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Follow the 95/5 Value-to-Promo Ratio

Follow the 95/5 Value-to-Promo Ratio is a social & short-form tactic for getting your first users: Make roughly 95% of your posts pure free value with no ask and keep self-promotion to about 5%, only after you've earned an audience.

It's a strong fit for teams of almost any kind, and works especially well for Any audience-led founder. As a social & short-form play, plan for medium effort and expect results to build gradually over time, all grounded in 1 linked primary source.

Social & short-formMedium effortSlow

Why does social & short-form work for this?

Giving relentlessly without selling is what makes people want to follow and trust you.

The exact steps (4)

The full step-by-step this founder ran, what they posted, where, and in what order, plus the watch-outs, is part of the library.

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Sources

Works for
Any / universal

Frequently asked

How is the "Follow the 95/5 Value-to-Promo Ratio" tactic verified?
It is drawn from 1 primary source — a real founder write-up or interview, not generic advice. It is linked in the Sources section above so you can read the original account yourself.
How much effort is it and how fast are results?
It is medium effort, and results tend to be slow.
Where can I see the exact step-by-step?
The full step-by-step a founder ran, documented via Source — IndieHackers, is in the paid library.

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