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LEVERAGING DEMOCRACY BRIAN SWICHKOW, GHOST INFLUENCE

Leveraging Democracy: How To Utilize Platforms Like Reddit, Product Hunt, & Hacker News For Growth Hacking

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Page 1: Leveraging Democracy: How To Utilize Platforms Like Reddit, Product Hunt, & Hacker News For Growth Hacking

LEVERAGING DEMOCRACYBRIAN SWICHKOW, GHOST INFLUENCE

Page 2: Leveraging Democracy: How To Utilize Platforms Like Reddit, Product Hunt, & Hacker News For Growth Hacking

YOU’RE IN THE RIGHT PLACE IF

▸ you want an evergreen strategy for increasing traffic and conversion

▸ you’ve been hit by algorithms and are back at the drawing board

▸ you’re tired of chasing trends and fighting for reach

▸ it doesn’t matter if you have no experience with Reddit or other democratic platforms — what you learn today will amplify all of your social engagements

ghost influence

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INTRODUCTION

▸ Built ex-fiancé’s dog a YouTube channel with 6,500 subscribers and 2M+ views

▸ Broke a server launching my blog | 450K pageviews, first 72 hours, $0 adspend

▸ Made a girl on Tinder world famous | 25 million impressions in under 72 hours

▸ Created “most absurd email to give in bar” | 11K pageviews first 30 minutes

▸ Achieved consistent 2,137% ROI selling information products on Facebook

▸ Increased client conversions 3,100% by suggesting a single UI change

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ONE SIMPLE FORMULA

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NEVER EXPECT YOUR AUDIENCE’S STANDARDS TO BE LOWER THAN YOUR OWN.

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@GHOSTINFLUENCEtweet this

Page 5: Leveraging Democracy: How To Utilize Platforms Like Reddit, Product Hunt, & Hacker News For Growth Hacking

BRIAN SWICHKOW

▸ Social Engineer

▸ Founder, Ghost Influence

▸ Host, Ghost Influence Podcast

▸ @ghostinfluence

ghost influence

ADWEEK | BUSINESS INSIDER | FORBES | SEARCH ENGINE LAND | OBSERVER REDDIT | HACKER NEWS | INBOUND | ENGADGET | CRACKED | AL JAZEERA

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HERE’S WHAT YOU’LL LEARN

▸ how to leverage the power of democratic platforms

▸ a simple formula for creating the most effective content

▸ how to avoid the pitfalls of hard selling in communities

▸ what it looks like to measure the analytics of success

▸ how these principals and processes save time and make money

▸ clearly defined steps to getting started

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BUT WAIT, THERE’S MORE

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STICK TO THE END

▸ link you to download this presentation

▸ all resources mentioned are linked within

▸ two special offers

▸ a gif of a puppy

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LET’S GET STARTED

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LET’S START WITH A STORY…

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▸ 450K visitors in first 3 days, average time on site 2 minutes, 17K shares

▸ Featured by AdWeek, Business Insider, Inbound, Hacker News

▸ 1.5M visitors, 7M earned media impressions, 38K backlinks

▸ Covered by Search Engine Journal (x2), Cracked, Observer, Al Jazeera

▸ Media contacts, requests to speak, and introductions to clients for over a year

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BLAKE JAMIESON TINDER HACKS

RICHARD LITTAUER THE USER IS DRUNK

UNICORNS

ANON SHIRT WAS CASH

BOBBY EDWARDS SQUATTY POTTY

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DIGITAL EMPATHY IS SOCIAL LEVERAGE

WHAT WE’RE LEARNING

▸ people want to feel understood, not be told

▸ audiences should never outgrow their relevancy

▸ treat every follower like they’re your only follower (video)

▸ don’t underestimate the power of depth and detail

▸ accept compliments with gratitude, but bestow credit abundantly

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ALGORITHMS ARE DESIGNED TO PREDICT PEOPLE, YET MOST MARKETERS FOCUS ON THE MATH INSTEAD OF HUMANS.

