Special Issue: Top Marketers Reveal How They’re Using AI Today (Tools and Techniques)

Good morning.

It can sometimes feel like you’re drinking from a firehose with all the developments in AI.

It’s thrilling and daunting all at once.

But what if you could glimpse behind the scenes of some of the world’s best marketers' processes to see which AI tools they’re using?

And not only that but get their best tips for how to use the AI tech they have come to rely on for great results.

Well, today is your lucky day, my friend.

You won’t find this information anywhere else. I’ve cajoled and sweet-talked some of the finest minds in marketing today to share their knowledge with you.

And on top of that, I’ve got some recommendations of my own that you can start using today.

So strap yourself in. This is where the rubber meets the road.

In today’s issue:

• A-list copywriter reveals how to get control-beating headlines from ChatGPT.

• How AI is used to generate email hooks for world-renowned entrepreneur Grant Cardone.

• Get an endless supply of video content after just 1 session in front of the camera.

• How creating AI images can turbo-charge your marketing copy.

• Streamline your podcast production process.

• How to never forget. Discover the elephant of the AI world. It’s a true game-changer.

Let’s dive in.

AI TOOLS AND TECHNIQUES FOR DISCERNING MARKETERS

Let’s start with a disclaimer: If this request had come from anyone other than Sam, I'd be clutching my AI secrets to my chest tighter than a squirrel with a golden acorn.

But Sam, that Shakespearean charmer, managed to pry this one from me. He tried for my number one secret, but alas, two out of three games of rock-paper-scissors later, here we are.

So, buckle up, because I'm about to introduce you to Godmode.Space, my second most valuable AI secret that's set to revolutionize your marketing strategies.

Now, I know what you're thinking, "Another AI tool?" But trust me, Godmode.Space is not “another” anything. It's a comprehensive AI solution that lets you peek behind the curtain and understand the reasoning behind every AI decision.

What sets Godmode.Space apart is its interactive nature. You're not just a spectator, you're the puppet master. You control the research and can guide the outputs by approving or suggesting alternate logic to be followed.

This level of control and customization is unique to Godmode.Space and is a game-changer in the world of AI tools.

You simply type a mission you want completed into the “What do you want to do?” bar, press launch, and it literally begins rationalizing how to accomplish it in front of you.

For example, if you started with “evaluate the feasibility of an AI newsletter for marketers” and let it loose, you’d be hard-pressed not to smile when you saw this appear for your approval to move forward:

Thoughts: The Google search has returned a list of articles that discuss the top AI newsletters. I will use the 'get_text_summary' command to extract summaries from these articles. This will provide insights into the success and impact of existing AI newsletters.

Reasoning: By extracting summaries from these articles, I can gather information about the most successful AI newsletters and their characteristics. This will help me understand what makes an AI newsletter successful and what marketers might be looking for in such a newsletter.

Tips:

• Under those gems, it gives a “Proposed Action” where it shows you the code snippets it will use to complete the task and offers you the option to “Give Feedback” for adding specific insights to seek, modifying the sources used, or even taking a completely different direction.

• I recommend just pressing that beautiful “Approve this plan” button, as you’ll be amazed at how it will self-correct when it sees a dead-end approaching.

• Productivity hack using the most valuable button on the entire page, the timer, which will automatically approve plans for the next 10 minutes.

You’d have thought I was one of the programmers, as the fine details of the tool include replacing boring countdowns and progress bars with:

“Rebooting the universe”,

“Warping space time”,

“Sweating tears”,

“Synthesizing the meaning of life”,

“Measuring infinity”,

and other perspectives in helping to understand how hard it is keeping our universe intact while doing this ever-so-important task for you.

Another advantage of Godmode.Space is its ability to provide a trail of research files for later use. Unlike other tools that require you to restart the process to change course or make citations a challenge, this Heavenly gift allows you to pick up where you left off, saving major time and effort.

While Godmode.Space isn’t a path to cathedrals being built in your honor, it will provide a deep understanding of AI logic that can give you a competitive edge in our AI-driven world.

