Pop culture meets marketing and business growth. Dirty Chats is the marketing podcast that turns celebrity gossip, trending scandals and viral moments into brand strategy, marketing psychology and entrepreneurial tips...so you can gossip AND grow your business. Hit follow to join founders, marketers, and creatives who want marketing advice with a side of juicy pop culture.
46: Kim Kardashian's Update Energy Drink Ad Is a Marketing Masterclass + the Kendall Jenner nose debate
Kim Kardashian just dropped the most psychologically dialled ad of the year... and I'm jealous I didn't write it. 7.7 million views in nine hours (and counting). And no, it's not just because she's Kim Kardashian. But first, Dirty Dish. This week I'm covering: Robbie Williams, a FIFA interview, and the mystery white object that fell onto his mic. Amanda Batula shutting down pregnancy rumours in the most Amanda way possible. Kris Jenner going on plastic surgeon Simon Ourian's podcast to defend Kendall Jenner's nose. Then in Dirty Business, I'm breaking down Kim Kardashian's debut campaign for Update, her new energy drink brand. This isn't a "celebrity posts ad, ad goes viral" story. There are six specific psychological tactics baked into this reel, and every single one of them is stealable for your business... even if your audience is 700 followers and not 75 million. I also have a very exciting announcement about something I've been building behind the scenes. You'll want to hear this one. → Why Kim Kardashian's Update energy drink ad entertains first and sells second (and the brain chemistry that makes it work) → How self-deprecation works as a security signal that builds audience trust → What world-building and parasocial relationships have to do with why customers become loyal to brands → Why pain point marketing beats listing features every single time → How to use personality-driven marketing to convert your website visitors, even as a small business Sign up for my free 5-day workshop, How to Get Found, Liked, and Booked on AI, HERE Stalk my website HERE
45: Did Phoebe Gates Commit Fraud? The Phia Cookie Stuffing Scandal + Justin Baldoni Breaks His Silence
Phoebe Gates raised over $35 million for her shopping app Phia. Now the whole internet is asking one question... did she commit fraud? This week on Dirty Chats: The Phia cookie stuffing scandal taking over the tech internet Justin and Emily Baldoni's surprise statement after two years of silence A hot take on whether you should lie in your business to get ahead First, Justin Baldoni and Emily Baldoni broke their silence with a statement reel nobody saw coming... and I break down why their PR playbook has been flawless from day one. Then, Phoebe Gates (yes, Bill Gates' daughter) and co-founder Sophia Kianni are accused of cookie stuffing through Phia, their AI shopping app backed by celebrity investors like Sydney Sweeney and Hailey Bieber. I explain what cookie stuffing actually means in plain English, why the word "fraud" is being thrown around, and the halo effect... the marketing shortcut that made all of us trust them without checking a single thing. I also lay out my PR comeback plan and redemption arc for Phoebe. Then in Dirty Business, a 15K business coach posted that lying at the start of your career is basically mandatory... and I have thoughts. I share the terrifying first time I called myself a copywriter, how I landed my first keynote without begging for it, and the one kind of lying I fully endorse. → What cookie stuffing (affiliate attribution fraud) is and why Phia's "it was a bug" defence isn't landing → How the halo effect lets founders borrow celebrity credibility... and why investors hand over millions without checking → The crisis PR moves Phia is getting wrong right now → Why "fake it till you make it" hits differently for women raising capital → The mindset shift behind booking speaking gigs, clients, and opportunities before you feel ready JOIN the Get Found, Get Liked, Get Booked Workshop HERE Check out Unstoppable Women Conference HERE
44: TAYLOR SWIFT'S WEDDING to Travis Kelce...the full debrief + the magic of world building for your brand
