Building a full scale media company from podcast to media production
[Growth Hack #3: S1 – E4]

Transcript below

#GrowthHacking​ #GrowthHack​ #Growthhacker​ #Challenge​ #Competition​ By Growth Thinking Book The 10 day growth hacking challenge 10 days 3 growth hacks 10x results In 10 days, this challenge will turn your ideas into action in a snap to grow your business. Growth thinking is a new design methodology used by the top growth hackers, and now it’s here for everyone to use. Based on the bestselling book Growth Thinking, a design approach to growth hacking, you will quickly transform your growth from a flat-line to a swinging curve. Learn this methodology to quickly, easily, and at a low cost fuel your growth. The best part no expertise in growth hacking is required. Get nominated today by reaching out to a challenger who has taken the challenge to nominate you as a contender.

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Introduction The 10 day growth hacking challenge is designed to accelerate entrepreneurs’ growth from an idea to action in a snap. The challenge uses the growth thinking design methodology based on the book “Growth Thinking, think, design, growth hack, a design approach to growth hacking.” This challenge is destined to help those aspiring to grow exponentially use growth hacking as the means of growth. This is based on a science-based design tool used by some of the world’s top growth hackers.

The challenge gets the contenders focused on a growth problem they are actively tackling. Once that has been identified, the contender develops 3-growth hacks in 10 days. The guided approach challenges the contender to get out of their comfort zone using the best growth hacking strategies and tools. Using the growth thinking design to growth hack, the contenders use the creative yet structured approach to design, implement and test their growth hacks. This enables them to develop the core skills required to get their growth on track.

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FAQs

1. How does the challenge work?

In 10 days, you will develop 3 growth hacks to accelerate your growth. Those growth hacks can be in few formats. A single growth goal, with a single growth hack, improved until optimized. A single growth goal, with a multiple growth hack, improved until optimized. Multiple growth goals, with a single growth hack, improved until optimized. Multiple growth goals, with a multiple growth hack, improved until optimized. There is no wrong or right but rather what works best for you. The secret behind this is about getting your growth goal well defined. This is basically what is your number one growth problem. Once you know this, everything gets smoother and more refined with time.

2. Who is this challenge for?

The 10 day growth hacking challenge is for entrepreneurs and small-medium size business owners. This challenge is for one person, and it should be the key decision-maker of the business, like the CEO or founder only. If you’re in one of the following situations, you qualify. New startups (6-months old and more) Already operating businesses The key decision-maker Have a growth challenge This is not for people who are planning or about to start a business. This is not about how to or what sort of business I should begin to; we focus on already established companies, even if they are startups who have been operating for a very little amount of time, but they have to be operating.

3. How do I get nominated?

If a contender has not nominated you, reach out to a current or previous contender to nominate you. Please describe your passion, mission, vision, and growth problem to the contender who will recommend you. Contenders will only back those they feel or see fit and can benefit from this challenge.

4. What are the benefits?

Only 1% of companies ever achieve exponential growth. This is a unique opportunity to access rare resources and a methodology used by the top girth hackers globally who have helped unicorn startups and fortune 500 companies grow. Skill-building to develop your growth hacking talent Inspiration to get you moving and taking action Expert guides insights by bestselling author Nader Sabry A launchpad to continue growing as a capability Access to unique resources only the best growth hackers use Usually, this kind of training and expert-guided consulting during the process would be more than USD $10,000. They get this all for free with access to the author to further support skill development and enhance growth hacking practices for challengers and nominees.

=========== Visit AJ at @Jibber with Jaber and see Interview with @Nader Sabry https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QJNMB…​ ===========

Learn how to grow hack using the growth thinking methodology.

