<p><strong>Just because you use <em>pretty</em> words that sound nice doesn’t mean they are <em>effective</em>.</strong> Although <em>we</em> know what we do because we do it all the time; it’s hard to separate that from what your audience wants and experiences. Thankfully, today’s guest is here to help.</p><p>Ben Guttmann is a marketing and communications expert and author of <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Simply-Put-Messages-Win_and-Design/dp/1523004681/ref=sr_1_1?crid=1QZ983CO0N1G6&keywords=Simply+Put%3A+Why+Clear+Messages+Win+%E2%80%94+and+How+to+Design+Them.&qid=1702474252&sprefix=simply+put+why+clear+messages+win+and+how+to+design+them.%2Caps%2C434&sr=8-1">Simply Put: Why Clear Messages Win — and How to Design Them.</a></p><p>We discuss why business owners often muck up their sales pages (what I call invitation letters), how to reduce friction when attracting clients and customers, and the toll that writing too much takes on the receiver.</p><p><strong>More About Ben:</strong> Ben is former co-founder and managing partner at Digital Natives Group, an award-winning agency that worked with the NFL, I Love NY, Comcast NBCUniversal, Hachette Book Group, The Nature Conservancy, and other major clients. He’s an experienced marketing executive and educator on a mission to get leaders to more effectively connect by simplifying their message. Currently, Ben teaches digital marketing at Baruch College in New York City and consults with a range of thought leaders, venture-backed startups, and other brands.</p><h3></h3><h3>🌟 <strong>3 Key Takeaways</strong>
</h3><ul>
<li>
<strong>It’s most effective to communicate to one person,</strong> rather than imagining an ambiguous thousand (or ten thousand).</li>
<li>
<strong>Strong communication is not about how many (or few) words you use;</strong> it’s about reducing friction, or <em>offramps</em>, from your message.</li>
<li>
<strong>“This and that” versus “this so that”:</strong> Test the cohesiveness of your message by replacing <strong>and</strong> with <strong>so.</strong>
</li>
</ul><h3></h3><h3>📝 <strong>Permission</strong>
</h3><p>Not to spend money on paid advertising. Focus on making your business more <em>referable</em> instead.</p><h3></h3><h3>✅ <strong>Do (or Delegate) This Next</strong>
</h3><p>Look at one of the most important pages of your website. If each word costs you $10, how many can you cut? What about $1,000? If you had to distill your message down to a road sign, what would it look like?</p><h3></h3><h3>🔗 <strong>Resources Mentioned</strong>
</h3><ul>
<li>
<strong>Ben</strong> on the <a href="https://www.benguttmann.com/">web</a>, <a href="https://www.instagram.com/bguttmann/">IG</a>, <a href="https://twitter.com/guttmann">Twitter</a>, <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/benguttmann/">LinkedIn</a>
</li>
<li>
<strong>Articles</strong>: NYT—<a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2023/10/12/magazine/taylor-swift-eras-tour.html">My Delirious Trip to the Heart of Swiftiedom</a>
</li>
<li>Meme: <a href="https://knowyourmeme.com/memes/i-aint-reading-all-that">I aint reading all that</a>
</li>
</ul><h3></h3><h3>📚 Books Mentioned</h3><ul>
<li><a href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1523004681?&linkCode=sl1&tag=522463f-20&linkId=ba8418d72507679958a362de7566e2f1&language=en_US&ref_=as_li_ss_tl">Simply Put: Why Clear Messages Win―and How to Design Them</a></li>
<li><a href="http://bit.ly/itsfreetime">Free Time: Lose the Busywork, Love Your Business</a></li>
<li><a href="http://bit.ly/Pivotpaperback">Pivot: The Only Move That Matters Is Your Next One</a></li>
<li><a href="http://amzn.to/jennyblake">Life After College</a></li>
</ul><h3></h3><h3>🎧 Related Episodes</h3><ul>
<li>
<strong>The Tim Ferriss Show</strong>: <a href="https://tim.blog/2018/02/03/the-tim-ferriss-show-transcripts-tim-urban/">Managing Procrastination, Predicting the Future, and Finding Happiness with Tim Urban</a>
</li>
<li>
<strong>Reply All:</strong> <a href="https://gimletmedia.com/shows/reply-all/posts/edfd">Email Debt Forgiveness Day</a>
</li>
<li>
<strong>Free Time</strong>: <a href="http://itsfreetime.com/episodes/181">181: Be Irreplaceable with My Creative Coach Jay Acunzo</a>
</li>
<li><a href="https://itsfreetime.com/episodes/227">227: 🎁 The Best Gifting Strategies and Biggest Mistakes with John Ruhlin</a></li>
<li>
<strong>Pivot</strong>: <a href="https://www.pivotmethod.com/podcast/referrals">70: Build a Referral Engine with John Jantsch</a>
</li>
</ul><p></p><p><strong>🌟</strong>Enjoying the show? The best way to thank us is by <a href="https://ratethispodcast.com/freetime?via=jenny">leaving a rating or review</a></p><p>✍️ Check out Jenny’s personal business essays on Substack, <a href="http://rollingindoh.substack.com/">Rolling in D🤦🏻‍♀️h</a></p><p>❤️ Join our private <a href="http://itsfreetime.com/bff">BFF community</a> for Heart-Based Business owners</p><p>💌 Subscribe to the <a href="http://itsfreetime.com/newsletter">Time Well Spent newsletter</a> for access to the Free Time Toolkit</p><p>💬 I’d love to hear what’s on your mind! Take the <a href="https://cms.megaphone.fm/survey">Free Time listener survey</a></p><p>☎️ Submit a voice question or comment: <a href="http://itsfreetime.com/ask">http://itsfreetime.com/ask</a></p><p>🎧 Make sure you’re <a href="https://cms.megaphone.fm/organizations/b1fe9c76-81dc-11eb-bf9c-37c2d3eb63cc/podcasts/c30f4964-8274-11eb-978b-c38327071224/episodes/b5e16bc0-6f2f-11ec-80a7-4bfc85e2b40b/pod.link/freetime">subscribed</a> wherever you listen to podcasts</p><p>📝 Check out full show notes and share with friends: <a href="https://itsfreetime.com/episodes/251">https://itsfreetime.com/episodes/251</a></p><p> </p><p>Learn more about your ad choices. Visit <a href="https://megaphone.fm/adchoices">megaphone.fm/adchoices</a></p>

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251: Simply Put—Reducing Friction on Sales Pages and in Business Communication with Ben Guttmann

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