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• Yelp’s sales culture via a tour of their New York office
• What Yelp sells
• Who Yelp sells to
• How Yelp generates leads
• How many calls a day each salesperson makes
• How many sales presentations/demos a month each salesperson does
• Average number of deals closed per salesperson per month
• Average revenue per sale (ARPU)
• Average contract length
• Annual quota per salesperson

Part 2 goes into the science of growth hacking, diving deep on user funnelnomics that include user Acquisition, Activation, Retention, Referral and Revenue.

Part 1 introduces the concept of growth hacking, defines the DNA of a growth hacker and reviews case studies like HotMail and Airbnb.

There is increasingly more buzz and controversy over growth hacking. Many traditional marketers think growth hacking is just a fancy term to make engineers feel better about marketing. This workshop really nails what it’s all about.

We should warn you – all the companies on this list are fantastic, and that you will be reeled in, hook, line and sinker. And may be tempted to brush up your resume with your manager looking over your shoulder. We advise against that. And hey, if you’re one of the companies that made it on this list, we think you’re really awesome, so congratulations on making it this far. So without much ado, here’s the list of the Crunched Top Startups to Sell For 2012!

1. Act-On: They call themselves “hope for the marketing underdog.” But we think any business that uses them is no underdog but a topdog. And they have a long, long list of some pretty impressive clients that testify to their topdog title. Act-On is a marketing automation software that empowers small businesses to effectively market online like the way big companies do. That is a pretty sophisticated marketing package. And to keep that marketing machine well-oiled, their human task force is constantly growing. Besides flocking to the product itself like moths to a flame, prospective employees have a lot to look forward to, including super fun Halloween parties, opportunity to attend industry conferences and training sessions, an all-inclusive benefits package and wonderful happy talented co workers. And living in Oregon is pretty awesome too. Are you packing your bags yet?

2. Airbnb: No whiners allowed is their motto. A place of aspiration and discovery is how their CEO likes to call Airbnb. And we agree. Don’t tell the boss, but we may be guilty of browsing their website for hours on end, just day dreaming of beautiful places and extended vacations. For those that don’t know, Airbnb matches up travelers with authentic homestays by local hosts allowing them to take in a unique experience. But Airbnb believes in extending this love to the people that make this happen. So if you’re lucky enough to be employed by them, here’s what you can expect: Take-your-dog-to-work-daily, weekly yoga classes, organic meals, $2000/year to travel.. and we think the rest doesn’t matter. But there’s a lot more, we assure you. Go pack your bags, because they have offices in many, many countries. All aboard!

3. AppNexus: So, this startup is a true NY tech scene darling. And why wouldn’t they be? Because if we were being really honest, we would tell you this is an awesome company. Appnexus is a fully customizable, super advanced advertising technology platform. But this company has been in the news for so many great reasons, a big one being that they’re one of the most well-funded tech startups ever. An even more interesting thing about them is that they may be buying a company! And a Microsoft company, no less. But you didn’t hear that from us. A company this awesome must have awesome benefits, right? Well, Einstein..yes it does. Ergonomics consultants so you can keep your backbone healthy (no pun intended!), in-house yoga so you can breathe happy, commuter benefits, a fridge and kitchen that literally never run out of food, catered Friday lunches, and so much more. But most importantly, the added perk of making a company great. You better dress up that resume to impress.

4. BazaarVoice: BazaarVoice has been around since 2005, and they have over 700 happy global companies that are glad for BazaarVoice’s existence. BazaarVoice helps companies put the customer at the heart of their marketing by encouraging customers to have conversations about their brand and product, and turning the social data into insights to help them discover hidden revenue opportunities. Sounds awesome, right? It is. But what makes a great company is a great culture and here are some things that make it exactly that. Badass? Check. Charitable? Check. Beach volleyball? Check. Waterslides on a company getaway? Check. Science fair for adults? Check. And a company that loves what it does? Check. Check. And check. Are you busy shining your interview shoes already?

5. Bigcommerce: This company celebrates a lot. And they celebrate everything. We’re big fans of regular celebrations. As are they, it looks like. BigCommerce is a platform that allows its clients to create an ecommerce website, complete with a fantastic web-design and online store. Included are SEO features and a success Guru who will help a client launch, promote and grow their store. Sounds like a sweet deal to us. But behind the scenes is a what they call a “recipe for awesome”. We concur. If their Facebook feed is anything to go by, it probably doesn’t feel like work, but more like a giant always-on party! Spray painting sessions, Paintball sessions, Halloween parties, Easter parties, Christmas parties.. there’s a party for everything at BigCommerce. Company-owned game room, and a fully-stocked beer fridge, complete with “Beer of the Week” is what led them to be a company you should sell for. We mean it.

6. Booker: Formerly GramercyOne, they are a business asset, simply put. From where we’re looking at this company, it can do everything. We suspect you can literally run your small business inside this app. And that’s exactly what this app can do. It can do everything from scheduling, to point-of-sale, to marketing to social commerce from within the app. And it’s all in the cloud. But while we’re rooting for the app, and headaches that we know it will save customers, we’re rooting equally loudly for the team that makes this happen. And the company is more than happy to pass on the love through discounted gym memberships, competitive salaries to help pay for indulgences, stock options, some pretty spectacular views of NYC from their office, participating in kickball, finding your twin day, sharing hometown love day.. basically they pay it forward in many ways. We suggest you spend some quality time on their Careers section.

7. Box: If your company offers to let you work from home, and you can seamlessly collaborate with your team members on an important project using your iPad, you probably have Box to thank. They are bringing sexy back to enterprise software. Project collaboration, FTP alternative, secure file sharing, document management are geeky terms we love, but these are actually features of this software. It’s basically genius you can tote around. But it’s not merely a company making IT easier for the Fortune 500s, they actually have a fun personality. It travels through to their company benefits, but we fell hook, line and sinker for the free Caltrain passes, ping pong and taking our birthday(s) off. Oh, and lots of free food. But a big reason, the Crunched office is buzzing about them is their ability to throw some pretty fantastic parties. You’ve been warned, Box, you’re going to be overwhelmed by the job applications now.

