Justin Oberman

Freelance Creative Director

Oberman & Partners

Publicity & Promotions for Creative Leaders and Brands

Publicist, Promotor and Advertising Impresario

I am a copywriter. People who cannot write or do not want to write hire me for only one conceivable reason: to transmit to some audience a message or impression that will get them to react in a way that is to the person who hired me's advantage. 

In order to do that I help people and brands write things worth reading, or think of things worth writing about. Sometimes, even both at the same time.

Copywriting and Creative Coach, Creative + Brand Consultant for Hire, Available for talks + workshops.

Freelance Copywriter & Ghostwriter

The LA Jewish Home

Oversee (and sometimes even create) the advertising placed in the magazine
Oversee the marketing of the magazine
Write a column on marketing
Oversee the contest section
Oversee cover art

Marketing Director / Editor 

Laetro

Designed specifically for creatives by creatives, 
Laetro.com is a pay-as-you-go proprietary collaborative platform that seamlessly connects  businesses and brands with top-tier creative talent.

ECD Partner

Insign - Agence de communication

Collier.Simon

Generate Life Sciences, Cord Blood Registry, Community Colleges of Los Angeles, LastPass

(also worked a little on PayPal & Experian TikTok campaigns)

Associate Creative Director, Copy

Freelance

I use all the the extra knowledge I accumulate as a copywriter to write, research and verify thousands of questions for trivia apps, shows, websites, periodicals and quiz databases.

Freelance Quiz and Trivia Writer

The Adcom Group

Cleveland Clinic, GetGo, ACCO, New Business

Associate Creative Director, Writer

Crispin Porter + Bogusky

Hershey's (Whoppers Candy). Now ask me how I got the gig.

Freelance Senior Copywriter

Obercreative 

Here's the shpiel.

Whether it's with a click or a smile (or both), I'm a senior-level advertising copywriter, and content strategist with a knack for creating the kind of brand stories, content "gamification" and cheeky/satirical messaging that moves both people and products. 

What I love most about my job is the ability to collaborate with cool people to conjure up creative solutions for brands.

With over 10 years experience I prefer to inspire rather than dictate. As a senior creative, I've lead teams of copywriters, content and product managers, UX and graphic designers, front-end developers, and video producers... I believe strongly in treating every member of my team exactly how I would want to be treated and translating that level of attention to the consumer. 

Beyond TVC's & taglines, my specialties include 
• new business pitches 
• web & interactive copy
• experiential
• brand messaging
• content strategy 
• Direct Marketing copy (especially email and Facebook Ads)
• Game shows
• Crypto & ICO launches
• and writing. Lots and lots of writing

•Agencies: CP+B, Drumroll, Davis Elen, Crypto Media Group, Quigley-Simpson, Phenomenon, The Woo, Contend, Mosaic, Razorfish, Euro RSCG, MotherNY, EO Interactive, Bocca Digital, Lesli Ink, Bancs Media, and Street Attack

•Brands: Hershey’s, Spartan, Fannie Mae, Capital One, GreatCall/Jitterbug, Kiddie Academy, Chase Marriott Rewards, Chase Freedom,  Intuit, Lenovo, Motorola, DeLonghi, Microsoft, Oracle, Welches, PlutoTV,  Google, Citibank, Target, Verizon, Jaguar, Commonwealth Bank Australia, Virginia Lottery, Clearasil, AOL, Gagosian, COLD-EEZE, Blackwing Pencils, YINC, Pura D'or & 2-Minute Club, Caffe Furia, I am Yusani.

Freelance Copywriter / Creative Director

Brand Response Copywriter, Creative Director - I can talk like a direct marketer ✓ and create brand awareness ✓ at the same time. 🤯 DM me to learn how. | Advertising | Branding | Strategy |

I started an ad agency in 2020 during the pandemic.

Quietly grew it to 7 figures using nothing but organic LinkedIn posting and word of mouth.

Then, in 2023, I burned out.

So, I closed my agency.

But before I did that, I had a stark realization. 

Besides the influx of business, my following on LinkedIn had grown to over 30k. 

I also realized that most of the people and brands that hired me did so because they liked my Linkedin posts. 

They liked the way I thought. 

I did this without taking classes from the gurus, paying attention to my metrics, or writing for the algorithm.

I figured, if I could do it for me, I could probably do it for other people as well.

So, I started offering ghostwriting services to high-level ad executives and solopreneurs in early 2023.

And the results were pretty phenomenal.

In just 6 months, I grew from zero clients to over 15

And on November 1st, 2023, I closed my ad agency for good. 

Since that day, I’ve taken my unconventional approach to branding and advertising  and started using it to ghostwrite and manage the personal brands of several high-profile executives, founders, business owners, and solopreneurs (but I can’t tell you who).

To scale the business, I partnered with LinkedIn B2B ad whisperer Aaron Zakowski to form Genius Scouts.

My Mission is to help people and brands write things worth reading and do things worth writing about.

Here are all the ways you can work with me:

GENIUS SCOUTS THE AGENCY

Need help building and managing your personal brand? Let the world's only full-service ad agency (but for people) do it for you. 

→ GO HERE: https://www.geniusscouts.com/?utm_source=linkedin&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=JustinProfileLink

LAETRO 

Need help creating an ad campaign or with a marketing project? Let me put together a team for you. 

→ DM me

HIBACHI COPY

Just need copywriting help? Me, you (and whoever you think should be in there as well). Two days. All the copy you need. Done. 
→ GO HERE: www.hibachicopy.com

Email: justin@justinoberman.com
X: @obercr8ive

Creative Director / Copywriter

Oberman & Partners is a creative consultancy for brands and agencies that still believe in the magic of advertising. 

Known as the guy that brands and agencies call when they’re stuck or need a little extra creative juice, OBERMAN diagnoses the problem and (if necessary) puts together a unique team of PARTNERS (freelancers or other agencies) to solve them.

Wow. This Substack thing really works. Below are my results after just one day of rebranding my newsletter as OberThinking  and activating payment subscriber mode. 