So, if you're ready to take your AI capabilities to the next level, I highly recommend adding your OpenAI API into Godmode.Space to see what REAL power looks like. It's not just a tool, it's a journey into the core of AI that could be the game-changer you've been seeking.

And before I sign off, a little message for Sam: As a copywriter, you should have known that paper was a better weapon than rock.

Rob Tillman, founder of UNIGNORABLE, is a seasoned leader known for making extraordinarily complex systems and processes seem ridiculously simple – from landing executives at positions in the most coveted companies to delivering mission-critical systems to our armed forces. With an extensive background in startups, business expansion, and a decade of experience with emerging technologies, Rob has been instrumental in guiding nine-figure sales growth.

Let me start with a confession: I haven’t yet invested tons of time trying out a wide range of AI tools. And some that I’ve tried haven’t lived up to their promises… i.e., they weren’t quite ready for “prime time”.

But ChatGPT-4 is the one AI tool I’ve used multiple times since it became available for $20/month earlier this year. It’s simple to use. It’s always available for me to access. And it saves everything for you (though when I like the output it spits out, I do a quick copy-and-paste and save it in a document just to be safe).

It’s been a useful tool for doing research, though I still prefer many of my human copywriter approaches. But I was pleasantly surprised by some of the copy output GPT-4 generated when I was writing a colon cleanse supplement promo a few months ago.

I experimented with using GPT-4 to generate headlines for the 40-page “slim jim” direct mail promo I was writing. I needed lots of headline-type copy for the front and back covers and for the top of each of the 19 inside spreads.

And I found I was able to get GPT-4 to generate some strong potential headlines that I could then easily tweak and make even stronger for my promo copy.

I won’t share all of the prompts and output here, but I went through six iterations of prompts, each time generating a list of potential headlines. And it took no more than 10 minutes of my time.

The funny thing was, the refining process ended up muting the power of many of the headlines—i.e., asking GPT-4 to remove disease names or make them read at a sixth-grade level. It seems that level of refining is best done by an experienced human copywriter.

However, on the second round of prompting, where after describing the problem and the avatar in-depth in the first round I added some additional language to take things up a notch, I got my best GPT-4-produced headlines. I worded the second prompt as follows:

The same male prospect worries about pooping (or the fact that he's constipated) a lot. He worries that it's an indicator that something more serious is happening with his body. He knows he needs to take steps and do something about his constipation but he needs to really be motivated to take action. Please write 10 possible headlines and don't be afraid to be gross. You want to shock this prospect and motivate him to take action.

Here are some of the top headline candidates GPT-4 produced just on this second round. And with a few tweaks, I used all of them in this recent promo (which as of this writing will likely be the new control):

"From Blocked Up to Racked with Pain: How Your Constipation Could Be a Ticking Time Bomb for Serious Health Issues"

"Your Stalled Bowels Are Screaming for Help: How Ignoring Constipation Could Lead to a Health Catastrophe"

"Are You a Constipation Hostage? The Gut-Wrenching Reality of How Your Bowels Are Holding Your Health Ransom"

"Trapped in a Toxic Waste Dump: How Your Constipation Nightmare Is Causing a Hazardous Health Crisis Within You"

And this headline candidate I ended up using instead in the close section as call-to-action copy:

"Don't Let Your Bowels Betray You: Act Now to Prevent the Disgusting Health Consequences of Constipation"

As you can imagine, not only did these vivid and emotional headlines give me great copy fodder, they provided great inspiration to the graphic designer (one of THE best in the business!)

The result? A new control promo with grab-‘em-by-the-eyeballs, emotional gut-punching headlines throughout it… and graphics like a woman sitting in a prison-like bathroom, a man clutching his gut and then his knee, and “toxic” and “danger” signs placed on gross gut pics. Fun!

Tips: 

• Treat GPT-4 like you would a copy “cub” or intern. Don’t be afraid to ask for as many rewrites as you want! Just make sure you’re clear about what you want them to do differently in each iteration. Otherwise, you’re just like that pain-in-the-butt boss or client who doesn’t know what they want… and you’ll get back worthless drivel.

