Today's Swipe find is homage to compacting lots of information into a little space.

I see a lot of these shared on Instagram. In one glance, you can pickup a lot of information without having to think a lot, read a lot, or spend a lot of time. 

Here's an example of daily plan, compacted into a small space:

Here's an example of a "boosting happiness" strategy, compacted into a small space:

Here's an example of a 30 day content calendar, compacted into a small space:

Here's my full workout plan, compacted into a small space (I stole this from my friend Billy, and reference it at the gym all the time):

It's kinda neat when there's so much information in one eye-shot.

Over the years much of my marketing has looked crappy and juvenile. 

For example this is the image header to a popular post I wrote 😂

A few years ago I tried cleaning up my act and created something called "Copywriting for Business."

• I wore a suit. 
• I didn't curse.
• I was more serious.
• I made more professional-looking images.

....it utterly flopped.

When I would try to sell it to businesses, they wanted my original stuff that was more funny and entertaining. 

Ironically the thing I was trying to

Lesson: Be yourself 🙂

Earlier in this email I talked about compressing lots of information into a small space....well here's another great example.

I particularly liked these, because I've always struggled to understand the calorie and protein differences of different foods I commonly eat. 

When I saw these on an account @MeowMeix I just had to screenshot them:

I was legitimately having trouble understanding the difference between some of these things, and a simple visual chart like this instantly made it all "click!"

A couple years ago I hired a stylist to build out a basic mens wardrobe for me.

She tried explaining to me which clothes pair together, and she quickly realized I was incapable of it myself.....so she decided to make a customized “Look Book” I could reference.

She took all the clothes we bought together, and made the following "Look Book" as a PDF file.

For 3 years before I went out, I’d get dressed based on these pictures!

This was maybe 8+ years ago she made this, but if it were nowadays, that stylist could've shared these Look Books as content, and maybe even take pics of the person in each outfit (if they were down for it).

This would turn one-off work into evergreen promotion!

I get a lot of questions (especially from non-techie people) on how I make money from what I do, specifically copywriting stuff: 

• Copywriting Course: It sells a membership course that trains people to become better writers with a focus on selling.
• Swipe File: It has Google Adsense ads on it, I get paid from those.
• Book: I self published a book, it sells on Amazon. 
• 1-on-1 Consulting: Clients start off hourly, then move to larger projects.
• YouTube Channel: I get a percentage of ad revenue.
• Amazon Affiliate: When people click links (like these book links), and buy a book, I get a small percentage of that.
• Email Sponsorships: Sometimes people sponsor this Friday email and pay me for it.

So that's where the income comes from this business comes from. 

Most of the money comes from Copywriting Course and consulting, but I would like to make this email and the advertising income much higher starting in 2023.

Do you know one reason why people love this Friday S.W.I.P.E.S. Email? 

It's because I give all the information inside the email itself.

Instead of giving you an "assignment" of having to click out of the email to see content, I just include it all here.....so you don't have to interrupt your flow of reading this email on your computer or phone. 

Example: 
If you write a blog post about pandas, just include it in the email, don't make people click out to read it!

The counter-case for this is when you need someone to take an action that can only be done on your website such as:
• Placing an order.
• Signing up on a form.
• Watch a video or listen to a podcast.
• Use an interactive widget on the website.

In these cases it's best to send to a website.

One of the reasons people love email newsletters so much is the information is all inside a single email! 

No need to click outside, use multiple browser tabs, or wait for websites to load.

If you notice, in this entire email you didn't have to click outside of it even once to get more information 🙂

Here's two recent picks from my Swipe File that I like:

First I picked this ad from 1911 for the International Exhibition of Tourism in Berlin because it just looks cool as hell:

That dude is so daper 😂

....and the second one is a "subway map" of the human anatomy titled 
"Underskin" by Sam Loman:

I picked this one because I thought it was particularly cool and creative to map out the human support systems in subway format!

