the hotlou show

This episode, Mike is back in charge to revisit Dad Jokes Daily -- an experiment that began several weeks ago. Mike and hotlou share what was done, the results so far, and how listeners might be able to leverage the same strategy in their pursuit of getting 1000 likes on Facebook. Show notes: hotlou.com/ep22

Welcome to first dedicated "get off my lawn" episode of the hotlou show: Why I hate touchscreens. Mike and Lou discuss how product managers are falling victim to marketers' obsession with touchscreens. As with too many things, product managers often lose the corporate product development battle to the marketing team. This episode is a call-to-arms for all product managers to stand by their principles and make products simple to use, not easier to sell. Show notes: hotlou.com/ep21

In this episode, host hotlou shares the story of the day he met his lord and savior Mark Zuckerberg. Unsurprisingly, there's a bit of a meandering — this time on the current state of stand-up comedy — until Lou shares the story. But buckle up and get ready to hear way more about how Zuck feels about the Palm Pre than you could have ever hoped for. Show Notes: hotlou.com/ep20

So you're stuck in a conversation and you can't escape? We've all been there. This week, hotlou could hardly contain his excitement as he shares perhaps the funniest social experiment in history. And the lessons you learn from this episode might just help you escape that rambler at the office, at your front door, or wherever the non-stop talker in your life frequently traps you. Even if you can't escape them, at lease you'll learn how to end conversations in the funniest way possible. Show notes: hotlou.com/ep19

It's time to come clean. Half the reason the hotlou show exists was for the eventual opportunity to interview the unstoppable mother-daughter team Mandi and Dina Simon. At just 7 years old, Mandi approached her mother Dina wanting to help other kids. Soon after, the Minnesota-based non-profit Simon Says Give was founded. And just a few years after that, Simon Says Give raised nearly $1 million in donations to help kids in need. Listen to the interview and hear their story of how they did it. Show notes: hotlou.com/ep18

Introducing ... [drum roll] ... the best intro email ever! This week, hotlou shares his lessons in how to write an intro email. Mike jumps in with a few lessons of his own. And together, they may have -- dare we say -- crafted the most perfect intro email ever. Show notes: hotlou.com/ep17

This Lousday, hotlou discusses a rarely used, but incredibly effective strategy that answers one of the most common questions: how to get more likes on Facebook. It works for brands, for public personalities, B2B companies, and everything in between. Mike even hints that he may already be employing this strategy elsewhere (stay tuned for a future episode). Show notes: hotlou.com/ep16

In this week's episode, the Lounatics are treated to a healthy dose of what many artists might call lunacy: Pablo Picasso's potentially apocryphal quote "Good Artists Copy, Great Artists Steal." Then, hotlou shares one story of using this principle to create a post that's probably been shared millions of times and maybe been seen hundreds of millions of times. A feat that would, of course, effectively demand that the cycle perpetuate. And of course, it would be stolen over and over again. Show notes: hotlou.com/ep15

This episode features some birds and the bees talk, minus the birds anyway, to focus on a social media boat. Host hotlou shares how a single, simple post with a floating boat on a page with not even 500 followers managed to get 159,000 likes using a technique often called cross-pollination. And then he and Mike break down how you might use this technique for your organization, business, or camel-enthusiast Facebook Page. Show notes: hotlou.com/ep14

Many in the Minnesota startup community are familiar with the startup 8thBridge. In particular, 2009 catapulted 8thBridge into the startup stratosphere locally and nationally. In that year alone, they launched the very first storefront ever on Facebook, won the biggest entrepreneurship competition in Minnesota, and raised $5M in a venture capital Series A Round. Except, 8thBridge didn't do any of those things. Host hotlou reveals a poorly kept secret explaining why. Show notes: hotlou.com/ep13