8. Docusign: They make work and personal life easier, we think. Finally, a faster, easier, cheaper, environmentally-friendly, timesaving, effortless way to sign. Docusign is an e-signature platform that allows you to sign important documents easily, share them with others and store them securely in the cloud. Oh, and did we mention that e-signatures are recognized around the world and are legally binding? Yes, we did. But the icing on the cake is that you can do it from any device, anywhere.. it’s that simple. Speaking of simple, so is their hiring philosophy. If you’re hardworking and awesome, you may have a shot at..their celebratory breaking of a pinata when inaugurating a new office, their scare-worthy Halloween parties, stock options, opportunities to go to awesome conferences and events, competitive salaries, and the chance to work with a team that has taken previous startups to publicly traded companies. We suggest you hustle and create a Docusign account, it’ll save time when you have to sign your job offer from them.

9. Eventbrite: If you’re organizer extraordinaire, chances are you’ve probably heard of this company. And with good reason. Eventbrite takes the pain out of organizing an event by allowing a user to manage the event online, including invitations, promotion and even selling tickets online. Oh, and if you’re not organizing but want to attend a jazz music concert, they’ll find an event for you that increases your coolness quotient. Speaking of coolness quotient, theirs is pretty high. Why, you ask? Well, they have a Zen room for their employees to recharge, catered lunches, monthly health and wellness stipends, neverending snack supply.. you get the idea. Essentially, it’s not an event for them to pamper their employees.. it’s a daily task. And one they do without complaint or any strings attached. We like them. Mostly because they help us be cool.

10. Hubspot: This company can teach everyone a thing or two about integration. Eliminating the need for a wide array to help with marketing tasks, Hubspot is an all-in-one marketing automation tool for companies that helps them manage everything from their social networks to SEO and paid search. Best of all? Fully integrated analytics to keep you in the loop about what’s working and what’s not. This kind of innovation demands a brain force of the A+ kind. Which, not suprisingly, Hubspot has. And Hubspot keeps them with free beer, a take-what-you-need vacation policy, $4k shopping spree for accepting ther job offer, ping pong, a $10k reward for referring someone, a real salary.. the list doesn’t end. Trust us, we’ve tried. If you get hired here, do you mind putting us down in “Who referred you to this job?”, because we’d love the $10k. We really would.

11. LivingSocial: This is a company that prides itself on championing good ideas. With a business model that empowers local small businesses and customers alike, LivingSocial has come a long way from a fledgling startup. LivingSocial partners with local businesses to post deals in 100+ markets around the world, which are snapped up by customers seeking new and unique experiences. It takes care of the local businesses, and their clients. But it also believes in taking of its employees. Which is why there’s a “LivingSocializing” crew at every office location, which provides chances for all LivingSocialities to interact with one another through beer tastings, yoga, theatres etc. But if you’re the anti-social kind, you can treat yourself to a hour-long cardio session along with your iPod for company, or snooze away while getting a chair massage. You can also skip brown bagging last night’s leftovers, because they have a snack bar. And while you’re at it, skip the car and take public transport because it’s paid for. And environmentally friendly. Bottomline: You really should start looking for jobs there. And live more socially.

12. MediaMath: This company gets a standing ovation for being so amazingly geeky. And proudly so. This marketing ecosystem enables marketers and agency professionals to plan, execute, optimize and analyze marketing campaigns across the digital landscape. As a result, you get the most out of your $ spend, and audience insights that will drive your future marketing campaigns. In order to do this, they go where no math man or math woman has gone before with the help of their abundant intellectual horsepower, aka employees. Pioneering is a difficult job, so they keep their employees happy by giving generous medical benefits, free on-site chair massages, nearly 30 holidays a year, parking and transit allowance, and they’ll even pay for you to get the newest smartphone so you can Facebook just a little bit faster. For new parents, they give you maternity and paternity leave so you can enjoy your little bundle of joy without frantically coding at the same time. And they also throw in monthly Math mixers – where you don’t actually geek out and do math, but get to know your fellow MediaMath-ecians, just a little bit better. Are you ready to have your geek challenged? Because they will do that.

13. Mindjet: Inspires work, we think. This company makes a software that allows a user to create a visual framework, aka mindmap, along with content and context that can be shared and used as part of task management. We like this new way of working already. Add in the ability to collaborate in the cloud, and it’s a winner. Basically, we can all get work done faster, and enjoy summer Fridays in winter. But to make a winner, you need a team of winners behind it, fueling its growth and enjoying that ride. Lucky for Mindjet, it seems to have exactly that. But it does one better. It allows them wine-and-cheese parties, impromptu race sessions, ping pong games, health benefits so you don’t have to worry if someone accidentally smacks you in the head with the ping pong ball, weekly yoga classes to help flex your newly cultivated muscle on the ping pong table.. you get the picture. Fabulous companies help keep their employees fabulous, happy and spirited. And Mindjet manages to do just that. And in style, if you ask us. It’s almost as if it can read minds. See what we did there?

14. On Deck Capital: This company seeks to disrupt the way small businesses borrow money. We’re fans of anything related to small businesses, but this one is particularly special. Mostly because, they make the lending process simple, quick and innovative. And that they’ve paid out over $275 million since 2007. More power to small businesses! Oh, and added bonus? They look at the general health of your business, and not just your credit score, when deciding to lend you money. And there’s no bankers to deal with (this is our favorite part!) Basically, they are just genuinely nice when it comes to money matters. And we like that. While the simplicity and uniqueness of the product speaks for itself, is it worth spending time to brush up that dusty resume? If you like paid vacation days, life insurance, ability to work with a great team and full health benefits, then we think yes.

