Digital Social Hour
Why Clarity in Messaging Builds Billion-Dollar Brands | Donald Miller DSH #1358
Thu, 01 May 2025
Why does clarity in messaging matter? 🤔 Discover how it can transform businesses into billion-dollar brands! 🚀 Join Sean Kelly on the Digital Social Hour as he sits down with Donald Miller for an unfiltered conversation packed with valuable insights on crafting sound bites, storytelling strategies, and why simplicity always wins. 🎯 Donald shares incredible examples of how clear messaging creates impact, from political campaigns to business branding. They discuss how obsession, not just talent, drives success and why words are the most powerful tool you have to shape your future. 🧠✨ Plus, hear Donald’s take on building confidence, overcoming challenges, and crafting taglines that resonate. This episode isn’t just about messaging—it’s about personal growth, overcoming insecurities, and finding meaning in what you do. 💡 Don’t miss out on this game-changing discussion! Watch now and subscribe for more insider secrets. 📺 Hit that subscribe button and stay tuned for more eye-opening stories on the Digital Social Hour with Sean Kelly! 🚀 CHAPTERS: 00:00 - Intro 00:50 - Donald’s Car Wash Convention Speech 01:50 - Evolution of Storytelling 04:58 - Therasage Discount Offer 07:39 - Overcoming Insecurities 11:41 - Building Confidence 14:15 - Importance of Clarity 17:04 - Podcast Problem Solving 18:50 - Southwest Airlines PR Crisis 20:25 - Impact of Words 24:10 - Success: Gifted vs. Obsessed 26:34 - Starting Your Podcast Journey 28:35 - Advantages of Early Wins 33:18 - The Art of Name Dropping 37:45 - Understanding Agoraphobia 41:11 - Finding Meaning 43:18 - Redemptive View on Suffering 51:44 - Breaking Victim Mentality 51:53 - Mindsets: Victim, Villain, Hero, God 55:59 - Outro APPLY TO BE ON THE PODCAST: https://www.digitalsocialhour.com/application BUSINESS INQUIRIES/SPONSORS: [email protected] GUEST: Donald Miller https://www.instagram.com/hair.soupp SPONSORS: AIRES TECH: https://airestech.com/ THERASAGE: https://therasage.com/ YAY NUTS: https://yaynuts.com/ LISTEN ON: Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/digital-social-hour/id1676846015 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/5Jn7LXarRlI8Hc0GtTn759 Sean Kelly Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/seanmikekelly/ The views and opinions expressed by guests on Digital Social Hour are solely those of the individuals appearing on the podcast and do not necessarily reflect the views or opinions of the host, Sean Kelly, or the Digital Social Hour team. While we encourage open and honest conversations, Sean Kelly is not legally responsible for any statements, claims, or opinions made by guests during the show. Listeners are encouraged to form their own opinions and consult professionals for advice where appropriate. Content on this podcast is for entertainment and informational purposes only and should not be considered legal, medical, financial, or professional advice. #contentmarketing #clientacquisition #effectivemessaging #personalbranding #brandingclarity
Chapter 1: Who is Donald Miller and what drives his success?
But, you know, went off for a few years and figured out how to write and put together a book. I don't know if I was naturally gifted. I was naturally obsessed. You know, I'm curious about how much people who succeed are gifted or are they just obsessed? Like, do they actually have an obsessive drive, which makes it look like they're gifted? Okay, guys, got Donald Miller out here in Las Vegas.
You ready for a fun week? I am, yeah. Ready for Grateful Dead and a few podcasts? Yep, Grateful Dead, doing a couple podcasts, speaking at a car wash convention. So, yeah, it'll be busy. Vegas has all sorts of conventions. That's the first time I'm hearing of a car wash one. Hell, you guys have like the biggest conventions in the world. That's the good part about living here.
Yeah.
Chapter 2: Why is clarity in messaging crucial for businesses?
I don't have to go anywhere. And all those speakers come in to speak at those conventions and they stop by your office, I'm sure. Exactly. Yeah, it's a win-win, man. But yeah, what are you going to talk about there? Storytelling? I'm going to talk about, yeah, I mean, you know, my shtick is clarify your message so customers engage.
So I'm going to talk about how most businesses are missing out on sound bites and how you need to have sound bites no matter what you do. You need to have sound bites that you repeat in order to sort of help people understand why you're valuable to them. Yeah. And it doesn't matter what business you're in. It doesn't matter if you're running for office.
