Ben Settle

A while back I read an interview with old school screenwriter Curt Siodmak who wrote a lot of the scripts for the old timey day monster movies everyone has heard of, if not seen. And in his interview (inside the book “Backstory 2”) he told the story about how he got the idea for a movie that, if you adjust for inflation, sequels, longevity, reboots, merchandising, conventions, books, comics, spin-offs… has been probably worth billions collectively.

An idea that came about, quite frankly, as a joke.

What happened was this:

He was sitting at the Universal commissary (back during WW2) with a friend who was drafted and wanted to sell his car. Apparently, back then, you really couldn’t get a car since car companies only churned out war material. So this was a chance to get a car during a time when cars were not easy to get.

The problem?

He didn’t have the money.

But, what he did have was a sense of humor.

And he made a joke to another guy at the table (a movie producer):

“Frankenstein Wolfs the Meat Man, I mean, Meets the Wolf Man.”

His friend (the producer) didn’t laugh.

Instead, the guy came back to Curt’s office a couple days later and asked Curt if he’d bought the car. Curt said he’d need another job to pay for it. And the Producer said, “you have a job, ‘Frankenstein Meets the Wolf Man.’ You have two hours to accept.”

Personally, I love hearing stories like that.

It’s also why I tell anyone who will listen:

Write ALL ideas down and be obnoxiously paranoid about it.

Great ideas can be extremely fragile and fleeting.

And it only takes one to change the trajectory of your business and life.

Do what you will with that.

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Ben Settle

Here’s a fantastical story about writing ridiculously profitable ads for you:

Many years ago Michael Senoff interviewed a guy (Michael Samonek) about his insanely popular (promoted all over the Food Network at the time) book about special effects recipes that move, and smoke, and do crazy stuff, that he sold primarily via direct response and media publicity.

And, at the start he talked about his main copywriting inspiration:

Comicbooks.

He said he just got fascinated by how the ads in those comics (pre 1990’s, when they were all direct response, before they started accepting boring corporate advertising) got into his soul and knew exactly what he wanted, even if he didn’t even know it at the time.

I suspect a lot of old school comicbook fans can relate.

Those ads were sometimes BETTER than the content around them — more fascinating, more exciting, and more interesting.

Mail-order millionaires were sometimes made from a single ad at the time.

But, you may wonder, exactly how did they crawl right into your soul?

Well, it went way beyond just “copywriting.”

In fact, the writing isn’t even all that great in a lot of them.

Look at the ridiculously popular Sea-Monkeys ads.

We ain’t exactly talking Caples, Halbert, or Bencivenga-level copy.

To understand what they were doing, you have to put yourself in the shoes of the average comic book reader at the time: introverted & awkward teenager who is an outcast and total “girl repellant” — scrawny, bullied, lived in his own head, thinks of himself as the damned amongst his peers going on dates and getting girlfriends… and using comicbooks as escapism to experience what it was like to be tall, powerful, and superhuman, and not so timid, awkeward, and afraid of his own shadow.

So he’s reading these comicbooks about people with superpowers.

And amongst these stories about people with super powers are ads.

But these ads did not just promise “bEnEFiTs!” like lesser copy solely focuses on. No, these ads promised something quite different. Something far better. Something literally irresistible no matter how bull shyt the ads sounded.

And what these ads promised the tortured, scrawny, “girl-repellant” yutes was:

Super powers!

* X-ray vision (like Superman!) glasses.

* Skinny-to-muscular (like the Hulk!) overnight programs.

* Long-lost ancient secrets from the Orient (like Iron Fist!) to kick ass.

* How to grow taller (like Hank Pym!)

* Pets (Sea-Monkeys!) that live in a little underwater magical kingdom.

* How to impress people with magic (Dr. Strange!) tricks.

* And even how to control other peoples’ minds (like Professor X!), become a “rockstar-level” guitarist (like KISS!) in 7-days, perform strong man stunts (like The Thing!), become rich (like Bruce Wayne!) selling newspapers… to becoming a secret agent with a spy camera (like James Bond!) – and all for just a postage stamp plus $1.00 for shipping!

Totally irresistible.

Anyway, they make great case studies for marketers.

Dan Kennedy ain’t just whistlin’ dixie when he says:

“What works to sell the incredible, sells even better to sell the credible.”

Powerful advice.

