- Marketer Milk
- Posts
- What life has taught me
What life has taught me
Hey 👋
May was rough.
I was sick for over three weeks with something that felt like it came out of 2020.
One of those weeks was so bad I couldn’t do anything — I fell behind on all my client work, emails, this newsletter, and even personal messages.
Being sick and having anxiety about falling behind is not a great combo.
I also somehow made my way from NYC to Los Angeles to comfort my parents after a sudden death in our close family a couple of weeks ago.
Through this all, I was also keeping up with the new ChatGPT 4o and Google I/O announcements — feeling like AI was about to end my career.
I started to freak out.
Then, one day while lying in a fetal position in my parents' guest bedroom, doomscrolling through a Reddit thread about how SEO was dead because of AI Overviews, my dad walked in.
He sat on the edge of the bed and said, “Life is like a train. One day it’s going to be your stop, and you’re going to be forced to get off. So try not to worry about anything too much and prioritize your happiness.”
Then, he walked out.
I threw my phone on the ground (don’t worry, it’s already shattered), looked up at the ceiling, and took a deep breath.
There can be so many stressors in our lives. Work stress, money stress, relationship stress — the list goes on.
It’s so easy to over-index on all the negatives of this world.
Turn on the TV and you’ll see war and protests. Go to the comments section on any social media platform and you’ll see negativity. Go to Chipotle and get shook that your burrito is now $2 extra for no reason. Get a letter in the mail that your landlord is increasing your rent. AHHH, MAKE IT STOP.
But the point is, it’s easy to look at the world and believe it’s sick.
It’s easy to be sad and anxious.
It’s easy to doomscroll into oblivion.
But it’s hard to be happy.
It’s hard to be content and not always want more.
It’s hard to maintain a healthy mind, body, and soul.
It takes work.
But if there’s anything I’ve learned about humans, it's that we were designed to do hard things. It’s why we feel a sense of bliss after completing something hard — an intense workout, submitting a paper, launching a campaign, etc.
Life has taught me a profound truth: you can make it through any hardship. Almost nothing bad (or hard) is permanent. And even when faced with a permanent setback, you have the innate ability to adapt and continue moving forward.
We often underestimate our capacity to endure hardships. The secret to survival isn't about being "strong" or some other cliché. It’s a fact that we ALL survive. As long as we're alive, it’s inevitable.
Life persists, each new day arrives, and our basic needs remain. We instinctively adjust to the best of our abilities and move forward. As long as you’re breathing, you literally cannot fail to adapt and progress. Your success is guaranteed.
So smile. Look up at the sky and be thankful you have breath. If you can read this, everything will work itself out. Just make sure not to dwell on the past, work on yourself, conquer your fears (they’re illusions), and have faith that things will work out better than you ever thought they could.
Baba was right. Don’t worry, be happy.
I know this week’s “intro-insight” was not very marketing-focused. And to the new subscribers, I’m sure you’re thinking wtf did I subscribe to (lol). I just didn’t feel it appropriate to jump straight into the business stuff on the first edition back from my little break. Next week, I’ll have an insight I’ve been thinking deeply about for the past month that I’m excited to share.
With that, let's get into what we have in store this week (lots of good stuff):
Marketing news from the past week
Common product messaging mistakes
Successful email marketing campaigns
How Preply grew to 3.8M traffic/month
How to use AI to create a winning FB ad
Ad from the past
Website of the week
Cool marketing jobs
And much more
🗞 In the news
🚀 All things growth & product
The myth of exponential growth, how Roblox grows, 10 deadly sins of B2B growth, and common product messaging mistakes.
💭 Guess the riddle
Not an actor but with a stage, I showcase the item to engage. What am I?
Answer is at the bottom of this email
💌 Emails, lifecycle, & copy
Successful email campaigns from popular brands, product-led onboarding examples, and how to write great hooks.
✍️ SEO & content marketing
How Preply grew to 3.8M traffic/month, using Reddit to write great blog posts, and the four purposes of writing.
📈 Analytics, ads, & branding
How to report on landing pages in GA4, how to use AI to create a winning Facebook ad, and how to turn around a brand.
🦖 Food for thought
I went looking for truth and all I found was love.
I went looking for love and all I found was truth.
— Naval (@naval)
5:14 PM • Jun 19, 2023
📣 Ad of the week
Krispy Kreme ad demonstrating the power of long copy
💻 Website of the week
🏝 Cool marketing jobs
Okay, that's it for now 💚. See you next Tuesday!
What did you think of this newsletter? |
“You never know what you’re looking for until you find it, and you’ll never find it if you know what you’re looking for.” — John Bevins
Riddle answer: Presentation