A few years ago, if you wanted the best chicken soup recipe, you typed it into Google. You’d hit enter and brace yourself. First, you’d scroll past ads. Then you’d land on a blog post about someone’s grandmother. You’d dodge pop-ups, wait for autoplay videos to stop, skim through 1,500 words of meandering storytelling, and eventually, if you were lucky, find the actual recipe. That was the era of browsing. We didn’t like it, but we played along. Publishers optimized…
What if I told you the difference between words that get ignored and words that change lives comes down to just two words? Not “once upon.” Not “the end.” Two little connectors that most people overlook: ‘but’ and ‘therefore’. Stay with me because this is the hinge between someone forgetting your message and someone retelling it a decade later. Timelines Don’t Persuade Most people confuse stories with timelines. “And then this happened. And then that happened.” That isn’t a story.…
Frustrated at waiting for Google to update their index, I recently ran a simple experiment. I wrote a press release, published it, and watched as AI models like ChatGPT and Gemini instantly treated it as fact. Think about that for a moment. A single piece of content became the “truth” inside systems that millions of people now rely on for answers. That experiment is just one of the stories I shared with Slobodan Manic on his No Hacks podcast. But…
When we talk about customer experience (CX), it’s easy to focus on the outward stuff: the slick interfaces, the polished training, the customer-facing slogans. But let’s zoom in a bit further. The real magic of a memorable customer experience actually starts with the stories your team believes internally. These internal narratives are the hidden engine of your CX. They’re the quiet interface that shapes how customers feel when they interact with you. The Alignment Gap: What the Research Says Here’s…
What separates the businesses that last from the ones that flame out? It’s not branding. It’s not hustle. It’s not even timing. It’s conviction. That’s what I walked away with after sitting down with John Garrett, founder of Community Impact, on my Rock Solid podcast. His story isn’t just impressive. It’s instructive. Because in an era where founders obsess over funding rounds and social reach, John quietly built a print-first local newspaper company. In 2025, Community Impact is celebrating 20…
Five minutes. One stage. No second chances. That was the challenge at the Round Rock Chamber‘s Startup Day pitch competition. And that‘s where Joseph Fischer, founder of Playmaker Recruiting, stood out and won. Why his story connected Joseph didn‘t start with features or numbers. He started with his own story, an undersized kid from Pflugerville who saw scouts skip over talented teammates because they weren‘t at the “right” schools or tournaments.That frustration became his fuel. And the room felt it.…
We are drowning in content. AI churns out torrents of words in seconds. Social feeds refresh with a flick of a thumb. Blogs, podcasts, videos, and ads blur together until they feel disposable. In all that noise, what makes a brand stand out? It isn’t a polished design. It isn’t clever copy. It isn’t having more content than the competition. The corporate or personal brands that cut through today are characters you can’t forget. Think about your favorite TV series…
Most marketers underestimate just how physical persuasion really is. When you see someone smile, your mirror neurons smile. When you hear laughter, your brain laughs with them. Neuroscientist V.S. Ramachandran calls them “empathy neurons” because they dissolve the barrier between self and others. This is why the most memorable ads don’t just tell you something. They make you feel it. They create knee-jerk reactions, inside jokes, even little catchphrases you carry into your daily conversations. Wassup! That’s what Dr. Matt…