the journal
notes from a brand company run by builders. one argument, made from different angles: the better-told brand wins, and being better-told is a craft you can buy, learn, or steal from these pages. no filler, no funnels, no five trends for 2026. if a post would not change what you do on monday, we do not publish it.
- → deciding who you are, then making it visible
- → earning attention instead of renting it
- → how brands talk, and the words they should ban
thought leadership without the cringe
the phrase is embarrassing but the asset is real: a founder with a known point of view makes every other channel cheaper. here is how to do it without becoming a linkedin caricature.
8 jul 2026 · 3 minux writing is brand voice at the smallest scale
buttons, error messages, empty states: the smallest words in your product carry the brand more often than your homepage ever will.
8 jul 2026 · 3 minthe product launch pr checklist (what to do six weeks out)
launch coverage is won in the six weeks before launch day, not on it. here is the working checklist, week by week.
1 jul 2026 · 3 minwebsite copywriting that converts: clarity is the whole game
visitors do not bounce because your design is bad. they bounce because they cannot work out what you do. website copywriting is a clarity discipline.
1 jul 2026 · 2 minbrand guidelines nobody reads are not guidelines.
the 80-page brand book is where consistency goes to die. here is how to build brand guidelines that people actually open, use and obey.
24 jun 2026 · 3 minhow to build a messaging framework (that sales will actually use)
a messaging framework is the difference between a company that says one thing and a company that says everything. here is the structure that works.
24 jun 2026 · 3 minbrand identity for startups: what to buy first, what to skip
early-stage budgets are finite. here is the honest order to buy brand identity in, and the expensive things you can safely skip until later.
17 jun 2026 · 3 mintone of voice: the most underpriced asset in branding
companies spend fortunes on how they look and almost nothing on how they sound. that gap is the cheapest competitive advantage left.
17 jun 2026 · 3 minhow to choose a rebrand agency (questions that expose the weak ones)
a rebrand is a business decision with a creative output. here are the questions that separate agencies who understand that from agencies selling you a new logo.
10 jun 2026 · 3 minstartup pr: how to get press without a retainer
you do not need a monthly retainer to get covered. you need an angle a journalist actually wants, and the discipline to pitch like a human.
10 jun 2026 · 2 min
you cannot performance-market your way out of a weak brand.
paid acquisition gets more expensive every year. a brand people already trust is the only cost that goes down. growth starts with the brand, not the channel.
3 jun 2026 · 3 minwhat a brand strategy agency actually does (and when you need one)
brand strategy is the most misused phrase in the industry. here is what a brand strategy agency should actually deliver, and the signs you are ready for one.
3 jun 2026 · 3 mina rebrand is a business decision, not a paint job.
most rebrands fail because they change the look and nothing else. a real rebrand changes what the business can charge, sell, and say no to.
27 may 2026 · 3 minthe words we will not let your brand say.
every brand has a banned list, whether it writes one down or not. ours exists so your product never sounds like everyone else's.
21 may 2026 · 3 minoptional: explore posts by connection, not chronology.
one idea a fortnight.
the thinking we use on real brands, written down. no filler, no funnels.