LEVEL UP ⬆️

Why does your startup need YOU?

It’s not just your product or service that needs attention—you do, too.

Here’s why you can’t ignore founder marketing and how you can use your personal brand to boost your startup’s growth, visibility, and credibility.

In the startup world, people often invest in the founder as much as in the business.

Take Ilya Sutskever, for example, the chief scientist and ex-co-founder of OpenAI. He and his team raised $1 billion from big-name investors like Andreessen Horowitz and Sequoia Capital for their new startup, Safe Superintelligence—despite not having a marketable product yet.

Of course, it's not just about the person’s past success or background. Personal branding for startup founders can build trust, open doors, and attract talent.

Now it’s your turn.

Here’s how you can own and make the most of ‘founder marketing.’ Start with these two key strategies, but remember, they work best together:

1. Share Your Startup Journey

   Share the wins, challenges, and lessons you’re learning. Post important milestones, ask for feedback, or seek support and opinions from your audience. This will humanize your brand and help you connect with customers and supporters.

   Think about starting a personal blog or newsletter, or simply be active on social media platforms like LinkedIn and Twitter. Engagement is a two-way street—help fellow founders and engage with your community.

2. Become a Thought Leader

   Publish articles, speak at events or on podcasts, host webinars, and share your opinions on hot industry topics. It’s about being visible and showcasing your insights to position yourself as an industry authority.

   Secure interviews, guest posts, or features in relevant publications to expand your reach and credibility. Attend industry events, join startup communities, and apply to speak at conferences that align with your startup and mission.

In addition, get inspired by some founders who’ve nailed ‘founder marketing’:

• Gary Vaynerchuk, owner of VaynerMedia, has built his personal brand as a marketing guru and entrepreneur through relentless content creation. He produces vlogs, podcasts, books, and speaks at events, sharing his authentic story and actionable advice.

• Tyler Denk, co-founder and CEO of Beehiiv (the platform you’re reading this on), is another great example. On social media, Tyler shares his startup journey transparently and with a focus on community. He runs his own newsletter, Big Desk Energy, where he shares startup lessons, productivity tips, and other valuable content.

• Vitalik Buterin, co-founder of Ethereum, built his personal brand on authenticity and transparency. He openly shares his thoughts, mistakes, and vision for Ethereum, making him relatable and trustworthy. He engages with the community on social media and in person, using humor and memes to simplify complex topics and foster connections. He focuses on values and impact rather than just promoting Ethereum, positioning himself as a credible voice in the crypto space. His approach shows the power of being genuine, prioritizing community, and staying true to oneself.

Founder marketing isn’t about creating a flawless image of you and your startup—it’s about being authentic, visible, and providing value by actively engaging with your community.

At the end of the day, your personal story might just be the reason someone decides to invest in your vision.

STARTUP NEWS RADAR 📡

_{What’s happening these days?}

• According to Sam Altman's recent blog post, we are still thousands of days away from superintelligence. He describes his vision of AI transforming nearly every aspect of our lives. [source]

• Neuralink's experimental device, Blindsight, has just earned FDA Breakthrough Device status, marking an important step toward possibly restoring vision for people who are blind. [source]

• Tupperware Brands filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy on September 18, 2024, marking a big setback for the once-famous company known for its plastic food containers. This decision follows years of financial trouble, dropping sales, and challenges in keeping up with market changes. [source]

• Pinterest's Global Marketing Event of the Year takes place on October 1st, and you can join live to learn from Pinterest experts how to take your marketing to the next level. [source]

THE STARTUP VAULT 🗃️

_{Founders take note:}

• Turn your quick ideas into optimized posts in seconds with CleveAI.

• Chat with James from Nvidia to learn all about its products.

• Pizi transforms your photos into product images instantly.

• 10 free resources to learn LLMs 🔥

• Listen to the newest Startup Garage podcast by HalkBank featuring Slavco Temelkovski, the founder of Common.mk and TFG finalist in the inaugural season 🎧

• Take note of Andrew Chen's list of unfortunate startup pivots.

*Working on something that fits this category? Reply to this email to be featured.

Hey ChatGPT 🤖

Based on my sitemap, suggest 3-5 internal linking opportunities along with possible anchor texts of no longer than [number] words for each one.

source

Term of the week 🕵

Technical Debt is a concept in software development that reflects the implied cost of additional rework caused by choosing an easy (limited) solution now instead of using a better approach that would take longer.

NOTEWORTHY TWEETS 🐦

IN CASE YOU MISSED IT 🍿