Of course, and this is extremely important, I am not just rising from the earth like Adam. 

I’m totally leveraging my 58k followers on LinkedIn. 

But still. 

Since starting on Substack I have 

• Grown my newsletter from 700 subscribers to almost  4k in three month

• Gotten most of leads either directly from the newsletter or from people who have read it. 

• Earned almost 1k in subscriber fees on my first day of activating it. 

• #19 Rising in Business category 

That’s enough to convince me where I should start shifting my (and my clients) attention. 

Don’t get me wrong. I still plan on using LinkedIn.  Abd evennpksn to start using Facebook more. 

But just differently. 

It’s no longer the end goal. 

Getting oeople to subscribe to my newsletter is. 

I’ve got 3 clients that have already made the shift. 

Anyone want to be the fourth? 

Link to my newsletter in comments

Copywriter, Ghostwriter, Personal & Corporate Brand Advisor, Manager & Impresario. | I help people and brands write things worth reading and do things worth writing about. | I also teach how to write like a human with AI

Whitney Ruben: Our ads aren't working

Bill Bernbach: Where are you advertising?

Rubin: In the NY Post

Bill: Why?

Rubin: Because it has an 80% Jewish readership 

Bill: Why does that matter?

Rubin: Well, rye bread is a Jewish staple. 

Bill: So?

Rubin: So, shouldn't we advertise where the Jews are? 

Bill: That's lazy thinking. 

Rubin: How so?

Bill: Look, Levy's Jewish Rye is a great Jewish Rye... but from one Jew to another, let's face it, it's a packaged Jewish Rye. Every Jew knows that the only place t get good rye bread is fresh from the baker.

Rubin: So, how can we convince them to buy our packaged Jewish rye?

Bill: You can't. At least not without spending millions of dollars.

Rubin: Oy! So what do we do?

Bill: Appeal to a wider audience

Rubin? You mean Gentiles? 

Bill: Why not? They already buy packaged bread. And they'd probably love the novelty of a rye one. 

Rubin: I guess so, but how do we do that? Isn't that expensive?

Bill: Not at all. Simply relocate all your current Jewish-targeted advertising to papers with a higher gentile readership. 

Rubin: Great! Let's do it.

FLASH FORWARD 3 YEARS

Rubin: Your plan worked. Should we make our ads less Jewish, looking to increase sales?

Bill: Not at all. In fact, I suggest doubling down on it. Let's add the word "Jewish" to Levy's Rye Bread so that it reads "Levy's Real Jewish Rye." 

Rubin: I don't know. People are liable to be anti-Semitic. Plus, "Jewish" could be a real turn-off to retailers. 

Bill: I think the opposite will happen. 

Rubin: How so?

Bill: I think people will associate the best rye bread with Jewish rye bread. And they'll ask for you by name. 

Rubin: I don't know if I want to be so Jewish.

Bill: For goodness' sake, Whitney, the bread's name is Levy's. They're not going to mistake you for being High Episcopalian. 

Rubin: So what do you suggest?

Bill: Let’s blast Jewish message all over New York

Rubin: You mean the New Yorker?

Bill: Well, there too. But no. I mean New York.

Rubin: The City?

Bill: Yes... Specifically in the Subways. 

Rubin: Why the Subways?

Bill: Because everyone uses subways. It will make your bread seem as ethnic as New York.

Rubin: OK, Bill

With some creative liberties, that's how the great Levy's Bread campaign came about. 

No 23 slide deck about DDB's philosophy. 

No 75-slide consumer insight deck 

No 55-slide media plan. 

Just a client with a problem, a young ad executive who knew how to look beyond the obvious, and a young agency filled with highly talented creative people to make it happen.  

The result was a campaign that didn't just usher in a new creative revolution in advertising and make DDB the hottest shop in town. 

But also became a significant symbol of diversity in the 60s. 

Even Malcolm was a fan.

You don't need to be DDB to know what good advertising is ;-)

RIP DDB.

👍 to share
#oberthinking
#advertisinghistorytoday

#advertising #creative #marketing #copywriting

Levy's Bread DDB Ads

It took three months meeting over 4,000 people before Volkswagen chose DDB  as their agency.

They were not impressed by what they’d seen.

Which was hardly surprising.  

The year was 1959. 

US advertising was infatuated with data, research, focus groups, and the like. 

Almost every ad, commercial, and billboard was tested before, during, and after it ran. 

All of it was deeply analyzed in an attempt to make the message mean all things to all people. 

But more often than not, the results meant nothing to anyone. 

Except at least to the agency and the client.

The ad below was one of many ads for that campaign that changed everything. 

It turned an ugly German car (funded by Hitler, no less) into an icon. 

It didn’t just move needles. 

It changed minds.

It was magic.

And it spawned a creative revolution that changed the world of advertising forever. 

Well, at least for the next forty years. 

Our industry has again fallen under the spell of data. 

We spend days creating digital ads that are tested in real time. 

The only difference this time is that…

Instead of trying to make one ad mean all things to all people, now we try to make many ads mean something to just one person.

But once again…

More often than not, the results mean little to anyone.

Sounds like a ripe opportunity for disruption. 

I’m excited to see the ad that will spark the next creative revolution.

Hopefully, it will be yours. 

RIP DDB

👍 to share

#oberthinking
#advertisinghistorytoday

#advertising #creativity #marketing

The best marketing books aren’t about marketing.

This week I read  “No More Mr. Nice Guy”  (and before you judge, it’s not what you think). 

The book is ostensibly about men who’ve spent their lives seeking approval, avoiding conflict, and wondering why their relationships feel hollow. 

But if you strip away the therapeutic framework and you find something fascinating: 

A study in learned inhibition.

Most of the men who come to Rober Glover already know how to get what they want. 

They knew as children. Watch any three-year-old negotiate for ice cream and you’ll see sophisticated persuasion at work. 

You’ll see a human that understands (or is at least figuring out) attention-seeking, emotional leverage and strategic persistence. 