15. Pandora: Everyone knows about this company. If you’ve discovered new music, proposed to your sweetheart using a playlist on Pandora, loved that you can listen to that playlist anywhere and anyhow.. Pandora has made that possible. For those who were living under a rock, Pandora is to internet streaming music what peanut butter is to jelly, ergo, a match made in heaven. Pandora is all gifted, and will continue to empower the musically curious. But running this mean machine needs an army, and a salesarmy 300-person strong. You’ll find out soon enough how we know these intimate details about Pandora. But here’s what you need to know if you want to go running to their San Francisco headquarters and beg them for a job. Because you should. Here’s why: fresh fruit delivered daily, private on-site concerts, on-site massage, and fully equipped backstage area if you’re in the mood to jam with Justin from Human Resources, among many other benefits. In short, they’re awesome. and profitable. We suggest you polish up that resume.

16. Panjiva: Talk about a company that makes global trade easier. Because it really does. Panjiva is a 750,000-strong database of suppliers around the world with in-depth information about each supplier, complete with top customers of each supplier and even U.S. customs data that is updated weekly. But don’t take our word for it. Hop on over and look at their laundry list of drool-worthy customers that use them to simplify sourcing processes and streamline their supply chain disruptions. But their awesomeness begins at home. With their employees. And so, they let employees build or buy their dream computers, give them many, many days off in a year, pride themselves on constantly improving their ping pong game (Yes, they have a ping pong table at work), take them out of the office to enjoy themselves, fresh juice and craft beer tastings.. basically, it may just be a giant party. Or a reward for helping Panjiva be awesome and stay that way.

17. Sailthru: If you want your customer to feel that you’re talking to each of them individually about their preferences, their interests and the like, Sailthru should be your go-to product. The coolest thing about the product? Their ability to marry two marketing essentials – exceptional email delivery and behavior targeting. Oh, and they know neat things like people spend an average of 28 days on email a year. Now they’ve checked off the great product, the tons of money they’ve raised and their coolness quotient is high considering fun things they know that could empower companies, but what about their employee culture? Well. They call themselves a quirky company, and maybe it’s because their booze to caffeine ratio is 3:5, or maybe it’s because they give you unlimited vacation days. Whatever it is that makes them quirky, we like. We’re big fans of their policy to give autonomy to employees, conducting mandatory beer cruises and their SoHo home. Are you feeling the wind in your sails yet? ‘Coz we certainly are.

18. Say Media: This startup was founded in 2005, and now has over 400 employees across the world. The short story about them is that while they’re primarily an ad network, they do own properties that produce original content in a variety of lifestyle categories. And now since earlier this year, they’re over $27 mn richer; meaning they’ll just get bigger and stronger. Isn’t that reason enough to look up their current open positions? If we still need to push you over the edge where they’re concerned, well.. we’ll try to keep this short, but we make no promises. Dog-friendly offices, cool culture, capable and interesting coworkers, work hard and play hard, have jam sessions in the office, great pay masters, open door policies to senior management.. we could do this all day. Basically, if you want to be on the cutting edge, and be part of a great ever-growing, ever-changing company, we recommend you research SayMedia.

19. Single Platform: They’ve been named one of America’s most promising startups by Businessweek. And if you own a local small business, and are ready to disconnect your phone line to avoid calls from sales reps of daily deal sites, SinglePlatform will rescue you. Singleplatform allows you to manage your online, social, and mobile presence – this includes updating menus, adding specials and deals, and all other contact information. Isn’t that just so cool? Empowering Joe & Lucy who own the bakery down the street to get more customers and break their own popularity record. And for their awesomeness, SinglePlatform has grabbed the attention of many, but eventually it was ConstactContact went down on one knee and said all the right things. But is all that enough to reel you in? If not, here’s some more: uncapped commission for sales executives, interactions with top entrepreneurs and thought leaders, and generous health benefits. We are sold.

20. Trulia: This is a refined, polished and sophisticated weapon for some new-age home hunting. Trulia is Google search for homes. Get the scoop on the neighborhood, crime rates and schools where you found that perfect home. What makes it awesome? The home hunters don’t pay – it’s free! We’re very charmed how they’ve taken the painful concept of home hunting, and made it painless, and believe it or not, enjoyable. We will happily admit that we’re guilty of spending lunchtime scrolling through those wonderful homes. We also love how they’ve taken Facebook and made it a glorious feed of covetable homes and spaces. But while all that’s great, should you apply to work here? If you’re into weekly yoga, Wellness days, summer picnic parties, competitive Oreo eating contests, happy hours, impromptu sessions of friendly tug-of-war… you get the picture. Then, probably, yes. A fun culture sustained by no corporate BS makes Trulia a company you should totally want to sell for.

21. Yammer: Raise your hand if you’ve ever sacrificed productivity for endless back-and-forth emailing over a document that is being collaborated over with team members from various departments. Yes, we’ve been there and it’s been a disaster. Enter Yammer. It is a private social network just for your company. But it’s not just about sharing pictures of their workspaces, and or checking in to the “sales” floor. With a wonderful array of built-in apps, Yammer can do everything from give public kudos to the sales team of the week, to idea management, to content collaboration, to managing your travel plans. It’s a powerhouse. But it takes a powerhouse to run one. And Yammer knows how to keep their employee powerhouse going. Save money by bringing Fido to office instead of doggie daycare, save some more money by eating catered meals, save still more money by taking the onsite fitness classes and using public transportation, and spend all that money that you saved on your vacation. Which by the way, is unlimited – take it as you need it. And interestingly, they pay you to do all this! Fun team events and the association with talented, smart people should be a done deal.  You really shouldn’t wait to check out their jobs listings, we think.

