On this blog, I try and strike a balance — well, it’s more like a ratio — of 80% useful content and 20% fun for sh#$% and giggles.
If the blog isn’t fun for me to write, it will end up boring to read, so I sometimes visit Random Land. This is such a time. I think athletic girls are fantastic (don’t worry, ladies — goodies for you soon), and I like stickers. So what do you get?
The 4-Hour Body promotional stickers!
The 4-Hour Body is almost exactly 4 weeks away, and each week, I will be debuting a new countdown sticker, ending with a launch sticker. This week features my friend Taryn Southern, whose new video “Keep It In Your Pants” might just make your head explode or your boss fire you.
How do you get the stickers? Simple:
– “Check-in” via the GetGlue app or website
– If needed: click the “Reading Book” icon, search for the book by title or “Ferriss”, and then click “Check-in”.
– You get a digital sticker automatically, but…
– Once you earn 15 stickers (via “check-ins”) for any of the books, movies, TV shows, etc. on GetGlue, you can have free 4-Hour Body physical stickers shipped to you! Put them on your dog’s forehead, laptop, or iPhone.
Crazy times. Three years ago, I never could have imagined that I’d be promoting stickers, half-naked women, and erections. Just goes to show that what my parents told me is true: when you grow up, you can do ANYTHING that you want.
God bless the Internet.
Comment Rules: Remember what Fonzie was like? Cool. That's how we're gonna be — cool. Critical is fine, but if you're rude, we'll delete your stuff. Please do not put your URL in the comment text and please use your PERSONAL name or initials and not your business name, as the latter comes off like spam. Have fun and thanks for adding to the conversation! (Thanks to Brian Oberkirch for the inspiration.)
And before knowing about you and your book, I would have never imagined doing that for such stickers… but now I'm seriously considering it 😀 Crazy times indeed!
Bah! That every link in this post is blocked from work… lol
That's awesome! Love the stickers design 🙂
I think I'll pass on the stickers, but love the idea for this book and love the branding (color/style). Congratulations on your "second born" Tim! 😉
Hey Tim – looking forward to the book, just gave away a free copy of the 4HWW on my blog a week ago. Interested to see what the 4-hour-body looks like! and yes, that video just about got me fired, and I'm self-employed… Thanks! – Chad
Looking forward to the book Tim! Hope it'll be as awesome as your previous work!
What about fake tattoos, banana hammocks, and pasties? You can't just stop at stickers.
hey tim, hurry up and release your book already damnit 🙂 waiting for the kindle edition.
Heh…I don't want the sticker, but this is kinda a cool idea. I've ordered copies of the book for myself and my dad for Christmas. 🙂
Thank you Tim, I've been into swimming in the last couple of years and am now very looking forward to incorporate your ideas into my daily exercises. By the way, what your parents told you was so beautiful. Definitely the things I will tell my (not-yet-conceived) children in the future. Yukie
You know how I know who Taryn Southern is? This epic video (from a while ago): Wrong Hole with DJ Lubel, Taryn Southern and Scott Baio http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-zHVW7Zy_vg&feature=&p=2D053EE3450B5994&index=0&playnext=1
This makes me very happy. I believe I have become aware of regressing to childhood. I am now visualizing a line of art I will temp tattoo on me: "Hack my F*cking body" (This will lead to interesting conversation or my death)
TIM!!!…damn you and your catchy blog titles, I thought I was gonna get a sneak peek into your book's sex section! (… 4 more weeks…ahhhh!)
HA! Nice! Who doesn't love stickers? Pumped for the book man–definitely looking forward to reviewing it on my site when I finish it.
You need to get one of those shirts that Diddy wears which reads "I AM THE AMERICAN DREAM" Looking forward to the book Tim!
So stoked for this book to arrive. Did you ever think you would be autographing books in your life?
keep it in your pants video was effing hilarious!
I've already dropped 20 pounds of fat just from reading your blog…I'm dying to get my signed copy in my grubby little hands. I seriously can't wait…everyone is getting 4HB Books for X-Mas this year!
Kinda funny to see this the same day as the Onion's post about icons of world power gathering to inspect each other's penises. Check it out!
