remember the celebration party for that $5M funding vividly.

I was just typing a reply when you forwarded it so I might as well do it here.

Did you have an affiliate or some kind of other partnership with Chris Orzechowski? Or did you just promote his workshop because you found it interesting? I was wondering that every time you promoted a big name.

Anyway, it seems like it’s been an eventful year in Bejako Land business-wise with lots of different offers (at least from what I could keep up with). I’m looking forward to your annual summary email if you’re planning to send one!

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In answer to Liza’s question:

Yes, I promoted Chris Orzechowski’s training (“5 steps to a million-dollar list”) as an affiliate.

I also promoted Derek Johanson’s CopyHour and Email Delivered Courses as an affiliate.

I promoted Thom Benny’s 1-Person Advertorial Agency as an affiliate.

I promoted Justin Blackman’s Different On Purpose as an affiliate.

I promoted Igor Kheifets’s Click Send Earn as an affiliate.

I promoted Kennedy’s “$27k to $544k” training as an affiliate.

And in a couple weeks from now, when I promote Gasper Crepinsek’s ChatGPT Mastery, I will do so as an affiliate.

I have in the past promoted people’s things simply because I thought they were cool and valuable, without getting paid.

I still do that sometimes.

But if I can promote something I think is cool and valuable AND get paid for it at the same time, well, I like to have my cake and lick it too.

The fact is, I have been feeling burned out this year about creating new offers.

I have created a lot of courses, trainings, reports, and even books over the 6+ years of running this newsletter.

Some have stuck around and become evergreen offers (Copy Riddles, Most Valuable Email, my new 10 Commandments book). Others were exotic one-time events (like the Age of Insight and Influential Emails workshops).

One thing’s for sure:

Even when I’m in full offer-creation mode, the appetite of my audience for cool and valuable new solutions to existing problems is much much bigger than what I can personally satisfy.

That’s one reason I’ve been building up a little invite-only group of list and offer owners.

I’ve been quietly pitching this group to people as a place to connect and partner and share ideas.

It’s proven to be that — it’s led to list swaps, podcast appearances, and affiliate promos, and not just involving me, either.

It so happens that Chris, Derek, Thom, Justin, Igor, Kennedy, and Gasper are all in my little invite-only group.

Maybe this group could be a good fit for you too?

If you’re interested, write in and let me know who you are and what you do.

A list is a mandatory requirement, as is the fact that you are writing that list regularly, and that you’ve made money from your list.

If have your own proven offers, that’s definitely a bonus.

Beyond that, I’m curious to hear who you are and what you do. If it’s a fit with the group, I’ll know it when I see it.

If more sales from your list with less work sounds sexy to you, write in and let’s talk.

Interesting psychological effect of making it easy on yourself

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Get ready for a bit of inspirational massage:

I’m reading the autobiography of a guy named Bill Veeck, who was the last person to ever own an major league baseball team — in his case, Chicago White Sox and Cleveland Indians — without having an independent fortune.

At the time when Veeck got to Cleveland, the Cleveland Stadium had the biggest playing field in the majors.

(For all my non-baseball-loving readers: a baseball field consists of two parts, an infield and an outfield. The dimensions of the infield are strictly prescribed by the rulebook. The dimensions and shape of the outfield are not.)

Veeck found that his Cleveland players were discouraged by the size of their home stadium. They would hit a baseball 450 feet — a good ways by any standard — only to have it caught because the field was so large.

So Veeck installed a new fence which shrank the field.

Hitters started hitting better, because they thought they now had a chance to hit a home run.

So far, so normal.

But here’s the curious bit, which is both true and fit for one of those corporate office inspirational posters. From Veeck’s book:

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There is an interesting psychological effect in bringing the fences within reach. After we put up the wire fence there were almost six times as many balls hit over the wire fence and into the old stands.

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In case this isn’t 100% clear due to all the sports analogizing, the point is that:

1. Veeck’s players had convinced themselves they cannot hit a certain distance, say, 500 feet

2. Veeck changed the field so they only had to hit a shorter distance, say, 420 feet, to hit a home run

3. Within that smaller new field, six times as many players ended up hitting home runs of, say, 500 feet or more, which they thought they couldn’t do when the field was bigger

I’m not 100% sure what hte psychological term or explanation for this is.

Removing stress and pressure? Or finding a way around the players’ learned helplessness?

Whatever it is, I thought it’s a curious thing, possibly inspiring, and so I wanted to share it with you. Maybe it’s something you can find a way to apply in your own life and business, if there’s a fence, metaphorical or real, that has been unreachable for you, in spite of your best trying.

In other news:

In less than an hour from now, mentalist-turned-marketer Kennedy will go live on Zoom to share email copywriting and marketing secrets that took him from selling $27k of his flagship info product… to selling $544k of the same, to the same audience.

This is a live training that Kennedy is doing exclusively for readers of this newsletter.

If you have an email list, there might be valuable techniques you can pick up on this training which you can implement in your own list tomorrow.

