How One Badass Reddit Post Produced 170 New Customers in Under 3 Hours – Indie Hackers


Hoe One Badass Reddit Post 170 nieuwe klanten in minder dan 3 uur heeft geproduceerd

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Hier gaat het om het promoten van je gloednieuwe bedrijf of dienst: we hebben allemaal de validatie nodig dat mensen niet alleen onze diensten willen, maar bereid zijn ervoor te betalen.

Het is daarom van cruciaal belang om die eerste paar klanten te krijgen om vertrouwen op te bouwen dat u op de goede weg bent.

Maar laten we eerlijk zijn over waarom we onszelf promoten.

Het draait allemaal om geld en controle, toch?

Hoe meer klanten u landt, hoe meer u potentieel aan uw bedrijfsresultaat kunt toevoegen.

Hel, bovenop het hebben van dat extra inkomen, door het produceren van een portfolio van klanten en succesvolle casestudy's, kun je overgaan tot het volbrengen van dit fulltime en leven op je eigen voorwaarden.

But there are two big questions startups and freelancers struggle with in their infancy:

#1: Where do I start?

#2: Where do I find clients?

We’ve written about how 30 entrepreneurs found their first 100 customers.

But now, let’s look at a bold approach one person used that resulted in over 170 requests for his services in under three hours (!!!).

Where did this “bold approach" take place?

Reddit.

Ah snap...

This brave Redditor’s name?

Alex Clark.

Alex Clark's Glamour shot

In this article, we’re going to break down:

  • The mental barriers Alex had to overcome to put himself out there
  • The copywriting strategies he used in his Reddit post
  • How he strategically used free work to his advantage (and ‘yes’ - you can too)
  • The opportunities that came Alex’s way after his post

WHAT DO YOU HAVE TO LOSE?

Let’s give you a little bit of background information about Alex Clark.
He was a manager and teacher, first in Korea and then in Taiwan, where he still lives now.

He built an MVP app that racked up close to five figures in development costs.

Though, after completing the app, he lost all interest in the project.

Instead he directed his focus toward learning copywriting. But he needed to get honest feedback on whether copywriting was a viable career option.

So he reached out to professional copywriters Sean Ogle and Derek Johanson for career advice.

Sean Ogle from LocationRebel.com

And guess what?

They replied fast.

They gave Alex AMAZING and supportive responses (which he’s printed and framed on his wall).

After that, he went all in to learn the art of persuasive copywriting.

He worked at it for three months.
He practiced.
He studied.

But he needed to get some experience under his belt.

So he made a decision.

It was time to get down to business, in order to actually get some business.

He had to test out his skills to make sure business owners actually WANTED his services.

So he went where thousands of entrepreneurs hang out on a daily basis: Reddit.

Whoa, hold on a sec.

We all know that Reddit can be a BRUTAL place.
Reddit has a lively audience that’s willing to take part in any conversation.

But it also has a HARSH reputation for putting you down in flames if you try to self-promote on the platform.

Life of a Marketer on Reddit. From personal experience, this is pretty damn accurate.

That’s why business owners and marketers avoid promoting on Reddit the way you avoid talking politics with your grandparents.

As explained in a recent article by Si Quan Ong, a Reddit promotions specialist:

In other words, if you’ve got something to offer the community, don’t be afraid to put yourself out there.

“Reddit is a site with a reputation of destroying self-serving marketers. Yes, it is scary [to promote yourself or your services]. Yes, they can be pretty vicious. But don’t let them deter you from promoting.If you truly have great content, and all you desire is to help the community and add value, don’t let a few naysayers bring you down."

In other words, if you’ve got something to offer the community, don’t be afraid to put yourself out there.

And that’s exactly what Alex did.

In Alex’s own words:

“I care about what people think and don’t want to come across as a salesman. But then I came to the realization that if you have a good skillset...and you don’t have to be the best...and people are struggling with the skillset [you’ve studied and sharpened] - it helps to say “fuck it" and go against the voice nagging you to ‘not be that guy.’"

Now, on top of having to make that tough mental shift, imagine having your back up against the wall due to mounting debt from an app you built and didn’t want to pursue anymore.

This was Alex's reality.

And with that kind of pressure on him, he wasn't going to let a few downvotes and nasty comments deter him from AT LEAST TRYING to change his situation using a skill he was confident in.

Bring it, Reddit.

So let's dive into the Reddit post that generated over 170 requests for Alex’s copywriting services in under three hours.

THE BREAKDOWN

There you have it in all its glory: the Reddit post that produced 170 leads in a few hours.

Hook ‘em with the Title:

As HubSpot put it, “Titles are what sell the content. [And while the title] isn’t the only important element of a blog post, it is usually a potential reader’s first impression of your content."

