The ONLY thing better than 'Word of Mouth'... 👀
How to hack organic promotion 24/7
This month’s ✨ free marketing idea ✨ is sponsored by Softr.
Softr just launched Softr Databases - and it’s pretty brilliant. You can now build your database AND your app in the same place (without API limits or sync delays). They give you templates to start with, plus you can import your existing CSV files.
I’ve been testing their templates (CRM, client portal, project tracker) and honestly... this is how no-code should work. Everything just connects.
Want to sponsor this newsletter? → Apply here.
Here’s today’s marketing idea:
One of the best secret weapons for marketing is what I like to call ‘Word of Sight’ = when the product is designed to be SEEN when used.
🪄The Magic of ‘Word of Sight’
With Word of Sight, you don’t need users to actively recommend your product - they passively do it by letting others see that they use it.
Here’s my favorite example 👇
Shazam could offer more value to its users.
The recording screen is empty. There’s nothing there! However, the minimal design (Option A) fueled virality and increased Word of Sight.
Think about it: People use Shazam in public places like concerts and cafes. When someone holds up their phone to catch a song, that giant logo is on display for everyone to see.
One person raises their phone → Others look → Everyone sees the Shazam logo → They understand: “Oh, that finds music”
✅ They implemented social proof into the product with Option A. Just using the app shows the whole world what it does 👀
❌ A lot more information and interactions could have been added to the screen (Option B), but then the logo would get smaller and smaller.
🫨 How Readwise hacked Twitter
Here’s an even smarter example:
To save a tweet with Readwise, you tag @readwise in the comments.
🧠 This turns every save into a little ad that everyone can see. Instead of a private “bookmark” button - they require a public tag.
Search @readwise on X right now. You’ll see dozens of posts from the last hour alone.
Bonus trick: When you like someone’s @readwise tag, it saves that tweet for you too. So liking becomes functional, not just social. More likes = more Readwise visibility = more people discover the product.
They basically turned user behavior into advertising.
💡 The Lesson
Many startups cram features in their UI without considering how and where they’ll be used. That’s wrong. Think about the user context. Where and how will people use your app? Optimize for those scenarios to maximize visibility.
More examples of ultra-successful products:
⚙️ How to build “Word of Sight” into your product
Ask yourself: Where will people use my product?
If it’s used in public spaces:
🎨 Use bold colors → vibrant colors catch eyes from across the room
💡 Make screens bright → give users reasons to crank up their brightness
🔘 Logo = main button → make your logo big and clickable
If it’s used privately, think about when usage becomes visible:
🧑💻 Video calls: Put your logo in the top bar where it shows while screen sharing
🖼️ Screenshots: People screenshot dashboards and results - make those areas clean and branded
📦 Shared outputs: Keep files on your platform instead of letting people export. Loom does this perfectly - you share a loom.com link, not an MP4
But the real secret - build visibility INTO your core features:
🏷️ Functionality = public actions → like Readwise: instead of a “save” button - they make users tag them publicly to save content
🔄 Make sharing the default workflow → don’t add share buttons as an afterthought. Make sharing the main way to use your product
📱 Design for “shoulder surfing” → when someone uses your product, make it obvious and quirky (like Slack’s ugly purple color)
🎯 Add visible feedback to core actions → Grammarly’s green dot pops up when you write. It’s noticeable in screenshots and when people see your screen
Hope you enjoyed this ✨ free marketing idea ✨. Each week I share one powerful strategy that 99% of marketers miss.
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That’s the power of ‘Word of Sight’. Design for visibility, and let your product do the marketing.
See you next week ✌️
Tom
P.S. Watermarks like ”Sent via Superhuman” are just text. Seeing someone fly through emails at 2x speed at a coffee shop? That sells itself.
Slack's color scheme all makes sense now...
This was really insightful. I particularly like the way you break it down into lists. Really readable.