The Ghost Influence Podcast: How Viral Happens On Reddit

Brian Swichkow: Social Engineering, Digital Empathy, Community Marketing
  • 5.0 (34)
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An interview series breaking down the stories behind viral content, sharing what happened when it took off, and showing how the attention is being leveraged into something meaningful. Whether for marketing, fame, or influence — we deconstruct the art and science behind massive exposure only platforms like reddit can foster. Listen, learn, leverage.

  1. 016 Male Fashion Advice: Creativity, Introspection, & Personal Branding On Democratic Platforms With Andy Mai

    01/13/2016

    016 Male Fashion Advice: Creativity, Introspection, & Personal Branding On Democratic Platforms With Andy Mai

    In search of himself, Andy Mai sought to take a more conscious look at... his look. He was one of the early adopters to jump into the /r/malefashionadvice subdreddit, also known as 'MFA', that has since grown to be one of Reddit's staple communities with over 500K readers. Andy's passion for expression extends beyond himself as he encourages people to experiment with their self image. Leading by example he constructed the now legendary prompt "let's have some fun" and submitted it to Reddit. Four years later he still gets questions from people seeking a supportive voice and is always there to answer the call. This episode is guaranteed to make you feel all warm and fuzzy inside. Andy's infamous "Let's have some fun." submission to MFA Andy's "Fanny Cat" post that he's also known for Andy Mai, Creative Director — Website & Portfolio Chronicled — Collect & Trade 100% Authentic Sneakers Andy Mai, @veroz, on Twitter  Subscribe and review the Ghost Influence Podcast on iTunes. Create social leverage with the Ghost Influence community. Music: ‘Splashed - Her Smile (Original Mix)'

    37 min
  2. 015 The Sanders For President Subreddit: The Birth & Development Of Reddit Communities With Aidan King

    01/13/2016

    015 The Sanders For President Subreddit: The Birth & Development Of Reddit Communities With Aidan King

    By the time Bernie Sanders officially announced his candidacy for president in April 2014, Aidan King had already been preparing (and hoping) for five months. Aidan is one of the Co-Founders of the subreddit /r/SandersForPresident, a moderated community on Reddit geared toward political activism and digital grassroots organizing. This community is more than a place to post updates, it's become a powerful network of supporters around the nation working together for a common goal and it's inspiring to see. Regardless of your political interests, Aidan's insights on leading a community are an illuminating education into the human psyche. EDIT: Shortly after this episode was published, Aidan stepped down as a moderator of the /r/SandersForPresident subreddit and accepted a position as Digital Staff for Bernie 2016. At the age of 22 and with no formal experience in politics, Aidan King was recruited to be a part of a presidential campaign. The creation of the subreddit wasn't a ploy designed to land him a job, it was purely his passion for the cause and the community supporting it — the rest happened naturally. THAT is how you Reddit. Bernie Sanders speaking directly to the /r/SandersForPresident community /r/SandersForPresident banding together to support his message 150,000 subscriber milestone reached in April 2014 User /u/rawrmaan keeping close watch on Hilary's marketing Subscribe and review the Ghost Influence Podcast on iTunes. Create social leverage with the Ghost Influence community. Music: ‘Schyzox - My World'

    38 min
  3. 014 The Real Mimosa Girl: Creative Process & Stolen Content Gone Viral With Ali Spagnola

    01/13/2016

    014 The Real Mimosa Girl: Creative Process & Stolen Content Gone Viral With Ali Spagnola

    With 29K subscribers on YouTube, 590K fans on Vine, and 2.5M followers on Twitter you might think that someone as prolific as Ali Spagnola wouldn't be impacted by a little content theft — you'd be wrong. Ali shares the brilliance behind her creative process and what it's like when the content you've invested so much of yourself into creating gets stolen. Crucial lessons for anyone building a personal brand. Ali's now infamous 'How to make a mimosa' Vine Ali's stolen Vine, turned gif, and submitted to /r/unexpected Ali's 'I'm The Mimosa Girl Dangit' response video Ali's content submitted all across Reddit Ali Spagnola's 'Power Hour' drinking game Ali Spagnola on Patreon Ali's Reddit AMA Mention alerts Subscribe and review the Ghost Influence Podcast on iTunes. Create social leverage with the Ghost Influence community. Music: ‘PKR - Ignite (Original Mix)'

    35 min
  4. 013 Don't Get Wet: From Unemployment To The Front Page, Mobile Game Development With Sandy Gordon

    01/13/2016

    013 Don't Get Wet: From Unemployment To The Front Page, Mobile Game Development With Sandy Gordon

    Laid off from his 9-5, Sandy Gordon decided it was as good a time as any to start his career as a Pixel Artist and submitted his first game, Don't Get Wet, to iTunes with his partner Tudor Iancu. With nothing but passion and dedication, he shared his story in a brilliantly eloquent submission to Reddit's /r/gaming community. Striking a nerve with other designers and programmers seeking to make their passion their paycheck, his story took off and eventually hit the front page.  Don't Get Wet, submitted to Reddit's /r/gaming Don't Get Wet mini-postmortem, stats and more Dashing Knight, submitted to Reddit's /r/gaming Sandy's story and stats, submitted to Reddit's /r/gamedev Sandy's top Reddit submissions Spaceboy Games on Twitter Sandy Gordon on Twitter Woody Harrelson's atrocity of an AMA Create social leverage with the Ghost Influence community. Music: 'Progressive House — Valuo'

