Do you know this moment when you stumble across a brilliant growth tactic that is hidden in a Reddit thread or is buried deep in a comment area? That is the kind of things I live for.
I am Tom Orbach, a growth marketer and a forbes 30 under 30 award winners, which created a viral postal generator, which attracted 2 million users. Underthe-Radar tactics was the backbone Marketing ideasMy weekly newsletter for startup marketers. No paid ads. No polished design team. No brandhalo for driving. Just a willingness to test quickly, double what works and ignore what is not.
In this article I break off the unconventional, effective tactics that helped me to grow from 0 to 40,000 subscribers in 1.5 years. Let us immerse yourself.
Why I started Marketing ideas
During most of my 12-year marketing career, people asked me about creative growth ideas, especially about the way that did not rely on paid advertisements or large budgets.
It became a pattern. Regardless of whether I worked with startups, advise customers or only chat with friends in the industry, someone always said: “It’s a great idea. Do you have more?”
This has been required over time. I was invited to speak at conferences, to keep guest lectures at companies and universities and to jump on calls with marketers who are looking for shabby tactics that actually worked. It was clear that there was a real appetite for practical advice that is difficult to find in blog posts or playbooks.
This made me start marketing ideas, a weekly newsletter, each of which provides a implementable growth tactic. No theory. No filler. These are just real things that marketers can try immediately.
Of course, it was only part of the job to find useful content. I also had to find out how I could bring it in front of people. Here is what really caused growth.
What really promoted growth
1. Apply a target page during the talks before the newsletter even exists.
Before I ever sent a single e -mail, I already had a list of subscribers.
I spoke about conferences, corporate associations and universities. At the end of each lecture, I connect a simple target page. I would say something like this: “I will soon start a newsletter to share more ideas like this. You can register now.”
This one-liner and Barebones-Landing page brought me almost 1,000 early subscribers. And not just casual. These were super fans who had just seen me talking, liked what they heard and wanted more. When I sent my first problem, they were already prepared to share it.
This swing made the difference.
2. Guest clerk for other newsletters (in particular paid).
One of the most underestimated growth tactics is to borrow the audience of another.
I contacted newsletter manufacturers, especially those with paid subscriptions, and offered to write free guest content for you. They got high -quality material to monetize. I got visibility and credibility.
It was not just a list growth tactic. These guest posts helped me to prove the value for new readers quickly to build up trust, and often opened the door for long -term partnerships. Even if only 1% of their audience were subscribed to Marketing ideasThis composite effect really added up.
3. Cross promotions with real relationships.
After these guest contributions, I stayed in touch with the authors.
Not to put more advertising out of them, but because I really liked their work. If they are more likely to approach as a peer than the distribution channels, the relationships last. And because we enjoyed each other the content of the other, we would mention organic. This type of notes hits much harder than a unique shoutout.
It’s slow, but sustainable and real.
4. offer free advice on LinkedIn.
This always works. I’ll be something like:
- “Let your website fall below and I give you a custom growth idea.”
Then I answer every person with an actual proposal, usually something that I have already written about in the newsletter. At the end of every answer I add a link to subscribe.
These contributions have massive reach, hundreds of new subscribers drive and often trigger conversations with founders, marketers and creators that I have never met. It is one of the most tedious tactics that I use, but also one of the most rewarding.
And it’s not a gimmick. It works because it feels as it is: real help, one person after the other.
5. Use infographics to increase shareability.
I add infographics to my newsletter issues, even if they are unnecessary.
Why? Because people love to share them.
If someone releases one of my graphics on LinkedIn or X, they look clever. A common infographic feels like mind leadership. A joint newsletter link? Less so.
Even if the infographic does not add much new information, it increases the range. I saw the data: problems with visuals are shared more often, more often linked and ultimately lead to more subscribers.
6. Activate superfans on Reddit.
Reddit was a surprise growth channel.
One day I noticed that some people were recommended Marketing ideas In random reddit threads. I checked the UTM tags and saw that each of these comments drove dozens of new subscribers.
So I pursued these users – literally only searched for my domain on Reddit – and took care of thanking them. I found that they were real fans. No hidden agenda. They liked the newsletter easy and wanted to spread the floor.
I asked if they were open to a small monthly payment to continue sharing if it made sense. You said yes and we have made a simple agreement. They already made it free of charge; This gave them only one additional reason to continue. And now I have active, trustworthy users who help to advertise the newsletter in a channel in which self -promotion is normally a non -starter.
7. Squiped praise as a social proof.
Every time someone publishes something nice about the newsletter or leaves a thoughtful comment, I save it.
I keep a growing database of it and convert it into testimonial style. I don’t ask for permission because you are public and I always link back to the original comment if someone wants to see him in the context.
These screenshots occur Away Better than any self -quality post that it could ever. They are authentic, unexpected and exactly the kind of social proof that people trust.
8. Apply other newsletters to trigger reciprocity.
Sometimes I turned to a newsletter creator that I admired and got no answer.
Instead of giving up, I would turn the script around. I would apply for your newsletter anyway. I mark it in a LinkedIn contribution, share it in Marketing ideasOr just recommend it to pass.
As soon as I had some results (clicks, comments, shares), I would follow the original creator and show them what I did. They reacted almost every time and reply.
This tactic works because you don’t ask anything. They give evidence first. And if you do that, people say much more likely, yes.
Hard lessons
In retrospect, there are two things that I would change if I started again.
1. Don’t wait for the perfect design.
I spent months to optimize my logo, my header layout and the colors before starting. I already had content ready, but I held it back because the graphics didn’t feel “good enough”. Huge mistake.
Nobody takes care of their branding like her. They take care of what they teach them. If I could avoid it, I would start earlier and refine the look later.
2. Stop writing as if you are trying to impress other marketers.
My problems were long in the early days. Some were over 2,000 words with context and background story. But the readers didn’t want a mini-essay. They wanted the tactics. The part “Here is something to do and how you do it”. As soon as I leaned afterwards, the engagement shot shot. Every week I concentrate on delivering one: something useful that you can try Today.
The game book is still written
I still test, still optimize it and still find it out. What worked a year ago could not work tomorrow, and that’s part of the fun.
If I have learned something, it is the following: Growth does not come from doing what everyone else is doing. It comes from trying things that overlook most people because they look too small, too strange or too inconsistent.
The best growth tactic is not hidden in expensive courses or unusual marketing tools. They are in comment -threads, DMS and the rooms in which honest conversations take place. You are really helpful before you ask for something in return.
Do you want to stand out? Be useful. Be human. Do the things that don’t scale. And if you find a tactic that works? Share it.