Thought Leadership

That's a Wrap!

That's a Wrap!

Lessons Learned from Season 2 of Buillhorns and Bullseyes

Curtis and I wrapped the final episode of Bullhorns & Bullseyes this week. We broke some news, reflected on lessons learned, celebrated a star-studded roster of guests, and pledged to do something a little different and daring next year. And we hope you'll be a part of it!

One of the themes from Season 2 was the concept of storytelling. This time of year you see it everywhere you look…

Don't Leave Out the Best Part of Your Story

Don't Leave Out the Best Part of Your Story

Just the Facts, Ma’am?

"A guy falls in love with two women and ends up picking the wrong one."

My daughter hates the way I press her for details whenever she shares things about her day to me.

"Tell me about that," I might press.

"I just did," she'd reply.

No, you didn't, I press on (if I dare). You told me the outcome of what happened. What matters to me is how you got here from there. The storyarch.

Maybe that's just the storyteller in me. Details matter. Overcoming adversity matters. The hero's journey matters. I’m not just interested in the destination.

👉 Something to keep in mind as you formulate messaging and marketing for your business…

Don't Be a Hero

Don't Be a Hero

The story you're telling isn't working.

And it's probably because you’ve chosen the wrong hero.

Kristian Alomá just flipped everything we thought we knew about storytelling in marketing. His insight? We don't buy products because of features and data. We buy them because of the stories we get to tell ourselves after we own them.

That's worth unpacking.

Rewiring the PESO Model in a Zero-Click World

Rewiring the PESO Model in a Zero-Click World

Content Strategy Has Shifted. This Time, for Good.

Here's the uncomfortable truth: your content strategy just died. And you probably don't even know it yet.

The symptoms are everywhere. Your blog traffic is flatlining. Social shares are down. Email open rates are stuck. But the real problem runs deeper than vanity metrics.

AI collapsed the marketing funnel.

People don't browse anymore. They don't click through 10 Google results. They don't share your carefully crafted LinkedIn posts. They ask ChatGPT a question and trust the first answer they get.

If you're not in that short list of sources, you don't exist.

Only the Brave

Only the Brave

Audacity Is a Survival Skill (Especially in B2B)

Let me start with a confession. Every time I say something clever like “don’t build your brand on rented land,” I’m likely quoting someone smarter that me. Someone like Mark Schaefer, for example..

In our latest Bullhorns and Bullseyes episode, Curtis and I sat down with Mark to talk about his newest book, Audacious: How Humans Win in an AI Marketing World.

And wow… this wasn’t a “tips and tricks” episode. It was a mindset shift, entirely..

Here’s the big idea:

Why Ask Why?

Why Ask Why?

Model Behavior

In this episode of Bullhorns and Bullseyes, Tom Nixon and Curtis Hays geek out (in the way that only true geeks dare!) on three powerful marketing models that shape how they plan campaigns, create content, and measure success. 

If you’ve ever wondered why some campaigns flop while others convert like magic, this episode is your masterclass in doing it the Bullhorns and Bullseyes  way—from the top of the funnel to the flip at the end.

Mapping the Hero's Journey

Mapping the Hero's Journey

Your Customer is the Hero, Not You

How familiar are you with Joseph Campbell's now classic framework, “the hero's journey?” You may not know it intimately, but if you’ve ever seen Star Wars, you’ve seen it in action.

But it’s also central to effective content marketing strategy. Let’s explore…

Better words, not fewer.

Better words, not fewer.

I keep seeing people advocate for shorter content.

Tight and concise. Shorter sentences. Less is more. Limited attention spans, and all of that.

Yet movies keep getting longer. Three-hour stage plays have become the norm. People will binge their favorite TV programs for hours on end in single sittings.

We don't crave short. We demand great.

Here’s how you get to great…

Nobody's Going to Read All That! (So Why Write It?)

Nobody's Going to Read All That! (So Why Write It?)

The PRIMARY objective of any piece of long-form content is to convince someone to read it.

This is accomplished (or not) in the headline, in the opening sentence, and in the first three paragraphs. (I call this “The Why Section.”)

Failure to do this renders the rest of the piece irrelevant—no matter how good the content may be.

Here, skim for yourself…