3 mins

How I promote my content

Content

May 2019. I wrote my first marketing article. A year later my email list hit 19,000.

No ads. No connections. No existing audience.

The site grew because I learnt how to push my content round the internet.

Here's the process

First, I found all the different places where marketers hang out.

Online marketing groups

Then, I asked myself, “how can I add value directly to these platforms?”

Adding value isn't dumping links. People are busy.

Wow them on the platform they're already using. Or get ignored.

There's no “one-size-fits-all” formula. Twitter is not Facebook. I tailor my content to fit each platform.

The specifics

Twitter, Reddit and Indie Hackers are places where long-form sharing works.

My strategy is simple. I share my whole article. Then, I politely ask if the reader would like to join my email list.

Facebook and Slack groups are a different ball game. Attention spans are shorter. Self-promoters get lynched.

I break my articles into visual tips. Subtly branding each one. Upfront value. No hard sell.

How to share in Facebook groups

Then, there's a bunch of sites where I share direct links: Hacker News, Designer News, Growth Hackers, Zest.is.

Same principle applies. Tailor content to fit the platform.

Hacker News Vs. Growth Hackers

The whole process takes me 8 hours. 4 hours posting. 4 hours replying.

The snowball effect

How other people share your content is just as important as how you share it.

You don't want people sharing different things on different platforms. You want everyone sharing the same thing on the same platform.

Isolated sharing gets ignored. Concentrated sharing compounds.

I direct everyone who likes my article to the same Twitter thread. 50 retweets turn into 500.

Twitter compounds growth

Putting it all together

1) Create value on other platforms.

2) Transfer this value to your own platform.

3) Store value with your email list.

How to promote content online

Email subscribers are gold bars in the bank.

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.

Here are the results of a year sharing content online.

Marketing Examples email list growth

It's not rocket science:

The platforms where I add the most value upfront are the platforms that generate the most new subscribers.

People are busy. Don't redirect them. Wow them.

One last thing

The best self-promoters aren't self-promoters. They take the time to become a genuine member of each community.

Share others' content. Write detailed comments. Make friends.

Give more than you take. It's a positive-sum game.

Share on
Logo
cegfilterplus copy 6
cegfilterplus copy 5
Group 3 Copy 2 1
Group 3 Copy 3
ACQUISITION ACQUISITION
ContentSEOSalesSocialAds
CONVERSION CONVERSION
CopywritingLanding Page
NEWSLETTER NEWSLETTER
Mixtapes
#1 Marketing Newsletter”
Read by 130k
Hey, I'm Harry. Every Monday I share:
3 short examples
2 copywriting tips
1 favourite tweet
Marketers voted it the “#1 marketing newsletter”. 130k people enjoy it.
Try it
Dave Gerhadt
“My favourite newsletter on the web”
Dave Gerhadt
“The newsletter is so f***ing great!”
Dave Gerhadt
“Better than my marketing degree
Dave Gerhadt
“🦄🦄🦄 — Nuff said
Dave Gerhadt
“The best thing is it works
Dave Gerhadt
“How is this still free?
Dave Gerhadt
“A genius that actually gives a sh*t
Anne-Laure Le-Cnuff
“I have no regrets
Dave Gerhadt
Best newsletter I'm subbed to”
Dave Gerhadt
“You ALWAYS find something useful”
Dave Gerhadt
“No fluff marketing. Works right now
Dave Gerhadt
“Shit you actually want in your inbox”
Dave Gerhadt
“Sadly, there's only one Harry Dry”
Anne-Laure Le-Cnuff
“Most wisdom per newsletter of all time
Dave Gerhadt
“One of the best marketers I know”
Dave Gerhadt
One of the best things on the web”
Dave Gerhadt
“I can feel my brain getting smarter
Anne-Laure Le-Cnuff
“The Sir Alex Ferguson of marketing”
Dave Gerhadt
“I haven't read a bad one yet”
Dave Gerhadt
I wanna be Harry when I grow up”
Dave Gerhadt
Gems everywhere
Dave Gerhadt
Dangerous in the wrong hands”
Anne-Laure Le-Cnuff
“If you don’t read Marketing Examples you aren’t really a marketer
Dave Gerhadt
“I literally can't wait for new issues”
Dave Gerhadt
“Multiple notifications so I never miss it
Dave Gerhadt
“The only newsletter I share with every person that joins my team”