That first impression could either be:
“Hmm...maybe I’ll click the link and read on." OR “Nah!"

To hook his audience, Alex communicates a service with a clear benefit: saving time and energy.

Line 1:

He’s offering up services that he knows the audience on this forum is hungry for.

Alex also knows that this particular group embraces bootstrapping. So the phrase “without spending a cent" sounds enticing to his audience.

Line 2-10:

Now he’s listing all the upsides of hiring him:

He loves persuasive copy.
He loves words that convert “tire kickers" into paying customers.
He studies and practices his craft.

And he’s willing to do it for FREE.

If he sucks, you’ve lost a little time and no money, and you’ll know “never again" with this guy.

If he’s awesome, you’ve “hired" a guy for free to pad your bottom line.

Line 11:

Have you ever heard of Brian Dean’s “bucket brigades"?
How about Copyblogger’s “internal cliffhangers"?
How about “grease-slide copy"?

They’re all different terms to describe what Alex does with this line.

As explained by Brian Dean, “So what’s this mean for you?" is one of those phrases that keeps people reading—and keeps them on your page for longer. Some other examples of this:

Look. 

Just imagine. 

We've all been there. 

And you'd be right. 

Then it hit me. 

And the list goes on.
These are powerful terms that entice people to stay on your page and read the entire ad, post or article.

The higher the read time on your page, the more valuable Google will think your article is.

And that equals a boost in ranking.
You’re welcome, SEO junkies.

Line 12-19:

A couple of points about this section:

Alex highlights the word “FREE" in bold.

That word is catnip to all business owners, but especially cash-strapped startups.

Then he clearly defines his capabilities and the results he’s aiming for:

“better conversions, not ‘creative writing’"

Again, this verbiage speaks to any entrepreneur who is looking to grow their business and increase their bottom line.

He defines his target audience as ‘“the little guy" who is just starting out.

If a CMO was to DM him, sure he’d take them on.

But in this SPECIFIC audience he was addressing, he knew that he would find more bootstrapping startups than CMOs.

Line 20:

There’s that grease-slide copy/internal cliffhanger again.

Line 21-34:

First, we love this hint of a “dare" to ignore his message. It’s hard to ignore that poke.

Second, he lays it all out as to what you can expect.

How?

By reiterating that you are paying him nothing to create a campaign that will:

  • make you money OR
  • build your email list OR
  • generate more sales leads

In other words, the deal is all upside for you.

Line 35:

And at the end, here he is poking the bear and driving home that CTA with a little FOMO.
Well done.

THE BENEFITS OF STRATEGICALLY DOING FREE WORK

We can see you rolling your eyes after reading this title.
Put your ego aside, newbie, and hear us out.

What’s the point of advertising your services for free, like Alex did?

1. It gives you validation.

That is, validation that people want your services.

With 170 people reaching out to Alex within three hours of his post going live, we’d say he got the green light to pursue his business further.


2. It produces customers that you can use as case studies and/or social proof that your services helped them: ​

  • gain new leads
  • increase sales
  • convert “tire kickers" into customers
  • and more

Potential customers/clients love PROOF.
Show them.

3. Niche down on what you want to focus on

When you first start, you may go broad doing email copy, long-form sales page copy, Facebook ad copy, etc.

After testing the waters, you may find that long-form sales page copy is your strong suit.

It's what you enjoy most.

Lock it in and focus.

By niching down into that frame, you can start marketing and pricing that particular service as your specialty.

4. Get a deeper understanding of needs and services that your client doesn’t even KNOW they’re missing.

If you’re new to this niche, doing free work is a FANTASTIC opportunity for you to get behind-the-scenes of your client's operations.

You'll be able to find out:

  • what their goals are for their business
  • what other services you can offer that will make their life easier—in other words, possibilities for upselling.

Reconnaissance, people.

Think about it this way -

When you know your customers’ frustrations and goals inside and out, you can easily write sales copy that relates to, and fixes, their specific problems.

And when your ideal customer reads it, they’ll think to themselves, “It’s like you’re reading my mind!"

And you’ll be in the forefront OF THEIR MIND when they need your services down the line.

5. Create opportunities for upselling

Let’s flesh out an example.

A client has you write persuasive copy for their Facebook ads.

Okay, cool.

But you also have experience running Facebook ad campaigns to target their ideal customer.

Hello, upsell.

So what you thought was going to be a $250 one-time service has turned into $750 a month + sales commission for consulting work.

Still need more proof?

Look at the cold outreach email you could write before getting that experience under your belt:

Now look at the one you could write after having ONE free client, that you did recon on, under your belt:

Which one is an easy “HELL YEAH!" for the client?
Exactly.