Taylor Swift married Travis Kelce at Madison Square Garden, and everyone (except me) is reading it wrong Taylor Alison Swift is married, and the internet is losing its mind over a peach curtain. In Dirty Dish, I'm unpacking the royal wedding of the year: the thousand guests, the raffle, the "T and T married" billboard in the world's most boring font, the Adam Sandler of it all. I've got a theory that reframes this whole thing the second you stop looking at it as a wedding...😏 I also get into the Blake Lively snub (a thousand people invited and she still didn't make the list), and the Karlie Kloss feud that may have quietly healed itself. Then in Dirty Business, we stay right on Taylor, because she is the single greatest living example of the one marketing skill every commentator is obsessed with in 2026: world-building. Why do we all feel personally betrayed by a venue choice? Because Taylor has spent years making millions of strangers feel like they know her, and she did it on purpose. I break down exactly how, plus two brands pulling off the same trick with zero celebrity attached. → Why world-building is the marketing skill everyone's talking about in 2026, and how Taylor Swift quietly mastered it years ago → How giving your audience a job inside your brand (instead of just talking at them) turns casual followers into people who defend you → What Duolingo's fake owl funeral and Liquid Death's billion-dollar "canned water" empire teach you about building a brand world → Why effort is the glue that makes people loyal, and how small rituals get your audience marketing for you for free → The one thing AI genuinely cannot copy in 2026, and why it's your biggest competitive advantage
43: Evan Spiegel lost billions launching Snapchat's AI glasses...here's what he should've done
Evan Spiegel launched Snapchat's new Specs AR glasses, and within 48 hours Snap had lost 2 billion dollars. Yes, with a B. This week I get into the Snap Specs launch... the keynote, the $2,195 price tag, and why everyone online blaming the "ugly" glasses has it completely wrong. I break down the actual reason Evan Spiegel's launch tanked (it isn't the design, and it isn't the cost), then I rebuild the entire campaign the way I'd have run it. (Miranda Kerr, you're so welcome.) Then in Dirty Business, I get personal about my "bad audio." A friend literally gasped when I admitted my podcast audio wasn't perfect. So I'm unpacking why I hit publish anyway, and the one thing that's quietly grown this show to number one in multiple countries while I spent 10 months getting around to the curtains, the carpet and the sound. → Why Evan Spiegel's Specs keynote led with features instead of feelings... and the buyer psychology mistake that sank the launch → How Apple beat Microsoft in the early 2000s with identity-first marketing, and why people buy who they become, not what a product does → The celebrity-seeding FOMO tactic that turned an unknown bikini brand into a sell-out, and how to borrow it with zero ad budget → Why a $2,195 price tag isn't the problem (people queue for $2,000 sneakers... it's never about cost) → How "start before you're ready" took an imperfect podcast to #1 in multiple countries in 10 months → The perfectionism trap that quietly handicaps your launch, your email list and your content Check out my website HERE Podcast host: Marisa Twentyman, website copywriter for brands that don't do boring, founder of Dirty Chats, and wannabe PR specialist to the stars.
42: Olivia Rodrigo VS. Taylor Swift, Summer House Reunion, annnd I rewrite Brooklyn Beckham's terrible Doordash ad
Olivia Rodrigo VS Taylor Swift (the whole story), how popstars market themselves, Brooklyn Beckham's DoorDash commercial annnnd I give my Summer House reunion thoughts. Today's episode is mostly gossip...except the part where I unpack Olivia Rodrigo's personal branding and the common marketing thread that exists between popstars like Olivia Dean, Olivia Rodrigo, Taylor Swift, Katy Perry and Chappell Roan. SO ON THIS EPISODE: Olivia Rodrigo vs Taylor Swift. Brooklyn Beckham's $1 million DoorDash collaboration The Summer House reunion, where Amanda blew up two relationships at once and still can't work out why she's the villain I give Brooklyn a full DoorDash makeover, and I hand Amanda a PR recovery plan she did not earn but very much needs. No Dirty Business this week, but there's a real branding lesson tucked into the Olivia Rodrigo segment about what actually makes a personal brand memorable. It's the opposite of what most people do. → Why Olivia Rodrigo vs Taylor Swift and the alleged feud → What Brooklyn Beckham's DoorDash flop teaches you about brand collaborations → How the biggest pop stars build a memorable personal brand on purpose → The Summer House reunion, fully recapped, with PR plans included
41: Blocked, Threatened, Deplatformed: The Huffer AI Scandal With Elijah Timmins-Scanlon
