Deleted Member 112605
Banned - Abuse of Staff
- May 9, 2010
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Lessons Learned from Running a 6-Figure BST
On February 2nd, 2016, I read https://www.blackhatworld.com/seo/lessons-learned-from-running-a-5-figure-bst.820257/ in the Jr. VIP section by @Euphorix titled: “Lessons Learned From Running A 5-Figure BST”.
I was amazed. I couldn’t believe someone made that much money selling to other Black Hatters. At the time I read it, I knew there were insanely popular Black Hat World products (Scrapebox, FollowLiker, SEO services, etc), but I never really thought of those threads as… incredible sources of income. I kind of figured a lot of those threads in the Marketplace were “side-gigs” that people ran in their spare time.
Seeing that someone made at least $10,000 kind of shocked me. Deep down, I knew people were making bank (and making a lot more than $10,000 or $100,000), but I never really took time to think about the random selling activities happening on Black Hat World.
At the time, I was just a guy grinding every day on Instagram. I used Black Hat World as a way to build my knowledge and network with other Instagrammers. I didn’t think about much else going on the platform.
Anyway, that thread I read on February 2nd, 2016 changed my life. Not in an instant, dramatic, epiphany type of way… but that thread definitely stuck with me. That’s a hard thread to forget. Even though I was doing really well on Instagram, this “side-gig” appealed to me a lot. You mean I can make money when I’m chilling on my favorite forum? That’s pretty interesting…
I was the first person to comment on that thread. I thanked the author for writing up the post (kinda lazily, if I’m being honest), and he commented back:
Again, this exact moment wasn’t an epiphany. I was regularly contributing to the Instagram section. A few weeks before that post, I wrote an article called “https://www.blackhatworld.com/seo/an-in-depth-guide-on-how-i-found-success-with-instagram.814426/”. That post unexpectantly gained a lot of traction, and it was one of my biggest “contributions” to the community.
The funny thing about his comment: 10 months later (December 2016) I would release my official Instagram guide on the Black Hat World marketplace. About a year ago, I exceeded $100,000 in total sales from that single PDF.
I didn’t plan on ever launching a BST back when I originally read @euphorix’s thread. I didn’t have any products or services to sell. At the time, I was way too busy with my current Instagram adventures to sit down and write a guide.
And also, I didn’t want to be a fucking “guru” that sells guides on how to be successful.
That’s so cheesy.
DAMN IT.
I never pictured myself as being an Internet “Guru”, but that’s kind of what I’ve accidentally evolved into.
I’m really sorry about that. I hate it too. Please don’t compare me to Tai Lopez. I’m not like that.
Anyways, in September 2016, I set out to write a huge thread in the Instagram section on ALL my tips and techniques to grow a successful Instagram account. I had most of my Instagram accounts on autopilot, and I was looking for a way to “shake up” my current rhythm. I wanted to create the most bad-ass thread Black Hat World has ever seen. I truly wanted to “give back” to the forum as best as I could.
So, I started writing the guide.
I did an outline, I wrote bullet-points, I created sections, I wrote paragraph after paragraph. I wanted to be thorough. I wanted to cover everything – account creation, growth, content, monetization, botting… everything.
By the time I was about halfway done with what I wanted to write, I was already at 50 pages in my Microsoft Word document… not a single picture or graphic to be seen.
I still felt like I had a lot to write about, and I wouldn’t be comfortable posting it as-is. There was so much to write about. White hat growth. Black hat growth. Account bios. Account types. Creating a profile picture. Having the right mindset. Monetization. Analytics. Etc. Etc.
That’s when I had my “epiphany”.
That’s when I started thinking about the 5-figure sales thread.
Could I make this a product?
I didn’t think it would sell very well. I didn’t have much faith in it. The guide was an “experiment”, and I had a lot of questions I wanted to investigate.
- Do people even want to buy a guide on a forum where the information is free?
- Do people even buy eBooks on BHW? (at the time, I don’t think there were any… now it’s a somewhat common thing to see)
- How will people respond to it? Will they like it?