To learn more, go to https://www.mygrowththinking.com​
or get the book on Amazon

Transcript below

Nader Sabry (00:16):

Hey everybody. Welcome back. This is hack number three and the 10 day growth hacking challenge. The growth hacking challenge for those joining us is three growth hacks in 10 days to 10 X, your growth. And today we’ve got AIJ with jibber Jabber. How are you doing today, AJ? Awesome, man. I’m ready to hear your last hack and for those joining us as well. I just want to point out that Asia is using the growth thinking methodology. This is how he’s developing his hacks and these had an amazing form of progress, um, which is quite amazing. In those 10 days, he’s actually done a pivot and I’m going to let him start talking about growth hack number three, and how he pivoted moving from one, two and three go forward. AIG, take the floor.

Ahmad Jaber (00:56):

Okay. So with the growth hack one, obviously with discoverability, it was all focused on my podcast and getting it out there. Um, we figured out how to do that and we started putting it in, you know, all the steps to get that done. And then while doing that, we discovered a pivot for, um, the next one, which was producing other people’s podcasts since I had the studio space and the equipment and that kind of stuff. So even getting a few new bits of equipment and extra camera in and an extra two mics, I can now not only have more guests on my episode, but have more equipment available for other people to, to use as well. So that was the really interesting thing that we didn’t see coming. And, you know, in the space of the last hack already, there’s two new podcasts that I’m now producing as well as, as well as my own.

Nader Sabry (01:43):

Yup. So hack number one is about discoverability. We’ll talk about that in the next video, but essentially in the last hack, which is the, so you’re extending hack two and a half to three and hack two is I think what you call the Jabber media, which is essentially going from a single podcast to a studio. And now you’re going to take that studio. And your third growth hack is called

Ahmad Jaber (02:06):

Jabber Media X

Nader Sabry (02:06):

I love that. So it’s like, it’s about scaling. Is that right?

Ahmad Jaber (02:10):

It’s about scaling. And also the thing I noticed through our, through our things is, so it was a case of in the beginning, how do I progress what I have, but then we started to realize all these things as well, hold on my camera man. And videographer can also do other things, not just podcasts, so he can also do other things. So we do have, you know, a business there where we can create media for other people. We can deal with that social media. We can also, you know, have him out on shoes and also filming other podcasts. So I think one of the things that I didn’t expect was starting to notice all the things that I already have, that I don’t need to kind of go out and figure out other stuff. But all these things that these pivot points are coming from, all the materials I actually have, like the studio and the extra room and the, and the extra equipment and all that stuff. So that was really, really nice to, so now it’s a case of now that I’ve noticed that without even trying, I have two new ones that I’m doing now, it’s like, okay, how do I turn that into 10?

Nader Sabry (03:06):

Exactly. So, so now that you’ve got two in place, you’ve upgraded your equipment with minor upgrades. What are you going to do from going from two to 10 and then from 10 to a hundred? What, how do you see you’re going to create your next growth hack to scale exactly that

Ahmad Jaber (03:22):

I think, um, initially I’m in the stages whether to create another, I mean, cause I’ve always wanted to open the media company anyway, so that’s going to happen. But then obviously I think creating other, other, uh, channels for other people to get other people’s information and that kind of stuff. So creating new pages for that, for the podcasting and for the, you know, the home pod classes, because like I said, we, we have different packages. So for example, if you want just an audio podcast, you can come in the studio and do that. That’s one package. If you want audio and video and video, when you have your own edits. So that’s another one. If you want us to do the whole shebang, the editing and that kind of stuff, that’s another package. And then also we, we’ve got like a portable set up where if you, some people want to do it from their house, so sure. Yeah. We’ll come and we’ll bring everything to your house. We’ll film, we’ll record, we’ll edit. And all you have to do is just have your content. You know what I mean? So now it’s a page of creating another outlet where people know about that being in,

Nader Sabry (04:15):

I think one of the things is like you got to lay all these options on to figure out kind of which ones work and which ones don’t. And it’s not about having like a larger menu. I think we talked about this before, like in the McDonald’s example, where in every time in history McDonald’s has a larger menu, they have been less profitable. And when they shrink their menu back to the basics that our profitability goes through the roof. And I think this is like a discovery thing where you need to figure out where that’s going to go. Exactly. And I think that sounds quite amazing. And I think the other thing about scalability, you got to think of vertical versus horizontal scalability. So what that means is vertical is like, how do you go deeper with the existing clients you have? So, you know, they may sign up on package a, B or C, but how do you keep it consistent for 12 months?

