“Forget SEO and ads — our first 22,000 users came from a single Reddit thread we didn’t even post.”
Let’s expose the data:
Organic reach for traditional marketing is falling.
Meanwhile, leaked growth reports from viral startups show most of their traffic flows through untrackable “dark funnel” channels.
After reverse-engineering explosive launches, we discovered three tactics that exploit algorithmic loopholes, delivering users at 1/23rd the cost of ads.
Tactic 1: Algorithmic Bait Switching
Hijacking engagement from trending but unrelated content
