Rethoric

4 months ago, he was the founder of a WhatsApp sales startup with minimal online presence. Since then, he's reached millions, doubled his following, and turned his personal brand into a viral sensation. This is how we helped Arjun from Zoko (YC W21) build his personal brand on LinkedIn \(and beyond). When Arjun approached us, he had about 6,000 LinkedIn followers but wasn't leveraging the platform's full potential. He had spent the last two years in stealth mode – ZERO marketing. No ads, D2C events, or LinkedIn posts. But after building a superior product and believing in the power of content marketing, it was time to build his strategy to: - Share his unique insights on product-market fit - Attract top talent to Zoko - Position himself as a thought leader in the startup space So, we took him through our signature Personal Brand Blueprint \(PBB\) process: 1. Deep Dive We hosted bi-weekly Content Interview Calls to understand Arjun's story and vision. Arjun shared his: - Journey of building Zoko - Unique approach to startup growth - Insights on product-market fit and retention - Stories of his hiring process and A-star team Using this info, we crafted a content strategy that showcased Arjun's expertise and attracted the right audience. 2. Content Strategy Execution We created a mix of content based on our Proven Pillars: - Problem/Solution: Startup growth tips & Whatsapp Shopify use cases - Company Spotlight: Better business using Whatsapp - Edu-tainment: YC tips, Whatsapp how-tos, PMF tactics, etc. (with memes, of course) - Personal Experience: Arjun's founder journey And while text-based content still performs well on LinkedIn, our team added custom graphics and carousels to add depth to his content. 3. Data-Driven Optimization We continuously analyzed post-performance, adjusting our strategy based on audience engagement. This led to a breakthrough: a post about Zoko's salary negotiation policy went viral. 4. The Results (from one post!) - Followers doubled from 6,000 to 12,000 - 2 million+ impressions - Featured in Hindustan Times - Radio interview with RedFM - 24,000+ likes on a single Instagram meme - 3000+ job applications - Closed the gap with major competitors 5. Lessons Learned - Be authentic: Share real practices, not corporate jargon - Trust your team: The viral post was a team member's idea - Don't overthink: Viral content often comes unexpectedly Working with Arjun has been a thrilling journey: He's incredibly knowledgeable, always has an interesting tale to tell, and cares deeply about his personal audience. He regularly responds to comments using full paragraphs – and that's how you build a community! Arjun, we're excited to continue this partnership. Here's to more viral moments and thought leadership!

I love when we have these types of calls at Rethoric. Hearing firsthand our client's amazing stories and the impact we’re making is incredibly rewarding. It's crazy what a banger post can achieve: ? A radio interview ? 6k new followers in one week ? Became a meme seen by over 1M people ? Got picked up by a highly relevant news media outlet ? HR got hundreds of job applications at his startup during a 1-week period (You would fall on your back if you heard the entire video, but we can't share all due to privacy concerns) Conversations like these remind me why we do what we do. And these moments fuel our passion to keep pushing boundaries in founder-led marketing. Excited for what’s next! P.S. Congrats Lev Markelov and André Topini for such great work!

Founders - stop monkeying around with your organic content strategy! Leads won’t magically appear without putting yourself out there! - Define your “why” - Determine your “enemy” - Delegate your content creation and distribution Then, watch your audience grow!

The raw truth about working at a fast-growing company: Rethoric is growing like crazy and bringing lots of new challenges our way: - New clients to onboard - New content strategies to launch - Having to deliver high-quality work quickly Personally, I love the challenge. But it also means: - Constantly adapting to new processes - Balancing multiple projects simultaneously - Staying tuned to the most effective content trends Despite the hectic pace, it has done wonders for my personal growth, focus and productivity. If you’re joining a fast-growing company, my advice: Work on your personal development. Sharpen your skills Improve your communication Increase your stress and pressure tolerance You need to level up as a person to handle the workload—otherwise, the work will overwhelm you and make your days miserable. But if you can manage it, the upside is huge: You can rise through the ranks quickly and become a top performer in the company. Are you up for the challenge?

Rethoric (YC W21) helps busy founders position themselves as an industry authority on autopilot, providing data-driven thought leadership content creation as a service. Founder-led marketing is one of the most effective and high-converting acquisition strategies for startups. However, founders often grapple with time constraints, hindering their ability to consistently produce content. Additionally, many lack expertise in implementing effective organic content strategies, meanwhile, traditional marketing approaches like branding or paid ads yield unsustainable customer acquisition costs. ? Founded by Eduardo Mussali, Rethoric provides world-class human writers and editors to craft tailored content in your own voice, based on your insights, lessons, experiences, and stories, which they extract through interview calls.

Over the last month, my agency’s (Rethoric) MRR doubled! But my health went to sh*t… I sacrificed the gym to hit deadlines… I sacrificed healthy food to stay “efficient”… I sacrificed family & friends to avoid “distractions” This month was great for the agency, terrible for my wellness. So — it’s time to bring myself back to center. Today’s my first day back in the gym: Because what’s the point of anything else if I can’t feel good about it while it’s happening?