This week I sit down with Elijah Timmins-Scanlon, the Auckland model (signed to Red Eleven) who called out New Zealand streetwear brand Huffer of using AI to generate campaign images that looked suspiciously like him. Or like him and his brother, also a model, blended into one person. He tells me how he found it, what he did next, and how aggressively the brand moved once he said something out loud. (Getting blocked by a brand's own Instagram is not the move that makes you look innocent.) We get into Huffer's official line that "computer-assisted design has been used in the industry for 30 years," the other model who clocked AI figures wearing his exact garments from a past shoot, and the quietly terrifying fact that New Zealand has almost no rights... the legal right to control how your own face and identity get used to sell things. Then Elijah shares where he thinks all of this is heading, for models, photographers, and every creative whose work just became very easy to fake. → Why blocking Elijah Timmins-Scanlon did more damage to Huffer than the original AI ad ever could → The scary reason NZ law can't protect a face that's been AI-cloned → How the same garments turning up on "new" models turns a hunch into receipts → Why "computer-assisted design" became the corporate non-answer of the year → What AI really means for working creatives right now, from someone living through it Follow Elijah on IG HERE , Tiktok HERE I'm Marisa Twentyman, podcast host of Dirty Chats, and founder of Dirty Copy. Find me on Instagram HERE
40: How to go Viral in 2026 (my experience) + Taylor Swift Gets Sued
I unpack the 4 ways accounts are blowing up in 2026, and the common thread between my viral posts (that translates to reels, YAP videos and carousels). Also, Taylor Swift gets sued and the title of her new song is suspicious. On Dirty Dish this week I get into: Taylor's Toy Story 5 song, "I Knew It, I Knew You"... and the Gracie Abrams of it all The Maren Wade lawsuit over The Life of a Showgirl Then we get into Dirty Business. This week I'm answering the thing everyone wants answered and almost no one can pull off... how do you actually go viral in 2026? I break down the four ways I'm watching people blow up right now, and the fourth one is the exact technique behind two of my recent carousels that did 370,000 and 113,000 views. → Why hyper-specific relatable pain points still print views (and why "pain points are dead" is a lie people keep telling me) → How one creator added 70,000 followers from a single post about... styling a bed → Why controversial, quirky, non-neutral content is the only thing that stops the scroll → My most repeatable viral strategy: mining real emotion as engagement bait across carousels, Reels, emails and Substack → How the Belle Burden "Strangers" carousel tapped a deep emotional reservoir and pulled 13,000 likes and 700+ comments Get the Viral Carousel Course HERE Visit my website HERE Follow me on IG HERE Follow me on TikTok HERE
39: Meghan Trainor gets trolled online (PR plan inside) + Anne Hathaway lies about her facelift
There's a new most-trolled Meghan in town... and I have a full PR plan to save her. In Dirty Dish I cover: The Anne Hathaway "I swear it's just two tight braids" facelift saga Marciano and Jessi from Love Is Blind and how they pulled off the redemption arc of the century Then in Dirty Business... I break down why Meghan Trainor's latest album Toy With Me debuted at #198 on the Billboard 200, why she cancelled her Get In Girl tour, and why the TikTok comments under her single tease have become a competitive sport for trolls. Spoiler: this is not actually a music problem. It's a brand identity problem. And naturally, I break it down. I also pitch Meghan a full PR plan, including a bonus track concept... Still waiting for my cheque 😏 → Why Meghan Trainor's brand identity broke when her body changed, and what that means for any business going through a rebrand → The Taylor Swift principle of brand evolution vs. brand 180, and why one works and the other gets you cancelled → How to rebuild emotional connection with an audience that feels betrayed by your pivot → Why "marketing is mining for feelings" is the only sentence you need to memorise this week → The exact PR move that turns trolls into your highest-performing content Follow me on Insta HERE Check out my website HERE
38: Will Spencer Pratt Be LA's Next Mayor? Alex Cooper is pregnant + the weird Ozempic economy
