5 Marketing Ideas You Should Steal
+ When being absolute f*cking cringe is a good thing
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.
🎤 LOVE, LOVE, LOVE this podcast name.
Contrast this with something far more expected and buttoned up, like “Modern Etiquette for Professionals.”
Which one are you more likely to click on? 👆
Try this: the next time you’re naming something, try brainstorming actual phrases people say when talking about THE THING. (Instead of just calling it THE THING. 😜)
Steal this sales idea.
“Let’s see if you qualify for a Facet membership.”
I used to think this kind of thing was so pretentious. Now, I think it’s smart business. Here’s why:
By framing it this way, they’re adding a layer of exclusivity that automatically makes me want to be part of the club. (Oh, the dreaded human instinct to belong!)
They’ve taken the everyday opt-in from a tone dynamic of “please, give us your email address! we’ll do anything!” to “hey, we’re GOOD, and we’re selective - see if you qualify to be on our email list.”
Asking for “basic info so that we can share your eligibility results” offers a great reason for giving you my info. The more logical sense this makes to people, the more they will opt-in.
Five stars. 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟
Steal this marketing idea.
You know how product companies are always teaming up with artists on collabs??? (Like this one with Yellowpop & Ana Duje?)
They shouldn’t get to have all the fun!
Service providers can — and should! — totally try this, too. 💥
If you have a copywriting studio, bring in “celebrity guest writers” to collaborate with on select projects — and only sell a limited number of spots! 🤫
If you’re a photographer, offer limited-edition shoots where you bring in, say, an illustrator as a guest collaborator so while you’re photographing the subject…they’re drawing the subject. And at the end, they get both. 🍒
If you’re an interior designer, do a collab with artists who can custom create artwork special for your clients. (Which will help you stand out, too.) 🪄
The beauty of this is not just the total buzz you’ll get from the fun of collaborating, but the PR buzz you’ll get from pairing up…and having something to actually TALK ABOUT.
How often don’t you market yourself because you just don’t have anything to talk about?
Make something to talk about, baby.
Steal this copy idea.
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If you missed this trend, let’s rewind—because the premise is gold.
What happens when Gen Z writes the marketing script—and the rest of us ancients read it out loud?
✨ Absolute chaos. Cringe. Comedy gold. ✨
But also? It’s weirdly effective.
If you're feeling like a walking infomercial on video, try slipping into character—Gen Z, a villain, a 1950s housewife. Detaching from yourself makes it way easier to show up… especially when the vibe is "unhinged but strategic."
Steal this business idea.
“Live your dream of having your very own bookshop by the sea in Scotland...for a week or two.”
In Wigtown, Scotland, you can stay above a charming bookshop and run it during your visit. 📖 📚 🏡
AND THERE’S A TWO-YEAR WAITLIST.
I’m not suggesting you should open a bookshop underneath your Airbnb—though that seems to work exceptionally well—but rather, consider selling an experience, not just a stay.
Come live like a Highland wool maker with sheep to shear and sweaters to stitch.
Come run a one-table bakery in a tiny French village—open from 6–10am only.
Come run an honesty-box flower stand in the Cotswolds and live your dahlia dreams.
Come train sled dogs under the Northern Lights and eat dinner by headlamp.
Come be the lighthouse keeper at the end of the world. Fog horn included.
It’s the difference between selling a commodity - coal is coal is coal is coal - and selling a fantasy. A fleeting ticket to another life.
You’re not just renting a bed—you’re renting a persona. A temporary identity. For one weekend, they get to be the kind of person who reads poetry aloud in a drafty shop with creaky floorboards and a kettle always on. Or the kind of person who brushes hay off their flannel before breakfast.
That’s what sells. Not the square footage. Not the thread count.
But the transformation. ✨