Chapter 3: How do soundbites enhance customer engagement?
I mean, honestly, it's true just as a human being, you know, that we value people who can solve problems. And if you know what problem you can solve and you're able to articulate it, the perceived value of you goes up as a person. So, you know, it's true in business. It's true in leadership. It's true in just being a person. Have you seen the formula for a successful storytelling change over time?
Because I remember when I was a kid, those commercials, I still remember the jingle to some of those. And now I feel like the commercials these days, I forget about them instantly. Yeah, we've kind of broken away from, you know, with all the noise. I'm amazed at how bad advertising is. It's awful. It's a waste of money. Most of it.
You know, I remember I was watching, are you a football fan at all? Yeah. Who do you like? Giants. I grew up in Jersey. Okay. I'm a Seahawks fan. Okay. So I'm watching the Seahawks one day and in the end zone of the football field are painted the words crucial catch. Have you seen this? No, I haven't seen that.
So a crucial catch and there's three colorful bars that reminded me of the old like Polaroid Kodak logo. And I thought, well, they must be advertising line of cameras, you know, crucial catch, like catch the picture or whatever. Two weeks later, I find out that is a cancer awareness campaign. And it was, you know, crucial catch, intercept cancer, all this kind of stuff.
That is a great example of an absolute waste of money. Because, you know, you sit around with some ad execs and they say, oh, you know, what could be more crucial than catching cancer? Oh, you know, catching a ball in the end zone is crucial. Oh, what if we say crucial catch? And nobody was in the room when they had that conversation. So they end up shipping just confusing language.
And you see it over and over. And you see the ramifications of it. I mean, you know, if they would have just put, promise us you'll get screened for cancer in the end zone, they'd have saved a lot more lives. But there's almost like this necessity that people feel to be sophisticated or clever or cute. Yeah. And it costs them. It costs them. Yeah.
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Chapter 4: What examples illustrate the impact of clear vs. confusing messaging?
The reality is you've got to be able to articulate the value that you offer on the open market, if you will, really, really quickly and in a soundbite. Because nobody thinks in a nuanced way anymore. At least not when they're encountering a brand or a leader or something like that. People think in soundbites. Let me give you an example, Sean. I realize politics is a provocative...
place to go but it's a great place to study effective messaging ineffective messaging You had somebody like Jeb Bush who wrote a book on immigration. He wrote a book on education. And he's at 3% in the polls. Donald Trump's immigration policy was three words, build a wall. He gets elected president. You see what I'm saying? Yeah, yeah. Simple. It's simple. There's no nuance to it.
The brain has to burn calories in order to process information. And the more calories you make people burn up front, the less likely they will be to pay attention to you.
Yeah.
Now, after they get through what we call the curiosity phase, they'll pay a lot more attention to you and they'll be willing to burn calories, but you got to earn that. And you earn it with, you know, with soundbites, at least in the field that I'm in, which is helping people clarify their message. You burn some serious calories using your brain. I don't know. Six to 800 calories a day. Yeah.
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Chapter 5: How can leaders and brands use taglines to become survival assets?
The first thing that it does is it says, here's what we deliver. The second thing that it says is if we don't deliver this, we're going to lose. So that's a really freaking good tagline. What you want to do with any organization or any person, or if you're a leader or even with your podcast, you want to associate what you offer with the survival of the person paying attention to you. Wow.
Because human beings are designed to survive. that's the number one thing that they think about all day long is how am I going to thrive? How am I going to survive? How am I going to protect my assets? How am I going to gain assets? How am I going to gain status or associate with somebody who might... It all sounds fairly utilitarian, but it's true. And so if you want to sell a product or...
have people respect and admire you, be known for helping other people survive in some way. And the way I say it is become a survival asset. You know, the reason we're attracted to, I just met your lovely fiance. You know, I hate to say it, but the reason you're attracted to her is because she's a survival asset in some way, right? She's a good friend. She's a nurturer. She makes you laugh.
She calms you down. She eases anxiety. You know, she's a good hang. Same thing with you, right? She's looking at you going, that dude probably is going to be a good dad someday. He's got a stable mind. He didn't blow his temper. You see what I'm saying? Yeah. We think love is unconditional. It's very conditional. And by the way, isn't it very loving of you to be a good survival asset for her?
