I just rewatched Raoul Plickat’s podcast with Mike Thurston and took three pages of notes.
Quick context on Raoul: Neil Patel called him “the kingmaker,” he runs CopeCart (150 employees), and he once sold 48,000 tickets for a client in a year — 12,000 of them in 48 hours.
He’s worth listening to.
Here’s the condensed version of what I learned.
1. Research before you write anything
Poll your customers and leads with three questions:
- What annoys you? (ask for a feeling)
- What do you need?
- What do you desire?
Aim for 500 to 1,000 responses. Build your offer from the answers, not your assumptions.
2. Great campaigns have soul
Put something of yourself into it — something no competitor can copy because it didn’t come from a swipe file.
3. Counter-signal
Kanye’s iPhone ad is the masterclass. Do the opposite of what the market expects and you get all the attention for free.
4. Do what the 0.0001% do
When a video stops your scroll, grab pen and paper and write down why. The soundtrack. The first frame. The hook.
It’s free market research and a free copywriting course, running 24/7 in your feed.
5. Cut the fat
In ads, remove everything that doesn’t yield results. Wifi only. One gender. One age band.
The little things are where the margin is.
6. Copywriting is the skill
A great copywriter does one thing: makes the reader feel understood.
If nobody feels understood by your content, no amount of posting volume fixes it.
7. Let the work talk
Raoul barely promotes himself. Humility backed by proof is a positioning strategy almost nobody uses.
The thread through all of it
Your brand’s job is mental availability — being the default answer when someone’s ready to buy.
That starts with research, not reach.
This week: run the three-question poll on your audience. One email or one story sticker.
Then, when you’re ready to build what they asked for, the easiest way to do it today is with AI — which is exactly what I teach here SeanNoCode
Run the poll first. Then come build.