Here's the link to the Onion post – earlier in the day it included a non-exciting but very clear photo. http://www.theonion.com/articles/worlds-power-brokers-hold-annual-summit-where-they,18474/
Don't forget to release an audiobook version of 4HB 🙂
Tim, You want publicity. We might have to start a trend of fake 4 hour body tattoo's. I'm game. Not many people can say that they have fans that are willing to tattoo book covers on themselves for their favorite authors. Now that's good publicity
Tim Ferriss is bringing stickers back! Awesome Marketing Campaign! How do I get Free Stickers Shipped to me again ? I checked in on over 15 books and I can't find the option to get the physical stickers. I still can't believe you are having the party right after I'm leaving long Island. I would of even volunteer my time for that party. Darn!
Nice Girls Tim. What you need is some beautiful young ladies to wear the stickers and send in photos and then you give them a prize.. We all win 😉
Tim, Whatever happened to the banner contest you were having on Facebook?
Okay, so I have 2 young daughter's and I'm not sold on the sticker with the half-naked girl whose body type prompt young women to delve headfirst into the world of eating disorders and self-hatred (no judgement, I'm sure she is lovely). I would buy the book just based on the 'newbie' results that have come from reading 4hww. I already sent an Aussie friend their own copy of the audio book. As a personal organizer, I plan to give out more for Christmas – a great value especially in view of all the throw away tchotchkes that I end up tossing for most of my clientelle in January. Tim, you crack me up. I'm learning more from your blog posts than I could from paying a web geek to train me on all this. Thanks and looking forward to reading the 4 Hour Body…and the results I know I will see from it!
Cool stickers but I've got no use for the "check-in" apps at the moment. Any other way to get them? Send me 20 or so and I'll stick them around town for ya 😛
…interesting. You are one tough nut to crack Tim. I would be super curious to hear what your mom has to say about all this talk of erections, half-naked women, and stickers. Mostly just the erections and half-naked women, though. I know she said you could do anything when you grew up, but certainly this isn't what she had in mind. 😉 Like all great moms I'm sure she loves you none the less! One must wonder how she explains your sticker promotion to her girlfriends though! P.S. Where and how do you sign up for evasive driving training?? I'm in SF.
This blog and TF in general is going downhill one step at at time. Think its time to unsubscribe & move a long. GL with the book
Hey Tim, I like your idea for the stickers… All of your ideas are brilliant! I look forward to the release of your new book more than I do Christmas itself ha! I wonder why there are not ads for the 4-Hour Body during the previews in movie theaters? That would be more entertaining than any of the upcoming movie releases! I have persuaded all of my clients to read the 4-hour work week and apply your advanced lifestyle tactics to their own lives and I think this year I will be buying each client a copy of your upcoming masterpiece, "The 4-Hour Body" Hope to connect with you in the near future about an "idea" or two I would like to present your way!
I wonder how the olfactory engineers would fare in making these stickers scratch-and-sniff.
Tim, Congrats on your new book and, although I won't use the stickers, kudos to you for your imaginative marketing solutions. I just wanted to say that, if you want your fans to feel more included, you should stop making these old, one-thing-or-the-other distinctions about sexuality. Every time you write that beautiful female bodies are for the men to look at and beautiful male bodies are "goodies for the ladies", I am sure you are making many people feel uncomfortable. It is not that difficult to phrase your thoughts differently and say "those who like" or find another way to make not only your LGBT fans feel represented, but also anyone who enjoys the human body in all its forms. Just my two cents. Good luck with your book. I'm eager to read it. Nick
for sure Tim is sleeping with all there girls….
First off, props an love for your first book, this blog, the Random Show videos and the recent Zen & Tea video. All really inspiring stuff. Second, I ordered your new book as soon as you announced it, and I'm looking forward to it. But. The way you're promoting your new book. Personally, I'm turned of by the sex-sells-trick (but I guess it does sell). But really: stop bugging me. I ordered it. Sell your book to someone else and tell me about your favorite cocktail, Japanese saddles, or whatever.