But somewhere between childhood and the cubicle, we learn that wanting things openly is unseemly. And that drawing attention to yourself is vulgar. And that the proper way to get what you need is to be so helpful, or so accommodating, or so relentlessly pleasant that people volunteer to give it to you.

(They rarely do.)

Which brings me to LinkedIn and personal branding, or even regular branding for that matter, and that word we keep using: 

Authentic.

When we talk about “being authentic” on social media, we usually mean sharing vulnerable moments or admitting our failures. And that can be valuable. But I think  we’re defining the term too narrowly, and in doing so, missing something important.

The three-year-old asking for ice cream is being utterly authentic not  because she’s sharing her deepest vulnerabilities, but because she hasn’t yet learned that desire is something to disguise.

She’s willing to be visible in her wanting. 

Being authentic doesn’t mean broadcasting your every unfiltered thought. 

It means not being afraid to do the things you need to do to get what you want.

Most of you who have problems making social media work for you are having these problems because you have spent decades learning the opposite lesson. 

You’ve been taught that the sophisticated professional doesn’t ask directly, doesn’t draw attention, doesn’t seek things like fame. 

So you wrap your ambitions in self-deprecation and soften your expertise with qualifying phrases and post tentatively, as if apologising for taking up space.

And that’s why your ideas don’t spread, why your businesses don’t grow, and why the opportunities go to people who seem somehow less qualified but inexplicably more visible.

What we call authenticity in adult discourse is often just inhibition wearing a respectable mask.​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​

Being authentic doesn’t mean broadcasting your every unfiltered thought. 

It means not being afraid to do the things you need to do to get what you want.

If this resonated and you want to learn how to snap out of it sign up for my upcoming free masterclass. Or subscribe to my newsletter. 

Link to book in comments. 

#onebookaweek

No alternative text description for this image

Personal branding has nothing to do with authenticity. 

According to her birth certificate, the woman in the picture below’s name was Josephine Esther Mentzer. But as a child she went by a nickname based on her middle name. 

Born in Corona, Queens, she was the daughter of Hungarian Jewish immigrants and worked in her father’s hardware store alongside eight siblings.

When she and her husband launched the company with four products in 1946, she added an accent mark to her nickname to make it sound French and began pronouncing it the way her father had, with his Hungarian accent.

She hinted at European aristocratic descent and told people she’d been raised by her Viennese mother in a sumptuous home in Flushing, Queens, with stables, a chauffeured car, and an Italian nurse. 

None of it was true.

But everyone suspected it. 

And yet the beauty brand she founded flourishes until today. 

Because she understood the one thing that most people who build personal brands miss. 

That the mythology around her wasn’t meant to replace an authentic product experience.

It was there to get people’s attention and give that experience meaning. 

That brands built purely on mythmaking, without substance, tend to collapse when reality disappoints. 

And that a fake aristocrat selling ineffective cream would have been forgotten by 1950.

She first learned the formulation of her products as a little girl, watching her chemist uncle in Queens. 

She and her husband manufactured them in a converted Manhattan restaurant. 

She’d make products during the day, sell them to beauty salons where she’d demonstrate them to women under hair dryers, and then continue making products through the night. 

As it turned out, her creams actually improved women’s skin.

And that’s how  “Estée Lauder” (a name that never quite existed, belonging to a woman everyone knew was never quite who she said she was) became one of the most authentic brands in cosmetics.

Because the reputation didn’t belong to her. 

That’s just how she got people’s attention. 

It belonged to the millions of women who built it in their own heads, from their own experiences, and most importantly, the evidence on their own skin.​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​

Lesson: It’s OK to humbug people to get their attention, provided that the thing you are getting their attention for is of greater value than the humbug. 

If you ask me, that’s kind of what all good advertising does anyway. 

But more importantly, as this story proves, it applies to your personal brand just as much as to your corporate ones. 

Do you really believe that Musk, Bartlett or any of the people you admire with strong personal brands are truly being themselves? 

Acting like they do at home? 

They are not. 

Some of may be acting more natural than others. 

But they are  all acting. 

They are putting on a show. 

And the sooner you accept this and start building your character, the more successful you will be. 

Have fun 

#advertisinghistorytoday

Since everyone's impressions are down, I created a Mad Libs post generator for LinkedIn. Have fun. Link in comments.

I have bad news for every marketing professional reading this.

We're probably still going to be using LLMs to create content in 5 years.

I've talked to VCs. 
I've talked to private equity. 
I've talked to the "disruptors."

Nobody wants to take on OpenAI, Claude, or Google.

The sales cycle is too hard. 
Companies won't leave.

So here's the question: If we're stuck with LLMs, how do we make it work FOR us instead of us working THROUGH it?

What if the answer isn't another clone of my voice to create a LinkedIn posts platform?
What if the answer is building around it?

• Pulling yourself out of the LLM 80% of the time
• Build our own workflow tools that actually make you think differently
• Create an idea that helps you create more original content.

I'm not talking about trying to replace your LLMs
I'm trying to make it more irrelevant to your daily content creation.

Introducing Mad Links (A Mad Libs generator for your LinkedIn posts).

Is it a solution to any of the issues I discussed above?

No. 

But it's a lot of fun. 

Which, by the way, is an underappreciated technique for creating better content.

Link in comments

One of the interesting things about politely disagreeing with AIfluencers on social media is that they probably won't see it. 

The whole purpose of AI, from their point of view, is to let them avoid actually spending time on the platforms and communicating with people. 

I do not think that Ruben Hassid is one of those people. 

But oddly enough, it is also one of the reasons AI cannot do many of the things it claims it can. 

Like, for example, make your content feel more human. 

That's because language is not a delivery system. It's a collaboration. 

It's time to hold AInfluencers and AI companies philosophically accountable for the things that they say.

I talk about this and more in today's OberThinking newsletter. 

And speaking of collaboration, I created a fun ChatGPT to help prove this point. 

It's Mad Links, and it's essentially a Mad Libs post Generator for LinkedIn.

