🔍 How I Added 30,000 Followers in 30 days

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In April, I challenged myself to add 10,000 new followers on IG. The result was 30k in 30 days. And Imma show you exactly what I did, in today’s newsletter.

Btw if you want to learn firsthand how to grow an audience with short-form video then join our next Cut30 bootcamp here.

And as always, thank you to our partners Northbeam and Superside.

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In partnership with Northbeam

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I’ve been obsessed with short-form video for the last year.

And the learnings paid off like crazy in the last 30 days.

I added 30k followers because of one change.

The pitch process.

Before I create a video, I make sure it has a solid pitch.

My pitch process includes:

The first video I created after implementing this pitch process got ~900k views.

But I noticed one metric that drove the needle: average watch time.

So here’s how to increase it.

Know Who You Are Creating For

I use a simple framework to establish who I'm creating for:

Pace, Delivery, and Structure

To keep viewers engaged and prevent them from swiping away, I use a specific formula that goes beyond just focusing on the initial hook:

Better Than The Alternative

I found it more effective than the traditional Hook, Value, and Ending structure.

Here's an example:

"Hey, today I'm going to talk about how this brand did this, and it was crazy because this is the result."

Now you're already 10 seconds in.

Then, I talk for 50 seconds and end with something like, "So, what do you think? If you have any questions, drop them below. I'm curious to hear your thoughts."

But you killed your average watch rate.

Let's say you put out a 50-second video.

But let’s reduce your hook from 10 to 3 seconds.

And cut out the last 10 seconds of asking for feedback.

Now, your video is at 30% watch time.

Removing fluff is essential to optimize your video performance because…

Algo Market Fit

The algos show your content to your followers first.

Once it hits a certain threshold, it gets pushed further.

Which is why I obsess over getting to 50% of watch time.

Putting It All Together

But if you want me, Oren John, and Colin Landforce to teach you how to build a brand with short-form content, then join our next Cut30 boot camp here.

In partnership with Superside

How We’re Scaling Marketing Examined

Marketing Examined started as a newsletter.

Now, we’ve got our eyes on a much bigger vision.

As we're scaling, we’ve brought on some killer new team members.

But when it comes to creative assets, Superside is our secret weapon.

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