Founders: what is your favourite channel for growing your audience?
I’m pretty sure most founders grow mainly on Twitter. Or LinkedIn.
But I’ve realised it really depends on what kind of product you’ve built.
If you’re a fashion-focused founder, you probably grew up on Instagram or Pinterest.
If you’re a software developer, you’re likely on Twitter.
I even know a guy who runs a digital detox app, and he’s not trying to grow his personal brand at all.
Which social media platform are you growing as a founder, and in which industry is your product?
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Replies
Vartiq
Since I’m building a dev tool, I’m growing my audience on X and Linkedin. Focusing on LinkedIn since the engineering decision makers are mostly active there, and they are the primary buyers for us.
Klariqo AI Voice Assistants
@jonayed_tanjim I never could understand how to make things work on Twitter or X, as it's now called. Idk how to post that short. I always have so much to say lol. Do hashtags even work? I need to do a crash course on X I guess.
Vartiq
@ansh_deb haha.. trust me, I also had this similar confusion. What I figured out is that you need to buy twitter premium first with a blue check. It increases your post visibility and makes you look credible. To build an audience, rather than just posting, you need to reply to others’ posts and engage in trending, hot threads. You’ll gain a lot of followers just by commenting.
Klariqo AI Voice Assistants
@jonayed_tanjim Ah ok interesting. So a quick hack of sorts would be to first get that blue checkmark and engage heavily in comments. Interesting, will try doing that. Do you mostly just engage in your relevant niche posts, or just general "Your cat is so cute" comments also count? haha
Vartiq
@ansh_deb I try to engage in niche first, but engaging on industry specific threads also helps. 😄
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@jonayed_tanjim @ansh_deb Elon said that hashtags are not aesthetic and don't work :D
@jonayed_tanjim @ansh_deb nobody uses hashtags anymore, unless your using AI to draft a response for you. so naaa dont use it #oldschooldayz.
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@jonayed_tanjim @ansh_deb @rishiuttamhk Yep, hashtags don't look good :D
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@jonayed_tanjim What's your X handle?
Vartiq
@busmark_w_nika, a newbie trying to grow yet: @jtlaunches
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@jtlaunches @jonayed_tanjim Gonna check out :)
@jonayed_tanjim Most startups are usually more present on X than Linkedin. It's my personal thought
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@jonayed_tanjim @ivan_apedo Partially yes, but once the startup is bigger and gets traction, LinkedIn is the next stage. This next stage is usually represented by more money.
@jonayed_tanjim @busmark_w_nika Oh yeah. I can relate.
@jonayed_tanjim Yes Tech Twitter and some consumer apps are pretty much the only audience there, and there usually very hard to sell to, but they are there.
InboxAgents - Smart Linkedin Inbox
@jonayed_tanjim @rishiuttamhk x is hard to sell imo. i think that is what makes it a better UX but just not good for doing outreach etc
AI Context Flow
I have an AI productivity tool and using linkedin as our ICP is knowledge workers. X can also be used but somehow unable to breakthrough on X.
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@hira_siddiqui1 don't worry, I gave it up on X :D still cannot get their algo :D
AI Context Flow
@busmark_w_nika I really dont like X anymore..
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@hira_siddiqui1 there are a few people I follow and like so it is the only reason why I am there :D
AI Context Flow
@busmark_w_nika ok following you on X, would like to see you on my feed :)
Cal ID
I've worked decently on Reddit so far, and I'm very actively procrastinating on creating more content.
Although it depends on your niche but for building a personal brand, Instagram is quite unsaturated among founders – even your "premium B2B ICP" is starting to consume short form content like a drug.
@sanskarix What type of post would you say worked the best for you on LinkedIn ?
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@sanskarix @adam_ait I am curious too. :)
Cal ID
@adam_ait @busmark_w_nika So I didn't really "crack" LinkedIn yet, but the things that got me the best results were mostly posts that disrupt the usual pattern on LinkedIn – I posted in the GenZ lingo a few times, and it surprisingly worked. Images perform well on LinkedIn, too, as long as it's either a funny/real-life picture or an infographic that's understandable and provides value even if it's detached from your text post.