And often used by those who write powerful ads, emails, sales copy.

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Ben Settle

The Tolkien fanboys get grumpy when I talk about this.

But, at least according to the book “Bandersnatch” (about the Inklings group C.S. Lewis and Tolkien belonged to) probably Lord of the Rings never would have been written if not for C.S. Lewis. And, even if it had been written, it would have been a completely boring, snooze fest just about hobbits sitting talking and eating and drinking and smoking or whatever.

Yes, originally, Tolkien didn’t write it as some kind of War of the Ring story.

In fact, The Ring had nothing to do with it.

(Add he had to retcon The Hobbit later as a result)

And if LOTR had been written at all, it’d been boring as hell.

With no Rings.

No Ringwraiths.

And no real adventure or anything worth reading.

There’d never even be a Lord of the Rings if left to Tolkien’s original ideas for the book. Not to mention no movies, no video games, no Amazon series (not that anyone cares about that show, but still…) and, basically, no multi-billion dollar franchise.

So how did Lewis save Tolkien from his boring ideas?

It’s quite simple, Frodo:

What Lewis told Tolkien was, yes, hobbits were interesting.

But, they were only interesting when they were out of their element and stood in CONTRAST to the other Middle Earth races — humans, elves, dwarves, orcs, etc. It was only then that anyone cared about them. And, I will add, it was only then when the story started getting interesting, and ultimately turned into something people would grow to love and cherish as LOTR fans do.

More:

This advice applies to many beloved franchises.

It’s not unlike the blonde chick (Marilyn) in The Munsters. The Munsters would probably not have been as engaging and popular probably without a human in the mix. And so it was also with the Muppets. It was the human guest each show that made the Muppets stand out and be inherently more interesting. Same with Sesame Street, Mister Rogers Neighborhood, and many other beloved entertainment shows, movies, franchises.

Something to think about.

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Ben Settle

One of the more fascinating bios I read this year is called:

“The Earl Nightingale Story”

About (in case this isn’t obvious) Earl Nightingale.

I had zero idea how fascinating and interesting this guy was until reading this book. He was far more than just the sort of father-figure and founder of modern info publishing as we know it.

He was also a brawler with violent anger issues & PTSD.

He was in constant pain from adult onset gigantism (applying his own teachings about having a good attitude to stay sane despite the constant pain)…

And was all but an “honorary” mafia wise guy from what I can tell.

For example:

When a kidnapping attempt was made on his kids, he got a mysterious phone call from the head of the Chicago mob telling him it would be “taken care of” if that tells you something… and often met with the guy at his home, played pool with him, they knew his kids, and one of the guy’s body guards even got one of Earl’s daughters out of some serious trouble once…

Extremely fascinating guy to say the least.

He was also the “founding father” of modern content creation in many ways.

Here’s what I mean:

One of the businesses Earl owned early in his career was an insurance agency. And he had a knack for inspiring his sales people in his talks to them, which he held every week or so to keep them motivated and selling.

But, one time, he was in a hurry about to go on vacation and couldn’t do the meeting.

So, instead, he recorded an 11-minute talk for them.

And then went with his family on a boat.

Totally out of communication for a few months.

During that time he was gone, his team listened to the recording, were absolutely blown away by it… and suddenly, someone said something to someone somewhere… and that person said something to someone… and then, eventually, everyone wanted to listen to it – with people calling the Chicago radio station Earl worked at for it, constantly pestering his secretary about it.

This was before it was cheap to make info products.

I can’t remember the exact numbers.

But Earl’s secretary had to make an executive decision (that she thought Earl would possibly fire her for when he found out) to have something like ten thousand cassettes of his talk duplicated, which was probably the minimum order.

No print-on-demand-like options back in them days.

The result?

The #1 selling spoken word album in history at the time.

And all with zero advertising, marketing, internet, social media.

Just pure word of mouth.

When Earl came back to the Florida pier to dock his boat after being out of communication for a few months, he saw a bunch of reporters and a huge crowed waiting for him and, assuming he was being arrested for some reason, offered to turn himself in!

Crazy times to say the least.

(And that ain’t even the most interesting part of this bio)

This 11-minute recording Earl dashed out literally created an entire genre.

Franky, if you are an independent content creator you can at least partially thank Earl Nightingale for paving the way, as nobody was doing this sort of thing before then, or even knew you could do it, or even thought it was worth doing, or would be something people would buy.

