Daryl’s $2,000 weekend doing design roasts

From 200 to 9,000+ followers in 135 days. No paid ads. No growth hacks. Just standing in the way of traffic. Steve Lauda's rapid rise on X (Twitter) happened by joining the right conversations at the right time. His formula? Show up daily where attention already exists. The result? 10 million impressions and 85,000 profile visits in just over 4 months.

Meanwhile, Daryl from Endless made over $2,000 in 24 hours from a $199 (now $397.. yep) micro design service in redesigning other people's landing pages.

This week, I’ll show you two traffic-hijacking strategies that attract high-paying clients: strategic roasting and value-added commenting.

If you're looking for the quick fix, here’s the checklist:

Strategic Roasting:

1. Find a popular product with clear UX friction

2. Redesign one key feature that impacts business metrics

3. Share your solution with clear before/after comparisons

4. Follow up privately with additional strategic insights

Value-Added Commenting:

1. Support the original point with your expertise

2. Share a relevant result from your experience

3. Ask a question that advances the discussion

4. Turn these warm conversations into client opportunities

If you want the full playbook on turning this attention into client work, keep reading. I'll break down exactly how to position yourself where the traffic is heaviest and convert that attention into real opportunities. Let’s dive in.

The smart way to get noticed

Here's the thing – most designers make the same mistake I did early on. They start from zero, posting work into the void hoping clients will somehow find them. It's like building a store in the middle of nowhere and wondering why no one shows up.

But there's already a massive conversation happening in the design world. Instead of trying to build your own audience, I'm going to show you how to tap into existing ones.

Think about it this way: Would you rather build a stage and pray people show up or perform where the crowd already is?

I use two main strategies to leverage existing traffic:

• Strategic roasting: Redesigning popular products to tap into their built-in audience

• Value-added commenting: Joining high-value conversations where potential clients already hang out

Where to find your traffic

After spending months testing both LinkedIn and X (Twitter), here's what I've learned about where to best leverage existing conversations:

LinkedIn

• Decision-makers spend their scrolling time here

• Roasting business products gets genuine client attention

• Focus on solutions to daily business problems

• Conversations here often lead to serious project inquiries

X (Twitter)

• Massive, highly-engaged design community

• Your work can spread rapidly through retweets

• Easier to build initial momentum and visibility

• Watch out: Can attract more designers than clients

Here's the thing about platforms: The strategies I'm about to share work well on both. Instead of overthinking where to start, pick the platform where your ideal clients already hang out. You'll naturally discover what works best through consistent engagement.

From redesigns to revenue

Let me be clear: Roasting isn't about tearing down someone else's work. It's about showing potential clients you can spot opportunities they're missing. When I started doing this, I learned that a thoughtful redesign positions you as the solution to their problems.

I've seen too many designers get this wrong. They focus on pointing out flaws instead of showing potential. Here's what actually works:

1. Fall in love with improving the idea

2. Show respect for the existing work

3. Focus on business impact, not just aesthetics

4. Present solutions, not just problems

From side projects to client magnets

Everyone knows about Daryl from Endless by now. His roasted.design service turned redesigns into a $2,000 day by charging $199 for landing page improvements. Pure genius in its simplicity.

Look at Soren Iverson – his daily viral app redesigns exploded on Twitter (and still do!), building a following of 280,000+ designers and founders. He turned that momentum into Stompers, his own mobile app, and a thriving design consultancy. One strategy, multiple revenue streams, infinite possibilities.

But here's the reality – not every redesign leads to viral success or instant clients. Sometimes the biggest win is building a portfolio that shows you can solve real problems. That's exactly what happened with my Scroll AI redesign.

May 2024, I spotted their landing page could convert better. Instead of just tweeting the quick video breakdown, I found the founder's email, and showed them exactly how to boost conversions. My opener? Simple appreciation for their product: "Your transcription functionality is killer.”

The response?

That's the magic of strategic redesigns – you're on their radar when they need you. Even a "no" today plants the seed for tomorrow. Eight months later, that video and redesign keeps bringing opportunities my way.

Your action plan

1. Choose products your ideal clients actually use

2. Focus on solving real business problems

3. Share your thought process, not just the final design

4. Reach out privately with additional insights

Comments that convert

While everyone else is fighting to start conversations, smart designers are joining the right ones. The designers with the best results, like Steve Lauda, engage daily. His rapid growth on X (from 200 to 9,000+ followers in 135 days) didn't just come from posting constantly. It came from strategic commenting that added real value to existing conversations.

The most effective comments follow a simple structure:

1. Support the original point (show you get it)

2. Add value through your own experience

3. Redirect with a thought-provoking question

Example:

"Love how you approached this navigation problem. When I redesigned [Client]'s app, we found that reducing menu items doubled engagement rates. Have you tested any other patterns to help this?"

Where to drop these comments

Focus your energy on:

• Posts about real business challenges your designs can solve

• Technical discussions where you can share specific results

• Threads asking for help (but lead with value, not self-promotion)

• Founder pain points that align with your expertise

Remember: You're not just collecting likes – you're building a reputation as someone who’s helpful in your field.

On LinkedIn, target posts about:

• Business challenges your design solutions solve

• UX frustrations in enterprise tools

• Digital transformation initiatives

• Product launch announcements

On X (Twitter), engage with:

• Design showcases (with constructive insights)

• Tool recommendations

• Industry trends

• Design team hiring posts

Platforms tend to reward different types of content differently but you shouldn’t let this hold you back. All strategies are highly interchangeable. Pick your platform based on where your ideal clients spend their time and you’ll find out what works for you.

Your Comment Strategy

1. Set a daily target (I aim for 3-5 meaningful comments)

2. Focus on posts less than 2 hours old

3. Share specific results or insights

4. Follow up with thoughtful replies to responses

Start standing in the way

Building an audience doesn't have to mean starting from zero. Whether it's redesigns like Soren Iverson that turned into a 280,000+ following and thriving consultancy, or value-driven comments that took Steve Lauda from 200 to 9,000+ followers in 135 days – the blueprint is clear. The smartest designers leverage existing conversations to attract clients.

Quick wins to get started this week:

• Find one product your ideal clients use daily

• Create a thoughtful redesign addressing a real pain point

• Share it, engage with responses, reach out privately

• Drop three meaningful comments daily in relevant conversations

Remember: The attention is already out there. Your job isn't to build it – it's to borrow it and add genuine value.

Best,

Cam

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