Published in Showing Our Work·Mar 29, 2018A few confusing thingsSince January, I’ve been learning front-end web development through the Udacity Grow With Google scholarship. It’s been a fast, fun 2.5 months. I first learned to code in 1990 (dating myself) when I took a Fortran class. …JavaScript3 min readJavaScript3 min read
Sep 20, 2017From packaging to contentI’ve been reading about brand strategy lately, and these paragraphs in Marty Neumeier’s The Brand Gap caught my eye: Before you can create emotion with a package, however, you need to understand the natural reading sequence of your category. …Content Marketing2 min readContent Marketing2 min read
Aug 4, 2017The story that’s unlike a frogThere’s a saying that humor is like a frog: you can dissect it to see how it works, but the thing dies in the process. But I’m happy to say that’s actually not true. In this great video, Nerdwriter breaks down how Louis CK tells a joke, and the humor doesn’t die in the process. Humor is the type of storytelling I have the most respect for, because I think it’s the hardest to do well while also being the least recognized as taking any skill.Comedy1 min readComedy1 min read
Aug 4, 2017The greatest story ever sold“Money is probably the most successful story ever told. It has no objective value: it’s not like a banana or a coconut that you can actually do something with. If you take a dollar bill and look at it, you can’t eat it, you can’t drink it, you can’t wear…Storytelling2 min readStorytelling2 min read
Aug 4, 2017How do you sell the unpleasant or unthinkable?August 28, 2016 by Jina Chan Remember Superbowl 49, back in 2015? Superbowls are known for their fun, extravagant, over-the-top ads. It’s when companies go all out. There was the Budweiser ad with the puppy and the Clydesdales. A sassy ad in which a little blue pill gets lost and…Advertising3 min readAdvertising3 min read
Nov 4, 2016How to Find Your Authentic VoiceThe following is a guest post from Unthinkable contributor, Jina Chan. These are her practical takeaways for helping you find your authentic voice, pulled from our episode, Zig When Others Zag. As craft-driven creators, we do our best work when we listen to our intuition. Sometimes that can be hard…Creativity4 min readCreativity4 min read
Oct 17, 2016The trouble with “know your audience”October 21, 2016 by Jina Chan “Know your audience.” It’s a maxim of good storytelling — not just for writers, but also for stand-up comedians, salespeople, advertisers, and anyone who has to give a speech or perform in front of a crowd. Why not just ask them? That’s how a…Copywriting3 min readCopywriting3 min read
