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“Best of” #002 – How I promote my content
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Hey — Harry again.
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I hope yesterday's copywriting handbook was useful. Today, I'm sharing a behind the scenes of how I promote each article.
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I wrote this one back in May 2020. My newsletter had just reached 20,000 subscribers. It was a good day. Since then, I've used the same formula to grow it past 50,000.
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First, I found all the different places where marketers hang out.
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Then, I asked myself, “how can I add value directly to these platforms?”
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Adding value isn't dumping links. People are busy. Wow them on the platform they're already using. Or get ignored.
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There's no “one-size-fits-all” formula. Twitter is not Facebook. I tailor my content to fit each platform.
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Twitter, Reddit and Indie Hackers are places where long-form sharing works.
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My strategy is simple. I share my whole article. Then, I politely ask if the reader would like to join my email list. ( see video) |
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Facebook and Slack groups are a different ball game. Attention spans are shorter. Self-promoters get lynched.
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I break my articles into visual tips. Subtly branding each one. Upfront value. No hard sell.
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Then, there's a bunch of sites where I share direct links: Hacker News, Designer News, Growth Hackers, Zest.is.
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Same principle applies. Tailor content to fit the platform.
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The whole process takes me 8 hours. 4 hours posting. 4 hours replying.
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How other people share your content is just as important as how you share it.
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You don't want people sharing different things on different platforms. You want everyone sharing the same thing on the same platform.
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One share on 50 platforms gets ignored. 50 retweets turn into 500.
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I direct everyone who likes my article to the same Twitter thread.
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1) Create value on other platforms.
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2) Transfer this value to your own platform.
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3) Store value with your email list.
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Email subscribers are gold bars in the bank.
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New media rise and fall. Email isn't going anywhere. It's been around longer. It will survive longer. Medium can't paywall it. It's the best place to build an audience online.
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Here are the results of a year sharing content online.
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It's not rocket science:
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The platforms where I add the most value upfront are the platforms that generate the most new subscribers.
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People are busy. Don't redirect them. Wow them.
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The best self-promoters aren't self-promoters. They take the time to become a genuine member of each community.
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Share others' content. Write detailed comments. Make friends.
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Give more than you take. It's a positive-sum game.
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That's all folks. Any questions, feel free to reply. I'm a little behind on email atm, but will get back to you.
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I'll be back tomorrow with something completely different. Landing page time.
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PS — If you enjoyed this please do forward to a pal who might enjoy a guide to sharing content. I really think you can apply this to most niches.
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