The gentlemen’s agreement that netted 210,000 subscribers. [Steal this play.]

“Smash a button like this,” says the host, and your eyes roll back so far you can see your medulla. “And don’t forget to subscribe!”

If you create videos, podcasts, or social media posts, you know that you should be engaging in motivation. But if doing so makes you feel like you need a shower, this story is for you.

Today, the producer of My first million Share how they turn boring engagement farming into a common language that their audience with pleasure (and joyfully) spreads – Netting 200K users in the process.

The team calls it a “gentlemen’s agreement.” And you should try exactly the same.

Look, gentlemen.

Entrepreneurs Sam Peer and Sean Poore didn’t set out to become podcasters or YouTubers.

“They were operating in the mindset of, ‘We’re creating this for us, and if people see it, great,'” says Ari Desmouroux. “They weren’t identifying as content creators.”

So when the show started physically selecting followers, they had to decide whether to do all the things that content creators are “supposed” to do: ad breaks. Engagement Farming. Begging for customers.

Desmoureux is a senior producer at HubSpot Media and one of the minds behind the ongoing success My first millionwhich currently boasts nearly 900,000 followers.

But it didn’t start out that way, and she shares with me the thinking behind one of her earliest moments of explosive growth.

“Instead of doing anything, we should Doing, just by default, we decided to make it a funny exchange, and then change it to a bit that’s also a value add. We’re going to turn it into something that becomes part of the audience’s language.“

So, instead of the usual ‘likes and subscribes’, Peer and Puri came up with a gentleman’s agreement. Here it is in Monday’s words:

“If it’s the first one you’re hearing about, you get it for free. But if it’s Second Episode or more you’ve heard, here’s our gentlemen’s deal. You go to whatever app you’re on, and you click ‘subscribe’ or ‘follow’ or whatever.

“We do it for you. We’re your little lab rats. We’re doing all this crap for you, just go and do it for us.”

Inclusion factor

The impact was near-term, with the show picking up 210,000 subscribers in a matter of months.

And while it’s almost impossible to say the only reason in solitude, Parrer himself described the gentlemen’s agreement as “the biggest needle mover”.

It wasn’t just that listeners were honoring the agreement. They were Sharing it.

“You’ll see it in YouTube comments. You’ll see it on LinkedIn.” “It gets closer inside baseball for people in the know. It has become a proper noun. And that creates an element of inclusion.

This inclusion factor is what she attributes to the strategy’s success. The very words “Gentlemen’s Agreement” have become a way for listeners to identify with each other. It has transcended engagement farming to become community building.

“‘Likes and Subscribes’ is an anonymous way to interact with people. This is a transaction. I’m talking to you like you’re just on the other side of the button. This is an indication to check the mind,“She tells.” (Whereas,) Gentlemen’s Agreement is a relationship-building strategy. This is a goodwill agreement between us and the audience.

Creating your contract

Now, you shouldn’t copy this trick word for word. Not only would it be unbiased, but it would also be ineffective. Your unique audience needs your unique language.

But Desmoureux shared some thoughts on how he’s found language franca for his listeners.

1. Focus on essential value exchanges.

“Anyone who is creating content on the Internet is exchanging the same value with their audience. Whether it’s entertainment, tutorials, interviews, it’s all the same.” You’re trading your content for their attention.

But when you simply ask for favoritism, you’re presenting it as a one-sided equation. instead, Remind your potential audience that the exchange goes both ways.

There is no secret about the amount of effort that is being made in exchange for Peer and Puri.

2. Stay in character.

So far, you can detect engagement farming simply by a change in tone, without hearing the words. Many content creators take these moments for granted, so it feels like listening.

“It becomes part of the noise of the Internet. It’s like, ‘Hey, let’s do a quick ad break.’ They’ve heard it so many times, it’s lost its power.

instead, Find words that match the spirit of your content.

“How is your audience responding? My first million Fun first, nerves second, and business third.

This is why the Gentlemen’s Agreement is presented as a funny, kind, business proposition. It probably wouldn’t work for a podcast about knitting grannies.

3. Repetition. Repetition

If we had done it once, it would have been just a novelty. Doing this consistently is what creates a movement. Bringing it back from episode to episode is what lodges it in the mind.

And they just don’t mention it in every episode. They also use it in their social media posts, create tongue-in-cheek content, and even slap it on their chili.

The result? “The audience recognizes it and uses it in the situation.”

4. Don’t worry about being repetitive.

During one episode, Parr says that the gentleman’s agreement may have lost its novelty, but Desmoureux isn’t worried.

“This is the novel for anyone listening for the first time, for those who don’t subscribe yet.“

In other words, if you’ve heard enough to improve, you’re probably already a subscriber. (Or you’re breaking the deal. TSK, TSK.)

5. Acknowledge the weirdness.

“There’s value in sabotage. It’s creepy and distasteful for consumers to ask,” Desmoureux admits. “But somehow, mocking the economics of being a content creator helps overcome audience objections.”

If you admit that it’s Karangi, they can’t call you Karangi. Part of the success of the Gentlemen’s Agreement is that it disarms the nature of the transaction by acknowledging the nature of the transaction.

And, hey, if you’ve made it this far… Is there a gentleman’s favor? Click on this subscribe button.