How to make $10,000 with your side project

10 Marketing Channels That Work (And How to Use Them)

Key Concepts: Outreach, Free Tools, Affiliate Marketing, Hacker News, Cold Calls, Programmatic SEO, Meta Ads, Personal Branding, Reddit, Directories, YouTube Live.

1. Outreach (Cold Emailing)

Main Point: Cold outreach, when done correctly, is a low-cost, high-ROI marketing channel. The key is to focus on starting a conversation, not immediately selling.
Process:
1. Lead Generation: Find potential customers (e.g., on TripAdvisor, Yelp, Twitter). Identify the business owner's name (e.g., from review replies).
2. CRM Setup: Use a simple CRM (e.g., Streak for Gmail) to track leads through stages (Lead, Stage 1, Stage 2, etc.).
3. Crafting Cold Emails:
  - Keep emails short (three sentences).
  - Personalize by mentioning the business owner's name.
  - Highlight a missed opportunity or benefit.
  - Create curiosity (e.g., mention "mini-game bots").
  - Use a simple call to action (e.g., "Respond if you want to learn more").
4. Follow-up: Send follow-up emails two to three days later, then a week later.
Example: The speaker grew a software business to $80,000 in revenue using cold emails, selling a monthly subscription for $19.99. Sending 20 cold emails per day resulted in approximately one new customer per day.
Key Takeaway: Focus on opening a dialogue rather than direct selling.

2. Free Tools

Main Point: Creating free, standalone mini-apps that promote a paid product is a highly effective marketing strategy.
Process:
1. Idea Generation:
  - Extract a paid feature from your product and offer it for free.
  - Consider steps customers take before using your product and create a tool to assist with those steps.
2. Development: Build a simple, single-feature tool.
3. Naming: Choose a smart name that is either SEO-friendly or descriptive (e.g., "LogoFast").
4. Accessibility: Make the tool accessible directly on the homepage without requiring sign-ups or email addresses.
5. Seamless Integration: Create a logical connection between the free tool and the paid product.
6. Promotion: Publish the tool on platforms like Hacker News and Product Hunt.
Examples:
- LogoFast: A free logo creation tool that promotes a coding course. Generated over $110,000 in revenue.
- Tweet Hunter's "Generate Tweet" feature: A free tool extracted from a paid Twitter growth tool.
- Visualize Habit: A tool that shows users the long-term impact of their habits, promoting a habit tracker app.
Key Takeaway: Free tools should be simple, accessible, and seamlessly integrated with your paid product.

3. Affiliate Marketing

Main Point: Leveraging power users to promote your product through affiliate links can significantly boost revenue.
Process:
1. Affiliate Software: Integrate affiliate software (e.g., Rewardful) with your payment system (e.g., Stripe).
2. Affiliate Page: Create an SEO-optimized page targeting potential affiliates, highlighting the earning potential.
  - Include social proof (e.g., screenshots of affiliate earnings).
  - Provide brand assets (logos, headlines) for easy promotion.
3. Promotion: Promote the affiliate program within your app, especially at relevant points in the customer journey.
Requirements:
- Have a working, profitable product.
- Offer a generous commission (30-50%).
- Ban branded keywords in affiliate ad campaigns.
- Set a 30-60 day payout window to prevent fraud.
Example: Jack Freaks, a serial entrepreneur, uses the speaker's web analytics startup and includes an affiliate link in screenshots of his dashboard.
Key Takeaway: Affiliate marketing is most effective with a proven product and a generous commission structure.

4. Hacker News

Main Point: Hacker News is a valuable platform for promoting digital products, especially those targeting developers.
Process:
1. Understand the Audience: Hacker News is primarily used by tech-savvy individuals, startup entrepreneurs, and developers.
2. Use the "Show HN" Category: Only promote your startup in the "Show HN" category.
3. Post Structure:
  - Start with "Show HN: I made XYZ."
  - Focus on the outcome or benefit of the tool.
  - Use tech-based language.
4. Engagement: Become an active member of the community by commenting on other posts.
Don'ts:
- Don't ask for upvotes.
- Don't use emojis.
Example: The speaker drove over 25,000 visitors to his sites using Hacker News.
Key Takeaway: Tailor your message to the Hacker News audience and focus on the value your product provides.

5. Cold Calls

Main Point: While challenging, cold calling is an excellent way to learn marketing and understand customer psychology.
Process:
1. Script Preparation: Use GPT to create call scripts for opening the call and handling objections.
2. Research: Gather information about the business you're calling (owner's name, location, recent news).
3. Execution: Make the calls and learn from the experience.
Key Takeaway: Cold calling provides invaluable real-world marketing experience.

