as a merchant/business owner, you should never take a consumer's opinion about how a product or service should be, or what they might want in the future, too seriously. consider their opinions with a grain of salt. focus instead on their actual behavior. this is the most important indicator of whether a product or service fits into the market or if there are inefficiencies that need improvement.
the more a product or service is tied to the consumer's perception of themselves, their aspirational social or economic status, and career preservation, the more likely they are to steer you in the wrong direction. this isn't necessarily out of malicious intent; it's often just human nature.
in light of tiktok being banned (and now temporarily unbanned lol), it's clear what the solution is in times like these. stop focusing on a specific channel. while it can be "😎" to hack tiktok and reels using black-hat tactics or multi-account "spray and pray" andrew tate inspired techniques, product-led growth and vertical video short-form storytelling are two blueprints that will work long term in the world we live in today.
this is exactly what it sounds like: if your product is hq and designed well, word will spread naturally among buyers and users. i am quite amazed by the amount of junk with no utility that survives purely due to visual appeal on algorithms. while this approach can generate significant capital quickly—especially if you're pumping a/b/c/d/e variations of videos across multiple brand owned spam accounts—these techniques are not reliable. when something like this happens, and all your tiktok accounts are shut down overnight, it's so over for you bro.
for example, if you were selling a book on manifestation that you created using chatgpt, and your only edge was influencers seeking commission through tiktok shop, it's time to go back to the drawing board.
write the book yourself, incorporating real insights—or pivot entirely. a well-crafted book can sell itself with a little marketing push, but a mediocre one only survives on hype.
b) vertical video short-form storytelling
today, 90% of adults and children in the u.s. have smartphones, which are essentially 9:16 ratio simulationportals into the matrix. filming videos in portrait mode maximizes screen real-estate, immersing the viewer while remaining compatible with all social media video-serving algorithms.
by mastering the art of storytelling and creating psychologically engaging, dopamine-inducing content, you can post your videos on instagram reels, twitter (x), pinterest, youtube shorts, facebook reels, and tiktok (rip?). vertical videos not only dominate screen space but are also prioritized in the video scrolling sections of these apps, where users spend the most time.
as long as your video is under 60 seconds, has an attractive thumbnail (whatever the video looks like paused at 0:01), and an engaging first 15 seconds, and of course, is beneficial to watch for the viewer and/or share, it is universal and can be posted anywhere. it’s compatible with all platforms (even ad platforms), mobile devices, and most importantly, attention spans.
now is the best time to develop this skill. as a society, we are unlikely to move away from vertical mobile screens anytime soon. while ar glasses or vr could disrupt this eventually, the sheer amount of legacy content and slow consumer adoption cycles guarantee a few more years of vertical video addiction. (everyone needs a scroll or two, here and there -am i right?) even in ar or vr, vertical videos will likely remain compatible, just as horizontal videos still work on mobile devices.
platform-agnostic strategy
the key takeaway here is this: be platform-agnostic. ideally, your videos should also be hosted on your own website using a platform like vimeo. youtube, while free, can ultimately pull visitors away with recommended content at the end of your videos.
having a page on your website featuring your entire vertical video catalog, embedded via vimeo players (which support 9:16 ratios seamlessly), is an essential strategy. this advice is geared toward business owners using social media to sell products and acquire new customers.
however, content creators can also leverage this approach to drive users from social platforms to their own websites, ultimately capturing email or phone opt-ins for long-term monetization. if your vertical content is good, engaging, and psychologically compelling, it can thrive anywhere and convert users effectively. while free reach may vary depending on the platform, a well-curated and impactful video will drive the same user conversions on your site, regardless of where they watch it.
think about it: why did a lot of creators randomly pick up this new app "red note" in light of the upcoming tiktok ban? it was so easy to upload their 9:16 ratio'd videos and transfer them over with no friction. aside from their contrarian attitude in downloading the app in the first place.
final thought
what are you trying to achieve with your videos as a business owner? are you showcasing a product feature, highlighting a service benefit, establishing authority, offering social proof, or providing how-to content? these topics are evergreen, benefiting both you and your viewers no matter where the content is hosted. stop viewing posts on specific social channels as isolated business operations. instead, see these channels as free hosting for your videos, with the added bonus of free impressions. when you adopt this mindset, you'll focus on creating high-quality, timeless content. your video production efforts won't go to waste chasing fleeting tiktok or reel trends. your content will be versatile, usable as ads, and adaptable across any platform or website. this way, you won't be shaken by algorithm changes or app shutdowns.
if i can reduce the number of keystrokes and clicks needed to accomplish a task by paying for some niche, specialized software, i will do so every time. (ex. i pay $100/yr for a web browser)
not paying would be the equivalent of carrying bricks to the worksite by hand instead of using a wheelbarrow. you can save money without buying a wheelbarrow, but the job will take twice or three times as long, and your energy will be spent quickly.
prolonged knowledge work (computer work) drains your brain’s energy (compute), and you only have so much per day. it’s best to use it on important tasks, not on copy-pasting, manual data entry, proofreading, or calculating.
for those new to this way thinking - some of these costs will be hard to justify, especially for things with freely available alternatives. however, that reduction is in mouse movements, keystrokes, and clicks (brain energy) which will make all the difference in your income and energy levels.
