Subject line
The $100 bet Steve Jobs lost (and never paid)
In a Manhattan restaurant, Jay bet Steve that nobody in the room could say what a Macintosh was. Not one person knew. Steve, who never carried money, never paid.
The invitation
Before your audience buys more traffic… they should read this.
I'm Keith Bresee. I've spent my career building organic traffic. The programs I've run helped take DaveRamsey.com from around 280,000 monthly visitors to 3.4 million, and Dr. Axe from 500,000 to more than 12 million. I've served half a dozen Fortune 50 companies and, collectively, generated more than 2 billion clicks.
Here's what all that traffic taught me. Traffic can't fix a product problem. I've sent enough of it to know.
Then I met Jay Elliot. Steve Jobs hired him in a restaurant in 1980, and Jay sat on Steve's right in the Macintosh reviews. I asked him to write down how the products got made, and we produced the book together. It's the Product, Stupid is the result.
Now I want it in front of the founders who need it most… the ones about to commit another quarter's budget to a campaign, an agency, or a rebuild. If they read your newsletter, listen to your show, or sit in your community, I'd like to work with you.
Interviews, podcasts, and launch activity all run through me, personally.
Keith BreseeProducer, It's the Product, Stupid · Bandley Way
Why it's easy to promote
The stories write your emails for you.
Jay wrote from a few feet away. Here are 4 of the stories inside, with a subject line for each. Use them, rewrite them, or pick your own.
Subject line
The first 1-button mouse was a deodorant stick
Steve came back from Xerox PARC and sent an engineer to the pharmacy for a roll-on deodorant stick and a soap tray. That was the first prototype of the 1-button mouse.
Subject line
Why the first iPhone went back to the engineers
Jay picked up the first prototype and said it didn't feel right in his hand. Too thick. Steve agreed and gave the engineers a deadline to make it thinner. They beat it.
Subject line
"Don't trust anyone over forty… except Jay."
Steve's line around the company, as Jay tells it. And the book keeps in the argument Jay lost… about the Macintosh hard drive.
That's 4. There are 11 chapters.
What your audience gets
$47 for the book… and 5 tools to use on their own product.
It's the Product, Stupid
50 years of product judgment from inside Apple, IBM and Intel… written as a letter to one founder. 11 chapters, a start-here diagnosis, the worksheets printed inside, and 4 closing letters… including one to Steve.
Digital edition instantly · Physical book when it ships
TOOL 0110-Minute Constraint Finder
Pick what to investigate first: product, experience, or marketing.
TOOL 02First Yard File
Follow a fictional diagnosis from assumption to customer evidence.
TOOL 03The Honest Exit
What to check when the evidence points to marketing.
TOOL 04The Manifesto Ten
Jay's 10 principles, formatted for the kitchen table.
TOOL 05The Product Review
Answer the 4 questions and decide what to change.
- One payment. Nothing recurring unless they choose it. No hidden continuity, no automatic upgrade.
- 30-day keep-the-book guarantee. If they don't think it was worth $47, they get a refund and keep the book and all 5 tools.
- Nothing oversold. After they buy, they hear about The Review Room once. It's separate, and they don't need it to get everything out of the book.
What you earn
40% on the book. 30% every month on The Review Room.
Here are the terms in plain English. The partner agreement has the full version.
40%of every $47 book$18.80 a sale
30%of The Review Room, every month$59.10 a month per member, as long as they stay
The Review Room is a $197-a-month membership where founders put their actual product on the table and run the system with other people in the chair. Buyers hear about it once, after they buy the book.
When your referral wants more hands-on help.
25%of The Desk Review · $397$99.25 per sale
A private review of their product, with a recording and a written decision page: where to look first, what to change, and what would prove us wrong.
20%of The Left Seat (our high-ticket program) · $10,000$2,000 one time per referred $10,000 sale
Build the product. Install the system. Keep making it better.We work alongside their team to create or improve the product, install the review system, and help run it week after week.
The Left Seat pays a one-time commission on the initial sale, with no recurring commission on later payments or renewals. Its customer billing schedule will be confirmed in writing before partner referrals begin.
- Cookie
- 90 days
- Payouts
- Monthly, after the 30-day refund window
- Refunds
- Refunded sales don't earn commission
- Tracking
- GoHighLevel, with your own link
No income claims here. What you earn depends on your audience and how you promote it.
Your partner kit
Everything you need to send it.
Your tracked link
One link to the sales page, tracked to you.
Email swipes built from the stories
Send them as they are, or make them sound like you.
Posts and images
For your social channels and your newsletter.
An interview with me
For your podcast, newsletter, live session, or community. I'll bring the stories.
Is it a fit?
It fits if your audience makes something people buy.
- Your audience includes founders, makers, or product-minded teams.
- You publish a newsletter, host a show, lead a community, or teach.
- You'd rather send them one useful book than another growth hack.
Not a fit
If your list is hunting for a traffic hack, this isn't it. The book tells founders to look at the product before they buy more attention.
How it works
3 steps. Then send the story.
- 01
Read the sales page.
See exactly what your audience will see, and decide if it's right for them. Open the sales page.
- 02
Apply.
Tell me who you reach and how you'd introduce the book. It's a short form.
- 03
Get your link and kit.
Once you're in, you'll get your tracked link, the swipes, and the full terms. Pick your date and send.
Apply
Tell me about your audience.
A few questions so I can see the fit. The more specific you are about who you reach, the better.
Questions first? Email pirates@bandleyway.com.
Before you apply
The questions partners ask first.
What does my audience get for $47?
It's the Product, Stupid (the digital edition the moment they pay, and the physical book when it ships) plus 5 companion tools: the 10-Minute Constraint Finder, First Yard File, The Honest Exit, The Manifesto Ten, and The Product Review. One payment. Nothing recurring unless they choose it.
What do I earn, and when do I get paid?
40% of every $47 book: $18.80 a sale. If a buyer joins The Review Room ($197 a month), you earn 30% each paid month they stay: $59.10 a month.
The Desk Review ($397) earns you 25%: $99.25 per sale. The Left Seat (our high-ticket program, $10,000) earns you 20% one time: $2,000 on the initial referred sale. This commission does not recur on later payments or renewals. Its customer billing schedule will be confirmed in writing before partner referrals begin.
Payouts are monthly, after the 30-day refund window. See the partner agreement for the full commission schedule.
What if a buyer asks for a refund?
They get it. If they don't think the book and tools were worth $47, they email us within 30 days and we refund the $47. They keep the book and all 5 tools. Refunded sales don't earn commission.
Who will I be working with?
Me. Interviews, podcasts, partnerships, and launch activity all run through me, personally, at Bandley Way.
Can I call it an Apple book?
No. Apple, IBM and Intel are trademarks of their respective owners, and the book isn't affiliated with or endorsed by any of them. Talk about Jay, Steve, and the stories as much as you like… just don't imply Apple is behind it.
Is there really a physical book?
Yes. Buyers get the digital edition the moment they pay, so they can start right away, and the physical book when it ships.
Your list knows the name. Give them the method.
Apply to partnerQuestions first? Email pirates@bandleyway.com