Nick, you mentioned reaching out to people on multiple platforms like LinkedIn, X, and TikTok. Do you recommend we start posting on these platforms just to show we have a pulse online? Should we try to gain a bit of following for social proof, even if it's only 100 followers? If yes, what kind of things should we post if we don't have experience or case studies? Alex Hormozi has recommended doing this because if you're not doing outreach (or even if you are), people will check your socials to verify you're a real person and not a scam.
When you set up a bunch of social media profiles, you're not doing it primarily to increase the quantity of leads you talk to; you're doing it to increase the quality of those conversations. This acts as a mandatory background check that everyone performs before signing a contract. If you get a proposal you like, you’ll Google the person before paying. If nothing shows up or you see spam, your chance of closing the deal drops dramatically—maybe from a 30 % close rate to just 7‑8 %. One of the easiest ways to legitimize yourself is to sign up for every social media platform and large directory listings like Crunchbase, Capterra, and similar sites. When I start with a new company (or an investment like Clearview), the first thing I do is apply to about 500 directory listings. You can now use AI models such as Stable 5.1 via a browser loop to automate those applications. This is the first step I take for any new web property—for example, I’m doing it right now for the Stacked Podcast. People need to verify you’re not a scam, and this is about as simple a task as you can do to achieve that.
If you haven’t considered it yet, let me walk you through it. LinkedIn is just one of many platforms; you can copy the same approach to virtually any other social media site. For example, on X you can skip the connect request, which would double your outreach, and on TikTok you could triple it. Facebook, Instagram, and other Meta platforms work similarly. If you’re running out of outreach capacity but still have time, simply expand to other platforms using the same method, making minor platform‑specific tweaks. On Instagram, a common hurdle is getting funneled into message requests; a strong opener like an open‑ended rhetorical question—e.g., 'Hey, do you do one‑on‑ones?'—can move prospects into your chat box. The core strategy stays the same; only the tactics change. Beyond social media, think about email, phone calls, or even walking up to a local business. With so many channels, a rational person could easily fill an 8‑hour day just reaching out. So, get after it—put the pedal to the metal. If you finish your outreach in the first hour, you could easily 7× your current volume, and with more reps you’ll gain efficiency and effectiveness.
First, identify prospects who are already running ads by scraping Facebook or Google ad libraries and enriching them with contact info. Use browser automation to opt into each of their offers, recording the time and outcomes to demonstrate you've experienced their lead flow. Then, use AI to create a detailed, personalized icebreaker email that shows you've gone through their process and highlights how much money they're losing due to slow lead response—often $20,000–$30,000 per month. Offer a solution that patches these leaks, promising an additional $15,000–$20,000 in revenue. Reach out warmly, referencing specific details from their LinkedIn or ads to build rapport. Because these are high-intent, high-value leads spending money on growth, your reply rate can be 5–10%, allowing you to contact about 300 prospects per day. This approach is essentially a highly customized audience selection similar to Facebook Ads but executed via automated outreach.
speed to leadbrowser automationAI personalizationoutreach
No problem. Let's take a look at your YouTube progress—it's likely going to take longer than you expect. You have a lot going on: blogs, LinkedIn posts, YouTube dabbling, and you're exploring automation and the over‑50 niche, which I actually think is a great niche. You also have another channel that's fine. However, I don't see this as the straightest path to winning. If you aim to make $5,000–$15,000 a month with this setup, you'll probably need outbound outreach rather than relying on inbound, unless you have something inherently fascinating about you or an offer so irresistible that people are drawn in just by your thumbnail or title. In most cases, the likelihood of winning with inbound quickly is low, so outbound remains the simplest, straightest route to success. My advice is to focus on nailing your offer template—something I struggled with at first too. Remember, not being good at something now doesn't mean you never will be; it's just a matter of putting in time, effort, and persistence. Don't let a lack of social proof or current skill level become a limiting belief. Start sending outreach; social proof matters more for inbound than outbound, so you can build it as you go. That's what I'd do in your situation, John.
I don’t know the specifics of your product, but mimicking what’s working for others is a reasonable first step. The tactics I use in my own social‑media advertising involve spending a lot of money for time, which isn’t ideal for you because you have plenty of time but limited cash. Instead of giving you a detailed walk‑through of my exact methods, let’s look at your situation more generally.
You’ve spent a lot of time building a tool that helps people go viral. The usual approach is to keep investing time and money into the product and then hope marketing will magically work later. That’s the opposite of what you should do. It’s far more effective to start by marketing and selling, then build the product only after you’ve validated demand. If you begin with demand, you’ll already have customers and a clear idea of what they actually want when you finally create the tool.
Rather than building a big inbound funnel for a product that might become obsolete, reach out directly to potential users. Pitch hypothetical offers or tools you could build if they show interest. For example, you could say, “Hey, I’m transitioning to software and think I could save you $10‑15k a month with a tool that does X, Y, Z. Would you be interested in a free version?” If they say yes, you have validation without even having a finished product. Modern AI lets you build functional tools quickly, so you can test ideas fast.
My recommendation: focus all your time and energy on marketing first. Validate the product through outbound outreach. If validation fails, iterate and try a new idea. This outbound‑first approach is the 80/20 play many high‑growth agencies use today, especially with AI accelerating development.
In practice, avoid inbound because it’s undirected and slow to show ROI. Set a target number of outreach contacts and define clear exit conditions—e.g., at least five booked meetings from a thousand messages. If you hit those metrics, then you proceed to build the product. Remember, you can market and sell an idea without a finished product; you just need a compelling concept and a way to communicate it.