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Podcast | Episode 357
Building an 80,000+ Person Email List in Under 8 Months
Conor Lewis has a really cool story. He is the Founder of GetTheFort.com, a magnetic pillow fort that he designed, crowdfunded, and brought to market in under a year. What’s really cool about Conor though is that he is entirely self-taught on eCommerce, but still managed to build a huge audience through social channels by tapping into his previous branding, design, and video experience.
In this episode, we dive into how Conor was able to pull off a super-successful $2.8 million Kickstarter campaign, how he built his 80,000 subscriber email list, and what he learned about Facebook groups through this launch. Conor is a great reminder of what you can get done in a short amount of time if you can hustle hard and have the drive to make it happen.
You’ll learn:
- Where Conor got the idea for his very effective Kickstarter video. (4:30)
- The metrics behind his launch. (8:20)
- The catalyst that prompted him to launch, and launch quickly. (9:00)
- How he validated and tested the product. (11:30)
- How he built the momentum behind his launch. (14:30)
- Why he used Facebook Groups as part of his early ecosystem. (19:00)
- Where Facebook ads fit into the launch process. (26:20)
- The pros and cons Conor has found with using Facebook groups. (29:20)
- What he would change about using Facebook groups if he could do it over again. (39:40)
- How he built his SMS list. (46:15)
(With your host Andrew Youderian of eCommerceFuel.com and Conor Lewis of GetTheFort.com)
What Was Mentioned
- Conor Lewis: Website | GetTheFort.com | LinkedIn | Twitter | Fort on Kickstarter
- Sheets and Giggles
- Kickofflabs
- 1,000 True Fans by Kevin Kelly
- Discourse
- Postscript
- Dirty Laundry – Trailer
- eCommerceFuel Forum
- Klaviyo
- One Click Upsell – Increase Sales 15%+ with Pre-and Post-purchase Upsells. (On average, Shopify users increase sales 15% immediately after installing the app!)
Photo credits to FORT’s Kickstarter page.
Ideas Worth Sharing:
“Crowdfunding is a great way to test out the kinks in your supply chain.” - @conorblewis Tweet this “The most important thing for crowdfunding is that prelaunch email list. It all comes down to that. Tweet this “I don’t think the Facebook algorithm is conducive to building a healthy community.” - @conorblewis Tweet this
Post by Andrew Youderian
Founder and Chief Instigator, eComFuel
Andrew quit an early finance job to sell CB radios online — an admittedly unorthodox career path. It set him on a course to found and sell multiple businesses, host a decade-running podcast, lecture at Harvard Business School and create eComFuel, the leading community for 7- and 8-figure online business owners. Andrew is fascinated with branding, AI, building community, investing and growing meaningful businesses that don't require sacrificing what truly matters.
