the postcard fades, but the coffee’s always real

Published about 2 months ago • 1 min read

Hey, hey Reader,

There’s this quote I love from The Rules of Civility by Amor Towles.

The narrator, Kate, is talking about her dad, and she says:

“Whatever setbacks he had faced in his life…he always knew that he would make it through, as long as when he woke in the morning he was looking forward to his first cup of coffee.”

Looking forward to something is often better than the thing itself.

That next-day cup of coffee isn't nearly as great as the possibility of it (well....sort of).

I’ve carried that quote with me for years.

I’ve shared it with friends going through hard things.

To serve as a small anchor.

Something to look forward to when the big picture feels blurry.

Just having something (I'd argue the smaller the better) to look forward to is enough.

But we've all be there when our expectations didn't match the reality.

Maybe it was a hotel room, or a person, or a product… we’ve all been sold the curated postcard.

In EdTech that same expectation gap shows up everywhere.

Over-polished, or worse over-dramatic, copy.

Emails that feel more like brochures.

Demos that don’t match day-to-day use.

So here’s a quick strategy I use, and you can borrow it:

If your email or landing page feels like it was written by a brand, ask: how would this sound if a real person said it out loud? Then, do exactly that. Read it out loud. Or even better, ask a friend.

If it feels too stiff, too vague, or too “postcard-y”, there’s your signal to rewrite.

The best copy doesn’t try to impress. It makes someone feel understood.

Because the postcard fades. But the coffee is always real.

That's it for me. See you next Wednesday.

And as always , I'm rooting for you 👏.

Kelly

PS. Wanna really know what your buyer's need before they do?👇

Join Inside the Inbox: Turn your B2B Emails into District-Winning Deals. Get on the waitlist now.

Want to Get Un-Stuck with Your Marketing Strategy? Book a 1:1 hour-long sesh with me.

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