The Art of Promoting Without Promoting
How to Win Hearts (and Sales) in Online Communities
✏️ ON MY MIND
You’re scrolling through your favourite Slack community, and there they are again—the person who always answers questions in the help channel, but somehow, every reply ends with, “By the way, I have a program that can help.”
At first, it seems helpful. But over time, it starts to feel forced, like they’re more interested in selling than solving. You wonder if anyone else notices.
You check the community guidelines. Is this even allowed?
When you DM the community owner, they explain, “Since they’re responding to legitimate questions, it’s fine. If it was unrelated or unprompted, then it would be a problem. And they don’t seem pushy or over the top.”
Fair enough—it’s their call. But you can’t help feeling like this behaviour has ick all over it.
The Problem
Ever been at a networking event where someone skips getting to know you and shoves a business card in your face? It feels disrespectful—like they’re only there to take, not give, right?
The same energy comes through online, like when you accept a LinkedIn connection request from a stranger and immediately get a sales pitch in your DMs. It’s clear they’re more focused on making a quick sale than building a genuine connection, and it leaves a bad taste, doesn’t it?
When you focus on pushing your product or service instead of connecting with people, you:
Get ignored because your intentions feel obvious and transactional.
Risk being banned if you break community guidelines. (Especially on Reddit, which has a firm no-promo policy)
Miss opportunities to build genuine relationships that could lead to long-term success.
Think Beyond Selling
Here’s the shift: Stop thinking about selling and start thinking about serving.
When I first started networking to grow my business in 2011, I quickly realised something: Don’t network for clients. Network for partners.
Go in with the mindset of finding people who align with your values, serve a similar audience, and might be fun to collaborate with. Instead of, “Do you want to buy my thing?” ask, “Who are you? What challenges are you trying to solve? How can we help each other win?”
Adopting this mindset allowed me to land 2x TEDx speaking gigs, land clients, and more.
This same approach works online. People take notice when you focus on being helpful and sharing your expertise. They remember you—and when they’re ready to buy, they’ll come to you.
Don’t network for clients. Network for partners.
How to Build Trust (and Eventually Sales)
If you want to promote without promoting, here’s how to get started:
Know the Rules
Every community or platform has guidelines. Familiarise yourself with them to avoid crossing the line.Lead with Value
Whether it’s Reddit, LinkedIn, or a Slack group, show up to add value. Respond thoughtfully to questions, share relevant insights, and offer help without expecting anything in return.Optimise Your Profile
On platforms like Reddit or LinkedIn, your profile is prime real estate. Include links to your business or free resources, but let your contributions lead people to check you out naturally.Be a Contributor, Not a Promoter
Instead of pitching, think about how you can contribute. Share advice, success stories, or lessons learned. For example, founders who do AMAs (Ask Me Anything) often succeed because they focus on sharing their journey rather than pushing their product.Play the Long Game
Building trust takes time. Engage consistently, but don’t make every interaction about selling. The relationships you build today can lead to referrals, collaborations, or clients down the road.
Related:
Why It Works
In one of the Slack communities I belong to, the most respected members aren’t the ones who promote—they’re the ones who show up consistently with valuable insights. They answer questions thoughtfully, share their expertise, and let their work speak for itself.
These individuals understand the art of promoting without promoting. They know that trust and relationships are more powerful than any sales pitch.
Ready to Improve Your Sales?
Stop selling and start serving. Focus on building connections, sharing your expertise, and showing up as a genuine, helpful presence. The results might surprise you. This is precisely how I generated $36K+ in fractional CMO work this year.
What’s one way you’ve successfully built trust in an online community? I’d love to hear about your experience.
- Anf
(Drafted with the help of ChatGPT-4)
Launching in Jan 2025: Build Your Content Engine
I’m launching a new done-with-you group program this January— and I’m looking for ten startup founders/business owners to work with.
Together, we’ll create a marketing engine that powers your growth and gives you back your time. Imagine marketing that energises you, fuels massive momentum, and runs without you being the bottleneck.
Want more info? Reply to this email with “waitlist”, and I’ll make sure you get all the details as soon as it’s ready.
👍 PUBLISHED + WORK IN PROGRESS
1/ "Brands don’t live on packaging. They only exist in our minds.” (My Generate Summit 2024 recap)
2/ Poll: What’s your biggest challenge with creating content that drives sales and growth?
3/ How Western Sydney is primed to be the heart of Innovation (My Innovate Western Sydney conference recap)
4/ When was the last time you had lunch with a stranger?
👍 3 THINGS THAT CAUGHT MY ATTENTION
1/ Read: Six types of wealth by
What comes to mind when you think of wealth? A list of America's ten richest people? Your neighbor with the bigger house, nicer car, and mountain home in Aspen? The multimillionaire CEO of your company? The professional athlete, musician, or movie star?
Sure, all of these people are, in a financial sense, "wealthy."
But money doesn't have a monopoly on wealth.
2/ Watch: £1Million Business Dashboard - Key Numbers to Track
3/ Listen: LinkedIn Expert Reveals How To Make Your Business Brand STAND OUT (The Futur podcast)
In my previous newsletter, I shared my friend Michelle J. Raymond’s story of how she made $2M from one LinkedIn post. I’m delighted to share Michelle’s recent interview on Chris Do’s podcast (which I’m a massive fan of), where they dive deep into leveraging LinkedIn’s tools, creating meaningful company pages, and impactful social selling strategies.
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See you next week,
Anf Chansamooth
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