• Be as specific as possible in your first prompt about who the prospect is. You’ll generate better headline output faster. Be sure you’ve got a crystal-clear picture of your avatar before you start using GPT-4 to generate copy… just like you should always do before writing copy yourself.

• Don’t rely on GPT-4 to do too much refining. It will likely make the headline or other copy it generates weaker and more generic. It’s best to have a human copywriter do things like make copy compliant or have it read at a lower grade level. I mean, we’ve got to save SOME copywriting work for ourselves that the robots can’t do! 😉

Kim Krause Schwalm is an A-List copywriter and copy mentor who’s written dozens of successful control promos for top direct response companies over the past 25 years. You can find out more about Kim’s “dangerously good” trainings and get on her Copy Insiders list at www.kimschwalm.com. (The best copywriting checklist EVER is yours free when you sign up!)

Besides creating ridiculous images to frame as birthday gifts…

…I've been enjoying Midjourney as a visual tool for future-pacing and visualization when creating marketing materials and sales copy.

For example, when I write, I like to look at a visual representation of my reader and write TO them rather than AT them.

In the olden days (a.k.a. last year) I would use Google Image search to find photos of real people that represented my customer (or at least, what I thought they might look like).

I'd search for keywords like "healthy older man with back pain" or "millennial tired of working in office" – then choose images that I felt best represented my customer avatar.

With Midjourney, I get to craft a whole SCENE to stare at while I write. This makes it even more real, gives me tons of detail to work with, and helps me truly jump into the mindset of the person I'm writing for. Plus, it's fun!

Tips: 

• Want to connect your image to the real world? Take a real-life photo and use a prompt that says "Use this image as a source [image link]..."

  That will allow you to use a real photo as the starting point for whatever you're creating (a real person's face, a real location, etc.)

• You can use Midjourney as a visual inspiration when you're doing "deep thinking" or brainstorming. Ask it to make your dreams and ideas into a reality. This gives you a great visualization as you're setting goals, and action plans to achieve them.

• If you're having trouble getting Midjourney to give you exactly what you need, other AI tools like ChatGPT can help! Ask ChatGPT to help you create a Midjourney prompt. Ask it to act as a prompt generator for Midjourney AI. Tell it it's job is to describe a scene as accurately and concisely as possible. Then describe your prompt.

Rachel Mazza is a coach and consultant who helps overwhelmed business owners step out of the day-to-day – without balls dropping or slowing growth. Her specialty is helping entrepreneurs "fill the gaps" in their businesses. Whether it's a gap in their offer stack, systems, team, or funnels – she helps Creators streamline their business and rise above the "nitty gritty" so they can live in their 'zone of genius' and firmly sit in the Visionary role. Learn more at www.RachelMazza.com.

Like many marketers, I’ve been experimenting with using ChatGPT in my process.

I put together a series of prompts that I’ve saved for client use. One of these prompts helps me to stimulate hook ideas for email copy.

Note: This prompt is only useful if I’ve “fed” ChatGPT information about the product and the target customer avatar first. Make this information as detailed as possible. I have “stock” descriptions of products and avatars saved that I can just plug in. I suggest you do the same.

Here’s the prompt (tweak it to suit):

HERE'S YOUR TASK: 

WITHOUT writing the email copy or the opening lines to the email, I want you to suggest some email hook ideas for me in 3-4 sentences.

Be SPECIFIC with the details in your ideas.

Here are some examples of specific kinds of hooks:

- Suggest an image that the reader could click on. The image should arouse intense curiosity and not “give away” the secret that waits on the other side of the click.

- Suggest a story that could draw the reader in, and then suggest a logical transition/shift in belief that would make a call-to-action feel seamlessly logical from the story's content.

- Suggest a special mechanism or benefit that would be surprising to the reader and ideally a “missing piece to the puzzle” (they should feel like they already have 95% of the solution… but the mechanism being teased will provide the remaining 5% which will make them successful).

- Suggest a piece of contrarian advice or contrarian point of view that could segue into a pitch for the offer.