Nader Sabry (04:53):

Right? So if you got two clients that are consistent for 12 months and you create that consistent revenue through that income stream, how do you take that? Reverse that back into the business and reinvest in getting clients three, four, five, and all the way up to 10, because the goal here is how do we get from client zero, which we have started all the way, the client 10 and you’ve already 20% through the way. Um, and then from there, because scalability works in, in phases, right? So it’s not like what got you from zero to 10 is what’s going to get you from number 11 to a hundred. Um, this is going to be growth. Acts are going to change everything. So let’s only talk about how to get you from zero to 10. You’ve already 20% all the way through. What are you thinking about in a sense of sort of vertical scalability. So going deeper with your client and how to go horizontally to get more clients in the same way, besides the packages that you’ve, you’ve obviously laid out. And I think that’s going to be the cornerstone to how you deliver your services.

Ahmad Jaber (05:45):

I mean, how do you feel about word of mouth as well? Because I feel like also the product that we’re given is going to is really good. And, and the good thing about it is one, one, one of the cost has gone from just an audio, one, two, a video and audio, another one, YouTube. So I think that we’ll be getting a lot of people from people now, seeing those, the depth that people who are watching this going, Oh, you’ve changed now. And where did you do that? And how did you do that?

Nader Sabry (06:09):

Well, I think one of the growth hacks there is like Hotmail, right? Do you remember a Hotmail? So this is called a viral. This is called a viral loop, right? And a single viral loop is where essentially at the bottom of the, of the video, uh, whether wherever it’s put. So if it’s put on a, um, you’re spreading it out or started distributing through a podcast network, like, uh, uh, speaker.com or whatever it is, um, you have a license that your issue and at the bottom you say, ah, this has been produced by, uh, jibber-jabber media. And you would do the same on a YouTube video where you’re doing the same thing at the bottom, um, where there’s a mention. So it’s not like it’s like the Hotmail thing. It’s like, it’s the, you know, single viral loop growth hack it’s and it’s an old trick in the book. It works really well. It’s to just get visibility through their audience, to who you are to get more people. Right. I think that’s probably one of the ways. What other ways do you think you can, you can hack that

Ahmad Jaber (07:01):

Is the thing it’s because it’s so fresh and it is something that I didn’t expect to happen so quickly. I’m going to stay. How do I heck that? Yeah. You know what I mean?

Nader Sabry (07:12):

Yeah. I mean, I think you’re on the right track with the word of mouth thing and how to get more of that. I think one of them is the visibility and in all the content, another potential hat. And of course you have to agree with your clients is you featuring your clients. So maybe you can take some of the great content that your clients, clients have created and put that into some of your own. So I don’t mean like actually owning their content. What I mean is talking about your clients saying find a, has made the following contact client B, and that becomes, uh, like a remix of content that mixes together. And so what happens is you’re kind of stimulating their marketing as well. That could be another way of visibility, but you’re still kind of within your audience and never, which is not a bad thing, but ultimately you want to be tapping into other audiences, right?

Ahmad Jaber (07:51):

Yeah. Well, the one other thing that I thought of doing as well is, um, kind of creating a page on the social media, which highlights the podcasts in the country because there isn’t a podcast as of Dubai kind of place where you can go and see, okay, what’s going on with the podcasts in Dubai. So also them coming through Amie, featuring them on that page will kind of,

Nader Sabry (08:15):

Oh, you mean, you mean, you mean like a podcast or coming from London who needs a podcast capability in Dubai, you’d be like an outsource capability, correct.

Ahmad Jaber (08:23):

That, and also everyone who’s in Dubai doing podcasts or creating a community.

