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Drew Arciuolo transformed his family's footwear business into a social media phenomenon by focusing on one simple thing: genuine reactions. From struggling through COVID to 3.5x growth in a single year, Drew reveals how VKTRY Gear found its perfect audience in basketball players trying to increase their vertical.
In this episode, Drew breaks down his content strategy: documenting real athletes' reactions instead of scripting ads, spending 115 days on the road capturing authentic moments, and building a 20-terabyte content library that drives both organic growth and paid acquisition. He shares how pivoting from a broad athletic audience of 65 million people to a hyper-focused niche of 900,000 basketball players unlocked explosive growth.
What makes Drew different? He's not just a marketer—he's a former athlete with a competitive drive that won't quit, waking up at 4AM with ideas and texting them to himself. Whether you're struggling to find your audience or looking to scale through authentic content, Drew's journey offers a masterclass in patience, focus, and community-building.
We also talk athlete mindset, viral hooks that actually convert, and why showing up in person creates an unbeatable moat for your brand. Plus, the Mac McClung partnership that crashed their site and became their most-searched week ever.
Key Topics: (01:32) From College Athlete to VP of Marketing at His Family's Business (04:18) The 7-Year Journey from Struggling Startup to Social Media Powerhouse (08:00) How COVID Nearly Killed the Business and Forced a Pivot (10:00) Finding Product-Market Fit by Going Smaller, Not Bigger (13:50) The Viral Video That Changed Everything (18:20) Building a Brand Through Authentic In-Person Connections (21:12) The Emotion-Driven Content Formula That Sells (27:40) Athlete Mindset vs. Entrepreneur Mindset (34:00) Partnering with NBA Dunk Champion Mac McClung
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