- Suggest a shocking fact or statistic relevant to the topic that could be used to take the reader by surprise and hook their attention.

- Suggest a credibility/authority opening… what piece of credibility/authority would be persuasive for the reader?

- Suggest a way to make/present an irresistible offer (this could be details of the offer, compellingly presented i.e. positioning the bonus as the key selling point, rather than the main offer itself.)

- Suggest a way to open the email with a problem or pain point the reader is experiencing, then find a tidy way to transition into the solution (ie the offer). This shouldn’t feel clunky or forced. It should be a smooth transition that helps the reader see the offer as the next logical step in their journey.

The hooks must all be able to tie back to [INSERT OFFER] as the offer. The CTA in every email is going to link to the [INSERT OFFER] landing page. So relevancy is key.

Here are some rules to follow:

- DO NOT be salesy/hypey/cheesy. It’s better to be subtle.
- DO NOT suggest broad, general, boring topics. Specific details are key here.

For example, don’t say “Hook the reader with an interesting image.” Suggest a specific image to me and describe it vividly in a couple of sentences. Then explain why this image would be a great hook for the reader.

Is all of this clear? Confirm that you’ve understood all of these instructions by replying with “Understood” and I will give you further instructions. If you need more examples or greater clarity, then tell me so. 

As an example, here are some ChatGPT responses to this prompt:

The goal is to simply get responses that can stimulate my imagination and help me choose an angle. This saves me time.

Tip:

• I also use a Chrome plugin called ChatGPT Copy Button Extension. It allows you to copy sections of text in ChatGPT with just one mouse-click. It’s better than manually highlighting all the text yourself to copy it. You also don’t have to deal with some of the re-formatting issues that happen when you paste ChatGPT text into your Google Doc or Word doc, so it saves a lot of time over the long haul. Try it!

Cain Smith is a copywriter and direct response marketing consultant who helps info-product business owners attract more qualified leads and convert more subscribers into paying customers. His clients include Grant Cardone, V Shred and Agora.

I spend a good portion of my week on Zoom calls. While I do love taking notes, I'd rather keep my hands free and my eyes on my subject so my clients feel that connection.

Fathom is a great tool that integrates with Zoom. It automatically records your meetings, so you won't forget. It automatically generates a transcript of the call. It even automatically pulls out all the "questions" that were asked on the call, which is useful.

You can even click one of the various "label" buttons, such as 'action item'... and it'll mark the transcript with that label. It'll even go back to the point where the person started talking.

It's a useful tool that has made meetings flow better and helped us drop fewer balls.

It's idiot-proof.

Set it and forget it. Use your labels strategically. It'll save you hours each week.

Chris Orzechowski is the Chief Marketing Officer of Perennial Pastures Ranch. He's on a mission to build the next generation of 100-year brands through his work as a fractional CMO.

BIONIC TOOLKIT

For all the other marketing tasks on your plate, you’re spoilt for choice for quality AI software and apps to ease the load.

Did you guess how much of my voice was AI-generated in the video I shared last issue?

Almost all of it was done with ElevenLabs and another private tool.

There are two main parts to ElevenLabs: VoiceLab and Speech Synthesis.

VoiceLab is where you can create or clone voices. You can use the existing pre-made voices, or use the Voice Design feature that allows you to create unique voices. The Cloning feature allows you to replicate existing voices, including your own.

Speech Synthesis enables you to generate your first audio outputs using the pre-made voices or the ones you’ve created or cloned.

Tips:

• Lower the stability slider for a more emotive range (although this may sacrifice some predictability).

• Be careful with accents. For example, if you clone a voice with an American accent and have it speak French, the generated audio might have an American accent.

• It might take a few goes to generate a unique voice you’re happy with using the Voice Design feature. You can choose gender, age, and accent, but be prepared to play around a bit to get the result you’re after.

Creating videos day-in-day-out to keep up a consistent social media presence can be taxing, especially if you’re juggling client work or a busy marketing department.

HeyGen is a great solution. One of its biggest strengths is in creating a unique avatar of you based on a short one-off recording.