SO WHAT HAPPENED TO ALEX?

Where we left him, having just posted to Reddit, he’s not living a baller’s life ... yet.

He replied to all 170 people who reached out to him.
Some were “donkey leads."
And some were good.

He did some writing, some consulting.

And not just for free.

He got two paying clients out of it.

Woo!

But his story doesn’t end there.

“Luck is what happens when preparation meets opportunity" -Seneca​

A headhunter for a company found his profile, out of the blue, online.

They initially said they looking for a social media manager.

But in ACTUALITY, they were looking for a writer to create cold sales emails for their clients.

It just so happens that Alex has been studying like crazy and writing his assets off for the past three months doing just that.

Some of the perks of doing what he loves for a company instead of going out 100% on his own:

  • It gives him time to level up his skills, while getting paid for it.
  • He gets to see how a large company executes their promotions—not to mention how his co-workers write their copy, how the company does research for their clients, and more. These are all skills he can use for any freelance work he does in the future.
  • A company can fund his personal development as a copywriter. That includes taking online courses, attending conferences, and more.
  • And finally, after a certain period, he can hint at working remotely!

IT'S YOUR TURN:

Words of wisdom from Alex:

“Try shit out. Really try to figure out what you like and don’t like and go further than you did last time.

There’s different kinds of giving up and quitting -- and the worst is turning your back on the whole thing. Quit on the stepping stone if it’s not aligned with what you want to do versus quitting on the entire journey of [bettering yourself]".

You have an opportunity to start something.

Will you get rejected?

Possibly.

Will you learn a new skill that will help you get to the place you’d like to be?
Perhaps.

In short, your dedication to trying things out and doing what it takes to get results, is what will separate you from the pack.

This is how you make leaps in your own personal development while others move the dial in tiny increments.

This is how you take control.

Looking for inspiration? Browse hundreds of profitable online businesses and side projects, see their revenue stats, and learn how they got started.
  1. 3

    Not sure it's a good strategy from Alex. He attracted mostly people who want something for free. There's no money in that audience.

    For the beginning of his career - yeah, I guess working for free is OK.

    For getting noticed for that one job opportunity and using reddit for that - pure luck.

    But good copywriting, line by line, I agree.

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    2 months ago
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      Hey yo!

      I can tell that you read the whole article. ;)

      That was the point of Alex going on Reddit offering his services for free. To get his feet wet. To get real world practice working with clients. To get a feel for what you like and what you can't stand.

      And if people aren't beating down your doors for your services, sometimes you have to go to them and show them a taste of what you can do - for free.

      BUT - there should be a lot strategy behind you if you're going to do a project for free.

      Let's use me for example.

      I wanted to work in marketing.

      I offered my free Instagram audience growing services to a content marketing company for free for 2 weeks.

      It didn't take up a lot of time. They gave me a course to learn more from. This knowledge is with me forever. I had fun.

      Wrote a case study about the experience and my results - and it was a good writeup.

      Made a list of my top companies I wanted to work with.

      Presented the case study to my top 3 - just to warm them up to me.

      One of them hired me.

      I was coming from working in retail and positioned myself to get hired by a SaaS company to work in their marketing department - WITH NO PRIOR marketing experience.

      And that is the beginning of my marketing career.

      I've been in it for 1.5 years and I have grown leaps and bounds professionally, and my confidence in my skillset is solid.

      Will I work for free again? Sure.

      I'm not fancy. But also know that there's a plan behind my execution. That I'm not looking for immediate satisfaction, but long term and bigger connections that can spark from that free work.

      Him getting noticed for that job opportunity may have been pure luck, but he was prepared for it so he could cross that finish line. Not pure luck, but work. Practice. Consistency.

      And that's the game.

  2. 2

    Thanks for sharing this amazing case study. I will definitely try it with my niche.

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    2 months ago
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    1. 1

      So glad you liked it.

      Try it out and please feel to let us all know here how it went, what did and didn't work, how you tweaked it to work for you, or how this strategy crushed it, etc.

      I wish you all the best!

  3. 2

    Nice article!

    1. 1

      Why, thank you!

  4. 1

    We've all been there.

    Getting multiple offers to write for free. What a privilege! It will change your life! You'll build a client base! Rarely does it actually come to this. There comes a point where, yep, you have to get some money to do this ish or, you know, starve. And all of those potential clients who are now expecting free work from the outset, that's pretty awesome.

    Look.

    I'm not trying to be down about this, it just really seems to glorify this whole work-for-free-for-businesses-who-should-pay-you-but-are-choosing-not-to. And I understand it's for early-career individuals, but there are other options, like non-profits that are looking for volunteers (who could also turn into clients down the road).