This simple setup is what Lex Fridman runs a podcasting empire with:

The equipment he's using is relatively simple:
• 2 Shure SM7B mics: $800
• 2 Sony a6400 cameras: $2,000
• 1 Cloud Lifter: $250
• 1 Zoom H4n Recorder: $250
• 2 mic stands, 2 cam stands, cables: $500
• YouTube + Podcast distribution: $0
Total: $3,800

The physical method of creating a podcast is almost irrelevant in his success, but the things that actually made it successful are:

• He himself is interesting as an MIT artificial intelligence professor.
• Massive amount of research for each guest
• Getting A-list level guests
• His conversations are not very "social media-y" but rather very long, slow, and deep. 

It's kind of neat that the tools needed to get to this level are very cheap, but the other non-buyable factors are what creates the success.

This is also related to the next section.....

When I go to the gym and see a ripped dude I naturally think “what workout is that guy doing?”

We tend to look for what specific exercise someone is doing, however 90% of the reason someone at the gym looks ripped is for reasons OUTSIDE the gym, such as:

• Putting down the fork down when full.
• Being consistent with workouts.
• Being consistent with eating.
• Limited drinking.
• Eating well.

This concept reminds me of that famous "What you see of an iceberg is only the tip" photo:

While the specific exercise they're doing at the moment definitely plays a factor in their good health, it's mostly stuff you don't see.

Social Tip: 
If you're going to a party this weekend, take some nice candid pics of the crowd and the host.

When party is done, send a thank you text message along with the pics. It's a great way to gift the host a nice memory!

Another pro-tip is before you depart hanging out with someone, say "Selfie or it didn't happen!" 

I do this VERY FREQUENTLY, and often it'll be the only pic or group pic of the day. 

Later when I scroll through my photos, I remember that memory!

It's cool being able to scroll through my photo album and retain these memories (otherwise after a few weeks you totally forget). 

Sometimes I like making big-ass lists of ideas. 

Here are 103 Copywriting Tips for motivation and ideas ➡

I don't expect anyone to read all 103 of these, but rather bookmark it for later, and if you're stuck for ideas, bring this up and browse through them.
Here's a couple I like:

#1.) Work backwards - What’s the goal?
Before you write about something, you’ve got to know exactly what your page / piece is supposed to accomplish. Whether it’s email replies, product sales, or something else, your job as a copywriter is to support that goal.

#4.) Who’s your target audience?
Avatars are great reference tools, but nothing beats the real thing! Get up, get out, and interview the people who make up your audience. You’ll learn more from a single “real” conversation than any avatar-based thinking session.
**By the way** I've been doing 10-minute phone interviews with people on this email list, asking them about their experience with copywriting. If you wanna hop on the phone for 10 minutes reply to this email "I WANNA TALK ON THE PHONE" and I'll send you a scheduling link!

#15.) Read what your audience reads
Taking on a project outside of your regular niche / focus? The best way to get a feel for what an audience is thinking and feeling is to read the top publications in their field. Where do they hang out online? Which YouTubers do they follow? Start consuming the same content and you’ll be able to think more effectively.

#17.) Use Google suggestions
Your early research probably involves a whole bunch of Googling. You can expand and adapt your searches by scrolling down to the bottom of the results page and - voila! Google suggests a list of relevant searches you might want to check out.

#37.) Use earplugs for focus
Pop in a pair of earplugs and you’ll be surprised how effectively the total silence will hone your focus.

#98.) Plug into your clients’ community + use their language
Are you hanging out where your customers hangout online? Do you understand industry jargon and common practices? A great way to sell clients, is to be able to understand their needs and talk like them.

You can see all 103 Copywriting Tips here ▶

My Indian parents always count on their hands using the pads of their fingers. This lets you count up to 12 on each hand

I thought this method was far superior to what I learned as a child, only being able to count to 5 on each hand!

So in practice this is what it ends up looking like:

Did YOU learn to count on your hands by each finger, or by the pads of your finger like above?? Reply and lemme know!