Once you have this, you then use either the text-to-video generator or provide audio clips.

HeyGen then makes your avatar “speak” for you, so it looks like you’re in front of the camera recording every single one.

This works really well in combination with ElevenLabs. You can create your cloned voice with ElevenLabs and then upload it to your HeyGen AI video clone.

The two are merged together to produce a video even your own family might struggle to identify as not real!

To see how this works and what the results can look like, watch this short video from MattVidPro (you’ll hear him talk about Movio, the previous name of HeyGen before a tactical rebrand this year):

HeyGen also has a bank of stock avatars you can choose from if you don’t want to get in front of the camera yourself.

Use cases include not only social media videos, but also full-on marketing videos (incorporating your own product images), training videos, and personalized sales recordings.

Tips:

• Use the Pause Icon. One of the tell-tale signs of an AI-generated video can be the slightly clumsy timing with fewer pauses for breath. Use this function to add 0.5s long pauses at a time to refine your videos.

• You can now use ChatGPT within HeyGen to make script writing easier. Keep in mind the strategies I’ve been sharing for using ChatGPT and you can make it work for you to create videos with impact.

• The screen recording function is free and means you can enhance your story-telling easily with visuals recorded straight into your HeyGen workspace.

Being able to predict customer behavior when it comes to acquisition and retention is a marketing manager’s dream.

Pecan takes your company data and uses AI to show where the most impactful place to spend your marketing budget is.

Get valuable data on:

• ROAS

• Campaign optimization

• Customer churn

• Customer win-back

• Upsells and cross-sells

• Demand forecasting

Tips:

• Be data-ready. Pecan works best with at least six months of behavioral, attribution, and/or demographic data.

• If you know what you don’t know about the business in question, have that information ready when you start using the platform.

• Make the most of the Pecan team. They can help you identify and evaluate relevant data sources that the platform can use to produce impactful predictions.

How many times a day do you struggle to remember which website that thing was on you meant to go back and buy? Or where you saw that crucial bit of research to back up your latest campaign?

RewindAI is a phenomenal bit of tech that acts as your interactive memory online.

Not only does it record everything you’ve looked at (locally - you’re not handing over your data), it makes it searchable. In the most useful way possible.

Tips:

• You can copy and paste URLs from a screenshare by somebody else in a Zoom meeting. Scroll through the RewindAI recording bar to find the screenshare during the meeting. Click on the URL. Copy and paste. Simple as that.

• Important document crashed and you’ve lost all your work? Don’t panic. Scroll back in Rewind, and copy and paste the information into a new doc. Yes, the screen is that interactive.

• Use the settings to choose what you don’t want Rewind to record. This can include specific apps, private browsing, etc.

See for yourself:

You’ll never have an excuse for forgetting again. Unless you’re a PC-user. This one’s just for Macs.

In the world of marketing, there’s not much you get for nothing. We’re in the business of selling, after all.

But Danny Richman went viral when he shared how he’d created a bot that turns even the roughest notes of a message—complete with grammar inconsistencies—into a business email to be proud of.

And he did it to support a dyslexic man with his work emails. It’s not hard to see how this could have a wide range of applications.

The bot is impressive. And Danny generously shared how to do it, so anybody can build the same for themselves - no coding required.

It takes less than 15 minutes to implement the generator into your Gmail account, so if you’re ready to streamline your work emails, let AI be your co-conspirator in tackling your overflowing inbox.

Podcast episodes can be incredibly effective authority content.

They can also be incredibly time-consuming.

Expert Jeremy Enns has some top recommendations on how to make both the production and the marketing of your podcast more efficient.

From audio editing to creating to show notes to making promo clips, it’s all here.

THE LAST BYTE

Don’t let the sheer quantity of tools out there hold you back.

Not knowing where to start can stop you altogether.

Instead, pick one that either appeals to you or solves a critical problem, and use it.

Keep your marketing brain switched on when you think about AI. Decide what it is you’re trying to achieve and find the tool that does the job.

The recommendations from my guest contributors are a great place to start.

See you next week,
Sam Woods
Editor