    And then it hit me. His return on investment for this was 1% paid work. Sure, the investment might have been pretty low initially, but I'm curious about a few things:

    1. How many of the leads were actually viable? You said there were a few "donkeys" and "some" were good. You also referenced them as customers, which is kind of nope.

    2. How many work hours did he put in for free?

    3. What were the paid gigs/how much did they pay? For example, if the gigs were to write two blog posts for $50 a piece, sure they're paid, but really?

    This is the kind of information that would actually lend this some credibility.

    What's the bottomline?

    I guess your headline overpromised that I would get something more from this, which is pretty click-bait-y (actually, that's the definition of click bait, isn't it? Overpromising with a splashy headline and not delivering the goods?). I was expecting this to be something more than "guy does something brash, brashness leads to loads of free work and two paid gigs, free work turns to an entry level job at corporation." Ultimately, for a lot of freelancers, landing a job is the antithesis of what we're trying to do. Maybe you think I just sound grumpy and bitter.

    And you'd be right.

    I've been around this carousel a few times.

    Anyway, I appreciated reading this, if only to clarify my own understanding of the industry and where I fall within it. It's also rare to see a "success" story come out of Reddit self-promotion, like you wrote, so I suppose there is that.

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    2 months ago
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      First, I don't think you're "grumpy and bitter".

      Like you said, you've been through this a few times - and for the majority of freelancers who work for free - you just get screwed over so many times that it hardens you.

      For me, if you're going into a new industry and no one's knocking on your door for you to go to work for them, sometimes you have to do 1 job for free to show them that you're up to the task.

      And sometimes to prove to yourself, that yeah - you're GOOD at what you do.

      Not a full project. Jeezus, no! But a taste of what you're capable of, sure.

      To touch on a few of your other points:

      • From my experience, and from people I have talked to, non-profits looking for volunteers will KEEP you as that. Non-profits are notorious (from what I'm told) for not having a large budget to pay you what you deserve and are bringing to the table. As one friend told me, "you get paid in dollars and good karma points".

      • Your question #1: I believe from our conversation, that a small fraction of the leads were viable. A lot of people were excited to hire him, but he learned quickly that potential customers don't always know what they want or need in their business. Ha! The lessons you learn....

      • Your question #2: Unsure, I would have to go back to the recordings. But it was quite a few. But remember - he could've always quit. At anytime. He could've said 'fuck this' and binge watched Netflix, but he decided to follow through.

      • Your question #3: I think he actually DID only charge $50 for a sales email (Lol!), and that's because he DIDN'T KNOW how much to charge for his services. And this is something that A LOT OF BUSINESS PEOPLE AND FREELANCERS, deal with throughout their career! What do I charge for my services? Hell, I remember reading about how Noah Kagan - after building multiple million dollar business' - had trouble charging for private consulting. He thought his initial prices were reasonable. His TEAM had to bully him into raising his prices to where they actually should be. It's a struggle. Alex will learn.

      • The bottomline? If you're willing to do free work and want to get attention and "customers" fast, here's how to do it on Reddit. And here is how you can flip that free work into something viable for paid work for another client.

      • You thought the title was clickbait-y? Guess I need to work on my titles.

      • The #1 question I hear from entrepreneurs is - "where do I find more clients"? Alex could've approached this in multiple ways - but this is the route he chose. 'Nice' in my opinion, especially on Reddit (phew!). He didn't get that moo-la-lah, but he got all the information he needed to create a landing page and write copy that will appeal to his customer. He now knows the type of questions to ask a potential client to vet them and see if they're serious about hiring him or if they're all over the place and have no idea. He's now CONFIDENT in his skills where as before - no. Shaky AF. And the list goes on. You could either trickle in potential clients or go to where the "fish" are and get a stock pile them in and figure it out.

      • Alex doesn't want to be in an office. You're correct. But he's looking at the long game. He was at a job where he...tolerated it. So to move into a company that wants to pay and build him up in the craft that he loves...that's a good move. He KNOWS that there is a great probability that he will be able to work remote with this company - actually his whole team would be able to. If not, from the experience and training he'll gain - with the added stability of a steady pay check - he could eventually quit and go do his own thing after a certain amount of time. He's got options.

      And yes. Success stories coming from Reddit are rare and quite nice to read about.

  5. 0

    I felt this post is unnecessarily stretched, no mention of product until the middle of the page. Too many gifs made me think I am browsing tumblr :)

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    2 months ago
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    1. 2

      So sorry you felt that way bud.

      I'm a gif-aholic for sure. I love visuals to articles and gifs do it for me.

      But thanks for reading it and good to know that someone other than myself browse through Tumblr from time to time. ;)


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