Spencer Pratt is running for Mayor of LA and I have become genuinely, unironically invested. This week on Dirty Chats, I'm covering the marketing masterclass nobody saw coming, plus the unhinged economic ripple effects of one in eight Americans being on Ozempic. In Dirty Dish I'm covering: Alex Cooper's pregnancy announcement and why my PR prediction from three weeks ago has officially COME TRUE. Amanda Frances, her Abundance Timeline challenge, and the viral post that made me $4.5K USD in three days (please check out my friend Dr Sienna Olson if you want GLP-1 support https://www.instagram.com/dr.siennaolson/ ) The financial winners and losers of the Ozempic and GLP-1 boom... Shocking news about Aqua Then in Dirty Business I'm breaking down Spencer Pratt's mayoral campaign and why it's a positioning and messaging masterclass for 2026. From the Palisades fires to Karen Bass's Ghana trip, to Heidi Montag's Superficial finally hitting number one, to the AI billboards, the dog interviews with Amanda Bekant, the Hollywood endorsements...this campaign is doing what every great marketer does. I also explain why Karen Bass's attack ad on Spencer accidentally became his best marketing asset. → How Spencer Pratt positioned himself as the "anti-politician" and why that frame is the entire campaign → The two specific pain points he zeroed in on (and why specificity always beats broad messaging) → Why authenticity plus a sad story is the most powerful combo in marketing right now → How Karen Bass's attack ad accidentally became Spencer's best marketing asset → The exact 2026 marketing playbook: AI, influencers, raw content, and refusing to be polished → Why listening to your audience changes your messaging (and why the opposition isn't doing it) Check out my website HERE
37: Blake Lively Settles With Wayfarer Studios + Whitney Leavitt Quits Mom Tok + Why I Postponed My Launch
In a move no one saw coming, Blake Lively has settled with Wayfarer Studios... and I am in mourning. That courtroom trial was the only way I was emotionally getting through May 2026. (We're devastated. We're inconsolable. We're rewatching the Met Gala interview for forensic evidence.) This week on Dirty Dish , I'm breaking down the settlement no one wanted: what Blake Lively actually agreed to, what Justin Baldoni's lawyer Bryan Freedman is saying about it, and why I think the real war isn't over...it's just moved to the box office. I also unpack Whitney Leavitt leaving The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives and why this is a full Geri Halliwell-leaving-the-Spice-Girls moment for Mom Tok. Plus...I have a brand new PR plan for Blake. It involves a baking blog, and that's all I'm giving you. Then yes, I talk about marketing as well. In Dirty Business , I'm getting honest about why I postponed a launch by a month. We're talking about the self-imposed deadlines that quietly wreck your business, the moment I caught myself comparing my business to other women's, and the very specific thing my husband had to bully me into admitting. It's not a tidy lesson. It's the actual conversation. → Why Blake Lively's Met Gala 2026 appearance hours after settling with Wayfarer Studios was a calculated PR move, not a coincidence → What Justin Baldoni's strategic silence tells you about owning the narrative when the internet wants a statement → The Whitney Leavitt and Secret Lives of Mormon Wives lesson on when to detach your brand from a group identity → The exact moment a self-imposed deadline stops serving your business and starts costing you → Why I started getting jealous of other woman Dirty Chats is hosted by Marisa Twentyman, website copywriter and founder of Dirty Copy. New episodes drop weekly. Check out my website HERE
36: Nike's Identity Crisis, Taylor Frankie Paul's Court Order, and Emma Grede's controversial book tour
I'm ranting today. Women in the entrepreneurial space need to stop being put on a pedestal...because I'm starting to feel like a lot of them are being dishonest. Also we've got Taylor Frankie Paul and Dakota Mortensen back in court...the judge absolutely clocked what's going on there... Plus Nike's embarrassing response to their Boston Marathon campaign backlash, and why their non-apology is a masterclass in what NOT to do when your brand gets backlash from the Karens. Next, how Emma Grede turned every controversy on her book tour into free press for Start With Yourself... and the reframe strategy behind it And then I go into a rant about women in the entrepreneurial space, the wide-open-calendar performance, paying for proximity, and why the real opportunity right now belongs to the women who've actually been putting in the work. I have opinions. (You've been warned.) I'm Marisa Twentyman, website copywriter and founder of Dirty Copy, copywriting for brands that don't do boring. I'm the host of Dirty Chats podcast... And you can find me HERE on Instagram and HERE on my website
35: Alex Cooper vs Alix Earle: The Feud Explained (Call Her Daddy Podcast Drama).
