Author Archives: Jesse Severson

What Does It Say About Me that I Bought a Patagonia T-Shirt from Goodwill for $3?

I recently bought a Patagonia t-shirt from Goodwill for $3. What does that say about me? I suppose the larger conversation is about consumer brands. After all, a product isn’t just a product anymore. It must speak to something higher. You like to eat Cheez-Its? What about their company culture speaks to you? The inverseContinue reading “What Does It Say About Me that I Bought a Patagonia T-Shirt from Goodwill for $3?”

My Creative Process: Social Media Ads

As more B2B companies slowly realize the value of social media, more social media advertising has followed. I’m on record with my thoughts about social media, but it can be useful for B2B companies. For a writer, social media advertising can be a tough balancing act: Finding a more conversational tone while staying professional.  Continue reading “My Creative Process: Social Media Ads”

My Creative Process: Blogs

Writing a blog about writing a blog is weird. It’s like when Hollywood makes a movie about the movie industry. Though it feels strange to write about them, blogs are effective marketing if done right. That means thinking seriously about structure and readability. It’s not just cranking out 1,000 words. Here’s what I do: HaveContinue reading “My Creative Process: Blogs”

My Creative Process: Print Ads

Okay, let’s get all the Don Draper references out of the way. Do I have countless affairs? No. Do I keep a set of dress shirts at the office for when I go on benders? No. Do I wish I looked like Jon Hamm? Of course, who wouldn’t? People associate ads with Mad Men, butContinue reading “My Creative Process: Print Ads”

My Creative Process: Landing Pages

So, you want to create a landing page. Congratulations, that’s very exciting. Now comes the hard part: how are you going to build this damn thing? There are many ways to structure a nice landing page, but here is the mental checklist I work through: What are the ingredients? List out all existing and potentialContinue reading “My Creative Process: Landing Pages”

The Social Media Paradox

Being in marketing creates an interesting paradox. Social media is a valuable professional tool for brands – even in B2B! – but more and more I’m really despising social media in my personal life. There is plenty of evidence that we’re being spoon-fed poison every time we sign in: documentaries describing the dangers of socialContinue reading “The Social Media Paradox”

What Do You Do When You Don’t Love Iconic Books You’re Supposed to Love?

I recently took a trip to the American Writers Museum, a creative wonderland tucked inconspicuously in the heart of Chicago. As a niche museum in a vast city with much to do, the crowd was sparse. But it was one of the most inspiring days of my life, admiring all the written word warriors thatContinue reading “What Do You Do When You Don’t Love Iconic Books You’re Supposed to Love?”

Embracing Minimalism in Writing (Or, Start Throwing Away Useless Crap)

I recently read an interesting book about minimalism called Goodbye, Things. It made me look at my life, more specifically my home office and closet, and realize “There’s a lot of crap around here.” Whether it’s shirts I haven’t worn in years, books I won’t re-read or coffee mugs I forgot I had, unnecessary thingsContinue reading “Embracing Minimalism in Writing (Or, Start Throwing Away Useless Crap)”

A Writer’s Most Important Tool

A while back a group of us were giving advice to a high schooler. It’s a great big world out there and she wanted wisdom from some jaded former journalists. There’s a simple piece of advice I like to give about a writer’s most important tool. No, it’s not Grammarly. Or a thesaurus. Or aContinue reading “A Writer’s Most Important Tool”