i think there’s a lot to learn from up-and-coming individuals compared to those who are already at the top. for instance, there are youtubers with fewer than 10,000 subscribers who share business content that isn’t fully optimized for the algorithm. their videos might contain valuable insights hidden in the middle or end, and their thumbnails might not be perfectly designed to attract clicks.
if you take the time to discover these hidden content creators, you’ll find a wealth of business strategies and tactics that aren’t widely discussed. this could be because more established influencers with millions of views might consider these tactics beneath them, too controversial, or too niche. they might avoid sharing these strategies to prevent them from becoming overused or because they no longer need to delve into niche topics, given their broad audience.
for example, i’ve been following a content creator who dives deep into gaming subreddits to go viral. he buys upvotes to make his posts gain traction, driving traffic to his website and increasing sales or sign-ups for his app. this type of strategy is usually discussed in obscure forums but is now making its way onto youtube. i feel like the market is so saturated with generic business advice that upcoming content creators are now sharing effective, unconventional tactics to stand out.
these underground business content creators are targeting a niche audience, focusing on building a solid foundational following rather than maximizing views. they cover specialized topics that provide real value, attracting long-term followers. this contrasts with influencers like alex hormozi, who, despite posting valuable content, tends to generalize to appeal to a broader audience. this often dilutes the specificity and practical application of his advice for individual businesses.
emerging influencers are still experimenting with their content and engagement strategies. they try new topics, respond to every comment, and test different content formats. this real-time experimentation provides a unique learning opportunity. you can observe their growth and learn from both their successes and mistakes.
once these influencers reach a large following, they often streamline their content to focus on what gains the most traction and move away from niche or controversial tactics—tactics that even the most successful businesspeople use but rarely discuss, as they provide a competitive advantage.
i think some people forget that the majority of seven-figure earners don’t post on social media as their primary job. when they do decide to build an audience, their insights are definitely valuable, but their content might not initially be optimized for the algorithm. it takes time for them to find their groove, and during this period, you can hear interesting perspectives they might not share later with a larger audience.
i've been looking for these types of channels lately - channels that haven't gone mainstream yet and talk about the finite details on how they game reddit, instagram, and tiktok to get app users and e-commerce sales.
a lot of the other bigger channels don't disclose vendors for buying reddit upvotes or vpn/proxy setups, but i've already found a few videos he posted that talk about them specifically, so i want to highlight this channel for sure.
just kidding. the whale above is completely ai-generated. i’m actually quite surprised by the detail and water effects the ai used.
what i did was, on my bike ride by the beach, i snapped a pic of the intercoastal and used adobe firefly ai to add the whale. it was super easy.
here’s a video of the area and how it really looked:
kind of boring, right? nothing worth sharing. however, when i posted the whale version on my instagram story, people believed it! it wasn’t until i posted the video that they realized it was fake.
it makes me wonder: how will the future look? will we constantly alter our images to make our lives appear more interesting or “perfect”? influencers already do this, but the barrier for needing advanced photoshop expertise has dropped dramatically.
this is probably the only newsletter i’m genuinely excited to open and read from start to finish: patent drop.
they do the heavy lifting by sifting through daily patent filings. they clearly explain who’s filing what, which helps track the future development of products and services by major companies like google, apple, amazon, and facebook.
fyi: every patent filed must be publicly made available on the uspto' website. however, it’s a nightmare sifting through all the random filings on their website that feels like it was built before the dot-com boom. keeping track of patents can help you know if a company is headed for exponential growth and if they plan for longevity.
with this information, you can make strategic stock purchases. knowing that a company is about to release something new or is working on an innovative project can definitely give you an edge. i’ve seen patents in this newsletter that i truly believe in, and i can see these companies actually pursuing them, not just filing for the sake of it.
i’ve acted on this information and have seen some decent returns. i highly recommend this newsletter. however, like anything, you need to discern between filings made for liability protection and those that indicate genuine development. make your own informed decisions.
i've been using thoughtly as the first point of contact for all my inbound business calls and it's been going really well.
thoughtly is a full stack ai receptionist with human-like reasoning and improvised conversation abilities. it has a lot of features and offers granular control for logic-based call routing. upon receiving a call, you can set a greeting that will lead into a flow. based on the customer's response, it will direct them down a specific path. this path is dynamically created and depends on the customer's input and how the ai interprets it. you don't have to define every single parameter, as you would with a chatbot. once set, you can essentially forget about it
for example, if a customer asks for a refund or to place an order, or even if they have a product-related question, thoughtly will automatically assume that the customer is looking to place an order. you don't need to create additional logic branches for each specific scenario. the system will automatically direct the call based on the categories you've already set up.
thoughtly allows you to set up automations, including sending you a summary or even forwarding the call to you if the customer needs to speak with a human representative. one feature i particularly like is that, unlike other apps, thoughtly can simulate the sound of a person typing, which creates a more natural feel during the conversation.
this is especially useful because some ai voice agents can take a few extra seconds to respond. thoughtly's typing noise effectively fills in the pause, making the interaction feel more engaging and natural.
i've tried other apps that lack this feature. as a result, there's often dead air during the call, leading customers to think they've been disconnected. they end up asking, "hello, anyone there?" this small but important detail in thoughtly helps maintain engagement throughout the entire call.
p.s. it can also perform mass outbound calling. i don’t use this feature myself, but it could come in handy for sales teams.