- How much should I charge for something like this?
I had incredibly low expectations for my product. Not because I was unhappy with the information inside, I just didn’t think it would sell very well. I have never done anything like this before. I contemplated releasing the eBook for free… and If I did sell it, I would’ve been happy if I sold 20 copies… or 10.
I wrote another 40 pages in the eBook, added a bunch of pictures; and before I knew it, I was at over 100 pages. I figured it was time to wrap things up.
I paid someone on Fiverr to proofread it. I ran the document through Grammarly. I designed a basic cover page in Photoshop. I exported the Word document as a PDF. I designed a simple BST sales thread in Photoshop. I named my eBook and bought the domain name for it. I modified a cheap, one-page website template that I purchased from ThemeForest. I set up a basic support area for customers. I set-up a payment processor. I sent out the eBook for reviews. I submitted the BST. I paid the $30 BST fee. I got the review and approval from @I know SEO.
Then boom.
The rest is history.
Thoughts About the Thread & Moving Forward
At that point, the hard part was over. The product was live. The reviews were coming in. I was keeping customers happy. I was steadily releasing updates to the eBook. I spent maybe 90 minutes a day providing support, researching new content ideas, responding to PMs, responding to the thread, creating new content, and making sure everything was running smoothly.
I’m not going to lie to you and tell you this is “easy”. It’s not. It takes a lot to create a product that people want to buy. Here are some things you should understand why this isn’t necessarily “easy”:
1.) I consider myself one of the top Instagram marketers in the world. The guide I’m offering people is actually full of incredible advice, in my opinion. I regularly interact with some of the most powerful social media influencers and marketers in the world, some of which who have personally endorsed my product, and I’ve used that to my advantage. At my peak on Instagram, I was making $2500 a day from only a handful of accounts, and I’m a huge nerd when it comes to understanding algorithms. I’m not a millionaire, and I’ve definitely had my highs and lows, but I always knew my advice was worth something. Through the years, I’ve constantly stayed up-to-date with Instagram’s changes, and I’ve never backed down from the platform despite all the recent changes. I’ve helped people turn a couple thousand followers into a million+ followers, I’ve helped people make thousands on Instagram, so I know my product works.
This may seem like a huge humble brag, but it’s not. It’s important you understand this because I wasn’t just “some guy” who threw together a product and hoped it would sell well. Even though my product came together rather quickly, it was a manifestation of years and years of extensive knowledge on the platform. I wouldn’t sell a social media eBook unless I was 100% confident I had something unique to offer the market. At the time, there were no popular eBooks about Black Hat Instagram marketing, and there was a ton of misinformation floating around. My product was an answer to a niche with high demand, and I had the experience to fill that niche.
2.) I also wasn’t a beginner when it came to internet marketing. There were a lot of skills that I slowly acquired over the years that made this thread much easier. Keep in mind, I first registered on Black Hat World in 2010. The eBook came out in 2016. I spent 6 years learning how to do a bunch of different things related to internet marketing. I spent some time doing SEO. https://www.blackhatworld.com/seo/free-professional-logo-design-to-all-bhw-members-24-hour-delivery.410434/. https://www.blackhatworld.com/seo/has-anyone.210906/. I improved my writing ability. I learned how to build websites. I learned more about business in general. I dealt with several BST owners. You get the idea.
I’m not suggesting you need to take years to build your product & build your experience, but these are definitely some of the things I contribute to my own personal success.
Lessons Learned about Business:
1.) Come in with low expectations & low self-esteem.
I think this is one of the best things I’ve personally inherited from my journey on BHW. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dB7Mvyx1mjQ I think it makes you work harder for things. I think it puts a chip on your shoulder to create the best product or service possible. I’m not saying “be unconfident with your product”, but you should always look for a reason why things work or don’t work, and I think that’s inherently harder to do when you think highly of yourself… because you’re less likely to put the blame on yourself. Case in point: When things don’t work in your business, it’s YOU that doesn’t work. Not your business.
