3-2-1: Viral Chocolate, CRO tips, 3am videos

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Hey — It's Harry

I started this newsletter in Wimbeldon. I'm finishing it in Val-d'Isère. I'm skiing tomorrow for the first time in my life. Clear the slopes.

The replies to last fortnights newsletter were both unexpected and generous. Thank you. Enjoy this week's effort.

Estimated read time: 3 minutes & 42 seconds.

Before we begin... A big thank you to this week's sponsor...

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Two short examples

1/ The chocolate that goes viral every day

Tabs makes “sex chocolate”. Last month they sold half a million worth.

Oliver is the founder. A 21-year-old college kid from New York. I spoke to him on Friday. There's one thing Tabs do ridiculously well:

Short-form vertical video.

They have several hundred videos with one million views. Oliver tells me the secret is sheer output.

“No one knows what the algo is going to like. So don't look for the needle in the haystack. Cop the whole haystack, you'll get the needle.”

Oliver's got thirty creators on retainer. Each with different Tabs accounts. Each making 1-3 videos / day which get reposted as Shorts, Pins, Reels, etc.

Every day one-hundred Tabs videos hit different pockets of the web. It's a Walter White-scale operation. And it works.

One viral video is luck. One-hundred is design.

What about the actual videos?

Well, they're ten seconds long, made by actual TikTokers, and crucially look nothing like ads. No CTAs, no big logo. The goal is curiosity, not clarity.

“Let em feel like they discover us, not the other way around.”

[1] [2]

If I met Oliver two years ago I'd have put on my silly little “expert” hat and told him:

Grow one brand account. Make PPC ads. Add a clear CTA.

Well, he's done precisely the opposite of all that: hundreds of brand accounts, UGC content, no CTAs.

As I end this story I remind myself — What do I know!

Off the back of Tabs' success Oliver's set up a spin-off TikTok agency that helps brands go viral. If you're intrigued do message him on Twitter :)

2/ I love Blinkist's free trial paywall

What's the #1 objection to signing up for a free trial?

“I'll forget to cancel and get billed indefinitely”

99% of sites sweep this under the rug. Blinkist handles it upfront. Maximum transparency.

Does it work? Lucky for us they ran some A/B tests:

• 23% more trial signups

• 55% fewer customer complaints

• 6% to 74% increase in push notification opt-ins

Win! Win! Win! Sincerity sells.

Credit to the superb Jaycee Day who designed this and Growth Design (also superb) where I first read about it :)

Three Copywriting Tips

1/ My three favourite CRO questions:

1/ How can I bring this to life?

2/ How can I make this REALER?

3/ How can I make this more believable?

h/t Pier from Cowork Surf

2/ The most effective (least respected) copywriting technique?

Rhyme. Makes a line twice as memorable and 22% more believable.

3/ How to make your product relatable?

Drop it into real scenarios.

One Favourite Tweet

* * *

I think it's time for me to call it a night. I'm supposed to be hitting the slopes after all.

If you like what you read please do “add to address book” or reply (it helps with deliverability). If you don't you can unsubscribe here.

Au revoir, à lundi — Harry

PS — Song of the week

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3-2-1: Viral Chocolate, CRO tips, 3am videos

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