Link in comments 

On Thursday, I will release my Drunk Prompting guide for paid subscribers. 

If you'd rather avoid my philosophical musing on AI, you can just skip down to the bottom like a Craxker Jack Box and have some fun.

Link to newsletter in comments

This is the "Apple 1984 ad of political advertising.”

The year was 1964. President Johnson needed an agency for his campaign against Barry Goldwater. 

His choice? 

The creative revolutionaries at DDB are the same folks behind Volkswagen's groundbreaking "Think Small" campaign.

The legendary audio engineer Tony Schwartz was brought in to work on the project.

What they ended up producing stunned America.

On September 7, 1964, during NBC's Monday Night Movie, viewers watched as a little girl counted daisy petals. Suddenly, her innocent counting transformed into a missile launch countdown. 

Then... nuclear apocalypse.

No mention of Goldwater. 

No direct accusations. 

Just pure, raw emotion that played on voters' deepest fears about nuclear war.

The backlash was immediate. Johnson pulled it amid fierce criticism. 

The "Daisy" ad aired exactly once. But here's the twist - news stations nationwide couldn't stop replaying it. 

The ad went viral before "viral" existed.

Tony Schwartz called it "the first Rorschach test on the American public." 

He wasn't wrong. 

The spot revolutionized political advertising by showing the raw power of emotional storytelling over facts and figures.

Johnson won with 90% of the electoral votes. 

And whether or not the ad had anything to do with it, he, DDB, and Tony Schwartz wrote the playbook for modern political advertising: 

People don't vote for a candidate. They vote against the other guy. 

Sometimes, the most powerful message is the one that taps into what voters are already thinking.

Fascinating fact: JFK had actually spotted DDB's potential first. He told Bobby to "Get me the agency that does the Volkswagen advertising" for his planned '64 campaign. We'll never know what they would have created for Kennedy. But we know the revolution they sparked for Johnson.

RIP DDB

I held my breath while punching until I felt dizzy.

Then I did it 30 more times.

That's how Jackie Chan invented drunken kung fu.

Turns out, if you want to use AI to help you be more creative, that's also how you should be prompting AI.

But nobody's teaching you that part.

Until I wrote the below Substack

Link in comments

Jason Vana

Marketing Director

Attract the RIGHT customers to your business | Brand & content strategist | Founder at SHFT | Known as #sassyjason

Struggling to attract the right clients?

You have a brand strategy issue.

Attracting the right people requires understanding why they should buy from YOU, when there are 1000’s of other options easily accessible through Google.

In order to attract, convert, and retain the right clients, you need to:

- Know what makes your business unique
- Communicate what makes your business unique
- Create an experience that shows what makes your business unique

It’s all about highlighting your uniqueness.

That’s where my agency steps in.

Through collaborative workshops, research, strategy, and design, we will help you uncover, communicate, and build an experience around your uniqueness.

Working with us typically looks like:

- industry, competitor, and customer research
- brand and marketing workshops 
- brand and marketing strategies
- design (logos, websites, marketing materials)

It culminates in an Onlyness Action Plan — your 1 year, step-by-step brand and marketing to-do list.

All so you become the ONLY choice for your ideal customers.

And make a lot more money.

Want to learn more?

Send me a message.
Or book a call at shft.agency/discovery

Founder & CEO

We transform B2B service companies into the ONLY choice for their ideal customers. Our clients see a 20%+ increase in revenue with our brand and content strategies. 

Here's how we help:

◼️ Brand Strategy (customers, uniqueness, messaging, touchpoints, story)
◼️ Brand Design (logos, colors, fonts, collateral)
◼️ Content Strategy (demand gen, content creation)
◼️ LinkedIn (strategy, content, profile audits)

Interested in learning more? DM me or book a discovery call below.

I was in the ER twice this week with chest pains.

Once on Sunday. Again, on Tuesday, which led to my being admitted.

It was scary as hell.

My family has a long history of heart issues:

- Mama Vana had stents at 55 and quad bypass at 70
- Dad died of valvular cardiomyopathy at 46
- Brother had a heart attack in his early 40s
- Uncle had a heart attack in his early 40s
- Cousin had a heart attack in his early 40s

See a pattern there?

I'm 45. 

Chest pain is not something a male in this family should mess with.

(stupid genetics)

Thankfully, everything is fine.

I did NOT have a heart attack.
My echocardiogram came back clean.
My CT angiography came back clean.

Apparently, my heart is strong.
My valves are working.
My arteries are clear.

Ya boy's heart is like Superman. 

(and it's going to stay that way)

Still don't know what's causing the chest pains.
But we do know it's not my heart or lungs.

Which means one thing:

Y'all are stuck with #SassyJason.

Why am I sharing all of this, besides for an algo boost?

It was nice not having to worry about the business during all of this.

Client work got done.
Emails got responded to.
I even made money while in the hospital.

THAT was all possible because of our strategy.

And my amazing team.

Build correctly.

You won't have to worry about your business when life decides to sucker punch you in the chest.

✌🏼

#shftyourbrand

Become the ONLY choice. I build b2b service brands that stand out + drive revenue. Founder/CEO at Shft.Agency. Known as #SassyJason

Most personal branding "experts" are an absolute joke.

→ just be yourself
→ just be authentic
→ just post on LinkedIn
→ just create more content
→ your personality makes you different

👆🏼 Any real brander knows that advice is sh*t.

Yes, you have to be authentic.
Yes, you have to create content.
Yes, you need a personality.

BUT 👏🏼 THAT 👏🏼 SH*T 👏🏼 DOESN'T 👏🏼 MAKE 👏🏼 A 👏🏼 BRAND 👏🏼

Here's what actually builds a brand:

1. create a unique strategy
2. create a unique value
3. create a unique position
4. create a unique perspective
5. create a unique offer
6. create a unique identity
7. create a unique experience

In that order.

Personality, content, and being yourself are steps 6 and 7.

And if you don't have steps 1-5 in place...
Steps 6 and 7 won't make you money.

So before you start working with that personal branding "expert"...