22. Yelp: The epitome of startup success, Yelp made itself a household name by taking reviews out of the hands of the haute taute and putting them square in our hands – literally. It is fairly common to see people wipping out their phone in the middle of a meal, snap a few pictures of their food and write a full fledged review on Yelp before chowing down.  But Yelp has come a long way from its restaurant roots to now include shopping, local services, home services and so much more. Our favorite part about that? It includes reviews by users who’ve been brave enough to try things out and then recommend them. Or not. Yelp has been around for a while and is a public company, but prides itself on maintaining their startup culture.. and hence the Yelp kegerator, shiny computers and desks, Yelp off-sites (code word for awesome employee outings), the endless office parties, the bottomless kitchen and pantry.. the list could go on and on. I mean, have you seen their “Tricked-out NYC Office?’   We think anything that empowers local businesses and consumers alike deserves kudos. What do you have to be to get in here and be a part of Yelp? Be unboring. Get started with your resume, we suggest.

23. Yext: If you’re a small business, you’ve probably spent hours plugging in information about your business on various sites. We know it’s painful. But there’s a company that promises to make that process painless. Yext offers businesses a platform to instantly update their business information on a variety of local search sites, saving time, effort and money. So essentially, incorrect information about your business is going to be a thing of the past. They help your business get found. They also help their employees by giving them competitive salaries, office meals to stay nourished and fully-fed, office happy hours to make sure they stay happy, music in the office incase anyone feels the urge to do a little jig for no reason at all, go-getter co-workers to help keep the machine running.. they do it all. We suggest you click your way into their Careers section after you’re done reading this.

24. Yodle: 800 employees, Best place to work, multiple offices across the country, field trips and scavenger hunts, Halloween parties..Oh, and Superbowl representation. We feel like this is the beginning of a love affair. Taking the pain out of local search advertising, Yodle helps local businesses increase their visibility and conversions, measure their successes and watch their bank account balance grow. But to make this mean machine work, you need a force of some very talented people. Which Yodle has. What draws people to the company besides the company itself is… not a mystery. We have some ideas: free food, weekly contests where you can win some awesome prizes, gym memberships, 3 weeks of vacation (don’t scoff at us, we’re not lying!), uncapped commission for sales members (you’ve really go to stop with the scoffing!), and the ability to ring the gong! They’ve certainly got small businesses yodle-ing, are you joining the crowd yet? We certainly are.

25. ZenDesk: Customer service with a touch of class and zen, we say. A cloud-based customer service platform, the ZenDesk difference lies in enabling companies to listen, respond and delight their customers in ways that were impossible before. Headquartered in San Francisco with offices around the world, we’re particularly charmed by their impressive list of clients and their cheerful Buddhy, complete with a headset and all. But something even cooler about them is the company itself. Fully-stocked kitchen, Macbooks, healthcare benefits, weekly happy hours, annual soccer tournaments, and the occasional dog answering a customer support call.. you name it, they probably do it. We love companies that go the extra mile for their employees. We’ve come away charmed by the zen in your customer/employee service, ZenDesk!

26. Zocdoc: Move aside, quacks, Zocdoc is here to make the search for a doctor simple, easy and trustworthy. Based in NYC, Zocdoc attempts to disrupt the way we look and consult doctors, based on reviews and indepth profiles. But what gives us the fuzzies is that it allows users to book appointments instantly – for free. But we’re singing their praises for different reasons. Besides building a fantastic sales team, Zocdoc makes sure its employees never need to see a doctor. How, you ask? Healthy catered lunches, fresh fruits and the healthful benefit of hanging around happy, awesome people all day. If you’re worried about retirement options, or your immigration status, Zocdoc has it covered. Never let it be said that it is a company that doesn’t care about its employees. Oh, and did we mention that they let you take unlimited vacation days and never dictate how many hours you work every week? Yes, it is THAT awesome.

So, that was our short and awesome list of startups to sell for. There are many, many more reasons why these companies are great. But it’s mostly because, they have a great product and have passionate people that make the product better every single day. Just like these great startups, at Crunched, we’re passionate about making your online meeting experience fantastic and headache-free. Oh, and if your meetings feel suddenly super sexy, we take full responsibility. Check us out!

If you know us well, you’ll know that we have a personal interest in sales teams (duh!). But it doesn’t end there. The boss man at Crunched to be a VP of Sales himself at a startup. Since we’re deeply rooted in the economy of digital disruption and the mechanics of sales, we decided to do something that would bring these two together. And so, fellow disrupters, customers and readers, we present to you, the Crunched list of Top 25 Startups to Sell for. The time to do a little jig would be right now. But hold your horses.. because the big reveal of who made it to that list… happens on November 26! And it happens right here, so make sure you come back for the official list!

While all startups for us are kindred spirits, we have some criteria in place for startups to make it on our list.

1. Funding Credibility: The startup must be backed by top VC firms, angel investors, individuals or corporations. If your childhood piggy bank made its way into seed money.. that counts.

2. Employee Perks: Whether it’s free coffee, catered lunches, a ski trip, a tech budget for fancy toys, or a trip-around-the-world-when-you-complete-a-decade-in-the-company, the company has to have great perks. Hanging out with smart people, innovators, and leaders has to be a given. And a salary is a must as well. Dogs in the office gets a special bonus.

So, while all the startups on the list will have cause to burst firecrackers, do a little dance or have a group happiness session, everyone else will be busy polishing their resumes and drafting cover letters to impress ya’ll. Citing this article should at the very least land them a phone interview, we think. So check back next week on November 26 to see if your startup made it!

It is nearly impossible to get your article posted on the homepage of Reddit.  So I was pumped to learn of Reddit’s self-service advertising option (essentially promoted links) you can run with as little as $20. I felt like we had a chance to get in early while the site was still being used by its cult-like following and not yet mainstream. We were also super encouraged by the blog post of DuckDuckGo search engine founder Gabriel Weinberg and that of amateur game maker Andy Hu, both of whom reported effective CPCs of 2-3 cents!

