#31 - Cole Schafer: How to Write Like Hemingway and Speak Like Obama
Listen Here: Apple | Spotify
My guest today is Cole Schafer. Cole is a master copywriter, poet, author, and adman. He is best known for his newsletter, Sticky Notes, where he sends weekly emails about advertising, writing, creativity, and life.
Cole has an exceptional ability to tell stories that grab you by the collar and slap you in the face with a life lesson. He's also known for his 10,000 word copywriting and marketing guide—which is guaranteed to help you sell your used couch on Craigslist—more on that later.
In this episode, Cole told me the story of his Uber driver who was a hitman. We discussed the importance of being a good speaker. Cole shared his journey from being the guy who rips out carpets to the guy who writes ads for Bowflex. We also talked about how to become a better writer and a more effective human. Like I mentioned earlier, Cole is a great story teller, and I think you're really going to enjoy this episode.
Selected links from the show:
Cole's website, Instagram, Twitter, and newsletters
Cole on the Kent Lapp Podcast
Show notes:
01:55 - Why writers need speaking lessons
07:26 - How speaking lessons work with Joe Ferraro
11:25 - How to read 52 books per year
14:50 - Cole's hitman Uber driver
18:48 - Why Cole quit his marketing job to rip out carpets
"The pain of the embarrassment of ripping out that carpet hurt a hell of a lot less than sitting in that office and doing a job I hated and not being able to pursue that dream of writing."
24:38 - How to build a financial foundation as a writer
26:50 - When your taste is better than your ability as a creator
29:13 - The most important quality to improve as a writer
31:54 - How poetry can improve your non-fiction writing
35:38 - How to make your writing relatable by adding emotion
42:01 - Why everyone should learn copywriting
47:26 - Why everyone should stop watching the news
49:15 - The most important habit in my life
54:02 - Cole's advice to a recent college grad
"Do cool shit. Don't think about doing cool shit. Don't talk about doing cool shit. Just go out and do cool shit."
55:37 - Cole's favorite mental model
59:44 - The kindest thing anything has done for Cole