2.) Over-deliver every order.
My refund rate on my eBook is less than 1%. A big part of that is because I firmly believe the overall value of what I’m offering is more valuable than the price that I’m selling it at. You should strive for the same.
3.) Make things simple. Don’t overcomplicate things.
What are you selling? Is it crystal clear? Can people skim a single thread and understand EXACTLY what they’re getting? If not, then you need to simplify things. BHW is one of the craziest places on the internet because people need to make a convincing reason why to buy something on a single page. Sellers don’t get an “about us” or a “how it works” page. It’s all gotta be streamlined on one page. Learn the skill of selling in a simplified manner, without needing a ton of supporting pages.
4.) Provide Top Tier Support
You should respond to every inquiry within 18 hours. Check your inbox when you wake up. Check it before you go to bed. I couldn’t tell you how many people I didn’t work with because they took 3 days to respond. Don’t be that guy.
5.) Adapt. Adapt. Adapt. Adapt.
Instagram has been a huge asshole in 2019 to Instagram marketers like myself. A lot of my competitors went out of business this year. Business can be fierce, and your entire market can shift in a moment’s notice. Be prepared to adapt and always have some kind of strategy prepared if things drastically change.
Lessons Learned (BST-Specific Advice):
1.) Keep your thread hot.
The more comments your thread receives; the more front-page exposure it gets; the more people will likely buy your product. Do everything that BHW allows you to get your thread as active as possible.
2.) Innovate. Do something nobody else is doing.
In 2016, Kanye West dropped the album “The Life of Pablo”, and it was one of the first major albums to receive “updates” after the original release date. Kanye would routinely make tweaks and adjustments to the album. He called it a https://www.udiscovermusic.com/stories/the-life-of-pablo-kanye-west-album/ Since I’m the world’s biggest Kanye fan, I decided to do the same thing with my eBook. Whenever Instagram made an adjustment, I was going to update the eBook so people would still see the value in the product years from when they purchased it.
This silly idea ended up being one of the best things I did with my product (and is now a common eBook trend in the marketplace). It allowed users to get an amazing product that will never be outdated. This idea drastically increased the value of my product.
3.) Getting long commitments when you buy stickies is cheaper, better, and it’s less hassle. I won’t get in the specifics of this but buying in bulk is better than renewing every week.
4.) Get day one reviewers ready. Positivity on your first page will help a lot. Most people won’t scroll through hundreds of pages, they’ll scan the first page and the last page, and then decide if they want to buy your product. I’ve seen a lot of good products fail because they had negativity on the first page. Make sure you do everything you can (within the rules of BHW) to make a solid first impression.
5.) Rotate & test prices. I’ve constantly changed the price of my product to see if it has any effect on customer demand. Oftentimes, it may take a few months to find a price that works best for the market.
6.) Coupons, Coupons, Coupons (a lot of people will ask, but very few will claim).
I think maybe 20% of the coupons I sent out ever got claimed, but the activity with your thread will help give it the exposure you need. It’s bizarre how many people claim coupons vs how many people actually use them. When I use to run coupons on my thread, I would get 5 people a day asking for them. I would make 5 sales that day, but only 1 of them would be with the special coupon code. Strange.
7.) Your thread title + your profile picture is your clickbait. If those are boring, nobody will click on your thread. Do something different to spice things up. I personally change my threads’ titles about once a month.
8.) Find the best times to post your daily response. I have found around midnight works best for me. It’s an easy thing I always do before I go to bed. I never forget about it.
9.) Never argue with staff. Just don’t. You’re not going to win.
Last Notes
I’m aware this thread turned into a bit of a life-story + some advice, but I think the story is essential in order to understand my mindset regarding my BST(s). I owe so much of my success to Black Hat World, and I can become a bit enthusiastic when writing about this kind of stuff. I hope this didn’t come off as an “advertisement” for my BST(s), because I really just wanted to share some tips & advice to people looking to start their business (on BHW or elsewhere).
I hope this helps someone!
Cheers!
IGKing