Like that's a very other centered thing to do. So it's not like we're manipulating people. We want to be a survival asset. So, you know, the, one of the things that I do is I go into companies and, you know, pretty quickly try to figure out what do you offer that's helping people survive? And then how do we articulate that in the form of a tagline or a controlling idea or a one-liner strategy?
landing page copy things like that and um and it's a fun it's it's like it's not playing chess it's like doing a crossword puzzle it feels like you're just kind of figuring out a puzzle yeah I feel like the biggest brands are really good at that they're really good at the psychology aspect they are you know if you have a really big brand like Coca-Cola or Nike you can afford to be more vague and elusive um
Most small businesses try to do that and they fail because we all know what a Coca-Cola is. We've all tasted it. Shout out to Yay Nuts, today's sponsor. If you're looking for a snack that's bold, crunchy, and packed with flavor, say yay to Yay Nuts, the deliciously addictive nuts that bring the party to your taste buds. From almonds to cashews, every bite is a flavor adventure.
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Yeah, they got time on their side. They've been around for a long time. You'll love this. There's a billboard outside my office and it says, sitting the fence, question mark, call a cowboy. That's it. It's got a picture of a cowboy. And by the way, the cowboy is spelled with a K. And I'm like, that's a giant waste of money. So, you know, I do a little due diligence.
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Chapter 6: What advice does Donald give about building confidence and overcoming insecurities?
Yeah, I mean, hard on myself, but also just like kind of making fun of myself as a way to not come off as a threat. Yeah. And I think it cost me. Because you started manifesting it, right?
Yeah.
I started manifesting it and people stopped taking me seriously. Right. You know? Yeah. You got to be careful what you're saying. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. A little bit. Yeah. I could definitely relate to that. I used to be very pessimistic. Did you really? What happened? Did you read some books that...
uh i was more like uh podcasts and audiobooks and youtube videos yeah like books helped but environment honestly like you just got away from some of the people who are negative that helped the most because i grew up in a very pessimistic environment can you tell me a little bit about that well just curious like parents got divorced yeah they were both so negative about bitter about how it ended i guess and they never let go of it yeah i'm around that seeing both sides every day you have siblings no only child
Oh, wow. So that was huge for you. Yeah, that probably played a role in it too. How old were you? I was a fourth grade when they got divorced. Oh. So I had to deal with that on my own. Man, do you have a... Can I just be frank? Do you have a chip on your shoulder? I did. A lot of people who are... That's the reason I'm here, man.
Yeah.
A lot of people who are successful, they have a chip on their shoulder. Yeah. That used to fuel me a lot. It's not as strong as it used to be. What was the chip about? Like for me... For me, the chip was, we grew up very, very poor. My dad left when I was a kid, so I never really knew him. Yeah. Chased him down and met him when I was 35. Wow. We got to dive into that later. Yeah, maybe.
And it was, I'm going to prove to the world that I'm not white trash. And that fueled a lot of the drive. Yeah. So mine was, we grew up middle class, so I don't think finances was the main reason, but mainly proving people wrong. I got bullied a lot. I think even my own parents kind of doubted if I would be successful or not because I didn't go the academic route. Yeah.
And that was all my mother knew coming from China, coming from best colleges. So that was a big contentious point. So I don't even think like she watches every episode. I don't even think she believed in me at a certain point. She'll say this herself, you know, like... We used to argue all the time about grades and everything. Yeah. A similar experience.
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Chapter 7: How did personal challenges shape Donald’s approach to success?
Yeah. And then there's, so what happened in the secondary pursuit? Like they realize that was empty. You didn't kill yourself. You hear it. Didn't kill myself. Did you think about it? No. But my family has a history of it. Okay. Grandfather, father, both did it. And my, uh, You don't have to get too personal, but other family members dealt with it. I'm sorry about that. Yeah, it's crazy.
So I knew that could be a possibility. So I was really aware of that. Yeah. But yeah, months of that went on and then started the podcast. Did that help? Helped so much. This is a form of therapy. It is. Do you know, I interviewed Pete Carroll, Seattle Seahawks. And he said something interesting in the interview. He said Donna had the luxury of winning early. I've never heard anybody say that.
What do you mean you had the luxury of winning early? He said, well, I was an athlete, so I won some contests and realized there's a diminishing return on success. And he said, when I started helping other people win, there was no diminishing return. He said, it's only gotten better. Wow. It's only gotten more and more fulfilling when I use my abilities to help somebody else win.