Crunched is an instant online meeting platform with two unique advantages over clunky, old-school meeting software like WebEx or GoToMeeting: 1) Ease of use – namely, no frustrating software downloads for attendees. 2) Actionable insights – essentially, we tell you who is actually paying attention in your meetings and presentations. So over the course of 7 days, we ran three different ads that called out these value props.  Two of them were fun and irreverent and the third attempted to appeal to the data geek in the Reddit user base. First, I have to say that setting up the Reddit ads was super easy.  I found the Reddit team very responsive and helpful. Our ads were suppose to start on a Monday, but their hosting provider (and ours) Amazon Web Services (AWS) went down and took Reddit with them for over half the first day.  Reddit ran our ads the rest of that day free.  Also, we had originally budgeted $600, but one of the ads wasn’t performing.  So they took it down and gave us a $100 credit despite a policy against doing just that.  So what were the final results?

We spent $500, had a total of 2,016,795 impressions and 1165 clicks. That’s a 0.06% CTR, a $0.25 CPM and a $0.43 CPC. So while the CTR was not super interesting, the CPM and CPC are really good by online advertising standards.  Even remnant inventory on most sites and ad networks run $1 to low single digits.  Ok, so our results were not nearly as good as those reported by Gabriel and Andy, but not bad. But the real bummer was that we only acquired 8 new users from all three campaigns combined. That’s $75 per user (CPA)!  Holy smokes, that’s terrible. Now, there could be all kinds of reasons for the terrible CPA, from bad demographic match, to ad copy to our landing page.  But as a comparison, we spent $484 on Google Adwords on Thursday and Friday of the same week, received 37,435 impressions, 217 clicks, and acquired 24 new users! That’s a $12.92 CPM, $2.23 CPC and $17.95 CPA. So while the CPM and CPC were exponentially higher, the CPA was exponentially lower and well within an acceptable range.  

So why such a disparity between Reddit and Google?  Well, people on Google are specifically looking for what you have, so you are serving ads against intent. Reddit readers aren’t necessary in the market for our product, but our ads might have been compelling enough to make them click through anyway.  My conclusion is that this is just the wrong audience for us, but I am going to try to prove that wrong next week with the $100 credit Reddit gave us.  In the meantime, below are the results broken down per ad. You will notice that Reddit breaks down conversion by day and hour. I just left the first few as examples. If you really want the entire day/hour breakdown for all three leave me a request in the comments.

• “Crunched Online Meetings Have Happy Endings” ran on All pages:

• “Crunched Online Meetings Will Make You Romney Rich” ran on Politics

• “Growth Hack Your Meetings and Presentations” ran on Technology

Frankenstorm Eats New York — Presentation Transcript by Slide:

