Happy Monday Anti-Marketer!
In high school I took a journalism class.
Unlike creative writing or fiction, journalism teaches you to cover the 5 basics of a “news” article:
Who, what, when, where, and why.
And sometimes HOW.
You’re supposed to leave opinions and perspectives out of the writing and stick to those “facts.”
I’m an opinionated person, so I hated journalism!
Plus, the formula was so trite, that it could be easily manipulated by anyone with an agenda.
There seemed to be something vitally missing from the formula…
You could have a news story with all the so-called “facts,” yet still not have any semblance of TRUTH in the writing.
News stories tend to be victim-oriented, covering stuff that “happened” by accident or by surprise. They’re meant to induce fear and anxiety. “We’re all victims, so you’d better watch out.”
Plus, in typical journalism, there’s no room for creative expression. You can’t play with language or insert mind-blowing metaphors (unless you’re doing an op-ed piece).
So I rejected journalism. As a 10th grader I decided I would rather write more creative stuff.
In college I majored in creative writing. This opened the door for fuller self-expression…and also allowed more truth to come in. (I did not want to study “literature” or “fiction” writing, but creative writing.)
I disagreed with phrases like, “There’s always a little bit of truth in fiction, and fiction in truth.”
Eventually I came to believe, “Something is either fake, or it’s real. Not both.”
Soon I got into online marketing…and rejected most of what I saw there, too! Most of it was fake.
Hence why I became an “anti-marketer.”
Anti-marketers are obsessed with writing and speaking TRUTH, while fully expressing themselves with whatever creative language they want.
As an anti-marketer, you’re not limited to the stuffy tenets of journalism. You can add personality, opinions, sarcasm, humor, and more!
While journalists report on a “terrible reality” over which we have no control…
The anti-marketer creates a f%#&king awesome reality!…courtesy of truthful articles that motivate, educate, and inspire!
Doesn’t it make you want to curl up with a bad ass newspaper? Oh wait, where can I find one?????!!!! Lol.
Talk soon,
Michelle
Writer, Editor, Copywriter
Founder, The Anti-Marketing Manifesto
Michelle Lopez Boggs is a copywriter, copywriting mentor, and author of "The Anti-Marketing Manifesto: How to Sell Without Being a Sellout." She's helped her clients sell millions of dollars' worth of products and services online by using the MEI(S) principle — motivate, educate, and inspire, and sell. 