Marketing Personas Are Broken

Marketing Personas Are Broken

Hey Everyone,

Hope you're having a great week. Here are a few things I've been reading, writing and pondering lately. Enjoy!

1. How to Write for Pay Scale, Not Demographics

Marketing personas are broken. Here’s a better way to reach your target readers.

The hierarchy of a company represents more than pay scale, but it’s a pretty good place to start building personas. The people at the top think differently than the people near the bottom. They don’t need information—that’s been commoditized. In general, the higher in the food chain a person is, the more strategic their thinking is.

2. Ryan Holiday Sells Stoicism as a Life Hack, Without Apology

I thought this was a really interesting profile of Ryan Holiday. He’s a prolific writer and a darn good salesman, regardless of what you think of his tactics.

It’s hard to fathom that the same person who wrote “Trust Me, I’m Lying,” a bombastic treatise on the art of self-promotion through media manipulation, went on to write a meditation on the perils of self-absorption and pride. But Mr. Holiday doesn’t have any trouble reconciling the Jekyll and Hyde-like phases of his career. Marketing is what he does, he said; Stoicism is who he is.

3. 54 Online Courses from Creators Who’ve Turned their Passions into Products

This is an awesome resource whether you’re looking for a course to take, or in search of inspiration for your own course.

4. Tweet of the Week

5. Who’s Hiring?

Have a great weekend!

Jimmy

PS - I’m looking to partner with a few great businesses to sponsor this newsletter. It reaches a bunch of smart folks from places like Google, Apple, Spotify, New York Times, Marriott and Harvard. Shoot me an email if you're interested in working together.

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