👋Creativity not wanted

Woke up at 3:18 A.M. Not on purpose, but here we are so let’s get after it, Inbox Hackers.

Today’s Feature Story digs into the ludicrous demands being put on creative marketers to use “success templates.” It’s easy… just do what [big name on YouTube] does.

After I eviscerate that notion, we’ll hop into the sections below… 

• The Knowledge Base (humor stretches video ad budget)

• Self Help (a one-word wonder)  

• Facts & Stats (NIL stats) 

• Get Hacking (you don’t have to do it all) 

Appetizer: Seen LinkedIn-Lunatics on Reddit? People are unwell.

Now, let’s peel the lid off today’s Feature Story…

Creative Marketing Will Be No More

If it’s up to the powers that be, creative marketing will not make it out of 2025 alive. At best, creativity will exit this year as a formulaic shell of its former self.

Too many managers and business owners believe they can simply tell their creative teams to just do what other successful creators are doing. After all, it’s just a formula, right?

“If fun challenges work for Mr. Beast, it’ll work for our brand. So, go shoot some videos, hand out cash, and get our brand 650,000 YouTube views by next week. Remember - hook, pacing, hook, engage the audience with thought-provoking questions, blah, blah, blah.”

Sorry. Creative marketing doesn't work like that.

If it were that easy, why hire a creative person or team at all? 

Why not just hire anyone with a pulse from a temp agency to create video content, write ads, come up with email series, etc.? 

If every ad can be successfully mimicked and every piece of content has a structure anyone can copy, why not hire an out-of-work teacher, welder, or accountant to do creative marketing?

The bosses who think this is possible have it backward about “catching lightning in a bottle.” They believe you can catch lightning repeatedly → after someone else already caught it.

 Just do what that marketer over there did. Easy as falling off a log.

Creative Marketing is the Opposite of Post-Super Bowl Analysis

Quick example of trying to reverse engineer creative success.

The Wall Street Journal had an article breaking down exactly why the Chiefs got beat like a rented mule by Philly. The Chiefs’ weaknesses were visible all season long, said the Journal writer.

If the flaws were so obvious, why didn’t the writer and every other expert predict the blowout that was coming? Because writing that article after the fact is easy (any idiot can). But it’s impossible to write beforehand. 

You don’t know what’s gonna happen!

Same with creative marketing. Dice have to be rolled. Chances taken. Sketchy ideas tested. 

Not the same ideas and concepts repeated over and over. The bad thing?

AI is speeding up the extinction of creativity. 

Creative Marketing Dulled by AI 

“One study from the University of Toronto showed that usage of large language models and generative AI systems reduces the ability for humans to think creatively, resulting in more homogenous, ‘vanilla’ ideas and fewer truly innovative ones.”

If you read much, you have to have noticed certain phrases used ad nauseam.

People are relying way too much on AI to pump out:

• Articles

• Headlines (“The Ultimate Guide” & “Demystified”🤢)

• Job descriptions (“Got a knack for _____? We’d love to hear from you”)

• YouTube scripts

• Podcast promos

• Entire newsletters

AI is a fine tool. But lean on it too much, and you won’t have a creative brain cell left. 

I don’t need a researcher from Toronto to tell me that. It’s common sense. Why? It’s human nature to take the easy path, especially when management believes creativity is easily replicated.

Why bother reading up on topics you’re supposed to be knowledgeable about when you can let AI tell you just enough to get by?

Why bother writing that email that would eat into your morning when AI can do it in ten seconds?

Why bother thinking at all if AI can give you 20 ideas in a blink?

What AI is at Its Core

Predictable.

I’m no large language model engineer, but I get the idea how AI writing tools work. They predict the most logical words and phrases that “should” come next. 

The words logical and predictable don’t belong in the same sentence as creative. 

Does all this mean certain proven formulas and structures should be avoided? 

Nope. It only means creative marketing is no longer creative if every marketer is forced to copy the structure of the most visibly successful marketing campaigns.

 Rant complete. The Knowledge Base is coming up…

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Self-Help

Witnessed a debacle at the lake last Wednesday. Could’ve been avoided with two simple words.

This guy has backed his boat down the ramp and is trying to get it ready to go fishing. Man waiting in line with his boat yells at him, “Hey, you can’t have that gas motor on this lake.” Guy #1 tries to shrug it off but Guy #2 keeps at it. 

So Guy #1’s wife opens up the truck door and asks Guy #2 where that rule is. They go look at the unclear rules sign and debate for about 7 or 8 minutes. Finally, Guy #2 says, “Never mind, I was just trying to keep y’all outta trouble.”

That entire debate could’ve turned uglier. Folks get shot over less these days. Thing is, there shouldn’t have been any debate. Guy #2 said “Never mind” about 500 words too late. 

“Never mind” is a great word to say to yourself if you want to save yourself lots of trouble.

Facts & Stats

Bonus: Highest success rate among entrepreneurs came from what factor according to a 2020 study? Answer at end of email.

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Get Hacking

A specific strategy to implement today

The flip side of today’s Feature Story is leaning too heavily on your creativity. 

I have to remind myself every week to use proven copywriting principles. It saves time. But the reason I skip this cheat-code is because I wanna show off my creativity. Plus, I notice copywriting tactics everywhere and get a little tired of them. 

However, I am not my audience. 

So, cheat your way to better headlines for your ads, articles, video titles, etc. with the following 3 headlines formulas. 

#1 [Number] Ways You Can Get Better _______ Than You Deserve (i.e., 6 Ways You Can Get Better Google Reviews Than You Deserve)

#2 [Number] Things That Can Wreck Your _______ (& Most People Never See Number __ Coming)

#3 How To _____ Like ______ (i.e., How To Write Subject Lines Like Tyler Denk)

Thanks for reading Inbox Hacking. Please share it with your peeps - it’s sugar-free but stings a bit.

Shane McLendon - Copy Kingpin

Bonus answer from Facts & Stats section: Highest success rate among entrepreneurs came from age and experience of middle-aged and up founders (American Economic Association).

ICYMI:😵Creativity drought? 5-sec hack - PhD shrink approved