6. Programmatic SEO

Main Point: Programmatic SEO involves ranking for long-tail keywords to drive traffic to your main product page.
Process:
1. Keyword Research: Find relevant keywords with search intent using tools like Ahrefs. Identify long-tail variations (e.g., "raid room Atlanta").
2. Web Page Skeleton: Build a template webpage with variables for keywords.
3. Data Collection: Collect data to populate the template (e.g., raid room locations, reviews).
4. SEO Optimization: Optimize the webpage for SEO (alt attributes, title tags, H1 tags).
5. Backlinks: Get backlinks from platforms like Product Hunt and My Indie Page.
6. Indexing: Submit your site to Google Search Console.
Example: Creating a directory for raid rooms with user reviews, targeting keywords like "raid room Chicago."
Key Takeaway: Programmatic SEO is a cost-effective way to generate consistent traffic through long-tail keywords.

7. Meta Ads (Facebook/Instagram Ads)

Main Point: Meta Ads can be effective if you have a product that is already converting.
Process:
1. Pixel Installation: Install the Meta Pixel on your website to track user behavior.
2. Event Tracking: Track key events like purchases.
3. Campaign Launch: Create campaigns in the Meta Ads Manager.
  - Targeting: Focus on retargeting warm audiences (people who have visited your site).
  - Creative: Use proven ad templates and compelling visuals.
Example: The speaker spent $14,000 on ads, generating $6,000 in revenue with a cost per purchase of $48.
Key Takeaway: Start with retargeting and use proven ad templates to maximize ROI.

8. Personal Branding

Main Point: Building a personal brand can significantly impact marketing efforts and personal growth.
Process:
1. Platform Selection: Choose a platform that aligns with your strengths and interests (e.g., Twitter for writing, YouTube for video).
2. Personality Identification: Identify your unique personality traits and double down on them.
3. Profile Crafting: Create a profile that reflects your personality and showcases your work.
4. Content Consumption: Immerse yourself in the culture of your chosen platform.
5. Content Creation:
  - Share behind-the-scenes content.
  - Share results.
  - Share learnings.
  - Use templates for inspiration.
Example: The speaker grew a Twitter audience to 160,000 followers and a YouTube channel to 120,000 followers.
Key Takeaway: Authenticity and consistency are crucial for building a successful personal brand.

9. Reddit

Main Point: Reddit can be a source of traffic, but it requires a nuanced approach due to the community's aversion to overt promotion.
Strategies:
- r/SideProject: Share your projects in r/SideProject, which is designed for this purpose.
- Storytelling: Share stories and insights in larger subreddits like r/entrepreneurs without direct promotion.
- Free Tools: Share free tools with the promotion temporarily hidden, then redirect traffic to your personal brand.
Example: A post on Reddit went viral, generating 50,000 visitors in one day.
Key Takeaway: Focus on providing value and engaging with the community rather than direct self-promotion.

10. Directories

Main Point: Directories like Product Hunt can drive traffic and provide social proof.
Process:
1. Listing Creation: Create a compelling listing with a good logo, a clear name, and a concise headline that focuses on the benefit to the user.
2. Vote Generation:
  - Inbound votes: Optimize your listing to attract votes from users on the platform.
  - Outbound votes: Leverage your existing network to drive votes to your listing.
3. Badge Integration: Add a badge to your website indicating that you are live on a directory.
Alternatives: Unneed, Tiny Launch, Futurepedia, AI for That.
Example: The speaker has launched over 20 websites on Product Hunt and was awarded Product of the Year in 2023.
Key Takeaway: A well-crafted listing and strategic promotion are essential for success on directories.

11. YouTube Live

Main Point: Live coding on YouTube can attract a dedicated audience and generate revenue.
Benefits:
- Increased productivity.
- Audience growth.
- Customer acquisition.
- Unexpected collaborations.
Tips:
- Frame it as a challenge (e.g., "Day 1 of growing a software to $1 million").
- Create a compelling thumbnail.
Example: The speaker's YouTube channel gained 50,000 views on a 3-hour long live coding video.
Key Takeaway: YouTube Live fosters trust and can lead to unexpected opportunities.

Synthesis/Conclusion

The video outlines ten diverse marketing channels, emphasizing that success doesn't always require a large budget or audience. The key takeaways are: focusing on providing value, understanding your target audience, and adapting your approach to each platform. The speaker stresses the importance of experimentation and continuous learning to find the most effective strategies for your specific product or business. He also highlights the importance of converting visitors into customers, which is covered in another video.