I'd be curious to hear how many stickers get ordered/earned from this promo. I'll take weird stuff and hot girls over most of the content out there. At some point I think the blog world covered most of what there is to know about churning out more widgets, time management, and the like. We need more fun.
Best. Music Video. Ever.
I see the hot babe, but where is the erection?
Who would have thought I would have clicked on a twitter link that had 'half naked girls, erections' in the title when I'm trying to get rid of that type of spam from my inbox. I guess your brand was strong enough for me to believe I wouldn't be offended by what I found on the other side of the link. I think I will stick to the 4-hour work week! (Great experiential book). Don't think I'm the target audience for this one. Good luck with the next leg of your journey. : )
You're the expert, but the hot birds on stickers reminds me of the ads for how to get amazing abs in 5 minutes and take these pills to become the hulk. Not good. I'd stay away from this sort of promoting so as not to degrade your work, but I'm sure you've outweighed pros and cons.
Tim, I got this old car, runs awesome, we could stick stickers all over it! Better yet, ads all over it. Promoting your stuff!
I like the stickers, and I really want to like GetGlue….but I just don't get it. Maybe it'll work better as an app, but I'm on my laptop and it just doesn't seem like something I enjoy, it seems like work.
ahahhaa, God bless the internet and God bless you, Tim. And this is a girl telling you that. Oh and thanks to inspiration from you, today I let my kids color with crayons all over the walls of their room. I'd allow more freedom than that but they're only a year old so…
I've never heard of her before now, love the music. I don't know if it's just me, but it reminds me a bit of disney music and lady gaga.
now i have outsourced all my work I can spend more time in the gym 🙂 I soooo need to buy your book, should it be in shops NOW ?
Looking forward to you new book. I love the gym, but never make it as much as I would like. Sounds like this book is really going to be the answer. P.S. Good music video! Bryan
Rats, now I have to take you off my Twitter Paper li contributor list. It's a family paper, ya know.
Just have to say I'm very sad. I thought I ordered two copies of your autographed book "The 4-Hour Body" from Amazon when you first sent out the email. Now they tell me the order did not go through. I'm sure I didn't click some button, but, well, I just have to say: DISAPPOIINTED!! I am so looking forward to the new book!
Haha, Thanks for sharing the video Tim. I am not sure whether I really like it or whether I just like the novelty factor (and the girls). But ait was definitely good for a laugh this morning! Cheers, Chris
Ohhh tim nice idea. (i wonder if i will stick it to my car) Seems you ll have to deal with some critics, thats the proof you are going in the right direction, be different and have fun, thats the point of life 🙂 And taryn, you have an awesome body (i'll even add «healthy»), just the kind of body you end up with when you don't eat crap and have enough exercise. to simplify: $Nutrition_Quality > 90 ? $BodyFat– : $BodyFat++; $Exercise_Level > 90 ? $BodyFat– : $BodyFat++;
Good on you Timbo! Not your usual – but there is many facets of the Tim. Kind regards Living the dream out in a farm house in rural Hungary… still oh and with the kids, 3 pigs, 9 ducks, 2 goats and 35 chickens
As a doctor and someone who people "need" to see as having a good reputation, I wholeheartedly appreciate the fact that you are YOU. I do my best to be only me, someone who does drink alcohol, is not condescending to anyone, and is a normal human being, just like everyone else. In regard to the comment above on "unsubscribing," I'm "subscribed" for life. Keep it up Timmy.
I'm excited for the book its on my wish-list… and yes… the video did make my head explode… I am picking up the pieces now…
Tim, I am looking forward to your new book! Even if we all become super human with the help of the 4 Hour Body, most of us will succumb to injury or illness needing modern medical attention sooner or later. Surly you have lifestyle-deigned your way into good health insurance at reasonable costs. Will you be sharing this in your book? If not, can you please share your thoughts on finding good health insurance / health care, especially for new entrepreneurs. Thanks! Andy
Crap! … that song really is stuck in my head, and it show's no signs of dissipating soon. Thanks Tim. 😛
"Just goes to show that what my parents told me is true: when you grow up, you can do ANYTHING that you want." I like that! Niels
I about peed my shorts laughing at Taryn's videos. She is hot and can sing! Looking forward to the book. The 4-hour Work Week has been a life changer. Best part, my boss recommended it to me.