1. This nighttime satellite image of Hurricane Sandy was acquired by the Visible InfraredImaging Radiometer Suite (VIIRS) on the Suomi NPP satellite around 2:42 a.m. EasternDaylight Time, on October 28, 2012. (Suomi NPP, NASA, NOAA)
2. October 30, 2012. I live and work inManhattan. Frankenstorm (akaHurricane Sandy) just paid a visit, killed 33people (so far), forced Obama to declare NewYork a “major disaster” , left 6.7million people without power, left downtownManhattan under water, destroyed 50homes in Queens, NY alone, shut downthe subway, airports, bridges, tunnels andthe stock market for the first weather-related closure in 27 years. Here are some(graphic) photos I found around the web. – Sean Black
3. A City under siege. New York taxis are stranded on a flooded street in Queens (The Telegraph,Photo: Xinhua /Landov / Barcroft Media)
4. Streets are flooded under the Manhattan Bridge in the Dumbo section of Brooklyn, New York, onOctober 29, 2012. Sandy continued on its path Monday, as the storm forced the shutdown of masstransit, schools and financial markets, sending coastal residents fleeing, and threatening adangerous mix of high winds and soaking rain. (The Atlantic. AP Photo/Bebeto Matthews)
5. On Instagram, @andjelicaaa and @bmorrissey captured this ominous image of Janes Carouselmorphing into an island in Brooklyn Bridge Park:
6. Seawater pours into the Ground Zero construction site in New York, on October 29, 2012. (The Atlantic AP Photo/ John Minchillo)
7. A surveillance camera captures water surging into the PATH station in Hoboken, NewJersey, as it is flooded shortly before 9:30 p.m. on October 29, 2012. (The Atlantic, AP Photo/Port Authority of New York and New Jersey)
8. Rising water, caused by Hurricane Sandy, rushes into a subterranean parking garage onOctober 29, 2012, in New Yorks Financial District. (The Atlantic, Andrew Burton/GettyImages)
9. The Plaza along Water Street in lower Manhattan is flooded after Superstorm Sandy hit NewYork City (Picture: EPA/JUSTIN LANE)
10. Firefighters evaluate the scene of an apartment building which had the front wall collapse dueto Hurricane Sandy in New York, on October 29, 2012. (The Atlantic, Andrew Burton/GettyImages)
11. Blackout conditions in Manhattan, after Hurricane Sandy hit, on October 29, 2012. (TheAtlantic, Allison Joyce/Getty Images)
12. A man in snorkelling gear and his friend wade through the flooded streets of Brooklyn, NewYork, on October 29, 2012 as Hurricane Sandy made landfall in the northeastern UnitedStates. (The Atlantic, Reuters/Gary He)
13. A blacked-out New York City skyline, on October 29, 2012. (The Atlantic, Reuters/Gary He)
14. Residents, lit by police vehicles, stand outside their homes during a power outage in LowerManhattan, on October 29, 2012. New York power company Consolidated Edison said onMonday that it had shut off power to part of Lower Manhattan to protect electrical equipmentand to allow for quicker restoration after Hurricane Sandy passes. (The Atlantic, Reuters/Adrees Latif)
15. Seawater floods the entrance to the Brooklyn Battery Tunnel in New York, on October 29, 2012.(The Atlantic, AP Photo/ John Minchillo)
16. New York Fire Department rescue boats, along 14th street, heading toward the East River on arescue mission in the wake of Hurricane Sandy, on October 29, 2012, in New York. (TheAtlantic, AP Photo/ Louis Lanzano)
17. A visitor in a bathrobe does a cartwheel in the rain while visiting an empty Times Square inNew York, on October 29, 2012. (Reuters/Adrees Latif)
18. A flooded street in New Yorks Financial District, on on October 29, 2012. (Picture: Andrew Burton/Getty Images)
19. A parking lot full of yellow cabs is flooded as a result of superstorm Sandy on Tuesday, Oct. 30,2012 in Hoboken, NJ. (Photo: Charles Sykes, AP / AP2012)
20. A view of the corner of 34th Street and 1st Street in Manhattan during rains from HurricaneSandy, on October 29, 2012. (Michael Heiman/Getty Images)
21. Medical workers assist a patient into an ambulance during an evacuation of New YorkUniversitys Tisch Hospital, on October 29, 2012. The hospital is moving out more than 200patients after its backup generator failed when the power was knocked out by Sandy. (APPhoto/ John Minchillo)
22. People take photos on a darkened flooded street during a blackout in Chelsea, as HurricaneSandy landed in New York, on October 29, 2012. (Reuters/Andrew Kelly)
23. Power outage, caused by Hurricane Sandy, on October 29, 2012 in Manhattan, New York.(Allison Joyce/Getty Images)
24. A fire has destroyed at least two dozen homes in a flooded neighbourhood in the New York Cityborough of Queens. The Breezy Point district was left a smouldering tangle of wood and metalafter the blaze. Firefighters said it was a miracle that only two minor injuries were reported.(The Telegraph, Picture: Frank Franklin II/AP)
25. A girl stands among homes devastated by fire and the effects of Hurricane Sandy in Breezy Point, NY(The Telegraph, Picture: REUTERS/Shannon Stapleton)
26. A view shows homes devastated by fire and the effects of Hurricane Sandy at the Breezy Point sectionof the Queens borough of New York (The Telegraph, Picture: REUTERS/Shannon Stapleton)
27. Superstorm Sandy: major fire destroys homes in Breezy Point, Queens, New York (TheTelegraph, Picture: Frank Franklin II)
28. Superstorm Sandy: major fire destroys homes in Breezy Point, Queens, New York, Fire-damaged homes are silhouetted against the sky (The Telegraph, Picture: Frank Franklin II)
29. Firefighters approach Breezy Point to battle the blaze (The Telegraph, Picture: Frank FranklinII/AP)
30. Water reaches street level at the West Street entrance to the Battery Park Underpass(The Telegraph, Picture: Louis Lanzano/AP)
31. Staten Island Railways Clifton Shop is pictured in the aftermath of Sandy, in this MTA photo(The Telegraph, Picture: REUTERS/MTA)
32. People look at destruction in South Street SeaportPicture: TIMOTHY A. CLARY/AFP/Getty Images
33. Fire fighters evaluate the scene of an apartment building in New York after the front wall collapsed dueto Hurricane Sandy (The Telegraph, Picture: Andrew Burton/Getty Images)
34. This photo issued by MTA New York City Transit shows an emergency dam erected across the traintracks at IRT Subway Lenox Terminal at 148th Street, in Harlem, New York, as part of floodpreparations (The Telegraph, Picture: EPA/MTA/LEONARD WIGGINS)
35. A view from Exchange Place shows the skyline of lower Manhattan in darkness after a preventivepower outage (The Telegraph, Picture: REUTERS/Eduardo Munoz)
36. Boats piled up by storm surge and the high tide lie in a pile at a marina in East Quogue, NewYork, on October 30, 2012. (The Atlantic, Reuters/Lucas Jackson)
37. Cars floating in a flooded parking garage entrance, on October 30, 2012 in the FinancialDistrict of New York. (The Atlantic, Andrew Burton/Getty Images)
38. A dead deer lies among driftwood and debris left by a combination of storm surge fromHurricane Sandy and high tide in Southampton, New York, on October 30, 2012. The Atltantic,Reuters/Lucas Jackson
39. A car crushed by a tree following Hurricane Sandy on October 30, 2012 in New Yorks FinancialDistrict. (The Atlantic, Andrew Burton/Getty Images)
40. A truck drives through water pushed over a road by Hurricane Sandy in Southampton, NewYork, on October 29, 2012. Hurricane Sandy, the monster storm bearing down on the EastCoast, strengthened on Monday after hundreds of thousands moved to higher ground, publictransport shut down and the stock market suffered its first weather-related closure in 27years. (Reuters/Lucas Jackson)
41. New Yorks empty Hugh L. Cary Tunnel (formerly the Brooklyn-Battery Tunnel), which will beclosed at 2 p.m. on October 29, 2012. (The Atlantic, MTA New York City Transit/LeonardWiggins)
42. An abandoned home, inundated with water at Shinnecock Bay in Southampton, New York, on October29, 2012. (The Atlatnic, Reuters/Lucas Jackson)
43. Hurricane Sandy, pictured at (10:40 a.m. Eastern) on October 29, 2012 by NASAs GOES satellite,churns off the east coast in the Atlantic Ocean. (NASA via Getty Images)
44. A sailboat smashes on the rocks after breaking free from its mooring on City Island, on October 29,2012 in New York. (The Atlantic, Don Emert/AFP/Getty Images)
45. The Hudson River swells and rises over its banks flooding the Lackawanna train station inHoboken, New Jersey, on October 29, 2012. (AP Photo/Charles Sykes)
46. Manhattan, shot from Hoboken Pier walkway around 12:30pm on October 29, 2012.(Picture: © Joe Smolenski)
47. A historic ferry boat named the Binghamton, swamped by the waves on the Hudson River inEdgewater, New Jersey, on October 29, 2012 as Hurricane Sandy lashed the East Coast. (TheAtlantic, AP Photo/Craig Ruttle)
48. Sailboats rock in choppy water at a dock along the Hudson River Greenway during a storm, onOctober 29, 2012, in New York. (AP Photo/Jeffrey Furticella)
49. U.S. Route 30, the White Horse Pike, one of three major approaches to Atlantic City, NewJersey, covered with water from Absecon Bay in this view looking west, during the approach ofHurricane Sandy, on October 29, 2012. (The Atlantic, Reuters/Tom Mihalek)
50. A NYPD officer stands guard at the 42nd street subway station in Times Square.(Photo: TIMOTHY A. CLARY, AFP/Getty Images / 2012 AFP)
51. A view from Exchange Place shows the skyline of lower Manhattan in darkness after apreventive power outage (The Atlantic, Picture: REUTERS/Eduardo Munoz)
52. A flooded street in Manhattan as Hurricane Sandy approached New York City on October 29. (Picture: Shen Hong/Xinhua/Zuma)
53. Fictitious picture of what Sandy flooding New York Subway System could look like (Picture: Gizmodo)
54. Ocean waves kick up near homes along Peggoty Beach in Scituate, Massachusetts, on October29, 2012. (The Atlantic, AP Photo/Elise Amendola)
55. A man walks past a subway station entrance in lower Manhattan. (Picture: CNN Money)
56. Red Hook, Brooklyn streets are flooding, particularly in this warehouse district (Picture: NickCope https://twitter.com/greenpainting/status/262894932648402944)
57. Red Hook, Brooklyn streets are flooding, particularly in this warehouse district (Picture:unknown)
58. The floor of the New York Stock Exchange is empty of traders, Monday, Oct. 29, 2012.(Photo: AP / SL)
59. The HMS Bounty, a 180-foot sailboat, is submerged in the Atlantic Ocean during Hurricane Sandyapproximately 90 miles southeast of Hatteras, North Carolina, on October 29, 2012. Of the 16-person crew, the Coast Guard rescued 14, recovered a woman who was later pronounced dead andare still searching for the captain. The HMS Bounty was built for the 1962 film Mutiny On TheBounty and was also used in Pirates Of The Caribbean. (The Atlantic, Petty Officer 2nd Class TimKuklewski/U.S. Coast Guard via Getty Images)
60. presentations can……….Change the World!