    47 min
  5. 012 Flamethrowers & Magic: The Highs & Lows Of E-Commerce On Reddit With Adam Wilber

    01/13/2016

    012 Flamethrowers & Magic: The Highs & Lows Of E-Commerce On Reddit With Adam Wilber

    Passionate magician, fantastic human, and COO for Ellusionist — the 'The World's First Online Magic Retailer' — it wasn't abnormal for Adam Wilber to conceive of something as magnificent as a wrist mounted, fully concealable flame thrower. Making it's way to Reddit organically, it generated sales far beyond what they ever expected. A year later, while launching the second (even more concealable) version their ignorance got the better of them and they were banned from /r/gadgets for inadvertently gaming the system by campaigning to their email list for votes. The story of the Pyro is one of success on accident, failure on purpose, and (finally) success on purpose. Pyro Fireshooter promotional video Pryo Fireshooter submission to /r/gadgets Pyro Fireshooter (free press) on USAtoday Pyro Mini promotional video Pyro Mini successfully submitted to /r/shutupandtakemymoney Ellusionist site submissions to Reddit Rick Lax — Deception Expert on Facebook Create social leverage with the Ghost Influence Community. Music: 'Dan Porcaro - Shadows'

    1h 2m
  6. 011 The Virginity Story That Went Viral & Sparked A YouTube Channel With Sean Thomas

    12/13/2015

    011 The Virginity Story That Went Viral & Sparked A YouTube Channel With Sean Thomas

    Responding to the prompt to discuss "the weirdest encounter you've had that's ultimately led to sex", Sean Thomas saw an opportunity to share his virginity story. Channeling his screen writing background, he detailed the epic as vividly as he remembered it. His comment generated more traction than the submission it was posted to and three years later it became the inspiration for his YouTube channel 'Based On A Crude Story'. In this episode Sean shares how he generated 9K subscribers in a week. The Original Virginity Story The Birth Of "Based On A Crude Story" 'Based On A Crude Story' YouTube Channel Sean's Submission History On Reddit Alone: Oculus Rift Game Review by Markiplier Create social leverage with the Ghost Influence community. Music: 'KOOA - Don't Stop (Extended Mix)'

    44 min
  7. 010 Shirt Was Cash: User Submitted Shirts & E-Commerce Inside A Community With Anon

    12/13/2015

    010 Shirt Was Cash: User Submitted Shirts & E-Commerce Inside A Community With Anon

    Anon of the viral t-shirt site 'Shirt Was Cash' shares the origins of the e-commerce apparel website where users from 4chan, Reddit, Imgur and the Internet submit ideas for designs. Having hit the front page of Reddit multiple times, Anon shares how an investment into the community is the only way you can truly generate consistent profits with democratic platforms. Priceless advice to anyone building an e-commerce brand. Anon's 'Shirt Was Cash' Reddit AMA Snapshot of Sweatshirt Tag, Front Page Post Shirt Was Cash submitted to /r/InternetIsBeautiful Shirt Was Cash mentioned on Reddit /r/ShirtWasCash Banned From Reddit Anon's New 'Shirt Posts' Submission Site Glitter Bomb Business Sold (Business Insider) 15 Best American Streetwear Brands Start-up Nation: Israel's Economic Miracle Create social leverage with the Ghost Influence community. Music: 'Maleean - Ransom (Original Mix)'

    42 min
  8. 009 Six Seconds To Fame: Vine Comedian To Illustrator Superstar With Heather Christianson

    12/05/2015

    009 Six Seconds To Fame: Vine Comedian To Illustrator Superstar With Heather Christianson

    Heather Christianson is both an illustrator and a curious explorer of the social web. She was naturally curious when, in 2009, Vine launched it's quirky new platform where users post six second looping videos. Quickly finding a natural fit for her humor, Heather started making new vines on a daily basis and slowly built a following. While it was posted two years ago in August of 2013, her Vine titled "my favorite movies" was discovered and submitted to Reddit's /r/videos community just two days before this episode was recorded. In that time it has jumped from 250K to over 4.6M loops and been shared by nerd celebrities like Mythbusters' Adam Savage. Heather shares how the interconnection of her personal, brand, and portfolio pages is consistently helping her to better leverage the social web to develop her career as an illustrator. Heather on Vine Heather's Portfolio Heather on Twitter Gross n' Cute on Vine Gross n' Cute's Portfolio Bo Burnham's Failed Magic Trick Create social leverage with the Ghost Influence community. Music: 'Exomorph v3 by Minkovsky'

    31 min
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An interview series breaking down the stories behind viral content, sharing what happened when it took off, and showing how the attention is being leveraged into something meaningful. Whether for marketing, fame, or influence — we deconstruct the art and science behind massive exposure only platforms like reddit can foster. Listen, learn, leverage.

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