The Perpetual Motion Machine Called Quora
Scribbled by: @stvmcg
There are brilliant people on Quora.
I wouldn’t consider myself by any means “brilliant,” but I love asking questions and getting “PhD” grade answers.
I have been driving some heavy traffic to our startup Slingbot through various growth hacks, and there have been some amazing conversion rates. As well as some shitty conversion rates from sites.
So, what is the value to a user that signs up for your new product or service and doesn’t ask questions or provide feedback? The answer is that user holds zero value.
Are Quora readers the most valuable users to have testing your product or service?
The answer is, hell yes they are.
When we launched Slingbot almost two weeks ago I started driving interested people to our site, testing which channels yielded the best conversion.
Some readers have said I use more unorthodox “hack” type methods to turn user acquisition channels into something reminiscent of a fire hose, to spray unique visitors at our startup platform. (I like that analogy, a lot)
When you are starting a company what matters most? I will tell you, it is:
1. Using data to test what marketing/user flow works best for converting users, and what does not work.
2. Acquiring valuable users to provide feedback.
3. Make revenue (monthly if you can swing it)
Our startup has achieved this without spending a cent.
After testing and analyzing the data from all the different SOCIAL channels we opened, we found which ones to move forward with, and Quora was one.
Acquisition channels we have, and still are analyzing (no order):
We found the top 3 conversions came from Twitter, Facebook, and Quora.
In those findings, which users gave us the most valuable feedback? Quora. (10 fold)
How do you best utilize Quora? A ratio of; question to post.
I will show you how I have used Quora to get amazing feedback on our startup.
Powerful Posts
Quora divides their content sharing into two main categories posts, and questions. Questions can fuel your posts number of views, if done correctly.
The underlying functionality behind posts (and Quora as a whole) is to share your content with other readers, respond to comments, obtain views and up votes.
Simple right? Wrong.
The reason I refer to Quora as a perpetual motion machine is because when you get views, shares, comments, and up votes, you gain “credits,” that you can use to purchase more views.
Your Quora post can propel itself with a little help from you asking questions and spending your credits effectively.
This concept is extremely powerful if your content is worth a shit.
Questions (fuel generator)
Asking questions are your most valuable tool in obtaining the fuel (credits) for generating more post views.
When you finish writing a post, ask questions to popular categories, like startups, or digital currencies.
This is what I like to call “mining for credits.” (yeah, it sounds more difficult than it is.)
Make your question edgy and controversial, getting readers interested. For example “Should startups start accepting bitcoin?”
Always make your own question.
Categorize you question correctly or readers will do it for you. (literally) This is an example of a BAD way to categorize a question.
Always ask the “free people”
Tip: Keep clicking “view more” and you can ask more people your question for free. Repeat. Keep clicking.
Quora gives you he option to repeat a previous question. The data I gathered showed that new questions take more time to gain up votes, and answers, but yield a higher long-term value.
Once you have a few up votes and comments on your “edgy” question in a popular category, go back to your blog, and promote it, using ALL of your credits reaching the maximum number of readers.
I have tested “credit spending” by spending in increments of 100 credits at a time. (Reaching only 20 people)
My data showed spending all my credits on one post increased my odds (by 2X) in obtaining more followers, up votes, and shares. This was compared to portioning out credits rationing them out to different posts. (Don’t worry you can get more credits)
To keep promoting your posts, you will do a shit ton of “mining credits” on Quora. Just get used to coming up with questions and great content for posts to bring in a great following.
Quick Review:
If you are driving traffic somewhere, you need to produce more fuel (credits) by asking more questions to the Quora community.
Promoting of any kind Quora is a content sharing platform similar to Medium except, Quora allows you to propel yourself in front of intelligent readers based on credits making it the most powerful of all the blogging platforms for promoting anything.
This still doesn’t make it the content submitted different than other blogging sites, so you SHOULD NOT PROMOTE YOUR STARTUP DIRECTLY.
Successful blogging on any site as a matter of fact is about writing content that people will enjoy reading.
If they enjoy what you write about, you will build a following and they will come to your startup after you keep them interested with non-shitty content.
DO NOT ASK QUESTIONS ON QUORA ABOUT YOUR STARTUP.
You will look like a dumb ass and the intelligent readers will tear you apart. It is literally a “lose-lose,” for you and your startup.
If you are driving traffic to your startup from Quora, write about similar INTERESTING topics but not your product directly. This allows you to attract people interested in similar industries, goods, or services.
For example: If you are reading this post, you care about extending your reach on blogging platforms like Quora. Our startup Slingbot does just that we help people extend their reach on social media.
Simple, short plug, then move on with the rest of your RELAVENT content.
Cross Posting and Linking
Every post you publish should be cross-posted to Medium, Tumblr, and Quora.
There are thousands of other platforms, and I think your content should be on as many as possible, but the core of your audience needs to be on these three platforms.
Cross posting extends your reach with links to your startup, and it is as simple as “copy and paste.”
Linking these three platforms together is key.
(Example. check out all my “hacks” on Hack and Hustle.)
I usually put these links at the bottom of my posts so people have already finished reading, and see the value behind reading more.
I average about 10-15 embedded links per post to blogging sources like Quora.
Startups ONLY need to have 3-7 embedded links per post, one being at the bottom as a “signature.”
Moral of this post: When posting to Quora, write interesting content and you will develop a loyal, intelligent, and active following, making promoting your product or service (if that’s your goal) easier in the long run.
Ask great questions to get credits. Use the credits when you get them. Propel yourself and your startup where it belongs with Quora.
Thanks for sharing,
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