Kia Called It “Nightfall.” Ford Called It “Black Appearance Package.” Guess Who Sells the Fantasy.

Hi, it’s Ash—and welcome to Ashtronomical! Every week, I’m sending you 5 original marketing ideas your competitors will wish they'd thought of first. 💀 Maybe there’ll be one in here for you???

Steal this brand idea 💥

You know the car, Kia?

They have a blacked-out trim package they call “Nightfall Edition.”

They could have called it “Rally Sport Truck” (Chevrolet). Or “Elevation Edition.” (GMC) Or “Black Appearance Package” (Ford—I can’t make this up.)

But “nightfall” has something the other names don’t: emotional balls.

Nightfall feels like a vibe. Like fog rolling in over the highway. Like danger in leather gloves. It doesn’t describe the trim, it sets the scene.

That’s the difference between a name that lists features—and a name that sells the fantasy.

⚡️Charger vs Lightning Cable

☁️ Lightweight Foundation vs Cloud Skin

🐺 Winter Jacket vs Arctic Wolf

🏴‍☠️ Backup Tool vs Shadow Vault

👻 Linen Sheets vs Ghostweave

💪 Strategy Session vs Iron Mind

Turns out, word choice isn’t an afterthought: it’s everything.

Steal this sales idea 💰

Kit now offers easy, magical little one-click upsells. 🎉
WHAT IS AN UPSELL, YOU ASK??? *stomps out cigar* Let’s say you have a couple of ebooks for sale. This means that, when a customer is checking out, you can offer ‘em a one-time discount if they want to add the other one. 😉

You’ll convert a goooood chunk of sales, so long as it’s relevant. (And is cheaper than the main item.)

Why not earn more this year just by flicking on one setting?

(In case it wasn’t obvious yet, I LOVE Kit. Not only are they hyper-powerful & fun-to-use for email marketing, they don’t charge you extra to sell digital products. Considering Gumroad charges 10% of every sale, this is a big deal. I’m a proud affiliate partner.)

Steal this marketing idea ⚡️

Schoolhouse, a brand from Food52, is adding a “switchboard” to their website: a place where anyone can go and ask design, DIY, renovation, and product questions.

This might just seem like any old forum.

Except, no no—this genius move does three things brilliantly:

1. Gives them endless content ideas.
2. Ups their SEO game (anytime anyone else is searching for the answers to these questions, they’re going to hit their website).
3. And, most importantly, they’re now turning this content into a podcast. 🎤 THAT is the genius part.

If you’ve ever been like, ugh, HOW AM I EVEN SUPPOSED TO MARKET MYSELF, why not ask yourself a new question: how can I show up & just answer my customer’s questions?????

Steal this copy idea 📝

Amy Porterfield is just one of the email marketers shifting toward “Ashified” emails (as my clients like to call them, anyway!): the fun kind people actually want to read.

For 15 years now, I’ve been teaching how to write personal, fun-to-read story-based emails—and, thanks to the rise of Substack, it’s finally catching on. Porterfield recently made an announcement that she’d be shifting from her typical “new-episode-on-the-podcast” type emails, to more personal, intimate ones that let her show up as her. Could not applaud this decision more. 👏👏👏

(And I even spot my Meat & Hair style subject lines for writing clickable emails 📝—hooray! She hasn’t taken my class nor endorsed it in any way, and this is certainly just pure coincidence, but this is totally one method I recommend—especially if you’re getting away from the whole “bro copywriter” feel. 🎓💪⬇️ )

And the next time you sit down to write an email, remember: people do care about your stories & your life—so long as it helps them live theirs.

Steal this business idea 🤓

Got a hot-ass voice? 🎙️Good at reading aloud? Why not narrate audiobooks?

Just recently discovered ACX, and thought this was THE COOLEST. You create a profile, upload voice samples, and then bid on jobs reading people’s audiobooks. 😍

When I recorded the audiobook for THE MIDDLE FINGER PROJECT with the audio team from Penguin, it was sooooooooooooo much fun. Would recommend, 10/10, felt like a total rock star. (And I only blushed a little whilst reading…certain lines…out loud. 🤣)

You can accept a flat fee, or take a royalty on every sale—or a hybrid of both.

And the best part?

You can do it from home with basic equipment. 🏠

Or, ya know….Switzerland?

The happy, happy, gloriously delicious end.