Ask them a simple question:

How much money have your clients actually made?

If it's not at least 2x what you make...
RUN.

They're selling you sh*t.
Not a brand.

#SassyJason out.

✌🏼

#shftyourbrand

——
PS - Grab my All-in-One Strategy Bundle. 12 strategy resources for only $199. https://lnkd.in/epNdCFR7

Creating a new category is a balancing act.

Most founders try to be way too different.

→ Optimization specialist
→ Organizationalist
→ Business tidier
→ Life creator

(all categories I've heard from prospects)

None of them makes sense.

Because there is no point of reference to understand what they are.

And no one in their right mind is searching for a Business Tidier 

🙄

Creating a new category requires:

→ Familiar enough to understand
→ Different enough to stand out

Take Edge Cleaning Service in Washington.

They created a brilliant category.

House Detailers.

→ Clear on what they offer (house cleaning)
→ Understandable (we all know what detailing is)
→ Aligns with how people search (detailing is synonymous with deep cleaning)

They took two existing categories (house cleaning and car detailing)...
Smashed them together (house detailing)...
To stand out in the market.

And that's the key to category creation.

Familiar enough to be searched for.
Different enough to stand out.

Find that balance.

Or that "new" category you created will confuse the hell out of people.

And confused people NEVER buy.

✌🏼

#shftyoubrand

Confession: I hate most of the large accounts on LinkedIn.

Fluffy, stolen, regurgitated nonsense that helps no one.

That's why I only engage with smaller creators.

Those who actually help my business.
Those who teach me something valuable.
Those who have a personality beyond "look how vulnerable I am."

They are the creators who are doing LinkedIn right.

I follow 100s of small creators.

Here are the top 11 you should follow as well:

Alex B Sheridan → video creation that drives revenue

Morgan J Ingram → outbound and Sales Nav genius

Sara Stella Lattanzio → best damn marketer I know

Patrick Cumming → LinkedIn ads savant

Phillip Oakley → a brilliant strategist and positioning genius

Stephen Houraghan → a brand strategist I've learned from

Jacob Pegs → amazing content creator I've been learning from

Irit Levi → process, automation, and operations genius

Mina Mesbahi → one of the best content strategists I know

Katelyn Bourgoin 🧠 → buyer psychology + content strategist = amazing

Richard Moore → the master at closing sales

There are 100s more I could add to this list.

(Please don't cry if you aren't on this list. I still love you)

But these are the creators I recommend to my clients. 

Because I learn from them.

And that, my friend, is what your content should do.

Entertain, but more importantly, EDUCATE your ideal customers. 

So they trust you.
Adopt your POV.
And hire you.

Give all eleven a follow.
And tell them #SassyJason sent you.

You can talk about how great I am for introducing you. 

✌🏼

#shftyourbrand

-----
PS - I'm out today and this week, celebrating Thanksgiving with my family.

PPS - grab all 12 of my paid resources + a $500 discount on a 90-min consultation with my Black Friday All-in-One Bundle → https://lnkd.in/e4YSrcGG

shftagency

fusion-tech-integrated-inc

ignite-student-ministries-inc.

(7) Post | Feed | LinkedIn

JSESSIONID

li_at

Talks about #content, #branding, #marketing, #brandstrategy, and #contentstrategy

My least favorite part of building a brand strategy:

Purpose. Vision. Mission. Values.

Fluffy garbage. 🤮

Case in point.

In 2023, I rebuilt how we create brand strategies at Shft.

My goal: make them lean enough to drive revenue fast.

So I did what most brand strategists wouldn’t dare.

I cut purpose, vision, mission, and values.
(You can pay me extra if you really want them.)

At first, I thought clients would freak out.

They didn’t.

We built strategies 3x faster.
Revision rounds dropped.
Clients made more money faster.

No one cared about what was “missing.”

Because their brand was doing what every brand should do:

MAKING 👏🏼 MORE 👏🏼 MONEY 👏🏼 

Sure, purpose, mission, vision, and values have their place.
But they don't pay the bills.

You can spend months perfecting your mission statement and make $0 from it.

Or you can build a brand strategy that actually makes you money.

Choose wisely.

✌🏼

#shftyoubrand

The only organic metric I care about on LinkedIn:

Saves.

Reach can be hacked. 
Comments can be written by AI.
Reactions can be driven from a pod.

Saves are the only metric that accurately shows the quality of your content.

Think about it.

No one is going to save sh*tty content.
Or content that doesn't help them.
Or content that isn't relevant.
Or content with selfies.

We only save content that solves a problem.
And that resonates with what we want to build.

And THAT'S the content that drives sales. 

(at least, that's why my clients say)

Want to get more saves on your content?

Try this ↓

1. Know your ideal customers
Determine who is most likely to buy from you.
Get as specific as possible.

2. Know the problems your clients face
Talk to them. Ask them questions. 
Follow up with "why does that matter?"

3. Solve those problems in content
Give them frameworks, tips, and advice.
The more practical, the better.

4. Push a next step
Tell them where to get more help.
A product, call, email → don't leave them hanging.

Practical content gets saved.

The more of your content they save, the more trust you build.
The more trust you build, the closer they are to buying from you.

And that, boo, is the goal.

Create content that gets saved.

You'll build trust and make more money that way. 

✌🏼

#shftyourbrand

-----
PS. Get the full breakdown in tomorrow's Brand Shft email. Subscribe here → https://lnkd.in/eX_VpwT7

Your biggest competitor isn't another business.

It's apathy.

On the part of your ideal customers.

40-60% of B2B deals end in "no decision."

Not "we chose someone else."
Not "your price was too high."
Not "we liked them better."

NO 👏🏼 DECISION 👏🏼

Think about what that means for a second.

60% of businesses are choosing their pain over a solution.

Not just your solution.
But any solution that exists.

So that "better than" messaging you're using...

- "We're the industry leader."
- "We have the best quality."
- "We care more about our customers."

...MEANS JACK SH*T

Want to win more deals?

Start positioning against the status quo.

