An inside look at how BrandYourself.com (unexpectedly) acquired 60 thousand users in 60 hours following the official launch of its free Do-It-Yourself online reputation management & personal SEO tool. Co-founder & CEO, Patrick Ambron, takes you through the steps that led to the unexpected growth and how startups and fellow entrepreneurs can apply similar tactics to grow their business, including tips for press pitching, website design, referrals, marketing / branding tactics and more.

1. How we (unexpectedly) got
60K Users in 60 Hours
Patrick Ambron
Co-Founder & CEO
and other ways to get users without spending $$

2. •Background: what/who is BrandYourself
•Tipping Point: 60K users in 60 hrs (what happened)
•What we learned: lessons you can apply
AGENDA

3. We started BrandYourself when co-founder Pete couldn‘t get
an internship because employers were Googling him and
finding...
A criminal with the same name The REAL Pete Kistler, NOT a criminal
INSTEAD OF

4. 1 BILLION
75%
names are Googled every day
of HR departments are required
to research candidates online
We realized this is a BIG problem for A LOT of people

5. …And most people are not well-represented online
NEGATIVE
IRRELEVANT
HEY! THAT’S NOT ME

6. To help everyone control their
search results with a simple &
FREE do-it-yourself platform
So we made it our mission:

7. How BrandYourself Works

8. Users can also create a BrandYourself that’s
optimized to rank high in search results for your name

9. •30 full-time employees
•Over 300,000 customers
•$2 Million in funding
(more on way)
•Named #1 Emerging
Business in NYS ($200K
prize), top app at SXSW
WHERE WE STARTED WHERE WE ARE NOW
•Launched in 2010 from a
dorm room at SU
•No marketing budget, no
resources, no clue

10. HOW DID WE GET
FROM A TO B?

11. It started with a lot of building…

12. and rebuilding

13. and more rebuilding

14. UNTIL FINALLY …

15. We were ready for launch!

16. Growth was pretty good right out of the gate

17. BUT THEN…

18. …we hit a tipping point
60K users in 60 hrs

19. SO WHAT
HAPPENED?

20. We announced a feature that (accidentally)
went a little viral

21. first, Mashable picked it up

22. Not all Mashable articles are created equal
an article trending on the front

23. Once the story was “hot” other places picked it up

24. All these new users began sharing BrandYourself, which
compounded growth even more…

25. Signups from direct sources and direct Google
searches sky-rocketed

26. We signed up over 10,000
people from sources that
signed up less than 200
people each.
Finally, all the new users created a huge Long Tail Effect

27. Some sent us users through

28. Others wrote personal blog posts

29. SO WHAT DID
WE LEARN ?
(THAT COULD HELP YOU)

30. Pitch the right publication
(choose wisely)
1

31. Promote one feature at a time
(make sure it’s the one people care about)
2

32. Bad Pitch:
We have a new
feature that helps
you do something
amazing that no one
else can help you do
Good Pitch:
Here’s a list of ten
technical features
you won’t really
understand. Will you
write about it?

33. Focus the story on specific people,
not you or your company
3

34. Bad Pitch:
Millions of people—like
my friend Jim—could
never speak Spanish.
With this new product he
was fluent in 2 weeks!
Good Pitch:
I just stayed up all night
releasing this. You
should write about it.

35. Focus on your sign up flow
4
(optimize conversions)

36. Ideal Homepage

37. Pretty good homepage (thank you)

38. Really good homepage

39. Obvious really bad homepage

40. Not as obvious bad homepage

41. Know where your product can be viral
*People will always share an interesting experience
5
(even if it isn’t a social network)

42. People like to brag about accomplishments

43. People want to do what their friends do

44. Other Companies that use the Buddy
DROPBOX: Invite a friend &
you both get free storage space
SKYPE: Invite a friend & you both
get to talk to each other for free

45. Have a great product that
solves a real problem
6
VS

46. Solve a specific problem
7

47. Originally, we tried to be everything:
“Put your best foot forward on the web”:
• Manage your entire online reputation
• Own your Google results
• Track your digital breadcrumbs
• Create effective social media profiles
• Get more fans and followers
• Figure out how to blog
• Automate your social media outreach
• Manage your online privacy
• Build a personal brand
• Improve your online presence

48. Now, we have a concise message:
Own Your Google Results.

49. Listen to your users and give
them what they need
8

50. With feedback from our users, we realized some
situations still require more hands-on help….
So, we launched Concierge Services
where a reputation specialist will
handle the work for them.
…this accelerated revenue and led to massive company growth
Patrick, one of our reputation specialists

51. Look great when employers, clients and even dates Google you.