Weird ads from me that are actually genuine
A supporter sent me the following message:
Hi Prof Keen, just wanted to ask really quick about these emails I am receiving about downloading a new book of yours - "Funny Money". Could you confirm that the emails/book are genuine? This is the first time I see mention of it and the formatting seems suspicious. Also, could you confirm your official Twitter handle as "@ProfSteveKeen"? Thanks in advance for your time and invaluable work.
These emails are genuine--but they're obviously not being written by me. Here's the background.
A marketing firm approached me with a "no lose" offer: they'd generate $X a month revenue for me or give me $Y if they failed, where X and Y are both greater that US$1,000. So I thought why not give it a try?
The product they're marketing (for a range of clients of whom I am just one) is a set of "Mastermind" lectures (to be delivered by the client). Most people they're marketing this way are selling "learn my trading technique and double your trading profits in just 8 weeks!" type lectures.
Obviously, that's not me! Nor does it suit me audience--especially people like you who support me on Patreon and Substack.
I must say, first of all, that this could have turned out very badly, as a previous venture did with someone whose last name is the same as that of a defunct Italian currency. However, the people behind this--the principals of a company called "Highest Paid Creator"--have turned out to be very good people that I'm happy to work with.
They're also doing several kinds of marketing: this direct mail stuff following the "Fear of Missing Out" approach that my supporters rightly find annoying; but also some YouTube shorts extracted from videos of interviews which are excellent (this is their latest:
). Secondly, the spur to write a set of seven lectures like this has been very worthwhile.
I've given two so far: (1) When and how did economics go wrong; (2) How money is created. I'll give the 3rd this Thursday ("How Minsky Moments Happen"), and another 4 over the following weeks.
So I apologise for the style of those emails--and the principals are realising too that they're inappropriate for my audience. But it is genuine, and the "funnel" of a copy of Funny Money is followed up by an invite to pay for that set of lectures, which about ten people have taken up. Their plan is to use this as a trial run and then do a larger marketing campaign next time with fully prepared lectures and support materials, and an audience in the hundreds rather than tens--which is where the $X per month is supposed to come from.
All the best to everyone for 2023.