As a dude who lives & breathes email marketing, I cringed when I read that (wordy) paragraph from the Nancy Boy newsletter. My immediate reaction was … “Oh no. That sure as heck isn’t best practice! Who is going to read all of that copy. I want discounts! I want to buy (now).”

Then, of course, I read your commentary after that excerpt. You busted me! You read my mind. I had to google the word “prevarication.” But, as you say with your goat cheese analogy (FWIW – I love goat cheese), the people that love that type of writing, that kind of newsletter, will read every single word.

It’s funny. I tell Chris Brogan all the time that his newsletter does not follow email marketing “best practices” (disclaimer: he is a Blue Sky Factory partner … & we designed the template for him). The Brogan newsletter is long, wordy, tons of text & has few calls to action. But – and this is the key – I read every single word. Every. Single. Word. So…it works.

Thanks for letting me know about this post and about Nancy Boy. I’m not currently in the market for soap thanks to a recent Costco run, but this has me thinking about a follow up post.

Much appreciated!

DJ Waldow
Director of Community, Blue Sky Factory
@djwaldow
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[...] Embrace all the varied and wonderful things that make me unique and unleash that on the world, even if I feel foolish. My right people will find me if I’m not hiding behind something else, something that isn’t really me. Then I’ll sit back and not worry about what will come; the right things will come along with the right people. I’ll let my creative spirit go skipping down the halls, if that’s what it needs to do. And if I’m not comfortable embracing my inner fairy, then maybe I’ll at least learn something from a Nancy Boy. [...]

[...] Embrace all the varied and wonderful things that make me unique and unleash that on the world, even if I feel foolish. My right people will find me if I’m not hiding behind something else, something that isn’t really me. Then I’ll sit back and not worry about what will come; the right things will come along with the right people. I’ll let my creative spirit go skipping down the halls, if that’s what it needs to do. And if I’m not comfortable embracing my inner fairy, then maybe I’ll at least learn something from a Nancy Boy. [...]

[...] to do. If you’re not comfortable embracing your inner fairy, then maybe you could at least learn something from a Nancy Boy.Okay, so I went a little crazy on the link love. But we’re not in this journey alone, and [...]

[...] Lesson learned: Embrace all the varied and wonderful things that make you unique and unleash that on the world, even if you feel foolish. Your right people will find you if you’re not hiding behind something else, something that isn’t really you. Then sit back and don’t worry about what will come; the right things will come along with the right people. Just let your creative spirit go skipping down the halls, if that’s what it needs to do. If you’re not comfortable embracing your inner fairy, then maybe you could at least learn something from a Nancy Boy. [...]

[...] Lesson learned: Embrace all the varied and wonderful things that make you unique and unleash that on the world, even if you feel foolish. Your right people will find you if you’re not hiding behind something else, something that isn’t really you. Then sit back and don’t worry about what will come; the right things will come along with the right people. Just let your creative spirit go skipping down the halls, if that’s what it needs to do. If you’re not comfortable embracing your inner fairy, then maybe you could at least learn something from a Nancy Boy. [...]

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Gary Bencivenga, who’s probably the most successful living copywriter, has a saying along the lines of “a gifted product always beats a gifted pen.”

There’s not always a clear line between the two, either. Naomi is great because she knows her stuff, but also because she says it in a way you can hear. It’s entertaining, the concepts come across vividly, she finds a way to put things that you can actually understand and put into practice.

There are a few cases where great marketing can move a product that isn’t too hot. For example, I was talking with some financial planners recently about how terrible the advice of one particular celebrity financial expert is, but the person markets themselves very well.

But on the whole, don’t try to market crap. Go out and find something great (there is so much great stuff in the world, and there is greatness in each of us), then market that. It works a million times better.

One question, though… A number of people have said that Naomi is popular and has such a following because she swears like a sailor. Well, she is, and she does, however, she also knows her stuff. I don’t know Nancy Boy’s soaps, but I have to assume that they are at least pretty good. Doesn’t the product/service have to be of a certain standard, too, in order to succeed?

I have read a number of books that say your product doesn’t need to be the best (and they always point to McDonald’s when they say this). McDonald’s doesn’t have the best burgers, but they have/had great marketing. So, to what extent is it the marketing and what extent is it the product? Especially for a company like Nancy Boy, which does no advertising and relies totally on referrals?

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