Nader Sabry (08:29):

Well, how are you going to find these people in Dubai? I mean, let’s start there. I mean, we want to get you from zero to 10 people here, right? Uh, 10, 10 clients. How would you find like another eight to nine of these guys here locally in Dubai?

Ahmad Jaber (08:40):

I know quite a few of them already. And another way that I thought somebody mentioned to me that there’s a, there’s a Facebook page where you can like guests and stuff forwards to come on people’s podcasts. Right. So it would have all the people like yourself and now say, Hey, I’m a beta, but on this day to do this kind of thing, if you know, if you’re looking for, so that’s an interesting way to kind of going down that side and figuring out who’s doing who and who’s doing what. And also I thought a really good way is to share guests with people. So again, the thing is, if, if people start to see people on three, four, five different podcasts, then it will start bringing light to the fact that we are, uh, you know, a community here and we are strong and everybody’s going on each other’s podcasts and kind of highlighting each other.

Nader Sabry (09:29):

Yeah. Yeah. I agree. I agree. And that means every product has, would have to have their, their niche very clearly highlighted so that the interview isn’t like a repeat, uh, they would maybe of course, like background all that, but they’d find different angles too. And everyone has their own style as well, which is interesting. So I think that’s brilliant. I mean, maybe you should be starting your own Facebook group, which is doing exactly that, right? Like, uh, bringing in people from other groups, bringing people from your own network and other people who are coming in and just bring them into a place where you’re, you’re able to curate all that. I think that that probably is a very simple starting point, I think. Right. So we have, we have two outcomes. There’s the one where’s the, the viral viral loop, right. In all the media that’s produced.

Nader Sabry (10:08):

And the second would be creating a Facebook group that brings in other people from other groups and other sources. I think also don’t underestimate WhatsApp groups. Um, there are a lot more linear in nature when you compare to a Facebook, but there are a lot more effective in the way that it lubricates how a network works. You you’ve probably experienced that as well. So I would kind of bring that into other networks as well and use that to promote the content in your network. Uh, as you move along, I think you also need to explore what are some of the problems that you can resolve, not just the studio and the production, but the biggest one is the promotion side. And if you can find somehow where you create a lot of value on the promotion side to get them more audience, to get them more, um, uh, people to interview, um, and you become that engine where, where you’re adding even more value in one of the tougher parts of the whole equation. I think that that can be extremely valuable.

Ahmad Jaber (11:00):

Yeah. Well, I mean, I agree like for, for example, one of the things that I was speaking earlier about with one of my friends is that apart from anything, the biggest thing that I’m getting from my own podcast is the community of people that I’m, that I’m, you know, becoming friends with like yourself and people. So my phone book now has so many celebrities and people that they can’t reach these people. So I now kind of have this kind of hobbled, okay, well, I can get you in touch with this person, or I could get that, but I can get it over to this person that you’re interested in them and that kind of thing. So it kind of comes kind of like a networking effect. Yeah.

Nader Sabry (11:37):

Yeah. Okay. So, so structure that so you can scale it. Right. Um, and I think we talked about this long ago, like, you know, birds of the same feathers flock together. And so if you have like celebrity, a, B, C, and D um, those celebrities probably know other celebrities. And so how do you tap into them as well? So that you’re getting even more celebrities and another people. So it’s not all about celebrities. I think it’s about really interesting personalities. Like what I really like about podcasts is I get introduced to people I’ve never heard of before, but are absolutely amazing because, and that’s one of the problems in traditional media, especially in this region, you know, I open up, you know, not to pick on Arabian business, but I open it up and it’s the same personalities featured many times over. And I mean, I’d love, I love to hear from them, but I’d like to know what other people are doing because there’s other people in other corners that are disrupting things that you just don’t know about. And I think that’s what people are really looking for. Like, Hey, I didn’t know about this, you know, guy or girl. And I think, yeah, I think you got to really mix it up nicely. And I think you already know that without me saying that, right? Yeah.

