Straight talk about how to come up with a book title

Straight talk about how to come up with a book title

It’s time to come up with a title for your book. “I want something iconic,” you’re thinking. “Like Lean In. Or The Tipping Point. Or Made to Stick.” You are deluded. And your delusion is leading you astray. These books sold because of huge promotion (Lean In) and incredible ideas and writing. You think they are great titles…

Why getting stuck is part of coming up with great titles and taglines
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Why getting stuck is part of coming up with great titles and taglines

I help people with book titles and taglines. It’s not a linear process, and progress is impossible to measure. That’s a feature, not a bug. I had this insight recently when working with a client on a tagline for his business, along with some other language. (A tagline is a short description of what you…

The 4 steps to create content marketing that spreads without being clickbait

The 4 steps to create content marketing that spreads without being clickbait

I hate clickbait. I love posts that spread. So here’s a process for creating content — like blog posts — that spreads usefully, not exploitatively. I’m writing this post because I had an argument with a client. The creative people at this company were creating valuable and interesting posts, then giving them titles that were…

How “get to the point” jibes with “tell a good story”
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How “get to the point” jibes with “tell a good story”

Storytelling is all the rage in business. Meanwhile, I’m telling you to front-load your writing — to explain just what you’re about to say in the title and first few sentences. If you take my advice, won’t that ruin your story? Not quite. In fact, following my advice is the only way you’ll get to tell your…