Fabio Duarte

Head Editor @Flashscorecom.
Research Associate @ExplodingTopics.

[Brian Dean @BrianEDean]

The cheapest thing I ever published has been referenced over 3,000 times.

And it cost $200.

Meanwhile, I've written 5k word guides that took 25+ hours and got referenced by no one.

Here's the whole thing:

At Exploding Topics we published a page answering one specific question: how many users does ChatGPT have?

That's it.

Just a simple answer to a question that thousands of people search for.

A freelancer wrote the first version for about $200.

And updating it every couple months costs around $50.

Since then it's been cited by Forbes, HubSpot, Fortune… and at one point even the UK government.

The effort-to-reward ratio is honestly kind of insane.

Here's why it works:

1. Journalists don't search for "social media statistics"

They search for ONE specific number. "How many daily active users does X have."

That's why generic "50 stats about Y" posts don't do nearly as well.

The hyper-specific stat is what a journalist really needs at 11pm on a deadline.

2. You don't have to be the one who discovered it

These numbers are usually buried in a PDF, a white paper, or some talk a CEO gave at an obscure conference.

Sometimes all you need to do is to find it, source it, and put it somewhere people can easily find it.

3. Being early starts a flywheel

Publish one of the first credible pages on a stat, and you get some quick links and shares.

Links mean more visibility. More visibility means more links.

In our case, we just documented ChatGPT's user growth the first time Sam Altman happened to mention a number.

And kept the page updated.

That's basically it.

So yeah, the whole game is being the source for the key stat people are looking for (but is currently hard to find).

What's a piece of content that massively over-delivered for you?

👍🏻

[James Martin @JamesMartin013]

The White House needs at least two replacements for Trump before the Isak deal can be sanctioned

[toby @backingherdeal]

I absolutely love the FlashScores headlines

[James Martin @JamesMartin013]

Very different from what I usually share on here. But I've been enjoying doing some stuff for Exploding Topics again.

I had a look at the explosion of social commerce and the TikTok Shop phenomenon

https://t.co/qKjLQHE7Pa

[Eric Sprague @ftreric]

I wrote a new Google $goog $googl article: https://t.co/yBxustsTpy

Material from @FDuarteWriting, @benthompson and @sarahpereztc was helpful.

[James Martin @JamesMartin013]

I wonder which club had to pivot away from signing Jude Bellingham last summer

[Fabio Duarte @FDuarteWriting]

Had to be done...

[Exploding Topics @explodingtopics]

Search term: Flashscore
Change: ⬆ 4850%
Period: 15 years

[Fabio Duarte @FDuarteWriting]

@LeeWitney24 Thank you 😄

[Fabio Duarte @FDuarteWriting]

My career has peaked

[Orlando @0rland1nho]

Outstanding

[Russ Cook @hardestgeezer]

138 days ago I began my attempt to become the first person ever to run the entire length of Africa.

Here is a list of some of the problems I’ve had to overcome to get to this point (I’m not even halfway):

• Day 1- Started the mission with less than 10% funding

• Day 5- Support van breakdown

• Day 14- Attempted robbery

• Day 17- Support van couldn’t cross the border. Solo into the desert

• Day 26- Food poisoning (multiple days)

• Day 35- Another attempted robbery

• Day 42- Started pissing blood (lasted 6 days)

• Day 64- Got robbed at gunpoint (passports, cameras, phones, money got taken)

• Day 74- Visas issues (had to travel 2000km backwards & pay a load of bribes to get it sorted)

• Day 89- Leg injury

• Day 103- Got stuck in a rural Congo village. Thought I was going to die.

• Day 107- Van needed fixing (10 days)

• Day 112- Restructure of the support team. Made 2 new hires.

• Day 120- Arranged purchase of new support vehicle

• Day 128- Foot injury

• Day 136- Support van crashed. Potentially a write off.

Throw in running daily ultra marathons and it has been quite the party out here so far. The message stays the same as always.

WE KEEP MOVING FORWARD. TILL THE END🫡

[Gary Neville @GNev2]

I’m struggling to find the words to put with this post but please watch my most recent interview with Dele. It’s the most emotional, difficult yet inspirational conversation I’ve ever had in my life. Watch the interview on @wearetheoverlap here https://t.co/60d4IZwQmR

[Fabio Duarte @FDuarteWriting]

@adamrowecomedy Maidstone 👏🏼

[James Martin @JamesMartin013]

A weekend off #LFC - picked a good one!

[Fabio Duarte @FDuarteWriting]

@ElmParkRoyals @England @FredKirby3 @JamesMartin013 👀

[Nick Reeve @nick_reeve]

Headline of the season so far. One for all you Brighton-supporting Harry Potter fans. Credit (I think) goes to @FDuarteWriting.

[Tom Kundert @PortuGoal1]

Excellent recent innovation in the Portuguese Cup contributed signicantly to the "carnage". In the third round draw all top-flight sides must play their tie away. After today, of the 32 teams remaining in the Taça, 22 of them are outside the Primeira Liga.

[Roger @Rctung]

Haha this is an awesome Twitter account.

[Flashscore.com @Flashscorecom]

All the goals, all the games, all the talking points. 🤩

We have EVERY #UCL game from tonight covered with our dedicated reports on what was a dramatic night of action across the continent. 👇
https://t.co/xWjNLAniL9