And he said, that's why I'm a coach because it's just, it's just more fulfilling and just gets better. He's coming here. I love that. That's cool. Yeah. He's going to win here too. Yeah. I hope so. We suck right now. He'll turn around. Yeah, we've had a few rough seasons. But no, that's so true.
And that might play into why I podcast because I'm seeing the messages I'm getting now and all the people coming up to me and it feels amazing. Yeah, man, it does. And kind of beating your own chest doesn't do it. I don't know anybody. Do you know any narcissists who are actually happy? That's a good-ass question. Narcissists that are happy. No. I know a lot who are driven.
I know a lot who are famous and successful. Well, there's a lot of entrepreneurs that are narcissists. Yeah. CEOs. I think way higher than normal. Yep. They did studies on this. Which I think I have some of those traits, by the way. Yeah. You probably do too. Well, yeah, I've taken the test. I mean, not the narcissistic personality. So, I mean, that's crazy.
No, that's not terrible, but I've taken the dark triad test. The one where he has takes a 60 out of a hundred. I haven't taken that. I bet you, I bet you. I think, you know, I, I heard George W. Bush get interviewed once and somebody said, you know, are you a narcissist? And he goes, well, you kind of have to be if you think, if you think you deserve to be president.
I was like, that's a really nice, honest way of answering that. It's a very non-narcissistic way to answer that question, by the way. I could see it though. Yeah, but you have to, you have to, you know, why should you have a podcast? You know, and so it's, I think it's a, it's a, You know, who am I to write a book? Literally, I'm going to sit down and write 300 pages that I think you should read.
I mean, that's got to be a little bit narcissistic. Yeah. Right? But at the same time, I think you should read it. And I think, and when other people read it, they think they should read it too. So I don't know. I'm always asking myself. It's an interesting one. It's a very interesting one. It's portrayed so negatively to be a narcissist. Yeah.
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Chapter 8: How did starting a podcast help Donald through difficult times?
Yeah. So your identity comes from inside you and who you know you are. I think I'm knowing myself better and better as time goes on. Is there therapy involved in that? Tried therapy when I had agoraphobia. What's agoraphobia? Fear of leaving your house. Are you being serious? Yeah, I couldn't leave my bedroom for a month. Holy crap. I would have a full-on panic attack and collapse. That's insane.
Crazy. I thought that would be the rest of my life at a certain point when I was in that phase. And how did you get out of that? So it was from a lawsuit. I thought I was going to lose everything. Somebody sued you. Somebody sued me. I was like 20 at the time, super young, never got taught about any of this stuff. Yeah, that can scare the heck out of you. Yeah.
If it went to trial, I would have been bankrupt. Is it the cybersecurity? It was TCPA. Have you heard of that one? Telephone Consumer Protection Agency. Okay, maybe not. Basically, every text that your business sends out is a $500 fine if you don't have this checkbox saying that you could text your customers. And I sent out tens of thousands of texts.
So it would have been, yeah, it would have been bankruptcy. And somebody sued you? Somebody sued me, yeah. So what happened was they were emailing. They called you and said, hey, man, you need this box. Yeah, well, they were emailing my customer service agency and they weren't forwarding me the emails. And they eventually just sued because I wasn't responding. And that took you in your room.
Took me in my room. Dark place. And combined that with some Xanax. Ooh. Not fun. Not fun at all. So was the lawsuit being dismissed or whatever? Yeah, so once it got dismissed, that helped a little bit, but it was still lingering. It makes you feel like there's like the devil's out there. I mean, you could get screwed legally quick these days. Yeah.
If you're not prepared mentally and financially, it could ruin you. Yeah. Like so easily too. Yeah. That's why when I see Trump getting sued all the time and he doesn't seem to care, it's like super impressive to me. I think he cares. I think he's used to it. And I think he has, he knows how to play the game. Yeah. You know, he's got really, really thick skin, but I think he cares.
I think nobody wants, nobody, You know, he's also a corporation, right? So he's not actually being sued. Right. You know, some entity that he's probably got 700 corporations and one of them can go bankrupt and it won't affect the others. You know, all that sort of stuff. He knows the strategies and he's got some really ferocious lawyers too. He does. But now I realize it's inevitable.
Like if you're going to be in business, you're going to get sued. Yeah. So I didn't know that at the time. Yeah. I get sued about once a year. Yeah. Same.
We always settle.
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