Time to read: 3:43 minutes
————

Eight days until Baby O is here 😅

November 25 is when we're expecting.

I'm ready (I think?)

I've been busy while not working, but I look forward to focusing on Baby O. Complete attention those first few weeks.

I've also used that busy to avoid the:

• Fear of the enormous responsibility of fatherhood is

• Anxiety I have of my life being severely disrupted

• Joy for the unknown child Kate and I will raise together

I'm pledging to try to be more still as we get closer.

Linger with the emotions. Whatever they may be.

(any tips welcome!)

Enjoy this week's letter:

1. One (marketing) Idea

How I spend 15 minutes preparing for a podcast

And 3 reasons why you shouldn't 👇

To be clear: Being prepared is critical for life.

"If you stay ready, you don't need to get ready."

Another caveat: I (mostly) interview people I follow.

Meaning I've spent months or years consuming their ideas.

It's easier for me to spend little time preparing.

Because I know them well.

But I believe over-preparing can be a barrier to your success.

That's another essay, back to the point:

Here are three reasons you should prepare more:

1. You've done fewer reps

I've done over 100 interviews through my podcast and jobs.
I've asked my 56 podcast guests for feedback to improve.
I've read books on the art of questions and creativity.

That has led me to rely on my ability vs being rigid with my prep.

And I've come to believe the best questions aren't created beforehand:

2. The best questions are reactive

I have a few questions I always rely on:

" What is one thing you've changed your mind on in regards to marketing in the past 1-2 years?"

But the best questions come from the guest. They don't come from me.

They are a follow-up on something they said or a unique insight I only have.

This does make "some" prep necessary—to know their history and career journey.

I see the best conversation as a dance.

You must relinquish some control for the best outcome.

Let the flow take you where it needs to.

3. I have a premise – do you?

"What job should marketing get done in a company?"

That's how every On Marketing episode begins.

The premise is to uncover the job marketing has and how to do it today.

The more I know about my guests, the better, but with a premise, you can easily have a unique conversation.

Making it easier for me to let go and allow for good content.

Without the premise, I may need more prep to uncover targeted questions.

If your show's premise is too weak or involves knowing much about them (e.g., Hot Ones or Nardwuar), you must do more prep.

Because of the shortness of episodes (20-30 mins), my prep is less.

Yours will be more unless you have a premise that carries the content forward.

(Look up Jay Acunzo for more on developing a premise)

What's the perfect (average) amount of time for prep?
30-45 minutes

What's the perfect amount of prepared questions?
2-5 questions

The rest will come to you.

TRUST

2. One Quote

I thought I was contrarian:

"This book is dedicated to the 1% that make consumer-centric decisions vs the 99% that make decisions based on boardroom politics." – Gary Vaynerchuk (Day Trading Attention, first page)

Dude starts his book by pissing off 99% of people. What a guy...

But I think he's onto something (maybe more than 1%):

It's hard to think of the customer.

Being empathetic and making decisions for the customer (that could hurt the company in the short term) is TOUGH.

But the businesses that do WIN (most times).

So, how can you be more "consumer-centric?"

• Use hypothesis language and embrace failures to gain learnings

• Build recorded customer convos into your marketing cadence

• Assume you know less than your customers (always!)

What tips do you have for being close to the customer?

3. One Episode with Joel Klettke

Joel is the previous cofounder of Case Study Buddy.

A true master of effective case studies.

But deeper than that, he has a clarity about marketing that is rare.

Joel's answers to our two main questions:

– Marketing's role is to build trust by framing offerings in a believable, trustworthy way that encourages consumer action.

– The purpose of life is to serve and make the path easier for others rather than just pursue personal achievements.

Enjoy 👉 https://podcastonmarketing.transistor.fm/57

4. One (life) Idea

Are you a one-legged stool?

I was one for a long time. I was all about work.

Now, I'm more like a sturdy four-legged chair.

God (Spiritual)
Family
Work
Social

I asked a recent guest what the meaning of life is.

Her response: To have a well-lived life in all sectors.

I couldn't stop nodding.

A well-lived life has much to show for it, not just work.

The inverse is also true:

Living a social life with little energy toward a career or family is not good.

Like the Great Gatsby, that leads to destruction. Not fulfillment.

I've had to work my way from focusing too much on my career.
To focus more on my spirituality, family life, and hobbies.

It will be different for you.

Maybe you're not focused on your career enough.
Or you're too steeped in pursuing social status.

It's not too late to rewrite your story.
That's the joy of living.

We're the authors.
We build the legs for our chair.

5. One Photo

Jump!

---

– JO (every second counts)