Here's how ↓

1. Talk about the cost of inaction
- Show what they'll lose by waiting.
- Use numbers when possible.

2. Create urgency around inaction
- "Most companies wait until [bad thing] happens"
- "By the time you realize you need this, it's too late"
- "The gap between you and [desired outcome] grows daily"

3. Make change feel less risky
- Pilot programs
- Paid discovery offers
- Phased implementations

4. Use 'status quo' language
- "Stop settling for..."
- "Break free from..."
- "Finally fix what's been broken"

Make the status quo your enemy.

You'll address the real issue facing your prospects.
And give them a reason to take action.

Or keep fighting competitors your prospects don't give a sh*t about.

I'm sure that will give them a reason to choose you.

NOT.

✌🏼

#shftyourbrand

Your Biggest Competitor | Shft Agency

Your brand isn’t just a client magnet. It’s a door opener.

Most founders think branding = more leads.

YES, BUT...

A strong brand puts you in places money can't.

Case in point:

Last week, I spoke to Stephen Houraghan's Brand Masters Academy.

I've followed him for years.
Took two of his courses.
Even wanted to be him when I grew up.

(still waiting on that to happen)

He asked ME to teach his community.

Not because I pitched him.
Not because I paid for access.
Not because I sent 47 follow-up DMs.

It's because I built a brand:

I showed up consistently.
Commented thoughtfully.
Built something worth noticing.

That's what happens when you nail your positioning.

You stop chasing opportunities.
They start chasing you.

- Speaking gigs find you
- Partnerships form naturally  
- Mentors become colleagues
- Dream clients slide into your DMs

Your brand is working while you sleep.
Opening doors you didn't know existed.
Creating opportunities you couldn't have planned.

Want to build a brand that opens those doors?

Let’s find what makes your brand the ONLY choice → https://lnkd.in/eH8Y-YC6

It’s 90 minutes to unlock the doors your brand should already be walking through.

✌🏼

#shftyourbrand

Do you know what makes your business unique?

Most founders don't. 

So they struggle with:

→ attracting ideal customers
→ generating leads
→ creating content
→ building offers
→ closing deals
→ writing copy
→ marketing

And waste time and money on tactics that will NEVER work.

Please, for the love of everything sassy, don't go into 2026 like that.

🤦🏻‍♂️

I'm booking Onlyness Calls for November and December.

In 90 minutes, we'll lock in your unique edge and build your 2026 playbook.

→ uncover what makes your business unique
→ create direction for your messaging
→ map out changes to your content
→ come up with marketing ideas
→ think through operations

You'll also have me in your corner for 2 weeks.
Real-time, follow-through, not fluff.

AND access to my strategy goodie bag.

All so you can walk into 2026 with clarity and direction for your business.

Strategy, direction, and implementation.

The best part?

You can get $400 off using code BYE2025.

But I'm only taking 8 calls.

So if you want clarity, direction, and a new focus for 2026, don't wait.

Once those spots are filled, I'm not taking on any more until January.

Book your call today.

Or go into 2026 confused, struggling, and listening to "gurus" trying to sell you on another damn AI-generated course.

I'm sure that will help.

(NOT)

✌🏼

#shftyourbrand

-----
PS. Book your Onlyness Call with discount code BYE2025 before the 8 spots are filled → https://lnkd.in/ePMpReye

Feeling stuck sucks.

But it's not the final word.

All you need is a bit of clarity.

A vision.
A decision.
A roadmap.
A fresh idea.

Something that sparks life back in you.

I see this with every 1:1 client I've worked with.

They launched their business with a lot of excitement.

But the years wore them down.

- tactics that didn't work
- offers no one wanted
- content that fell flat

No matter what they did, they couldn't grow.

You know what finally worked?

Achieving clarity on three simple decisions.

- What makes you unique
- Who do you want to serve
- How will you attract them

I've driven $70M+ in new revenue for clients, and I can tell you this:

Nothing will work until you make those three decisions.

No new marketing campaign.
No LinkedIn hook.
No DM script.
No rebrand.

Make those three decisions.
And watch everything fall into place.

If you're ready to get clarity on your business, all of my resources are on sale for Black Friday.

→ Strategic Goals Toolkit
→ Uncover Your Differentiation Workshop & Miro Template
→ Assumption Reversal Exercise
→ Ideal Customer Playbook
→ Onlyness Strategy Template
→ Paid Discovery Offer Blueprint
→ Brand One-Liner Templates
→ LinkedIn Just Get Started Guide
→ The $700k+ LinkedIn DM Templates
→ Sales Staircase
→ One-Liner Roaster GPT
→ Niche Channel AI Prompt

Plus, a $500 discount on a 90-min consultation.

That covers everything from setting goals to marketing.

Separately, they cost $1,242.

Get the All-in-One Black Friday Special for only $199.

Check it out: https://lnkd.in/e4YSrcGG

These are the exact exercises, templates, and frameworks I have used to position 145+ B2B brands as the only choice.

And drive over $70M in new revenue.

Tactics won't get you unstuck.

Clarity will.

✌🏼

#shftyourbrand

I  start every brand strategy project with a single question:

What are your goals for the business?

- the revenue you want to make
- the life you want to live
- the size of your team
- how you spend your time

👆🏼 Those are all important when creating a strategy.

Because a strategy is a decision about how you prioritize your time, money, and resources to...

ACHIEVE 👏🏼 A 👏🏼  SPECIFIC 👏🏼 GOAL 👏🏼 

No goal = your strategy is pointing you nowhere. 

Here are my *new* goals for Shft:

- $1M in revenue
- work 4-5 hours a day
- focus on creating my content
- help 100s of SMBs stand out + drive revenue
- only take on 4 large branding projects each year
- small team of experts who don't need supervision

Those goals demand changes in our strategy. 

- selling digital products
- launching a paid community
- simplifying our delivery processes
- creating clearer SOPs
- hiring high-quality people

Goals dictate your strategy.

So figure out what you actually want to build.

Once you see your goals clearly, the strategy almost writes itself.

