236: 3 Lessons From a Public Feud
Marketing Your Business - Marketing Strategies for Business Owners
Stu McLaren
4.9 • 679 Ratings
🗓️ 18 March 2026
⏱️ 12 minutes
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Summary
Two of the most respected marketers in our industry just had a very public falling out -- all because of a single AI-generated image. And it raised a question every one of us using AI needs to answer.
Frank Kern ran an ad for his AI copywriting tool. The ad included an AI-generated image of a woman in a red string bikini. The problem? The image looked almost identical to Alex Cattoni, founder of Copy Posse. People started DMing Alex asking if it was her. She posted a video calling Frank out publicly. Frank responded saying it was a coincidence and he wasn't apologizing. The comments section became a war zone -- people comparing Frank to Jeffrey Epstein, others threatening his family, and ugly things being said about Alex too. It got out of hand fast. But underneath all the noise, there are three lessons here that matter for anyone using AI in their business.
In this episode, you'll learn:
- Why you are 100% responsible for what AI creates on your behalf (and why "it was AI" is the new "the dog ate my homework")
- The review step most people are skipping before they hit publish -- and why it's the real failure point
- Why going direct first (before going public) almost always leads to a better outcome when conflict happens
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Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | Two of the most well-known, most respected marketers and copywriters in our industry just had a very public falling out. |
| 0:08.0 | And it all started with a single AI-generated image. |
| 0:12.0 | Now, I know both of these people personally, and I respect both of them. |
| 0:16.0 | And I'm not here to pick sides, but what happened between them raised a question that I think every single |
| 0:22.5 | one of us using AI needs to answer. If AI creates something on your behalf that causes harm, |
| 0:29.9 | who's responsible? That's what we're going to be digging into today. And honestly, the answer |
| 0:34.6 | might make you a little uncomfortable. |
| 0:37.5 | Welcome to marketing your business. |
| 0:39.0 | I'm Stu McLaren, co-founder of membership.io, and author of Predictable Profits. |
| 0:44.0 | Now here's the truth. |
| 0:45.1 | You are one great marketing idea away from transforming your business. |
| 0:50.3 | One strategy can be the difference between struggling and thriving, between a business that drains you and one that fuels your life. |
| 0:56.9 | Every episode, you're going to get specific tactics you need to build your audience, |
| 1:01.4 | attract more customers, and scale your business, all without the burnout. |
| 1:05.6 | These are real strategies, real numbers, real behind the scenes. |
| 1:09.6 | Buckle your seatbelts, my friend. |
| 1:11.1 | Let's go! |
| 1:13.6 | So let me set the scene here. |
| 1:15.3 | There are two well-known, well-respected copywriters. |
| 1:18.4 | The first is Frank Kern, who's been in the internet marketing game for decades. |
| 1:23.2 | The second is Alex Cotony, who runs copy posse and has built a huge brand teaching copywriting. |
| 1:30.0 | Now, both are elite level marketers. |
... |
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