It’s been a funny week over here at Eyes On EB — not because of anything we wrote, but because suddenly, after months of us roasting, posting, and poking around town life, the East Brunswick Patch decided they want to be just like us.
For those keeping score at home: the Patch used to run straight-laced, sleepy town updates. Basic stuff. Very surface level. But ever since Eyes On EB started commenting on their posts, lighting up their comment sections like Times Square on New Year’s, it seems they decided they want some of that fire too.
We’re flattered. Truly. Copying is the sincerest form of flattery. But we gotta be real — you can copy the style, but you can’t copy the soul.
As Rob W put it:
“I love being recognized like that. I just find it hilarious how first the Township of East Brunswick was lowkey copying our vibe, and now the Patch is too. Neither of them can do it like Rob W, and that’s not even a flex, that’s just reality. You can’t download this flavor from an app store.”
At the end of the day, Rob W is running Eyes On EB from a recliner, without a massive team, without a corporate budget — and still making a bigger impact than a whole team of writers who don’t even live in town half the time.
It’s simple:
People don’t need you to try to be funny if you’re not funny. They just want to know what’s happening in East Brunswick. Our town.
Not Princeton.
Not Newark.
Not some diner 50 miles away that just added gluten-free pancakes.
East Brunswick.
So, Patch — because we’re nice like that — here’s a few free tips to help you out without needing to copy:
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Post about East Brunswick. Not things that are an hour away. People care about what’s around the block, not what’s across the Turnpike.
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Stay in your lane. If you’re not funny, don’t force it. Cringe humor is worse than no humor.
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Consistency matters. People love familiar voices they can trust. If you jump styles every other week, you lose them.
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Highlight real people. The faces, events, and moments that actually make EB special.
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It’s okay to not be edgy. If you’re informative and local, people will still come back every day.
Trying to reinvent yourself because you see Eyes On EB doing it better is like when Microsoft thought they could knock off the iPod. As Rob W said:
“It reminds me of when Microsoft launched their own iPod knockoff. It bombed. The iPod wasn’t broken. Instead of copying what already worked, they should’ve spent their time building something that wasn’t already perfected.”
Same thing here. Eyes On EB isn’t broken. We’re built different.
And no matter how many team meetings, consultants, or whiteboards you roll out — you can’t fake authenticity.
But hey — thanks for noticing us. We noticed you too. 😉