Need help with that?

Grab my Strategic Goals Toolkit → https://lnkd.in/eei5cqAZ

It'll help you map out the goals needed to create an epic strategy.

Future you will thank you for getting strategic now.

✌🏼

#shftyourbrand

6 Strategic Goals Every Founder Needs | Shft Agency

If I had to rebuild my business from scratch...

Here's exactly how I'd do it ↓

1. Get crystal clear on what you want to build.

I changed my mind every other month — solopreneur, massive agency, fractional CMO.

Because I looked at what everyone else was doing and thought:

THAT'S what success looks like. 

🤮

Define what you want to build.

Set goals for your time, focus, and team size.

Building is much easier when you do.

2. Know your ideal customers.

You need to know them inside and out.

Who they are, what they love, what they struggle with, how they buy, who they trust, what motivates them to buy.

Every post, every offer, every DM should speak to THEM.

3. Create an offer staircase.

Having 10 different offers means you're known for nothing.

Pick one main offer and break it into steps:

- Freebie lead magnet
- Paid digital product
- Paid discovery offer
- Low-tier version (done by you)
- Mid-tier version (done with you)
- High-tier version (done for you)

ONE offer. 
Different levels of access.

4. Pick 3 platforms and post regularly.

Educate and entertain your ideal customers where they are.

Make it a mix of:
- Social (LinkedIn, IG, TikTok)
- Email (launch an email newsletter, boo)
- SEO (YouTube or blog posts)

Those three cover the basis of the buying journey.
And guarantee you show up where and when they are looking.

4 steps.
Years of frustration avoided.

If you want to build smarter, all of my resources are on sale for Black Friday.

It's everything you need to implement those 4 steps yourself.

Separately, they cost $1,242.
Get the All-in-One Black Friday Special for only $199.

Check it out: https://lnkd.in/epNdCFR7

These are the exact exercises, templates, and frameworks I have used to position 145+ B2B brands as the only choice. 

And drive over $70M in new revenue.

All by implementing four simple steps.

✌🏼

#shftyourbrand

I have a confession to make:

My Black Friday all-in-one bundle was a flop.

I put all 10 of my digital products + 2 of my GPTs into one bundle...
Gave people a $500 discount on a 1:1 consultation...
Packaged them together (separately $1,242)...

And sold it for $199.

I was expecting to make 50 sales.

Which wasn't a crazy goal.

I sold over 200 of my LinkedIn Just Get Started Guides (included in the bundle).

50 was a very conservative goal.
But I only sold 10. 

And I know why:

I didn't market it well. 

- 1 email announcing it
- 1 LinkedIn post about it
- 2 IG stories that were afterthoughts
- No reminder emails

And the worst part:

- I wasn't even actively engaging on LinkedIn when that post launched.

I was off spending time with family and expected my post to just take off.

I fell into the same mindset I tell my clients NEVER to have:

If I build it, they will come.

🤦🏻‍♂️

Look, you can have the best offer ever.

I mean, $199 to get everything you need to:

- set business goals
- uncover your differentiation
- know your ideal customers and how they buy
- create your brand strategy
- build an offer
- create a paid discovery offer
- create a sales staircase so you don't have to sell
- write your brand messaging
- roast your brand message and get improvements (GPT)
- find niche marketing channels
- build a profitable LinkedIn presence
- send DMs on LinkedIn that generate revenue

It's everything I do for my clients..,
and charge a minimum of $18K for...

For $199.

That's a killer offer.

But without good marketing, even killer offers flop.

Remember that. 

You need marketing to sell your offer.

Anyone who says otherwise is a damn fool.

✌🏼

#shftyourbrand

-----
PS - I'm extending the Black Friday sale until this Saturday. Grab your copy here → https://lnkd.in/epNdCFR7

The dumbest strategy for your business:

Trying to be "better" than the competition.

Most founders assume being better = they'll win.

That somehow, customers will see your "we're the best" messaging...
...and immediately want to work with you.

THAT'S NOT HOW IT WORKS

Better turns you into a commodity.

It communicates:

- We provide the same value as everyone else
- at a much higher price
- with a little bit "more"

And that "more" is incredibly vague.

Meaning, you haven't given people a compelling reason to choose you.

The only way to win on being "better"?

SPEND THE MOST MONEY

- more ads
- more events
- more content
- more creative
- more influencers
- more website features
- more social media platforms

"Better" is the most expensive positioning.

And takes YEARS to own.
If you ever do.

Ditch being "better."

Find a way to be different, instead.

You'll stand out faster.
Spending far less money.
While driving way more revenue.

It's a win-win-win.

Not sure what makes your business different?

Grab my free Find Your Differentiation course → https://lnkd.in/ejGym52T 

It's helped over 400 founders uncover a differentiated position.

And start owning it in the market.

✌🏼

#shftyourbrand

My email signup form has 5 fields.

Most marketing "experts" say that's way too much.

They say I'm losing potential subscribers because I'm asking too much up front.

That best practice is just asking for an email.

More conversions that way.

Newsflash:

If you can't fill out 5 fields, I don't want you as a subscriber.

💁🏻‍♂️

You're clearly too damn lazy.
Don't really care about growing your business.
And it's a sign you won't implement the advice I give you anyway.

I don't want lazy ass, incompetent, freebie seekers on my list.

They don't buy.
They don't implement.
They don't follow advice.

And a year later, they're complaining that their business hasn't grown.

Those aren't the people I want to work with.

Look, best practices have their place.

But you better know:

- who you're trying to attract
- what you're trying to build
- the experience you're trying to create

Because not every best practice is the RIGHT practice for you.

Like having only 1 field for an email newsletter.

Best practice? Sure.
Best practice for Shft? Not at all.

Because if filling out 5 fields is too much for you...
...building a profitable business is WAY beyond you.

And I don't want to waste my time teaching you.

#SassyJason out.

✌🏼

#shftyourbrand

Most strategies don't drive revenue.

Here's how to test if yours actually does:

Revenue is the only metric that matters for business survival.

