It's my favorite time of the year.
Time to open the Jar of Awesome.
If you're doing an annual review, then you're probably aware of your biggest
wins of 2022. You know, the ones that come up right away when you think about
the last 12 months – say, like getting married or launching a video course.
We're used to celebrating big wins and agonizing over the tiniest mistakes. But
we can reverse the trend. Let's celebrate tiny wins, too!
What about the moments that put a smile on your face? The ones that made you
feel like a winner? They may be tiny – say, like getting cheered on by two
grannies on my daily run or nailing a workshop with a client – but they are to
be celebrated, too.
A few years back, I stumbled across a video by Tim
Ferris and I loved his idea of celebrating small wins.
So I went and made my own Jar of Awesome.
It's simple, really. Get a jar and a stack of small pieces of paper. When
something cool happens, write it down and put the piece of paper in the jar.
Open the jar when you're doing your annual review. I guarantee there will be a
lot to uncover there.
Hope your year ends on a high note!
💟 P.S. What small win made you smile when you thought about
it just now? Hit reply, I'd love to know!
—
Will this content help someone?
Go ahead and forward it!
Was the email forwarded to you?
Then get your own
subscription!
REVIEW
The best of my blog in 2022
Here's the content that performed the best across my site in the last year.
You'll see both new and old links here:
-
Value Proposition
Canvas - this is by far the most read article on my
site and I believe with good reason. Figuring out your value proposition can
unlock everything else - your messaging, marketing strategy, and more.
-
Jobs to be Done
Interviews - this post will give you the exact
process I use to directly get insights from customers.
-
Atomic Habits [Book
Notes] - as the new year is coming up and
productivity is on everyone's minds, this recap gets even more timely. It
will help you build habits of your own.
-
The Content Marketing
Blueprint [Video] - a recording of my podcast with
CoSchedule was the most watched video on my YouTube channel. It will help you
build a cohesive content plan in an easy-to-use format.
And finally, I managed to launch a massive piece of content that got lots of
attention with my video-on-demand course on
strategic content and messaging. Check out the
curriculum and the special holiday price, if you still haven't.
HANDPICKED STORIES FOR YOU
How and why Pantone
picked 'Viva Magenta' as its 2023 color of the year
I love Pantone's Color of the Year campaign and it's an amazing example of
content marketing. This post explains the process behind the choice of new
colors and why Pantone's team does what it does.
Google's Year in
Search
This is one of my favorite recap campaigns of the year because ti shows how
short our memory actually is. Do you remember the Wordle craze? The Depp vs
Heard trial? Although these things now sound like distant memories, they did
happen in 2022.
A year on YouTube:
2022’s top trending videos & creators in the US
This is not just a list of videos. It's an analysis of what works – and why.
Celebrities got more relevant because of how creators reinterpreted them. And
the real blockbusters revealed moments of authenticity and true connections
between creators and their audiences. How will you use these ideas in your 2023
content?
Copywriting tips from
Apple
This Twitter thread deconstructs Apple's copywriting greatness. The principles
are applicable to all our work - and you can try them out on your own. I
especially like the rhyming and alliteration ideas.
12 inspiring graphic
design trends for 2023
Design platform '99 Designs' shares some of the key trends they see coming in
the new year. Punk and 90s looks are in. Complex compositions and abstract
backgrounds will be more prevalent. Go through this list and talk to your
designer how to make the best of it.
DREAMING OF TRAVEL
How a luxury travel brand excels at podcasting
The podcast space is growing but brands are slow to adopt it. Which means that
whoever goes in, can win big. Thankfully, there are some marketing teams that
show us how it's done. Marriott Bonvoy has not one but two ongoing podcast
series. 'About the Journey' talks about lesser known travel destinations,
inclusivity in travel, sustainable travel and other topics important to young
audiences. 'Behind the Design' is all about hotel design and it caters to both
hospitality professionals and travel geeks (like yours truly).
Both series show how to rekindle the excitement around travel and stay close to
adventurers-at-heart even when they aren't ready to pack their bags.
FUN STUFF TO CLICK ON
I found these interesting and I hope you do, too!
SHARE AND CARE
Share the newsletter and get something
useful
If you enjoy the newsletter, I'd love your help to spread the word! Share it
with friends and colleagues who might benefit from it. And if you do, you'll
get some special bonuses!
Here's how: You have a custom referral link (see below). Just copy and paste it
into an email, on social media, or however else you'd like to share it. If
others sign up through it, you'll get access to templates, monthly consulting
sessions, and more to come!
|