During an interview, your potential new boss asks you to briefly describe your qualifications. At this moment, you have a single objective: be impressive. So you begin to rattle off your list of accomplishments: your degrees from Harvard and Yale, your prestigious internships, your intimate knowledge of essential software and statistical analysis. “Oh,” you add. “And I took two semesters of Spanish in college.” Not technically an impressive accomplishment, but since the company does a lot of business in Latin America, you figure some Spanish is better than none at all.

Or is it?

Actually, it isn’t. You’ve just fallen victim to a phenomenon that psychologists have recently discovered, called the “Presenter’s Paradox.” It’s another fascinating example of how our instincts about selling — ourselves, our company, or our products — can be surprisingly bad.

The problem, in a nutshell, is this: We assume when we present someone with a list of our accomplishments (or with a bundle of services or products), that they will see what we’re offering additively. If going to Harvard, a prestigious internship, and mad statistical skills are all a “10″ on the scale of impressiveness, and two semesters of Spanish is a “2,” then we reason that added together, this is a 10 + 10 + 10 + 2, or a “32″ in impressiveness. So it makes sense to mention your minimal Spanish skills — they add to the overall picture. More is better.

Only more is not in fact better to the interviewer (or the client or buyer), because this is not how other people see what we’re offering. They don’t add up the impressiveness, they average it. They see the Big Picture — looking at the package as a whole, rather than focusing on the individual parts.

To them, this is a (10+ 10+ 10+ 2)/4 package, or an “8″ in impressiveness. And if you had left off the bit about Spanish, you would have had a (10 + 10+ 10)/3, or a “10″ in impressiveness. So even though logically it seems like a little Spanish is better than none, mentioning it makes you a less attractive candidate than if you’d said nothing at all.

More is actually not better, if what you are adding is of lesser quality than the rest of your offerings. Highly favorable or positive things are diminished or diluted in the eye of the beholder when they are presented in the company of only moderately favorable or positive things.

Psychologists Kimberlee Weaver, Stephen Garcia, and Norbert Schwarz recently illustrated the Presenter’s Paradox in an elegant series of studies. For example, they showed that when buyers were presented with an iPod Touch package that contained either an iPod, cover, and one free song download, or just an iPod and cover, they were willing to pay an average of $177 for the package with the download, and $242 for the one without the download. So the addition of the low-value free song download brought down the perceived value of the package by a whopping $65! Perhaps most troubling, when a second set of participants were asked to play the role of marketer and choose which of the two packages they thought would be more attractive to buyers, 92% of them chose the package with the free download.

More just seems like it must be better when you are on the presenter’s end, even though it doesn’t seem that way at all when you are on the consumer’s end. And somehow, despite the fact that we are all both presenters and consumers in our everyday lives, we just don’t make the connection.

The same pattern emergences when you are creating deterrents or negative consequences to discourage bad behavior. In another study, participants were asked to choose between two punishments to give for littering: a $750 fine plus two hours of community service, or a $750 fine. 86% of participants felt that the fine plus community service would be the stronger deterrent. But they were wrong — in fact, a separate set of participants rated the $750 with the two hours of community service as significantly less severe than the fine alone. Once again, they reasoned that the overall punishment was on average less awful because two hours of community service isn’t so bad.

If the bias in presenter thinking is so pervasive, how can we stop ourselves from making this kind of mistake? The short answer is that we need to remind ourselves when making any kind of presentation to think of the big picture. What does the package I am presenting look like taken as a whole, and are there any components that are actually bringing down its overall value or impact?Three 10′s and a 2 is not better than three 10′s. A free carwash with the purchase of any new car is not going to make your cars seem more valuable. If your very expensive luxury hotel rooms offer ocean views, silk sheets, and a Jacuzzi, don’t mention the ironing board in the closet or the coffeepot. And unless you speak Spanish well, keep your ability to count to ocho and ask where la biblioteca is to yourself.

Have you ever wondered if your landing page is … missing something?

You look at the conversion stats on your latest landing page and sigh in disgust.

Yeah, some people are subscribing or buying, but you know you should be seeing better results.

Say you’ve thoughtfully used one of the classic “How to” or “List” headline templates because you know that they work.