Yet most strategies focus on vanity metrics, awareness, and how nice it looks.

None of that pays the bills.

Here are 7 ways I test if a strategy actually drives revenue:

→ Review client retention and expansion rates
→ Calculate customer lifetime value changes
→ Measure conversion rates at every stage
→ Monitor average deal size improvements
→ Analyze sales cycle length reduction
→ Track lead quality, not just quantity
→ Test pricing strategy effectiveness

If your strategy isn't moving these numbers, it's not working.

Businesses spend months on positioning and market research without connecting it to actual revenue outcomes.

That's not a strategy.
It's expensive procrastination.

Real strategy creates a direct line from your positioning to your profit.

The only question that matters:

"Will this help us close more deals, faster, at higher prices?"

If the answer isn't a resounding YES, you're not being strategic.

You're procrastinating.

Test your strategy against revenue.

Not engagement rates.
Not brand awareness surveys.
Not how pretty your website looks.

Revenue.

Because that's what keeps you in business.

Everything else is just noise.

✌🏼

#shftyourbrand

I rarely discount my products and services.

It's just not the game I want to play. 

But this year, I started launching more digital products.

Frameworks, templates, and GPTs that I've used to generate 6-7 figures of new revenue for my clients.

I had 1 paid resource before 2025.

I now have 10.
And a few freebies that will become paid products next year.

I'm discounting them all.

That's right, #SassyJason is running a Black Friday deal on my All-in-One Bundle.

Here's what you get:

→ Strategic Goals Toolkit
→ Uncover Your Differentiation Workshop & Miro Template
→ Assumption Reversal Exercise
→ Ideal Customer Playbook
→ Onlyness Strategy Template
→ Paid Discovery Offer Blueprint
→ Brand One-Liner Templates
→ LinkedIn Just Get Started Guide
→ The $700k+ LinkedIn DM Templates
→ Sales Staircase
→ One-Liner Roaster GPT
→ Niche Channel AI Prompt

Plus, a $500 discount on my 90-min Onlyness Call consultation good until March 31.

Purchased separately, these resources cost $1,242.

But you can get the All-in-One Bundle for $199.

That's a savings of $1,043.

(Yes, I have gone insane 🤪)

Grab your bundle today → https://lnkd.in/epNdCFR7

That price expires on Tuesday, December 2. 

Don't say I didn't warn you.

✌🏼

#shftyourbrand

------
PS - I'm out today spending time with Mama Vana, Brother Vana, and Niece Vana, so I likely won't be replying.

Most brands rebrand for looks. Pepsico rebranded for survival.

Especially when you take consumer trends into account.

I worked in the food processing industry for 7+ years.
And have clients in the food processing industry. 

There is a dramatic shft (pun intended) in that industry towards:

- cleaner labels
- healthier options
- fewer preservatives
- more natural ingredients
- more homemade style foods

And Pepsico is a monster of a company.

They own roughly 110 brands.
In food and beverage.
Across the world.

Their old brand screamed:

- We're corporate.
- We only care about profits.
- We cut corners when possible.
- We don't care about healthy ingredients.

It was time for a change.

Not just to update perceptions on their business.
But to better align with their new Pep+ strategy.

This rebrand makes Pepsico feel:

- smaller
- organic
- homegrown
- health conscious

Everything you want to be known for in the food processing industry right now.

That's what a good rebrand SHOULD do:

- shft your perspective
- shft your impression
- shft your focus

And, ultimately, shft your brand.

Take a page out of Pepsico's book.

When the market changes drastically...
And people don't look favorably on corporations...
And you implement a new strategy to grow...

It's time to update your design to match.

Or, keep giving off the wrong perception.

Because nothing tanks a brand faster than looking healthy on paper and corporate in public.

✌🏼

#shftyourbrand

Pepsico Nailed their Rebrand | Shft Agency

December means one thing:

It's time to audit your brand.

Most founders never revisit their brand once it’s live.

No evals. No reflection. No updates.
Just hope it still lands — even though the market has moved.

If it’s been a year since your last brand check, start here:

1. Analyze competitors
Drop yours and their websites into SEMrush.
See if you're winning attention. 

2. Pressure test your positioning
Still the only?
Run your unique angle through the Can’t/Won’t test.

3. Talk to real customers
Interview 3–5. Ask about their problems and why they bought from you.
Update your ICP based on their words.

4. Audit the experience
From first click to offboarding — what’s clunky and what's seamless?
Find and fix any friction.

5. Make it actionable
Prioritize the shifts.
Assign owners. Set deadlines.

Want a sharper outside perspective?

Let me roast your brand.
And give you a checklist of what to improve.

I'm only taking on 4 brand audits until Christmas.

Book yours here → https://lnkd.in/eabzMSpq

Don’t wing it like the rest.

Audit now, so 2026 isn’t guesswork — it’s growth.

✌🏼

#shftyourbrand

How to Audit Your Brand | Shft Agency

Stop creating strategies you never use.

You don't need another brilliant plan to save your business.

Beautiful slides.
Detailed timelines.
Comprehensive analysis.

All for it to collect dust while you focus on doing whatever feels urgent.

🤦🏻‍♂️

Here's what to do instead:

Build a strategy you WANT to implement:

1. Start Small
Pick ONE thing to focus on for the next 30 days. 

2. Make It Measurable
If you can't track it, you won't do it. Set clear metrics that matter.

3. Schedule It
Block time in your calendar. Treat strategy execution like client work.

4. Review Weekly
Every Friday, ask: "Did I move the needle on my strategy this week?"

5. Adjust Fast
If something isn't working after two weeks, pivot. Don't wait months.

The goal isn't to create the perfect strategy.

(It doesn't exist, boo)

It's to create a strategy you'll actually execute.

Because a mediocre strategy you implement beats a brilliant strategy you ignore.

EVERY 👏🏼 SINGLE 👏🏼 TIME 👏🏼 

Stop planning your way to success.
Start executing your way there.

Your future self will thank you.

✌🏼

#shftyourbrand

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The Battle

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