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• BECOME A MEMBER OF YOUR AUDIENCE • SPEAK TO A WHOLE, AVOID IRRELEVANCE • FRAME AND PRESENT, DON’T PITCH AND SELL • REWARD PARTICIPATION WITH YOUR ENERGY • AVOID BROAD LANGUAGE IN COMMUNICATION • GIVE CREDIT EVERYWHERE POSSIBLE

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PEOPLE FIRST PRINCIPALS

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MASTER COMMUNICATION

▸ How to Win Friends & Influence People

▸ Just Listen: Discover the Secret to Getting Through to Absolutely Anyone

▸ Trust Me, I'm Lying: Confessions of a Media Manipulator

▸ Dataclysm: Who We Are (When We Think No One's Looking)

▸ Reclaiming Conversation: The Power of Talk in a Digital Age

▸ The Definitive Book of Body Language

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DEMOCRACY IS MADE OF PEOPLE, YOU CAN’T LEVERAGE ONE WITHOUT UNDERSTANDING THE OTHER.

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@GHOSTINFLUENCEtweet this

Page 18: Leveraging Democracy: How To Utilize Platforms Like Reddit, Product Hunt, & Hacker News For Growth Hacking

THE WORD "DEMOCRACY" LITERALLY MEANS "RULE BY THE PEOPLE." IN A (TRUE) DEMOCRACY, THE PEOPLE GOVERN.

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BRAND PLATFORMS

DEMOCRATIC PLATFORMS

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USERS SELECT CHANNELS

USERS JOIN COMMUNITIES

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BRAND PLATFORMS

▸ Facebook

▸ YouTube

▸ Twitter

▸ Instagram

▸ Vine

DEMOCRATIC PLATFORMS

▸ Reddit

▸ Imgur

▸ Voat

▸ Hacker News

▸ Product Hunt

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Page 21: Leveraging Democracy: How To Utilize Platforms Like Reddit, Product Hunt, & Hacker News For Growth Hacking

“A VOTE IS LIKE A RIFLE: ITS USEFULNESS DEPENDS UPON THE CHARACTER OF THE USER.”

Theodore Roosevelt

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goodreads.com/quotes

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NOTABLES

▸ content is tied to a community (not an individual)

▸ this affords the message to be larger than the individual

▸ people’s responses are binary (acceptance or rejection)

▸ it’s a strikeout or a home run, nothing in between

▸ every outcome offers communication intelligence

▸ circular feedback loops amplify future success

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THERE AREN’T “INFLUENCERS” WITHIN A DEMOCRATIC SOCIAL PLATFORM, BUT THERE ARE ELEMENTS OF TRUST THAT BESTOW CERTAIN FREEDOMS

ghost influence

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PLATFORM DYNAMICS CHANGE CONTENT DYNAMICS

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ORIGIN OF VOICE

▸ Vine, 6 second videos, humor and wit

▸ Twitter, 140 characters, updates and news (headlines)

▸ YouTube, full video (related content), “browsing”

▸ Instagram, images, focused user on photography

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“GETTING PEOPLE TO HEAR YOUR STORY ON SOCIAL MEDIA, AND THEN ACT ON IT, REQUIRES USING A PLATFORM’S NATIVE LANGUAGE, PAYING ATTENTION TO CONTEXT, UNDERSTANDING THE NUANCES AND SUBTLE DIFFERENCES THAT MAKE EACH PLATFORM UNIQUE, AND ADAPTING YOUR CONTENT TO MATCH.”

Gary Vaynerchuk

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Page 27: Leveraging Democracy: How To Utilize Platforms Like Reddit, Product Hunt, & Hacker News For Growth Hacking

ON AVERAGE, FACEBOOK USERS CONSUME 660 PAGEVIEWS PER MONTH

ON AVERAGE, REDDIT USERS CONSUME 1,300 PAGEVIEWS PER MONTH

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PEOPLE HUNT FOR WHAT’S BEST AND COMPETE TO BE FIRST TO SUBMIT

THEY’RE PROGRAMMED TO BE OF VALUE TO THE COMMUNITIES THEY’VE JOINED

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Page 29: Leveraging Democracy: How To Utilize Platforms Like Reddit, Product Hunt, & Hacker News For Growth Hacking