Tim, where's the bleedin check in button ????
damn what a tease
Well, Tim – I probably won't be jumping through the fun hoops for the stickers this time around – but I did enjoy the video. But what I really want to know is – Is Taryn's a 4 Hour Body??? That's what I want – to improve my shape. . . Is your book geared toward men only? Looking forward to reading it regardless. . . as I love reading your book and following your blog! I always tell people to RUN to the store to buy 4HWW and have given several copies to dear friends. Thanks for all the inspiration! Gabrielle
I'm with the above commenter, Dan… Tim, I really liked the 4HHW and what not, but my gut tells me there' more to succeeding than the methods you prescribe (just click on the websites on any of the people commenting here, all blog sites revolving around their average life, with a few exceptions). Then again, to each his own. Good luck with everything, you've opened my mind to a lot of new things, will give your new book a peek when it's in the local bookstore before buying it.
Thanks for sharing the video, that girl is comedy gold! How have I never heard of her?
Tim, I know this is completely off the topic of this post, but I hope you'll find it helpful. I heard of a recipe for a ziploc omelet. Essentially, you bring a pot of water to a rolling boil. Then insert a quart-size ziploc bag into the water with two eggs and other ingredients. Wait 13 minutes, and you have a perfect omelet. No joke, I tried this today and it was amazing. Best of all, no cleanup (aside from the dish you put the omelet on). Give it a try!
@ Selene November 17th, 2010 9:31 pm I have to pull you up here. Why is it that whenever a smoking-hot athletic girl is used for promotion, people say it's going to encourage poor eating and so on. Are the ladies that weak (sorry, no offence, couldn't think of a better word)? Are they so insecure (that's an honest question). For men, at least for me, if I see someone lean and ripped, it makes me want to work harder, not go all eating-disorder. I am a cyclist and surfer and when I see Kelly Slater or Contador/Evans, it makes me wanted to be more ripped-er. It doesn't make me want to curl up in a ball and say healthy body images shouldn't be in the media. I'm not so weak that I'll fall apart because some dude on Men's Health is shockingly ripped. I highly doubt others are that weak either. Recently here in Australia, the delightful Jennifer Hawkins was ripped apart for going nude (tastefully) on a mag cover. The din and howl was shocking. SHOCKING. "Terrible!" they cried. "Irresponsible", came the shrieks. Women (almost all women) got stuck into her for being a bad role model and how it would make girls feel bad about themselves, eat poorly, start killing labrador puppies and God knows what else. Um, what? How is a healthy, lean, athletic body an example of a BAD role model. By all accounts she works out 5 times a week and eats well. She is nothing but a *GOOD* role model, as it Taryn above. More people should be like this. On a personal level, I feel both qualified and compelled to say this as: I was 88kg (I think that's around 200 lbs) a few years ago – I am 5'7". Was miserable. I am now 63kg (I think around 140lbs), body fat 8% (heading to 6%), I cycle about 400km a week (and race), have a full time job, surf, eat well, run up to 25km a week, work out, have a lovely gf, I do weights, and still find time for building my online stuff. I think the howls of protests hide what is a significant problem: laziness. It's much easier to call fit people who look after themselves as being irresponsible (let's be honest, Taryn is not skinny, she's athletic, so you can't reasonably say she is promoting an unhealthy image) than it is than to knuckle down and bust out some sweet-#rse exercise, as well as eating well. No more excuses and blaming others (another big problem in society: "help me get thin", "why doesn't the government fix All My Problems"). Get can do. Tim (Sorry for the rant, really).
Nice stickers Tim :)! I am going to try to get some for sure. And I can't wait to get your new book! I have done many health experiments on my own as well, and I am just dying to read yours. I also just tried the paleo diet for 30 days. I think I can tolerate gluten, but without a doubt now that I eat some meals with wheat I immediately notice that I am just a little more sluggish and a bit more tired afterwards. Keep rocking!