ON THE POD TODAY>>> What happened in Belle Burden's smash hit memoir Strangers? (and why did my carousel about it go viral?) I chat about the devastating prenup, what my husband said about the husband leaving, and what my carousel angle taught me about Instagram metrics. The Alex Cooper Vs Alix Earle drama explained: what actually kicked the feud off, and why Matt Kaplan is all of a sudden in hot water (and why he shouldn't called 'Matt')...and I pitch an unofficial PR plan for Alex Cooper that I will absolutely NOT be posting. How can you make sure you actually achieve your goals? I learnt a LOT this week about the psychology between why some people achieve their goals, and others just dream about them. This part you genuinely don't want to miss. Get Viral Carousel Course HERE What you'll learn: → Why Instagram's shift to interest media is changing who sees your content - and why your followers aren't the audience anymore → The one thing AI genuinely cannot do for your content (and why creatives are the ones who win in this new era) → Why Gabrielle Oettingen's weight loss study proves pure visualisation makes you less likely to hit your goal → How Peter Gollwitzer's "if-then" implementation intentions doubled follow-through across 94 studies and 8,000+ participants → The difference between confidence and self-efficacy — and why one predicts success better than IQ → Why elite athletes focus on process goals over outcome goals, and how to apply it to your business If you want the exact strategy I used to land a carousel at 200K views (and the psychology underneath why it worked) — Viral Carousel is the course. I'm Marisa Twentyman, website copywriter and founder of Dirty Copy. Find my website HERE
34: Justin Bieber's $10 million Coachella set BREAKS the internet...and the marketing genius behind the Masters ⛳
Justin Bieber's $10M Coachella Set, The Masters' No-Phone Policy, and the Marketing Power of Doing Less Everyone has an opinion on Justin Bieber at Coachella. Here's mine. This week I'm breaking down two very different events ...The Masters golf tournament and Justin Bieber's stripped-back Coachella set ....and what they both accidentally taught us about the most powerful marketing move of 2026. (Yes, I'm talking about sport.) Dirty Dish: The Masters has a no-phone policy, a lottery ticket system, and merch you can only buy on-site. The result? A Black Friday shopping frenzy and a crowd of euphoric, genuinely present people. M Dirty Business: eanwhile, Justin Bieber walked on stage with a laptop and a stool, got paid $10 million, and pulled 94.2 million views — compared to Sabrina Carpenter's 2.1 million, with all the bells, whistles, and celebrity cameos money can buy. I also give my actual take on what made the Bieber set so powerful — and it's not what most people are saying. → Why banning phones was the smartest marketing decision The Masters ever made — and what FOMO actually does to buyer behaviour → How scarcity + urgency created a Black Friday mentality for golf merch → The real reason Justin Bieber's laptop segment hit harder than a $5M production budget → What counter-cultural positioning actually means for a small business (and what it costs you to do it) → Why community is the most valuable thing a brand can manufacture right now If you want carousels that actually stop the scroll, grab my Viral Carousel mini course HERE.
