Volume III: Social Hacking

🚀 Key Takeaway

For better or worse, 90% of opportunities do not go to the most qualified person. They go to the best "networked" person - a.k.a. the person which others know, like, and trust the most. We call the process of becoming the best networked, Social Hacking. If you can master social hacking, you will open doors that résumés never will.

❓ Why Does This Matter?

Most people think landing a job or opportunity is about credentials. Credentials are great, but in reality, relationships are the biggest point of leverage.

The problem with relationships is that most people approach networking transactionally. They ask for things - a job, a referral, an intro - before any hint of a real connection has been built. That person may now know of you, but they will neither like nor trust you.

Our proposed solution is to become the kind of person that people want to help. If people know you, like you, and trust you, opportunities will start finding you.

We talked to some friends and broke down this process into a system that you can use to build meaningful relationships, fast.

🔑 The System

1️⃣ Becoming Known: Be Seen, Be Useful

Nobody can help you if they don’t know you exist. The first step? Make yourself visible in the right circles.

Engage in the right circles:

1. Identify the circle that you want to become involved in. Let's say the startup ecosystem in Florida.
2. Learn how members of this circle interact with each other. What channels do they use to communicate, when do they meet, how often, and for what reason? This could be a slack channels, a specific event organization, an online community, or literally any other form of interaction. Find them!!
3. Join the circle and engage meaningfully. If there is a startup event in Florida, go to it. Meet the people, learn how they interact, understand their goals, and study how you can provide value to them.

To go the extra mile - share your work:
After you understand where your target circle lives, make your activity in their industry known by sharing your work in those places.

• Post insights, ideas, or experiences on the social channels they are involved in.
• Showcase any relevant work you have at the events they are participating in.
• Ignite discussions on key topics that would likely be of their interest to them in the slack channels that they are in.

Example: Instead of cold messaging someone for advice, comment on their posts, engage with their content, and show up where they are active. When you finally reach out, they will already recognize your name.

2️⃣ Becoming Memorable: To be interesting, be interested.

People like and remember those who make an impact in conversations. The best way to be interesting? Be interested in others.

How to Make People Like and Remember You:

1. Read the person - Do your best to make a quick read on who you are talking to using the context clues provided from you. This helps you understand who they are and what they value.
2. Match their energy - If they are formal, be professional. if they are casual, be relaxed. if they are funny, be humorous.
3. Target your questions - Skip straight past the small talk - you can learn those things later - and get directly into a deeper, unique conversation.
4. Be unconventional - Ask the question others would avoid asking. Dive into a niche topic - professional or not - that the recipient likely has not received discussed today. Be bold with your approach and do not hide within boundaries of formalities.
5. Be generous - Know what you have to offer and be prepared to make an offer for the other person at any time. Be willing to give with no expectation of getting something in return. For example, an introduction to another connection of yours that could be valuable to this person.
6. Make a plan - When you are exiting your interactions with others, try to make a plan for the future. A meeting, a coffee, a mutual event, a co-working session, anything that locks you in their mind as someone that they will see again in the future. This eases your follow up message.

Factoring these aspects into your networking conversations will make you stick out among the crowd and make the recipient feel more important - leaving you associated with a memorable interaction.

3️⃣ Get People to Trust You: Show, Don’t Tell

Trust is built through consistent actions. People trust those who are competent, reliable, and authentic.

How to Build Trust Quickly:

• Follow through - If you say you will do something, do it. If you say you will connect someone with a friend of yours that could be valuable to them - do it. (pro tip: the faster you do it, the more reliable you are perceived.) Unfulfilled promises are the easiest way to diminish trust and the potential for a valuable connection.
• Share proof of your work - document what you are learning and building, and make it known to the circle you are becoming a part of. If you are working on a cool project in the startup ecosystem in Florida, share your updates on LinkedIn so that others can see you are competent and active in their community.
• Admit what you don’t know - People trust honesty more than perfection. If you are approaching this process correctly, then the person you are speaking to should almost always know more about the topic you are discussing than you do. Do not be afraid to admit what you don't know, rather be completely transparent about it. This creates a character of authenticity. (pro tip: after admitting to what you don't know, seek an answer from that person and display your newfound understanding of the nuance as fast as possible.)

This aspects help you to round out your relationship with a given individual from being known and liked to claiming your spot permanently within their "network".

✅ Summary

Most people treat "networking" as a transactional checklist of collecting names of people that can do something for you. The idea of social hacking is to take an authentic approach to connecting with people that creates meaningful relationships and higher leverage in your career.

To master Social Hacking, focus on:

1. Getting Known – Identify the circles you want to be in, show up consistently, and make yourself useful. Visibility is the first domino.
2. Becoming Memorable – Lead with curiosity, ask unconventional questions, and make people feel interesting. Generosity and intention make you stand out.
3. Earning Trust – Do what you say you’ll do. Share your work. Own what you don’t know. Trust isn’t built overnight—but it can be built quickly with consistency.

If people know you, like you, and trust you, opportunities won’t just be within reach—they’ll come looking for you.

⏭️ What’s Next?

Next time, we’ll break down how to leverage these relationships to create social proof — without coming off as transactional.

Thanks for reading! And a big thank you to everyone who contributed to this piece 🙌