How I Use the Dream 100 to Build an Instant List of Potential Customers (With Little to No Cost)

Hey everyone! I wanted to share a strategy I’ve refined that’s helped me build a targeted list of potential customers quickly and efficiently using Dream 100 principles. This approach has been a game-changer for us in the pet industry, and I believe it could help many of you who are looking to scale your lists and relationships.

Here’s the breakdown:

1. Leveraging the Dream 100 Approach

We start by narrowing down our Dream 100 to focus on five to ten companies that are the most approachable and likely to collaborate. For us, that’s usually companies with 5,000 to 50,000 Instagram followers—enough size to matter but small enough that decision-makers are more accessible.

2. Creating a Collaborative Giveaway

We offer these companies a hands-off experience by organizing a syndicated marketing effort. We create a grand giveaway, pulling together products from each brand into a prize pool. They only need to contribute a product, send it to the winner, and promote the competition via email to their list (three to five times during the two-week period). If a company has fewer than 5,000 email subscribers, they pay $250 to help with advertising costs. Over 5,000? They’re in for free!

3. Building Virality with GLEAM

We use GLEAM to create a landing page with multiple entry methods (subscribing to email lists, sharing on social media, visiting sites, etc.). This creates viral opportunities and maximizes exposure across all brands involved. It’s an effective way to ensure that everyone benefits from the increased visibility.

4. The Follow-Up and Results

After the competition ends, we ensure the companies have sent out their prizes and then deliver the new email lists to all participants. Our results have typically ranged from 3,000 to 10,000 new email subscribers per competition. We run these giveaways quarterly, and we’re planning to scale to a fortnightly or even weekly cadence as our team grows.

5. Thinking Long-Term with the Dream 100

One of the most time-consuming parts is managing and building relationships with companies on our Dream 100 list. We gauge their size by looking at followers, engagement, and sales, then prioritize who we think will be easiest to approach. For bigger companies, we have to navigate through assistants, marketing managers, and other gatekeepers before reaching the decision-makers. It takes planning, but the payoff is worth it!

We’ve found this strategy to be a powerful way to borrow networks and build an instant list of potential customers. If anyone is interested in diving deeper into how we structure these collaborations or has their own experience with Dream 100, I’d love to hear about it!

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