33: Blake Lively vs Justin Baldoni: What the Ruling Actually Means (And the PR Plan She Needs) 🐉
Hold your florals, because in this episode I SAVE BLAKE LIVELY'S REPUTATION. Also in this ep, it's the Blake Lively Justin Baldoni case explained - well, the updates anyway. Because Judge Liman just gutted two thirds of Blake Lively's lawsuit against Justin Baldoni. So, in Dirty Dish: I break down exactly what happened with the Blake Lively vs Justin Baldoni ruling. What was dismissed, why it's not as simple as "she lost," and what's actually heading to trial in May. I also go line by line through her post-ruling statement, and discuss the diabolical dragon emoji 🐉 Plus I have a full image rehabilitation plan for Blake that I genuinely believe could save her career. Dirty Business: Selena Gomez's Rare Beauty has done two activations back to back that shows she's at the top of her marketing game. And I want to explain why they work on a brain level, not just a "oh that's cute" level. Scratch-and-sniff billboards in New York City. A casino slot machine that dispenses foundation samples outside Sephora. And the psychological concept that ties them both together: the pattern interrupt. I also bring in Steven Bartlett's £13,000 blue slide and what it has to do with your content strategy in a post-AI world. → Why Judge Liman dismissed Blake Lively's sexual harassment claim and what "independent contractor" actually means legally → What's still going to trial in May and why the smear campaign claims were always the heart of this case → How Rare Beauty's experiential marketing activations use pattern interrupts to trigger dopamine and create brand memory → The neuroscience of novelty and why your brain remembers unexpected experiences more vividly than anything familiar → What Steven Bartlett's £13,000 blue slide can teach you about standing out in a saturated, AI-content-flooded market → The one question every brand needs to answer: what's your scratch-and-sniff billboard? I'm Marisa Twentyman, founder of Dirty Copy and host of Dirty Chats. Find my website HERE
32: How Alix Earle sold out Reale Actives in 19 hours...and why is Kris Jenner blowing up in China?! 🇨🇳
Alix Earle just sold out a skincare brand in 19 hours. Here's exactly how she did it. In Dirty Dish , hundreds of thousands of Chinese social media users are changing their profile pictures to Kris Jenner's face....but why? Then in Dirty Business , I break down Alix Earle's pre-launch campaign for Real Actives, her new acne skincare brand. 🧩 Alix spent months feeding people's primal brains before a single product was available to buy. The rollout included cryptic Instagram accounts, passcode-locked suitcases sent to influencers, a physical puzzle billboard in SoHo, and the Empire State Building lit up in mint green. The whole range sold out in 19 hours 🤯 I walk through every step of the campaign and the buyer psychology behind why it worked.... ... including what part of the brain actually makes people buy. The recap: → Why Kris Jenner is trending across China and what it says about how aspiration actually travels online → How Alix Earle's Real Actives pre-launch campaign used curiosity loops and dopamine to sell out in 19 hours — before most people had seen a single product → The reptilian brain buying sequence (emotion first, logic second, purchase third) and how to apply it to your own launches → Why overcoming objections publicly — the way Alix did with her Accutane history — is one of the most underused moves in product marketing → What Alix Earl's daily Get Ready With Me habit teaches us about consistency vs. intelligence in business I'm Marisa Twentyman, host of Dirty Chats, creative copywriter and marketing consultant for brands that don't do boring. THANKS FOR BEING HERE! Check out my IG here
31: Taylor Frankie Paul, The Bachelorette drama, and the $70 Million Cost of Bad PR