Some more fun facts about this short bit of content that changed the world:

* Had absolute crap “production values” — like scratches, pops, and no retakes, just quickly batted out, almost as an afterthought

* Zero marketing or fanfare — all word-of-mouth

* Created “off the cuff” — no planning or plotting it out, total stream of conscious

Today’s snobby content creators would surely balk if they heard it.

And yet how many millions of lives did that recording change — either directly, or via the endless number of other training Earl created afterwards because of it, not to mention all the people he influenced, and the people those guys then influenced…?

We’ll never know.

Point is this:

You just never know what content is going to change your entire business.

In my own business, it’s very often the content I put the LEAST amount of thought into, just do it off-the-cuff, and sometimes even forgetting about it, that tends to be the most valuable, most profitable, and most “viral” (amongst my boys & ghouls at least).

This is why the content game is won by speed & volume.

I’m not saying to create crap or half ass anything.

But it’s like I like to say:

“To make more money than you do now, simply create more content than you do now, faster than you do now.”

And then get it out there.

Like tentacles probing and invading the marketplace.

So simple.

So easy.

So pleasant… if you know what you’re doing.

And yes, I said “pleasant.”

If you understand how to approach email — especially the way I teach to Email Players subscribers — banging out emails that sell your offers does not have to be some droning chore you hate and avoid. It can be a fun, exciting adventure you look forward to… and then enjoy even more when you see the proceeds rolling in from such content, the lives changed, the way people thank you for selling it to the because of the way it solved whatever problem for them that your product is designed to help with.

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Ben Settle

The great comicbook writer Chuck Dixon recently dropped a magnificent quote.

It was about the difference between amateurs and professionals.

And that difference is:

“Amateurs do on accident, pros do on purpose.”

A very good distinction. It also dovetails with something I talk about at time inside Email Players – about the difference between a mere “content creator” and a Craftsman:

Content creators are a dime a dozen.

And the ones using AI are even cheaper.

But in both cases they create content as a means to an end. They may enjoy it, maybe. But everything they teach, talk about, create content about goes wide, and never deep. A Craftsman, on the other hand, has an undeniable — can’t be faked — “mad scientist”-like obsession with what they do/teach. They’re so irrational about excellence it almost makes people nervous to be around them.

They’re easy to spot these days since they’re so rare.

Takes Steve Jobs.

He wasn’t a computer guy, a software guy, or a tech guy.

He didn’t even know how to code.

(Which even Bill Gates mocked him for).

But he was a Craftsman, learned from his dad, who was a world class cabinet maker. Jobs was a notorious azzhole & narcissist. But I’d argue that was from being a Craftsman. He demanded such perfection “good enough” wasn’t even in his vocabulary. And while you’ll exhaust and sabotage yourself if you aren’t careful with this attitude (it helps to have a billion dollar budget & millions of customers, so blowing deadlines ain’t the end of the world like it is for those on a shoe string, for example — and probably even adds to the demand as people value what they wait for more than what comes fast…) it’s still the attitude to have with content creation.

If you’re writing, every word drips with depth.

If you’re making videos, every shift of body language has intensity.

If you’re doing audio, every inflection oozes passion.

Not on purpose, or as an act… but because you’re naturally so intense about your topic. That’s how you know you’re a Craftsman and not a mere content creator. The fact so many content creators need to motivate themselves, have “accountability partners”, need Facebook groups, seek constant validation from peers… shows how few content creators are truly Craftsmen at what they do/teach/create.

This is a small part of a much longer conversation.

And something I sometimes talk about in Email Players.

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Ben Settle

A few weeks ago I got to back-and-forthing with my pal Shane Hunter about AI.

Shane is one of the few I know who intelligently uses it for marketing.

And he’d found an-already creepy & disgusting looking couple (man and woman), and used the Midjourney tool to warp them into an even more creepy & disgusting looking couple more in line with their inner creepy & disgusting psyches.

And then he asked what I thought.

My advice:

Make the man dressed and poised (body language, makeup, etc) like he’s a woman, and the woman dressed and poised like she’s a man. And then, for extra points, have them smiling while holding up an infant that has a terrified look on his little face, to make it even more horrifying, with the viewer’s imagination filling in the blanks at all the implications that goes with such an image.