Nice Promo Tim! Where did you get the stickers from? Any suggestions if someone would like to duplicate? thanks in advance
Love the marketing strategy! If some people put stickers on their car/laptop/bag/etc. that'll be possible conversation later on. It's a very interesting method to use! Also, the title of the post is "Half-Naked Girls, Erections, and Stickers" – I hope that doesn't mean next weeks sticker is going to be of an… Anyways, cheers! Nick G
Hey Tim, I appreciate that as you've grown into this blog and your successes, you've never taken yourself too seriously. As someone who has continued to be inspired by your blog and changed my life for the better, I'll continue to look up to you as a role model and someone I can learn from. Way to live well! I eagerly await your book release and was bummed I missed out on a signed copy! December couldn't come quick enough 🙂 Clint
Tim I can't wait for this book to come out. I'm actually buying 250 copies of Gary V's book for my company (he just moved out of my office in NY). Unfortunately this book doesn't quite work for that, but I still plan on buying dozens of copies for my friends if it's half as good as I expect it to be.
Hey Tim- Also in the lifetime subscriber category…You keep being you. Thanks for sending the email and link to those who offered to help with the book. I'm sure i'll end up buying it for friends and family anyways like I did with 4hww. Looking even more forward to December than usual! Best, Paul
remember to advise people that your books make great christmas presents !
Noticed you changed the year of the post and set it to the back. Probably a good choice. Did you lose a bet or something? I do understand where some of the negative comments above are coming from, but am confident this will continue to be a quality, useful site. Excited to receive the new book and read some posts on the book's topics. You've impacted a lot of lives for the better — thanks for doing what you do!
Cool, I needed a sticker for my Trapper Keeper. Thanks Tim.
Why is this article dated Nov 17th 2009? Time to fire a VA, and send me a free copy of the 4 hour body for pointing this out 🙂
Why did you attach that Taryn Southern video? Does your book have advice on that subject in it? Do you, personally, follow that advice? 🙂
I gave away the new edition of 4hww to my friends for Hannukah/Yule along with my outsourcing cheat sheet. I'll do the same with the four hour body. I am on a modified version of the paleo diet, ever since I cut the grains out of my diet, I feel way better! My autoimmune issues didn't disappear but all the ibs, stomach aches, nausea is gone. That gave me all the extra energy to launch my business and I'm even coming up with tons of ideas! I couldn't come up with anything when I was feeling so sick all the time, put all of my muses on hold, couldn't be productive at all. Thank you Tim! Folks we should spread the word about the remove feces from your bloodstream post, the more people read it the better!
Can't wait for the new book. I moved to Thailand from Los Angeles last year. Can't be any happier. Thanks for the positive vibes you send out to the world. We need more of you. PS-Before I confirmed it, I just knew you were a Leo haha :-p
Thank you for the free book. I am pumped to read this. Got a lot of free time, thanks to you, if you need any help in promotions, don't hesitate to ask..
I've got your fourhourweek book and it's a byble for me. Wlhen are you going to publish the four-hour body in Spain? Thank you for your answer.
Tim, we could all use the book right about now. Especially the chapter on "How to prevent fat gain while bingeing" 🙂
for reading your book,I begin to learn english
thank you ,Tim Ferriss.
Hey Tim, i've already ordered a copy of the book and can't wait for it to arrive. But was wondering if there is still going to be the chapter on paying for a vacation by being a donor/having experiments done to yourself etc? many thanks James
4-Hour Body Promo – Half-Naked Girls, Erections, and Stickers = good blog Best regards
Brilliant! If you're offering to model them on Flickr, consider yourself supplied.
Hahaha… thanks for the giveaway, man!
Have you tried a proxy server 😉 Cool design Tim, I don't think stickers well ever stop being awesome. Cannot wait to get my hands on your new book!
