Question:
What’s the worst thing you can ever say to a TV weather woman?
Answer:
“That’s not what my app says…”
I’ll tell you in a second how I found out that riveting bit of information. But first:
At a recent gathering of copywriters in London, I saw several attendees hang their heads and say, “As we all know, it’s been a rough year for many copywriters.”
I kept quiet because I didn’t want to expose my ignorance and absence of rough year.
I don’t work with clients any more. And my year has been fine.
What exactly has been rough on copywriters who do work with clients?
Is it the economic climate? AI taking copywriting jobs? Too much competition from the glut of would-be copywriters who entered the field over the past few years?
I felt it would be tactless to ask. So I kept quiet.
But back to the weather woman. I found out that the best way to piss off such a one is to say, “That’s not what my app says.”
I found that out because I’m dipping my toes into a new podcast, called What It’s Like To Be.
The podcast features interviews with people in different professions, so you can find out what it’s like to do their job. The last episode was TV weather woman Lacey Swope, who works for News 9 in Oklahoma City, the world epicenter of extreme weather.
I had no particular interest in hearing what it’s like to be a TV weather woman. But I’m glad I listened.
Because in many ways, weather womaning turns out to be a profession very similar to copywriting.
For example:
The job of being a TV meteorologist requires two separate skills — the technical skill of divining the weather, and the presentation skill, you might even say sales skill, of being friendly and cute on TV.
But wait, there’s more.
Weather meteorologists have for years been under threat by apps and websites that give the masses by-the-minute weather info. And the TV weather people who are surviving and thriving in spite of it are all—
… well for that, I will point you to the podcast itself.
You can find the podcast episode at the link below.
It’s worthwhile listening if you’re working as copywriter, and wondering what the future might bring, and how you can best prepare for it.
TV weather men and weather women been there, maybe a decade earlier. You can lean surprisingly practical stuff by listening to Lacey Swope and thinking how to apply her experiences and attitudes to your career.
And if that’s not enough to get you to click through and listen, then I will tell you the reason I started listening to What It’s Like To Be in the first place.
It’s because it’s the new podcast of Dan Heath, who is one half of the Heath brothers team that wrote the book Made to Stick.
So if you want to hear how somebody who literally wrote the book on effective, viral, long-lasting communication organizes and structures his content, then here ya go:
https://www.whatitsliketobe.com/2246914/13858315-a-tv-meteorologist
PS. Thanks to everyone who joined me and Kieran for the the storytelling presentation earlier today. I feel it went well. But I honestly never know when I’m presenting. If you were there live, I’d love to know what you thought of it. Write in and let me know.