The pronoun pedos won’t like that, of course.

But nobody cares what they think anyway.

It’s also basically Jim Camp’s teaching on creating Vision put on steroids.

And like all good rhetoric:

It’d “say” far more than words possibly could.

Which brings me to another point:

As much as I pick on fapGPT, AI, etc, it’s not inherently bad. In my opinion it can be a very powerful tool for subversion especially — just like cunningly-crafted memes and cartoons can be. If I was doing cold ads especially, I’d use AI-generated images for PPC ads, banner ads, etc all day long probably as it is certainly a legitimate business use for it.

My criticism is more aimed at the content creators and copywriters.

These guys nattering on about it is going to replace copywriters, writers, artists, and content creators sound like they need it to be something it’s not like it’s the only thing giving them any kind of relevance anymore.

In that way they remind me of the hypochondriac mask & jab police.

Same mentality with the AI goo-roos.

Anyway, that’s my opinion.

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Ben Settle

One of my customers recently prompted fapGPT to create a conversation between me and Stephen King.

The result?

fapGPT thinks I’m a cross between Howdy Doody and a Money Twitter cartoon account.

Enjoy:

FAKE BEN SETTLE: Well, howdy there, partner. I reckon you’ve stirred up a mighty interesting topic. Now, when it comes to the dance between fiction and copywriting, you best believe they ain’t just two peas in a pod. They’re more like two sides of a coin, each polishing the other.

FAKE STEPHEN KING: Greetings, my fellow wordsmith. Your analogy holds weight, indeed. Fiction and copywriting, while distinct, share a kinship that can amplify one’s skills and reach. You see, storytelling is at the heart of both endeavors. Whether I’m crafting a chilling tale or you’re whipping up a persuasive piece, we’re leading readers on a journey.

FAKE BEN SETTLE: You’re absolutely right, Stephen. Take fiction, for instance. It’s the playground where imagination takes flight, where emotions are stirred, and characters come to life. And guess what? Those very elements, they’re the backbone of captivating copy. A good copy is more than just words—it’s an emotional experience, a tale of transformation.

FAKE STEPHEN KING: Indeed, the power of evoking emotions and building connections through words is undeniable. In both fiction and copy, we manipulate emotions to guide readers’ perceptions, whether it’s to feel fear, excitement, or the irresistible urge to click “buy now.” However, there’s a notable distinction—the goal. Fiction seeks to immerse and entertain, while copywriting aims to persuade and prompt action.

FAKE BEN SETTLE: Well, pardner, you’ve hit the nail on the head. The goal of copywriting is clear—sell them what they need and what they didn’t know they wanted. But here’s the kicker: honing your fiction chops makes your copy sing a sweeter tune. See, storytelling ain’t just about stringing words together. It’s about painting pictures, igniting curiosity, and making readers feel something deep down in their bones.

FAKE STEPHEN KING: A sentiment I couldn’t agree with more. Yet, let’s not discount the power of specialization. There are those who might advocate for focusing solely on one craft, suggesting that dividing one’s attention dilutes mastery. But I’ve always believed in the versatility of the written word. Dabbling in both can enhance your skill set, bringing fresh perspectives to each arena.

FAKE BEN SETTLE: You’re speakin’ my language, Stephen. Fact is, when you straddle the line between fiction and copy, you’ve got a knack for blending art with persuasion. Your storytelling becomes more engaging, your copy more enchanting. And let’s not ignore the practical aspect—the economic dance of fiction and the lucrative rhythm of copy can harmonize quite nicely.

FAKE STEPHEN KING: A harmonious symphony, indeed. The fusion of skills, though requiring a delicate balance, can carve a path to exceptional communication. So, my fellow writer of tales and master of persuasion, whether you choose to juggle both or dive deep into one, remember this: the heart of great writing—fiction or copy—lies in the ability to captivate hearts, minds, and yes, even wallets.

FAKE BEN SETTLE: You said it, partner. At the end of the day, it’s all about the words—the magic that we, as wielders of language, conjure on the page. Ain’t nothin’ more rewarding than that.

FAKE STEPHEN KING: Indeed, Ben. Our words, our stories, they shape worlds and touch lives. Whether we’re sending shivers down spines or guiding decisions, our pens hold the power to move mountains.

A harmonious symphony of bull shyt indeed.

