One of the first things you learn about when you look into building an audience is the existence of growth hacks. You'll have a hard time finding a Twitter guide that doesn't mention the concept as a quick and easy way to grow your following. This is a problem. It's not an issue because they … Continue reading The Toxicity of Growth Hacks
Category: Marketing
How NOT to Use Twitter DMs
Too many founders use Twitter like they'd use Google. They find someone they'd like to talk to, send them a Direct Message, and never receive a reply. The culprit? Usually, the message itself. When it comes to DMs that do the job, you want them to be warm, low-effort, and short. Yet, in reality, most … Continue reading How NOT to Use Twitter DMs
Don’t blame the market; blame your marketing
Many unsuccessful founders believe their business failed because of a "market problem." They think it's "the market" that wasn't ready for their product or that "the market" made the wrong choice. This line of thinking is a dangerous —and most of the time completely false— perspective to take. It's not a market problem. It's a … Continue reading Don’t blame the market; blame your marketing
Consulting in Public
Building in public is becoming a popular way to build a business. But how about consulting in public? Can entrepreneurs go beyond talking about their business? Can they conduct their business out in the open? Rand Fishkin recently asked Patrick Campbell —who just sold ProfitWell for $200 million— to help him with their pricing. Immediately, … Continue reading Consulting in Public
Managing Expectations: Making Good (on) Promises.
https://youtu.be/91ZGnnR-O4U Expectation management. What is that? It sure sounds like mind control. I don’t think my expectations are anything that someone else can manage. Nobody can dive into my mind and magically alter what I believe will happen. The only thing you can do to impact what I expect is to make promises. There is … Continue reading Managing Expectations: Making Good (on) Promises.
How I Find Twitter Content Ideas
On Twitter's own blog, their "content idea" section suggests that you "tweet a GIF." Yeah. Let's come up with something better. I've been building an audience of over 50.000 on Twitter over the last two years. I will share the strategies and tactics I use to come up with relevant and helpful daily content to … Continue reading How I Find Twitter Content Ideas
How I (Fortunately) Failed to Launch an NFT Collection
A few months ago, I ran an NFT experiment that failed horribly. I put a lot of effort into creating and minting a few pieces of visual art that I thought would resonate with my audience, and then the whole thing fizzled out. I believe it's time to share this particular failure today. There are … Continue reading How I (Fortunately) Failed to Launch an NFT Collection
Selfish vs. Selfless: Self-Promotion in Communities
I used to think all self-promotion was wrong — at all times. Being raised in Germany, I developed a severe case of tall poppy syndrome — the phenomenon of people holding back so they wouldn't stand out from the rest. It's an eclectic mix of jealousy and self-limitation, and I have realized just how destructive … Continue reading Selfish vs. Selfless: Self-Promotion in Communities
A Unified Voice: Staying Consistent When You Grow
At a certain point, it won’t be just you talking to your customers anymore. Your employees will be the first touch-points for customer interactions, co-founders and directors, and partners and other businesses. What once was a unified voice—your voice—is now a chorus. If you want to have a company that is consistent and aligned, you’ll … Continue reading A Unified Voice: Staying Consistent When You Grow
Positioning Is Where It’s At
You can position your product in different ways in many different markets. You may have started describing your product in a certain way, only to find that your customers understand it very differently. Many first-time founders make the mistake of iterating on their product but keeping their positioning the same. Even if they're capable enough … Continue reading Positioning Is Where It’s At