Or who knows, maybe simply hearing Kennedy’s story in detail, and seeing that it is possible to go from selling $27k of an info product (quite common and manageable) to selling $544k of the same info product to the same audience (rare and frankly puzzling) is a doable thing.

Maybe not just for Kennedy, but maybe for others too. Maybe even you? I wouldn’t want to put that kind of pressure on you.

But if you want to hear Kennedy’s training, and get inspired, then a bit of time still remains for you to sign up:

https://bejakovic.com/kennedy

Why I write such soft CTAs

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On last Thursday’s Copy Riddles Q&A call, Matt Cascarino, Chief Creative Office at marketing agency FARM, asked about the unusual calls-to-action in my emails.

“You don’t just not close hard,” Matt said. “You go the exact opposite way.”

It’s true. Most of the calls-to-action in my emails are “soft,” as in not dramatic, not black and white, without any of the “You are either in NOW or you will be left behind!” that is common in direct response circles.

That’s something I do consciously. I suppose it emerged because I’ve historically sold a lot of evergreen offers.

When there’s no baked-in urgency — and even when there is — I figured I’d treat my readers’ intelligence with due respect. That’s why I don’t make up stuff or use overly dramatic wording that simply cannot be backed up with anything resembling reality.

That said, I’m not above “manipulating” readers into acting now.

But rather than yelling at my readers or threatening them or lying, I’ve learned to use what I know about human psychology. A few words of inspiration can work. So can an appeal to our universal need for sovereignty and control.

Sometimes, such a “soft” CTA has driven in sales that wouldn’t have happened otherwise (I know because people have written in to tell me so).

Other times, the effect was cumulative — a few such emails built up and people ended up buying.

And in all cases, or at least I hope so, it kept my readers reading, without feeling that I lied to them, or pressured them, or treated them as if they were idiots.

Also on Thursday’s Copy Riddles Q&A call was Shawn Cartwright, who runs the online martial arts school TCCII.

Shawn asked if I have or ever will create some kind of product about such soft and psychological CTAs.

The idea sounds cool, but the fact is, even the most subtle and effective CTA matters less than a good headline, and the best headline matters less than a real deadline.

That’s part of the reason why I have been moving away from clever copywriting to sell my existing evergreen products… and why I have instead been promoting lots of new and solid offers, often not my own, which have legit inbuilt timed deadlines.

And on that note, let me remind you of a legit deadline. It’s for the the free live training, which is happening tomorrow, Monday, September 22, 2025, at 9pm CET/3pm EST/12 noon PST.

Mentalist-turned-marketer Kennedy will share email copywriting and marketing secrets that took him from selling $27k of his flagship info product… to selling $544k of the same, to the same audience.

If this interests you, it might make sense to sign up now. You know how Mondays are.

If you don’t sign up now, there’s a good chance this training will slip your mind in the crush of things tomorrow, and the next thing you know… you’ve missed the opportunity.

On the other hand, if you sign up now, you still have time tomorrow to decide whether you really want to attend.

If you find that persuasive, here’s the link:

https://bejakovic.com/kennedy

Can you digest this little and big lesson?

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I got a little lesson and a big lesson for you today. Let’s see if you can digest them.

Little lesson:

Yesterday I heard a story told by Joe Polish, the marketer who runs $100k/year mastermind groups and puts on 3-day events that cost $10k to attend.

Joe’s story was about a curious consult he did with an entrepreneur who wanted to grow her biz.

Joe said, he could tell this entrepreneur was so tightly wound that she would soon crack. Instead of marketing advice, Joe got her to come up with and schedule a “Super Happy Fun Day,” which is just what it sounds like, both so she would enjoy life a bit and to recharge her batteries.

My reaction to this little lesson:

“Super Happy Fun Day? Not my kinda thing.” If that’s what you think as well, then read on for the big lesson. Joe said:

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I’ve got a giant list right now of people who are trying to schedule things with me. One of my team members put up “cup of genius dot com” and it’s a 20-minute conversation with me for $2,000.

And it’s so funny. Because I can share some of the best insights for free to someone. They won’t do jack shit with it.

They pay me $2,000 for 20 minutes and there’s that focus, completely different level of digestion, that takes place.

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I’ve heard this idea before. Frankly I don’t like it, or at least I don’t like to think it applies to me.

Joe’s little and big lessons nagged at me yesterday as I was at the gym (1, on the stupid elliptical) while listening to this podcast with Joe (2), and getting ready to go back to work (3). (The numbers, by the way, represent instances of overscheduling my life.)

So even though Supper Happy Fun Days don’t sound like my thing, yesterday throughout the day, I gradually filled out a slow and timid list of things I actually enjoy (dogs and fried calamari were on the list).

And then, as the day wound down, at about 11:30pm, perhaps because this was all bubbling in my brain, I on a whim bought a ticket to go to Lisbon today. I fly out at 4pm this afternoon, and I get back on Monday evening.

I still have a bit of time before I have to stuff my two black tshirts into my backpack, so let me remind you of the free live training that mentalist-turned-marketer Kennedy is putting on, exclusive for folks on my list, this coming Monday, September 22, 2025, at 9pm CET/3pm EST/12 noon PST.