Hopefully it’s now clear why I’m not exactly holding my breath waiting for fapGPT to replace my emails, copywriting, or other content creation…

I recommend writing your own content from your own brain.

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Ben Settle

Daily email reader Lilian asks:

Hey Ben !

Quick question. How do you remember everything people told you ?

It seems like you have hundreds of quote from discussion that you use in your copy…

Do you write them all in notes/paper ?

Do you make them out of memories ?

Thanks for your answer if you take the time !

True story about this:

In August 2021 while on a walk listening to Edward White’s “The 12 Lives of Alfred Hitchcock” audio book… the idea for the cover to my Markauteur book just slipped into my mind. It was all there in my head — exactly what it would look like. I didn’t even have a title for it or know what I’d write inside the book — as the mere possibility of writing a book about the visual & design-side of marketing had never once occurred to me a single time before that.

But there the idea was haunting my brain.

And so, instead of trusting my brain to remember it, I did this:

1. Immediately whipped out my phone

2. Tapped out the idea (for the cover) in an email

3. Sent it to myself

When I got home a few hours later, I then got out a yellow legal pad and sketched out the cover idea. I’m no Picasso. But I was able to get the gesture of it down. And I then immediately sent that to Email Players subscriber Kia Arian and hired her — again, without having the book title or even knowing what I’d say in the book figured out — to start creating it.

The result?

The single most expensive book I sell (retails at $1,108.00), that moved nearly 100 copies on launch. Yes, I did sell it at a discount during the launch. But it was still quite expensive even at the discount, especially to non-Email Players subscribers who did not get as big of a discount Email Players subscribers did.

And it was all from a stray idea I was too paranoid not to write down.

To bring it back to the question, it’s an example of what I mean when I say:

“Ideas are fragile”

Especially ideas for content.

(emails, books, courses, videos, audios, whatever)

Ideas are very fleeting.

They are there in your head one minute, and — poof! — gone the next. I sometimes shudder at all the books and other content I’ve NOT created over the last couple decades simply because of a lost idea here, another idea that slipped away there, yet more ideas gone into the abyss of wherever they came from that I could not remember.

So I am quite paranoid about this these days.

One stray idea can be worth tens of thousands of dollars in sales.

And I mean that, literally, as my Markauteur book proves.

So to answer her question:

I capture everything.

Any idea, quote, thought, story, joke, anecdote, pain, pleasure, fear, desire, analogy, lesson, feeling, email, article, tweet, stray comment, random revelation about something… whatever it is I even think could possibly be relevant to content creation now or in the future.

I have thousands of these notes/ideas cataloged.

And I am always adding to it.

So much so my frustration is never, “oh what am I going to write about???”

It’s “oh crap — I have TOO many ideas to write about…”

And then, when it comes time to create said content like my books or emails or courses or videos for the BerserkerMail YouTube channel or whatever it is… I simply pluck out what I need and get it all down.

All of this is especially applicable using my Email Players methods.

More on that here:

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Ben Settle

Personally, I believe today’s the true birth date of Jesus.

(With Him being conceived & officially “dwelling” with us on Dec 24/25)

Thus, the following is apt:

One of the best “sales” secrets I’ve ever used is something I read about in multiple accounts from Jesus where He’d perform a miracle and then tell everyone not to talk about it.

The result?

Everyone talked about Him, told everyone about Him, grew His influence.

Same concept can work for us mere mortal businesses too.

Case in point:

Not a question

Your products have just helped me quite a lot so this is a thank you that you might be able to use sometime in the future in order to boost sales*

“Lots of people advised me against purchasing your programs because they were supposed to be hard to understand for “outsiders” so to speak.

But, after purchasing some of your books and eventually subscribing to Email Players i have to say that they are not “hard” exactly.

They are just not guru-like / mental masturbation pieces of advice and you need to immediately implement each part of them.

1 page of last month’s email players’ issue for example was enough in order to cover its subscription for 4 years.

So if you actually fit the description of it (have a list etc) and implement the material, i can not possibly think of a way that you won’t be able to make back the $97 (if not way way more).

YOU LITERALLY HAVE TO BE DUMBER THAN BIDEN.

Thanks Ben”.

That’s it. Thanks for everything that you do (really). If you use this at some point please hide the personal info.

And so it goes..

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Ben Settle