Hi Selene, Thanks for the comment and kind words. For what it's worth, please believe me that Taryn has no eating disorders. She eats very well. As someone who knows her, trust me. All the best, Tim
Testing it as we speak! Results coming in 1-2 weeks 🙂 Tim
Sorry you feel that way, Dan. I'm sure as I show more facets of myself, I'll turn off some and turn on others. Hope you find more of what you're looking for. Best, Tim
Thanks, Dom! Sounds like a improv sous vide! Anyone have ideas on whether Ziplocs leech at high temperature? Great trick, Tim
Hey Nick, No offense intended. It's just hard to write anything that reads well if you use "him/her" etc. or try and account for all variation. Rest assured I'm very comfortable with people in the LGBT crowd. I live in SF, after all. Best, Tim
Might want to click on more links. I run a spreadsheet going back to 2008 with every site link in the comment section. Though, you are correct, many of the sites (around 30%) are 'fairly' normal life living people there is the majority of people who have quite an interesting twist on life/subjects. That spreadsheet has been golden.
Thanks, Christopher! Made my evening 🙂 Tim
@TIM M I'm with you there, buddy! The cover girl looks normal to me, she's athletic, well toned and a far cry from eating disorders. She looks healthy. Not everyone who is skinny has eating disorders, some people just have fast metabolism and can't gain weight no matter what they eat and how much they eat. If I had young daughters I would like them to see athletic women as role models and get into exercise & sports. If Tim used me as a cover model I'd understand Selene's concerns about the girls getting eating disorders, but that lady is looks perfectly healthy.
Thanks so much, Joe! I aim for at least 2/3 as good as people expect, so you should be safe 🙂 All the best, Tim
I agree that we need more fun. I disagree that the blog world has covered the other stuff. I think the vast majority of what I find is total crap. That's why I like the candid, honest usefulness of this site so much. A gem within an online content world of generic, unactionable garbage. But cheers to the hot girl that can sing!
Hahaha… it's because I redated it to take it off the homepage, as I do for most of my promotions that add little value once my main readers see it once 🙂 Thank you for noticing, though! I love that level of observation. Good stuff. Tim
Haha… damn, those were the coolest.
Thanks for reading, Ms. Liu. Good luck! All the best, Tim
You handle differing opinions with grace. It needed to be said.
Have to agree with Dan. The quality of the good stuff is still as good as ever but there's a much higher ratio of useless stuff now. Or, to put it another way, your site used to be my homepage, as a reminder and an inspiration, and I always knew that whatever I found on your blog would be pretty sharp, even if it did take a few months between posts. But now it's just one of many RSS feeds that I glance at occasionally. The tone and the content seems like readership is waning and you're looking for something, anything(!), to bring the numbers back up. I have to assume that's not the case since you seem like a pretty stand up guy, (and hey, I did buy the new book! :), but if you're still farming out the content generation you need to fire them and get somebody new. Somebody who thinks more like the old Tim Ferriss, eh? I know this is pretty far off topic, feel free to delete, but just think about it a bit…
Wow — nice! That must have some gems in it.
Ziploc bags would be the same as with any other plastic I would suspect, and would also be worse at higher temperatures. Though I have also heard of doing this same thing in a microwave rather than in boiling water… less mess and less cleanup.
None taken! And it's nice to know you feel comfortable among the LGBT community, but I actually meant the opposite. It's hard to put oneself in other people's shoes, but it's the only way to make progress as human beings. Give it a try! Many people will appreciate it. Best of luck, N
Tim, will the book come out in epub format as well? For ibooks and other non-kindle ereaders….
I occasionally make omelets in a bowl / microwave, it's quick but doesn't taste nearly as good from a stove top…and water from veggies doesn't evaporate and pools at the bottom
It does indeed. More to come on that. More importantly, when I run into you and you take a Tucker Max tone with me asking, "Who the f*ck are you?" I can take this screen shot out and say, "Um, I am THIS guy. And here is the mindmapped spreadsheet. Now, do you wanna go hang with Movnat guy or pass out those controversial stickers?"
For what it's worth, I did not take any offense to the "goodies" =) I think about it from a marketing perspective – if Brand X is used 90% by women and only 10% by men, it makes sense to just say "for the ladies." Brand X being a great-looking guy notwithstanding. Taryn's stuff is hilarious and amazing (just watched Wrong Hole with DJ Lubel LOL)