My Daily Emails

Why telling customers they can’t have something makes them want it ten times more — and how smart brands leverage reverse psychology Remember when your parents told you not to

The tough truth about sustainable growth — and what happens when you run out of gas at mile 3 I constantly meet founders who’ve trained for a sprint but signed

What Duolingo’s AI announcement reveals about the hidden human cost of “bold” leadership decisions Duolingo’s CEO announced they were going “AI-first” and the internet blew up. Users deleted the app. Reddit

The day machine learning tried to punt a profitable strategy — and what it reveals about human insight vs. algorithmic advice I fed a client’s marketing data into an AI

A reader’s insight about value psychology reveals the secret to overcoming price resistance — and what luxury brands know that you don’t Subscriber Rana nailed something many entrepreneurs struggle with.

Why viral success fizzles faster than you think — and what kills exponential growth early on A client told me the other day they expected sales growth to be a

How 6G testing in a remote facility reveals the future of product connectivity — and what it means for every hardware maker Deep in the Swedish countryside, something revolutionary is

The hidden psychological force that keeps people trapped with inferior products — even when yours is obviously better A potential customer emailed me yesterday about their marketing struggles. Their current

Six new BK drinks reveal the smart business strategy hiding in plain sight — and what it can mean for YOUR margins This summer Burger King launched six new beverages:

How improving product safety can accidentally create riskier behavior — and what smart product makers do about it I remember when my youngest daughter got her first bike helmet. Suddenly,

How losing 95% of users at onboarding kills exponential growth before it starts — and the psychology of those first five clicks I’m consulting on onboarding design for a client

Why launching a product well is like conducting an invisible orchestra — and why most innovators have no clue what’s happening backstage “When will we launch?” The question every excited

The difference between knowledge and expertise — and why some insights only come at 2 AM I’ve read more marketing books than I can count. Written one myself. Absorbed frameworks,

What Sherlock Holmes taught me about finding clues that reveal what customers really want My 11-year-old brought home the complete Sherlock Holmes collection. She’s been devouring novels almost since she

Why fear-based micro-management destroys more product launches than bad strategy It arrived at 5:47 AM on a Tuesday. A 12-paragraph email from a client’s team member, dissecting every social media

How one jewelry company turned a nervous purchase into an unforgettable brand moment I was terrified to spend big bucks on earrings I had never even seen. It was my

Why launching products feels like playing a rigged video game — and how to win anyway Life isn’t fair. But that’s nothing compared to launching a product in the digital

A Sunday salute to the dreamers, makers, and stubborn optimists who refuse to accept “good enough” This morning I’m thinking about the relentless optimism of product makers. You know the

The simple triage system that keeps product launches moving when chaos feels like the new normal Tuesday morning: Payment processor glitch affecting 15% of checkouts. Tuesday afternoon: Customer discovers product

How smart packaging design creates unboxing experiences that sell more products Nestlé has partnered with IBM to develop AI that designs better packaging materials. Not stuff like flashier graphics or

Why I avoid deleting nasty comments and celebrate the free engagement — BUT where I draw the line Last week, a troll showed up on a client’s YouTube video with

The cognitive bias that’s costing you sales — and how to break through it I’ve only walked out of a movie theater before the ending once in my entire life.

Why finding your price point feels like threading a needle blindfolded — and the surprising research that makes it easier Every product maker faces the same pricing paradox. Price too

How to find real customer pain points using tools you already have Last month, a client asked me to help identify why their competitors were gaining market share DESPITE having

How one simple button rewired human behavior and created trillion-dollar industries Sometimes the hugest breakthroughs start as the tiniest solutions. My friend Melina Palmer recently interviewed Bob Goodson, coauthor of LIKE:

The retail psychology trick that’s hijacking your customers’ brains (and how to use it ethically) I went to IKEA once for a simple lamp. Ninety minutes later, I emerged with

The behavioral data revolution that’s reshaping product strategy Three months ago, a SaaS founder emailed me, clearly in a panic. Her Net Promoter Score had never been higher — 73,

Innovators often ask me straight-up whether their groundbreaking product is likely to succeed. Here’s my answer: Go find 10 ideal buyers who aren’t friends or relatives. Try to sell them

The hidden math that makes rare problems inevitable (and expensive) Jason Cohen, founder of WP Engine, shared a brutal truth about scaling that most product makers discover too late. When

Reader Elena from Denver wrote me with a dilemma that plagues product teams everywhere: “Our team keeps getting pulled into feature requests from our loudest customers — usually the ones who

Why product launches are equal parts terror and triumph (and how to survive the roller coaster) Every product launch is a massive adventure where everything is on the line. Will

Why Dr. Squatch’s exit to Unilever reveals the hidden strategy behind sustainable product businesses An unusual soap company just sold to one of the world’s largest consumer goods corporations. Dr.

I was recently helping a client wrestle with a positioning dilemma that flags everything wrong with how most companies think about pricing. This particular product costs about half what competitors

A car wash in 2006 unknowingly revealed one of the most powerful psychological principles in customer retention. Researchers tested two loyalty punch card offers that were mathematically identical but psychologically

How Instagram proved that customer requests can be the worst product strategy I spent half an hour last week listening to a product manager defend their latest feature update. “But

Why 78% of your customers are lying to you (and you’re buying it) Last month, a client showed me their customer survey results with obvious excitement. “Look at this —

The missing link between great features and great revenue I just published one of my favorite podcast episodes ever. My guest is Heather Inocencio, a product strategist who’s driven some

Innovators and inventors are exceptionally optimistic by nature. They have to be. You can’t dream up world-changing products without believing impossible things can become inevitable. That relentless optimism fuels the

How the galaxy’s most beloved franchise just made QR codes — and Coke — more fun The Force is strong and sweet with this marketing campaign. Coca-Cola just launched an experience

A new Peloton-Fitbit partnership email landed in my inbox this morning, offering members $40 off a Fitbit Charge 6 for “real-time heart rate tracking, powered by Fitbit.” At first glance, it

Happy Fourth of July to all my American readers! As a Canadian experiencing your independence day from the sidelines, I’m reflecting on something I’ve observed working with American product makers

Years ago, I had a crash while cornering on my bike that left me with a fractured arm and some nasty road rash. The physical injuries healed within weeks, but

Last week I was giving a reader feedback about the website for his B2B startup. His company helps entrepreneurs navigate complex bureaucratic processes — the kind of paperwork nightmare that

My Pinterest rep reminded me last week about something that stuns many business leaders. “Most entrepreneurs still think Pinterest is all Gen X women getting inspiration for kitchen renovations,” she

Mattel announced something that sounds like sci-fi but is happening right now. The toy giant behind Barbie, Hot Wheels, and Fisher-Price is partnering with OpenAI to use artificial intelligence for designing new

Every time our family travels, I watch my wife perform “the ritual.” She spreads every piece of clothing across our bedroom floor like a tactical operation. Socks paired with underwear,

I remember when my youngest daughter discovered she could get her sister’s attention by saying “Don’t look” — immediately followed by whatever she wanted noticed. It worked every single time.

Ben & Jerry’s lost masses of customers when they stopped selling ice cream in occupied Palestinian territories. But they gained millions more. Most companies would freak out at even considering such

We’re in a new reality where purchasing decisions are political statements A client texted me yesterday: “Did you see the McDonald’s boycott news? Should we be worried about this kind