The Amazing Art of Naming with Alexandra Watkins

Subscribe To The Podcast

Today on the show we have Alexandra Watkins. Alexandra has my dream job which is a professional namer. People pay her top dollar to come up with clever, catchy, and memorable names that instantly make you smile.

We are going to break down some of the secrets of her process in this episode and learn a little bit more about how she sees her art beyond just naming. We also talk about how she lives a full life that is a brand and power essence of who she is and how she commands these very high value prices for her work.

We discuss:

[02:12] Alexandra shares her defining moment when she was in high school.
[04:21] She realizes that she doesn’t have to do what everybody else did and she can use her creativity to solve problems and that’s what she has done her whole life.
[07:34] When clients come to them they start by having them fill out a creative brief so they can learn about the business and their goals.
[09:26] A name should make you smile instead of scratch your head.
[10:39] Why be somebody else when you can be yourself? You want your idea to be fresh and original.
[12:52] Your name has to work on its own without you being there.
[16:05] Don’t choose your name by whether the domain name is available. Add a modifier word to get a domain.
[19:35] Find unexpected ways to express your creativity and create your own life how you want to live.
[20:29] Be fearless and don’t feel like you have to conform or fit into the cookie cutter. Break the mold. That is what is going to make you interesting and memorable.
[21:57] Anytime you can use humor to get your message across, it is going to have a better result for you.
[24:37] A good question to ask yourself especially if you are reviewing names with your team: Is it right for the brand? Take yourself out of the do I like it phase.
[27:06] The element of play is a magic ingredient.
[29:01] Make the last word in your sentence the most interesting word in the sentence.
[30:17] Do not ask other people what they think. It is an invitation to criticize.