Happy Halloween — plus 11 brilliant can't miss articles / by Lewis Lin

Welcome to the latest edition of my offbeat career newsletter. As always, you'll find my 11 favorite reads for product management, marketing and negotiations below.

And if you missed my earlier note on being a brand ambassador, it's not too late to apply.

Let's go...

Cheers,

Lewis C. Lin

PS Thanks to those of you who sent in your NYC recommendations. My trip favorites: The Meatball Shop (ice cream sandwiches!), Luksus (sour beer!), and the High Line (gorgeous!). Other noteworthy places that I visited, but didn't make the cut list: Eataly, Ippudo, and Carnegie Deli. And for Broadway fans, Jersey Boys is a must!

TOP PRODUCT MANAGEMENT ARTICLES WORTH READING 
Google Ventures On 8 Shortcuts For Better, Faster Design Research 
Good design matters. But can you do it quickly? Google Ventures offers some excellent tips.

My Dream Design Curriculum 
Julie Zhuo shares what she'd take in college to be the ultimate product designer.

Are These the 12 Types of Millennials? 
Having trouble defining personas? Let this list of 12 millenial personas inspire you.

Mothers Get Social on Smartphones 
Trying to understand how mothers spend time on their smartphones? This market research give a detailed look into this use case.

Affordances matter 
Geoff Teehan goes clinical and tells us how something as simple as a "Shift" key on a smartphone can be redesigned.

TOP MARKETING ARTICLES WORTH READING 
Sex, Lies, and the Art of Commanding Attention 
Advertising legend, David Ogilvy, once said, "“On the average, five times as many people read the headline as read the body copy. When you have written your headline, you have spent eighty cents out of your dollar.” If you believe Ogilvy, then you better read this article.

How To Write Seductive Sales Copy Like Apple 
If you believe in the power of headlines, then you probably believe in marketing copy. Read how the best do copy.

A Glimpse Into Marketers' Social Media Strategies 
What are the top questions, priorities, content shared, and platforms used by social media marketers? Market research firms share the numbers from their poll of 2,500+ marketers.

The Psychology Behind Costco's Free Samples 
Dan Ariely explains why free samples drive Costco sales.

KitKat Has the Best Response So Far to Apple's #Bendgate Scandal 
Top social media marketers leverage Internet memes, and KitKat did it best during Apple's recent iPhone 6 launch.

TOP NEGOTIATION ARTICLE WORTH READING 
Become a Master Negotiator in 4 Easy Steps 
4 timeless tips on how to get better at negotiation.

Photo credit: Nomadic Lass