This week I'm unpacking the full Taylor Frankie Paul situation: the assault footage, the cancelled season, the lawsuit rumours, and the one question nobody's really asking....why did ABC cast her in the first place when they knew? (We're blaming Nick). I also have a full PR plan for three different parties caught in this mess: * the Bachelorette franchise * The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives * and Taylor herself. And yes, I pitched ABC a plan to save their show. Six days later, Deux Moi dropped a blind item that suggests they may have… borrowed it. Still waiting for my cheque 😏 The real marketing lesson buried in all of this? (yes, I talk about marketing as well.) The currency of marketing is feelings, and the second your audience feels bad about watching you, the money dries up. Here's what else I cover: → Why ABC's decision to cast Taylor Frankie Paul - despite knowing her domestic violence history - is a masterclass in what happens when entertainment brands chase drama over due diligence → The psychology behind why audiences forgave Taylor before the video, and why they can't now - and what that means for your brand's perception → Why the Secret Lives of Mormon Wives franchise may not survive this, and what a brand does when its main character becomes a liability → What a brand activation event at scale actually looks like - and how the Bachelorette could use one to rebuild visibility and recoup losses → Why silence is sometimes the only PR move that works (my real plan for Taylor, and it starts with a garden) Check out the viral IG carousel HERE And my website HERE
30: Is Meghan Markle getting paid 1 million for a girls retreat? And the truth behind Timothee Chalamet's Oscar campaign 😬
The one where I pitch Meghan Markle a business idea she didn't ask for - and break down Timothée Chalamet's Oscar campaign in history. This week on Dirty Chats, we're covering two stories that have absolutely nothing in common except that both involve famous people who both take themselves very seriously. First up in Dirty Dish - Meghan Markle. The Her Best Life retreat in Sydney sold out in days, there are conflicting reports about whether she's getting paid $1 million or doing it "as a favour for a friend" (spoiler: it's neither and both), and Netflix has officially pulled out of as ever, her lifestyle brand. I also pitch Meghan a business idea she absolutely needs to hear...what can I say, she needs me. Then in Dirty Business - will Timmy's gaffe hurt his Oscars chance? I chat timelines including Oscar voting dates. But the real story is his Marty Supreme marketing campaign, which was genuinely brilliant. A fake 18-minute leaked Zoom meeting. An orange blimp over American cities. Climbing the Las Vegas Sphere. Crashing a real table tennis tournament. Losing basketball to high schoolers with Adam Sandler. We unpack how Oscar campaigns actually work (it's literally influencer marketing invented decades before Instagram existed), the bandwagon effect in action, Seth Godin's Purple Cow... ...and I break down one of my favourite marketing startup stories of all time: BUMBLE's. What you'll learn: → Why the Oscar FYC (For Your Consideration) campaign is a $25 million marketing exercise disguised as an arts competition → How Bumble shortcutted their way to perceived status with zero ad spend — and what that means for your brand → The Purple Cow principle and why safe is actually the riskiest strategy for your business → Why showing up where your audience ISN'T is the move that changes everything → The bandwagon effect and why social proof is still the most powerful conversion tool you've got If you're creating content for your brand and want carousels that actually go viral - check out my Viral Carousel course . And if you want the gorgeous, psychology-baked templates to match, jump on the waitlist for Viral Carousel Templates. Join Carousel Template Waitlist HERE Dirty Chats is hosted by Marisa Twentyman, NZ-based copywriter and founder of Dirty Copy. New episodes drop weekly.
29: Kim Kardashian has a new brand?! And the *best* psychology tweak to get more sales.