CONTRIBUTION TO THE DISCUSSION IS RAISED FOR THE SAME REASONS

STANDARDS ARE HIGHER, CONSUMPTION PATTERNS ELEVATE UNDERSTANDING

ghost influence

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NOTABLES

▸ democratic platforms are the ultimate proving ground

▸ win within a democracy and you win everywhere

▸ epicenter of content coverage and syndication

▸ communities validate content for publishers

▸ publishers source democratic platforms for proven content to cover, winning there equals massive free press

▸ when content is interlaced with a brand, you win big

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MASTER OPPORTUNITY

▸ Mention

▸ Google Alerts

▸ Textwalker Alerts

▸ Google Search Operators

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1. SELECT EXAMPLES 2. IDENTIFY COMMONALITIES 3. ESTABLISH FRAMEWORK 4. LEVERAGE UNDERSTANDING

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FRANKENSTEIN FORMULA

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DANDELIONS OAK TREE▸ shallow roots

▸ low success rate

▸ short lifespan

▸ annoying as fuck

▸ deep roots

▸ strategic investments

▸ extended lifespan

▸ respected and desired

Page 36: Leveraging Democracy: How To Utilize Platforms Like Reddit, Product Hunt, & Hacker News For Growth Hacking

1. INITIAL WAVES OF TRAFFIC 2. EARNED MEDIA IMPRESSIONS 3. CIRCULAR LEVERAGE

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ANALYTICS OF SUCCESS

Page 37: Leveraging Democracy: How To Utilize Platforms Like Reddit, Product Hunt, & Hacker News For Growth Hacking

NOTABLES

▸ distill the essence of those you want to model

▸ understand your markets and make targeted investments

▸ fertilize the perspectives and beliefs of the community

▸ use alert systems to “be everywhere” and bring value

▸ create circular leverage and focus on supporting others

ghost influence

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TAKE YOUR FIRST STEPS

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YOUR FIRST STEPS

▸ like you would learn a language, immerse yourself

▸ join, observe, read, converse, and then begin to speak

▸ join communities that are relevant to you

▸ different communities are relevant to you in different ways

▸ use the frankenstein formula to evaluate and predict

▸ use the ‘rising’ section and make bets on performance

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Page 40: Leveraging Democracy: How To Utilize Platforms Like Reddit, Product Hunt, & Hacker News For Growth Hacking

THE ONE THING

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THERE ARE NO “TRICKS” TO USE HERE. EFFECTIVE LEVERAGE OF DEMOCRATIC SOCIAL PLATFORMS REQUIRES CONTRIBUTION… WHICH YOU CAN (AND SHOULD) DO STRATEGICALLY

DEMOCRACY CAN BE LEVERAGED THROUGH STRATEGIC CONTRIBUTION

Page 41: Leveraging Democracy: How To Utilize Platforms Like Reddit, Product Hunt, & Hacker News For Growth Hacking

@GHOSTINFLUENCE

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DEMOCRACY CAN BE LEVERAGED THROUGH STRATEGIC CONTRIBUTION

Page 42: Leveraging Democracy: How To Utilize Platforms Like Reddit, Product Hunt, & Hacker News For Growth Hacking

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HOW DO I APPLY THIS?

THE OBVIOUS QUESTION IS…

▸ Download this presentation — http://bit.ly/leveraging-democracy

▸ Follow the “first steps” on your own

▸ Listen to the Ghost Influence Podcast

▸ Join the Ghost Influence Community

Page 43: Leveraging Democracy: How To Utilize Platforms Like Reddit, Product Hunt, & Hacker News For Growth Hacking

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BIG STEPS OR SMALL STEPS?

MEASURE YOUR BANDWIDTH

▸ Ghost Influence Community — www.ghostinfluence.com

▸ $97 per month / $997 per year (16% discount)

▸ Bonus: 5, 1 hour private sessions with year membership

▸ SEMrush Guru Plan 15 Day Trial — www.semrush.com

▸ Promo Code: SWICHKOWEBINAR-YK9BGIIV

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LET ME KNOW HOW I CAN HELP.

@GHOSTINFLUENCE

ghost influence

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