I tried carousels too but didn't really work out for me, might have to experiment some more with it.
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@adam_ait @sanskarix I think, as well, that carousels are not as good as people talk about them.
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@sanskarix How building Reddit content look like? Because this one platform is difficult to understand.
Cal ID
You're absolutely right, Reddit tested my patience more than anything in the world.
But I do have some hacks that are working right now:
Build your karma before you even think of leveraging it for marketing
The easiest way to do it is to trigger some emotions. This depends on the type of community, too. understand the type of posts people appreciate in a subreddit the most, then curate something that is either controversial, wholesome, funny, a question, or anything that could ignite a conversation.
Rewrite your posts for a different subreddit and repeat the same thing again.
Watch your karma go up, and then you could start engaging more heavily in some good conversations around your product. It helps AI Citation a lot.
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@sanskarix Can the same text of the post damage your reputation or algorithm even tho you post it in a different subreddit?
@sanskarix @busmark_w_nika This is a great question! I’m curious about that too. I have a feeling Reddit keeps a close eye on duplicate posts, and it might look like spam even if the post is relevant. It probably depends on the specific subreddit and how the text is written or adapted to the topic. But that’s just my guess.
@sanskarix I'd say Reddit has been my least successful platform. I've found it hard to post useful things without my posts being rejected, even if a link to my app would help them (Yeah I know, no links or promotions on Reddit).
AI Context Flow
For B2B product, still LinkedIn is showing a good result for my products. But for B2C I see more possibilities on any other socials
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@yuze_li What is your product?
AI Context Flow
@busmark_w_nika The current product we gonna launch is Ai context flow
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@yuze_li Gonna check out :)
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@delfy_ca What is your Product's LinkedIn page?
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@delfy_ca Thank you! :)
Klariqo AI Voice Assistants
For me, since its mostly B2B, would have to be linkedin or reddit. Linkedin has been more like a fast leadgen thing, reddit is more of a slow built up. Basically showing up in relevant threads, sharing info, and letting inbound leads come in. I don't usually do hard core sales-y posts on reddit.
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@ansh_deb Reddit is harsher, isn't it? :D
Klariqo AI Voice Assistants
@busmark_w_nika Oh for sure! They don't like self-promo no matter what. But its also good in a way for that reason. More natural conversations like here in PH. On LinkedIn everyone's trying to be a tycoon lol
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@ansh_deb I see also pattern that more people on LinkedIn are cringe :D
I am using X (Twitter) it is cool
MultiDrive
@marc_vuit could you please suggest some tips? For now, I find it difficult
@tetiana_hryshmanovska just keep posting and replaying as much as you can
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@marc_vuit How big is your audience? And how do you grow it?
@busmark_w_nika just keep posting and replaying as much as I can, but I am not focusing on marketing at the moment
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@marc_vuit Gotcha, I am also a reply girl :D
@busmark_w_nika nice keep going
You skipped YouTube, where most brands do have KOL campaigns.
MultiDrive
@charlene_zh1 What does it mean: KOL campaign? :)
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@charlene_zh1 But is it easy to build it? Do you have one? I would like to know more about growing :)
@busmark_w_nika I mean looking for YouTubers to showcase your tools and promote them. To build a chanel, it requires video creation. This needs lots of time and resources, and may not be a good choice at the initial stage.
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@charlene_zh1 That's why I would rather build my socials and people tap on the link with my YouTube. When I have enough subscribers, I will start posting. :)
You can grow your audience on Reddit and Twitter. Mine is on reddit.
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@makau_mark How are you able to grow anything on Reddit :D they are so restrictive :D
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@rajan_batra3 And what happened with the product? Did you validate it?
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@rajan_batra3 What's that new idea?
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@rajan_batra3 Staying tuned :)