Did Kim Kardashian just waste the best launch story of 2026? Obviously I have thoughts. This week on Dirty Chats: my husband bought me a Thermomix and I've basically become a different person, Lily Allen showed up to her tour opening night wearing a dress made of actual receipts (and it's a masterclass in specific storytelling), and Kim Kardashian quietly became co-founder of an energy drink brand with absolutely zero buildup — which, for a woman who built her entire career on anticipation, is criminal. I'm breaking down the psychology principle she completely ignored: Presuasion, the concept from Robert Cialdini that says the most powerful moment to influence a buying decision isn't when you make the ask — it's in the moments just before . What you prime your audience to think and feel before your offer lands determines everything. And I've mapped out exactly how Kim should have done this drop, week by week, if she'd wanted to actually build hype instead of just... posting a yellow can and writing "pineapple." In this episode: Why Lily Allen's receipt dress is one of the best examples of specific storytelling you'll ever see — and what it means for your copy The Thermomix that has apparently saved my marriage and set feminism back 80 years Kim K's new energy drink brand Update: the product positioning is genuinely genius, the launch strategy is not Robert Cialdini's Presuasion framework and how to use it in your own pre-launch content Why the clouds vs. coins website experiment should change how you think about every piece of content you put out before a launch How to get your audience mentally identifying as a buyer before they've seen your offer The big marketing takeaway: Most people treat pre-launch as a waiting period. Cialdini says it's actually the most valuable time in your entire campaign. The post before the launch, the email before the cart opens, the story before the ask — all of it is either building the right mental context or the wrong one. Kim built none, which means she left a lot of emotional investment — and probably a lot of sales — on the table. I'm Marisa Twentyman, founder of Dirty Copy, and I'm your girl for website copywriting, copy and marketing consultations and an AI-powered business. Check out my website HERE My Instagram HERE
28: Tyra Banks Has a Problem + The Nancy Guthrie Mystery (And Why Curiosity Sells)
Dirty Chats is BACCCCCK and firstly a note: the audio isn't quite as good as I'd hoped... 😬 In this episode, I’m breaking down two stories that had me (and the internet) in a full chokehold: – The disappearance of Nancy Guthrie , the 84-year-old mother of Savannah Guthrie, in Tucson, Arizona – The Netflix docuseries Reality Check: Inside America’s Next Top Model and the cultural reckoning around Tyra Banks and ANTM And because I physically cannot consume media without turning it into a marketing lesson… We’re talking about: The psychology of curiosity Why public attention has a 10-day shelf life How reality TV exploited contestants before social media shifted the power balance Why in 2026, authenticity beats polish And why AI might be the next cultural shift you cannot afford to ignore I also highlight two real-life case studies of anticipation in marketing, with Jess Ruhfus' new supplement brand Staje, and Alex Warren's campaign of hype around his new single FEVER. I'm Marisa Twentyman, founder of Dirty Copy, and podcast host of Dirty Chats - where we gossip and grow your business. Download the website freebie HERE Join the Claude workshop HERE Follow Jess HERE
27: Brooklyn Beckham drama: a forensic analysis...and a PR plan for the Peltzes *BONUS EP*
This week on Dirty Chats , I’m finally doing what you’ve all been waiting for: a forensic analysis of the Brooklyn Beckham family drama... plus my draft PR plan for Brooklyn and Nicola to help them come out on top of the PR war (which they absolutely can, if they become the first clients of my imaginary PR company). Yes, I know. This episode is late...BUT I'M STILL ON HOLIDAY, so feel special. So this episode is a bonus Dirty Chats : less business, more gossip (for now), and a brutally honest breakdown of why this situation played out exactly the way it did. I go line by line through Brooklyn’s statement, unpack the wedding stories, the “signing away my name” confusion, the blocking/unfollowing chaos, and explain the one thing the internet never forgives: looking butthurt in public when you’re not beloved yet. What I cover in this episode Why the internet sided with the Beckhams without a single shred of evidence How nostalgia beats logic every single time Why publishing family grievances online is reputation-defining (and rarely in your favour) What the “signing away my name” claim is actually about (hint: trademarks, not control) Why “we just want privacy” is the fastest way to become a meme My unfiltered take on who I believe, when, and why And finally: the only PR strategy that would actually work for Brooklyn & Nicola The big marketing lesson.... This entire feud isn’t about truth - it’s about brand equity . The Beckhams don’t just have a family. They have a brand . Years of nostalgia, emotional investment, and masterful narrative control mean the public will instinctively protect them. Brooklyn and Nicola? They haven’t earned public goodwill yet....and this moment has now become what they’re most famous for . That’s not a moral judgement. That’s branding. And to finish? My PR plan for Brooklyn Beckham & Nicola Peltz. Basically, they need me. This isn’t just celebrity gossip. It’s a real-time case study in what happens when you lose narrative control... and why brands (and families) guard it so aggressively. It’s also a reminder that: The internet respects unbothered Nostalgia is undefeated And if you’re going to air your dirty laundry… you’d better already be loved Get the VIRAL CAROUSEL COURSE HERE (use code DIRTYCHATS for 30% off)