Kennedy will share email copywriting and marketing secrets that took him from selling $27k of his flagship info product… to selling $544k of the same, to the same audience.

And yes, there will be something for sale at the end of Kennedy’s training.

But Kennedy’s training will be valuable in itself, even though you don’t have to pay for it. (I know, because I’ve seen the training myself, two years ago, at a live event that cost $450 to attend.)

Maybe if my email today opened up your mind to anything, it’s that there’s value, often great value, in the free pearls that people like Joe Polish and Kennedy and sometimes even myself hand out each day.

To sign up for Kennedy’s free training, and maybe to profit, whether you pay or not:

https://bejakovic.com/kennedy

Email copy secrets that turned $27k in sales to $540k

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Two years ago, I got up on stage to give a talk at Rob Marsh’s “The Copywriter Club IRL” event in London.

I gave a GREAT talk.

I know, because I was there, and I was glowing with self-satisfaction afterwards.

There was just one problem. Another speaker clearly outshone me.

He was more dynamic (the guy’s a former stage mentalist and comedian).

Plus, while my talk was about my usual psychology & influence waffle, his talk was about how he changed up his email copywriting strategy and went from selling $27k of his flagship info product to selling $540k of that same product, to the same audience.

I myself was sucked in. I mean, I can imagine selling $27k of a single info product to my list because I’ve done it with multiple products. But there’s a big gap from that to $540k. How could email copy possibly make such a difference?

I took furious notes during this talk, 8 pages’ worth.

Of course, I never did anything with the notes, but that’s really on me. I don’t use autoresponder sequences with my list, and specific, archetype-targeting autoresponder sequences were the mechanism that Kennedy, for that is the name of the mentalist-turned-marketer I’m talking about, used to go from selling $27k to selling $544k.

I recently connected with Kennedy in an online mixer group.

We reminisced a bit about London.

And then, Kennedy offered to put on the same training again, online instead of from the stage, for people on my list.

I said, absolutely.

You can sign up for this training for free below, if you like.

It will be live and will happen next Monday, September 22, 2025, at 9pm CET/3pm EST/12 noon PST.

There will not be a replay.

And yes, inevitably, there will be something for sale at the end.

You can choose to buy that offer, when it is made, if it makes sense for you… or you can just choose to come for Kennedy’s high-energy, valuable training, which others paid $450 to hear in London.

If you’d like to sign up, and if you’d like to attend when the time comes:

https://bejakovic.com/kennedy

The least boring thing that happened to me today

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At approximately 10:24am today, at The Copywriter Club live event in London, stage-mentalist-turned-email-marketer Kennedy took the stage to give a high-powered presentation about an easy way to produce five autoresponder sequences that he modestly says will double your sales, all without you creating a single new offer.

I say ‘modestly,’ because in Kennedy’s case, these five extra autoresponder sequences didn’t just double his sales of his core offer, but 18x’ed them, from $27k over some unknown period of time, to over $541k.

At the end of his presentation, Kennedy shared something actually modest — a simple way to never run out of daily email topics.

​​Says Kennedy, simply ask yourself:

“What’s the least boring thing that happened to me in the past 24 hours?”

The point being, take pressure off yourself, and you’ll be sure to find something interesting to write about.

Let’s see if it works:

The least boring thing that happened to me today was leaving the conference room, an hour before I was due to give my talk, in order to try to clear my head and work out my nervous energy.

​​I started trotting along the Thames and occasionally broke into a mild gallop, looking longingly at the passing barges and thinking to myself that there’s still time to jump over the railing, onto one of these passing barges, and sail off into safety, far away from the conference stage.

But I didn’t run away.

So the second least boring thing that happened to me today was actually giving my presentation.

That actually seemed to go over well — people leaned in, laughed, and after it was all over, quite a few even came over to tell they thought it was great.

The only reason giving the presentation was the second least boring part of my day is that, once I started speaking, almost all my anxiety disappeared — it was all due to anticipation.
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​As I repeat often to myself, expectation is not experience.

I’m now back at the hotel for a quick shower to wash the fear off myself and to write this email, before heading back to the pub for an embarrassing, alcohol-free beer.

Since I have to sell something with this email, let me point out one curious thing about my presentation today:

The beginning and end stories of my presentation, along with all the examples I used in the middle, all came from earlier issues of this daily email newsletter. Word for word — or as close as I could remember them.

So if you need yet another reason, perhaps reason #16,736, to start writing a daily email newsletter, and stick to the habit, then consider that daily emails are an incredible content mill for whatever other endeavor you want.

​​Sales pages. Books. Lead magnets. Courses. Podcast appearances. Paid trainings. Even live presentations.

In case you think this daily email stuff is hard, then refer to Kennedy’s simple email idea generator above.

Or if you want a more in-depth guide to daily emails that make sales, keep readers reading, and even create endless content, then check out the following bare-bones sales page, which I stitched together from daily emails that I’ve written over the past few weeks:

https://bejakovic.com/sme