Ahmad Jaber (12:36):

We should be one of the things that, um, you know, I was struggling with in the beginning because it was like, okay, I want to get big people there. So more people can come, you know, their fans and followers. And then after a while I was like, well, you know, a lot of these people aren’t that interesting. And then I was, then I started to get people that I found were interesting and they would get more views. They were the ones that would actually get the views because the content was better. So it’s all about the quality of the content as opposed to how many followers somebody has.

Nader Sabry (13:02):

Absolutely. Absolutely. And all that stuff grows with time. It has a compounding effect where it feeds each other. And I’ve seen that happen many times over, it’s almost like a, when we built some growth hacking strategies and we’re looking to work with influencers where we found the secret sauce is micro influencers. So micro influencers are the small guys that have extremely potent communities where like almost everybody’s like interested and engaging and doing things, but they’re not huge. But if you accumulate mini micro influencers, then you’ve got one hell of an ecosystem. We were really disappointed with one company where we would bring in people with a million plus followers and the kind of outcomes we were getting, not even close to what you can imagine for somebody with a million followers. It just a lot of hot air there. We don’t know. I mean, we’re not going to pinpoint anything to anyone here, but what we’re saying is that when we work with the micro-influencers, we got results.

Nader Sabry (13:50):

When we work with the macro influencers, it wasn’t, uh, you know, it wasn’t, we didn’t get our money’s worth, let’s put it like that. And brands have been complaining about this left right. And center. So we’ll leave that aside. I mean, I think that’s something that you’re aware of. I think so, so let’s recap. So, so hack number three is, uh, Jabber media X it’s the scale, your hack number two, hack number two was your pivot from being a podcast to becoming a media company, which is helping others produce podcasts, and now you’re going to grow it. So go for it.

Ahmad Jaber (14:19):

So that’s, that’s, that’s basically it that’s making of that finding yeah. Finding, finding these key points dot, gonna the are gonna, you know, amplify what I’m actually doing now with growth hack to, um, and to just really lock down, like you said, which, which things are working and which things aren’t working, uh, as opposed to just kind of like offering a million things and then

Nader Sabry (14:43):

Yup. And then, so, so, so, so it sounds like as you kind of move on, you’re going to have to kind of segment each one of these hacks. So one would be like the viral loop and that’s like a single hack in itself. Right. Figuring that out. And then the next one would be, uh, what was the second one we said, we talked about, uh, Oh, the, the, that network, right? So the WhatsApp and the Facebook and all that, that’s another hat. And then the third hat, sorry. Yeah. So that, that’s another one. And then the other one was your packages. Right. So your packages kind of cuts through all of them, but I think like that you need to hack that as well, by figuring out like, okay, so you put as many of these different packages and you had got to have it also like in a modular format.

Nader Sabry (15:24):

So you might find out that there’s a, you know, item number four and package number three is what people are really willing to pay for. How do you extract that and move it to the more popular package? So, so basically, yeah, it’s just being able to figure it out. It’s almost like figuring out that ketchup is the most popular ingredient across all the burgers. So he might as well put ketchup on all of them or make one burger with more catch-up I don’t know. I mean, you need to figure out your own, your own. Uh, you gotta make your own big Mac there. Right. I think the interesting thing is the most interesting thing so far is just finding hex that I didn’t even think had anything to do with what I was doing. Yeah, yeah. Yeah. You started to discover things in the unknown and the unseen, which is where the real growth opportunities are.

Nader Sabry (16:07):

So I think what we’re going to do is I think we’ll close out for hack number three. And I think in the review, I want to really tap into some of these more macro, uh, observations that you’ve made some of the learnings and move on. So as, as we kind of tune out of this and just a quick reminder that this all comes from the growth thinking book, which AIG has been using to growth hack for the 10 day growth hacking challenge, it’s three growth acts in 10 days to 10X, the growth of your business. This is hack number three. So we’ve come to the end, watch us in the next video. We’re going to be looking at the, sort of the final results of all this, uh, some of the really big learnings and what Aja is willing to do next. So we’ll see you in the next video.