Everyone you speak to about it absolutely loves your offer.

And yet, the performance of your landing page can be described as mediocre at best. What do you do?

Here’s the good news. Your suspicions are correct. You are missing something.

What the great copywriters stole from fishermen

In order to catch a fish, a fisherman will tie bait on the end of a line, cast the line into the water and wait for a fish to take the bait.

When a fish “takes the bait” a hook catches its mouth so that the fisherman can reel it in. Without the hook, the fish would just eat the bait and swim away.

This is a lesson that can’t be ignored when it comes to copywriting.

What’s a hook?

A hook is a tool copywriters use to capture the attention of an ideal prospect, to interest them in reading every word on the page, ultimately leading them to take the desired action you’ve chosen.

A great hook captures our imagination. It allows us to believe that our lives can be better. And they are almost impossible to ignore.

The hardest part of creating a hook is knowing how to find it.

It can be quite elusive. For the remainder of this article, I need you to unlock the inner Sherlock Holmes within your role as a content marketer.

Finding a great hook requires intuition, persistence, and knowing where to look.

Below is a cheat sheet that will reveal four ways you can find a hook that works for the readers of your landing pages.

1. Get “in bed” with your prospects

Imagine for a minute that you are lying in bed next to one of your prospects (take it easy, there’s a good point here).

Let’s say he’s a 45-year-old small business owner tossing and turning because he can’t get to sleep.

He’s full of guilt because he hasn’t seen a single one of his son’s baseball games all year. He’s running through the upcoming work day, trying to find corners to cut. There are customers to serve, employees to manage, and meetings to attend.

The realization has set in that he’s not going to make it to the game tomorrow.

This business owner isn’t thinking about buying software, or hiring a consultant. He’s looking for a hero who can help him manage his business and make it to his son’s game on time. Be the hero, and you’ve got a customer for life.

I just want to give you a word of caution. Be very careful how you use this tactic. There’s a fine line between being a hero and fear mongering.

Real world example: Yours Free: A Cheat Sheet for Writing Blog Posts That Go Viral

Every blogger dreams of writing a post that goes viral. We lay up at night writing and rewriting, searching for the perfect headline, we research trending topics, and we create a plan that will get the post read by thousands of people.

2. What’s the story behind your product?

Steve Jobs began his Mac World 2007 keynote speech with a story. He said he’d tried every “smart phone on the market, and none of them are really all that smart.”

He went on to list all of the problems the phones had, problems solved with the invention of the iPhone.

Whether or not this story is true is debatable, but you can’t help but stay engaged.

Why did you create your product or service? Were you unhappy with the other solutions on the market? Did you personally have a problem that no one else seemed to solve?

There are dozens of reasons why products are created.

When you’re creating your landing page, document the story and take prospective customers on a journey to show them how their life will improve by using your product.

Real world example: Amazing Secret Discovered By One-Legged Golfer Adds 50 Yards To Your Drives, Eliminates Hooks and Slices… And Can Slash Up To 10 Strokes From Your Game Almost Overnight!

This headline from John Carlton is one of the legends of direct response copywriting. The product, a golf instruction video, was created when Dr. Michael O’Leary witnessed a one-legged man out-golf his competitors.

Without the compelling story, this would be just another “improve your golf swing” product.

3. Be extremely specific with details

Which would you rather read: “How to grow your blog” or “How I Got 1,223 subscribers in 90 days”?

The “grow your blog” story is predictable. Chances are you already know what the author is going to say. You are already sharing your posts on various social media sites. You’ve commented on 10 blog posts per day. And you have the URL to your blog in your email signature.

This is all the generic information that people have been teaching for the past five years.

You might give a landing page with this headline a cursory glance, but more than likely, you will pass right over it. You know it won’t work.

However, the specific headline leaves you guessing. In order to get 1,223 subscribers in 90 days, the blogger traveled a different path … a specific path. And you want to know which path he followed.

This is a powerful hook because the headline opens a knowledge gap that the reader is almost forced to have closed.

Real world example: How to Get Your First 927 Customers

This interview on Mixergy.com could have very easily been called “How to get your first customers”. That headline would have done OK (maybe), but it’s nothing special. But by inserting the specific number 927, this headline becomes irresistible to a startup CEO.

And of course, make sure the specific details you use are always accurate and truthful.

4. Leverage a story archetype

A story archetype is a universal plot line that has been told throughout history. For instance, one of the most common story archetypes is the ancient battle of good vs. evil.

If your product or service is doing its job, then chances are it’s improving the quality of life for your customers.

Your job as a copywriter is to find your client’s stories and tie them into familiar archetypes.

I’ve identified three archetypes that are a favorite among copywriters.

1. David vs. Goliath: Is your product or service helping small business compete with the big guys?
2. Rags to Riches: Is your product or service helping people make more money so they can buy their dream house?
3. Overcoming Obstacles: Is your product or service helping baby boomers navigate the recession and keep their retirement plan on track?

These are the types of stories that grab attention. If you can tie your customer’s stories into one of these archetypes, chances are you’ll hook your prospect.

Real world example: How The Bootstrapped Clicky Cranks Out Profits While Competing With Google

This is a classic David vs. Goliath story … the bootstrapped company succeeds while competing against the industry giant.

You’ve got to do the time …

Unfortunately, you can’t read an article or two and expect to master the craft of creating a great hook.

It takes copywriters years of practice. But there is good news …

Even if you create an average hook, your landing page will likely see dramatically better results.

So, why not get started now?

1. Pick one of the tactics above for finding a great hook.
2. Create a headline and a hook for your product or service.
3. Post them in the comments section below.

By posting your hooks below, you’re guaranteed to get honest feedback from me or the multitude of great copywriters who read Copyblogger.

Sound good? Then let’s get started …

About the Author: Greg Digneo is the founder of Cloud Marketing Labs, which works with businesses who want more online sales. If you are looking to increase sales and grow your company, check out his presentation on how to get the blogosphere buzzing about your product.