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Jun 5, 2017 · 21m · top-founders

681: Tai Lopez, Gary V Paid Him To Grow Instagram with Classy Savant CEO Eduardo Gonzalez

Eduardo Gonzalez · 13m spoken Nathan Latka · 6m spoken
0:00 / 0:00

gold bands on the timeline = statements, start to end. Hover to read, click to jump. CC turns on captions

In this episode of The Top, host Nathan Latka interviews Classy Savant CEO Eduardo Gonzalez to explore how he bootstrapped a multi-million follower Instagram network, monetized campaigns for high-profile clients like Tai Lopez, and built a profitable boutique social media marketing agency.

How this conversation actually went

Every chapter scored 0–10 on four independent dynamics. Hover any point for the reasoning behind the score. Nathan holds 33.2% of the talking time here. How this is scored →

Nathan as informed peer 2.4 Guest teaching 1.9 Guest disagreement 0.6 Nathan pushing back 1.9
05100:0010:0020:001:07–4:59 · Nathan as informed peer 4/10 Debunking Vanity Metrics and Instagram Strategic Value Nathan probes Eduardo on whether Instagram metrics are just vanity before interrogating his specific monetization model with Movement Watches. Eduardo cooperatively explains affiliate splits, per-post pricing, and campaign durations.4:59–9:39 · Nathan as informed peer 4/10 Tai Lopez Growth Strategy and Account Acquisition Economics Nathan cuts through Eduardo's broad narrative about Tai Lopez's general marketing strategy to demand exact details on Eduardo's specific deliverables, fees, and reasoning behind account acquisition vs leasing shoutouts.9:40–12:22 · Nathan as informed peer 3/10 Influencer Networks and High-Profile Client Collaborations Nathan asks about collaborations with high-profile names like Gary Vee and Dan Fleishman, seeking to uncover whether an underlying power network drives Instagram influencer pages.12:22–14:27 · Nathan as informed peer 3/10 Classy Savant Agency Origins, Financials, and Team Structure Nathan quickly drills into the agency's founding year, 2016 revenue, 2017 pacing, and operational team structure, which Eduardo answers transparently.14:28–17:13 · Nathan as informed peer 2/10 Growth Hacking Tools and Hashtag Optimization Strategies Eduardo walks Nathan through growth hacking tools including SocialBlade, SocialRank, and business analytics, while educating listeners on proper hashtag ranges.17:13–20:27 · Nathan as informed peer 1/10 Sponsor Message: FreshBooks Small Business Accounting Nathan reads a FreshBooks sponsor integration before running through the standard Famous Five rapid-fire questions with Eduardo.20:28–21:38 · Nathan as informed peer 0/10 Show Conclusion and HostGator Promotional Offer Nathan provides a solo monologue summarizing the episode, pitching upcoming interviews, and delivering an ad read for HostGator.1:07–4:59 · Guest teaching 2/10 Debunking Vanity Metrics and Instagram Strategic Value Nathan probes Eduardo on whether Instagram metrics are just vanity before interrogating his specific monetization model with Movement Watches. Eduardo cooperatively explains affiliate splits, per-post pricing, and campaign durations.4:59–9:39 · Guest teaching 3/10 Tai Lopez Growth Strategy and Account Acquisition Economics Nathan cuts through Eduardo's broad narrative about Tai Lopez's general marketing strategy to demand exact details on Eduardo's specific deliverables, fees, and reasoning behind account acquisition vs leasing shoutouts.9:40–12:22 · Guest teaching 2/10 Influencer Networks and High-Profile Client Collaborations Nathan asks about collaborations with high-profile names like Gary Vee and Dan Fleishman, seeking to uncover whether an underlying power network drives Instagram influencer pages.12:22–14:27 · Guest teaching 1/10 Classy Savant Agency Origins, Financials, and Team Structure Nathan quickly drills into the agency's founding year, 2016 revenue, 2017 pacing, and operational team structure, which Eduardo answers transparently.14:28–17:13 · Guest teaching 5/10 Growth Hacking Tools and Hashtag Optimization Strategies Eduardo walks Nathan through growth hacking tools including SocialBlade, SocialRank, and business analytics, while educating listeners on proper hashtag ranges.17:13–20:27 · Guest teaching 0/10 Sponsor Message: FreshBooks Small Business Accounting Nathan reads a FreshBooks sponsor integration before running through the standard Famous Five rapid-fire questions with Eduardo.20:28–21:38 · Guest teaching 0/10 Show Conclusion and HostGator Promotional Offer Nathan provides a solo monologue summarizing the episode, pitching upcoming interviews, and delivering an ad read for HostGator.1:07–4:59 · Guest disagreement 1/10 Debunking Vanity Metrics and Instagram Strategic Value Nathan probes Eduardo on whether Instagram metrics are just vanity before interrogating his specific monetization model with Movement Watches. Eduardo cooperatively explains affiliate splits, per-post pricing, and campaign durations.4:59–9:39 · Guest disagreement 1/10 Tai Lopez Growth Strategy and Account Acquisition Economics Nathan cuts through Eduardo's broad narrative about Tai Lopez's general marketing strategy to demand exact details on Eduardo's specific deliverables, fees, and reasoning behind account acquisition vs leasing shoutouts.9:40–12:22 · Guest disagreement 1/10 Influencer Networks and High-Profile Client Collaborations Nathan asks about collaborations with high-profile names like Gary Vee and Dan Fleishman, seeking to uncover whether an underlying power network drives Instagram influencer pages.12:22–14:27 · Guest disagreement 0/10 Classy Savant Agency Origins, Financials, and Team Structure Nathan quickly drills into the agency's founding year, 2016 revenue, 2017 pacing, and operational team structure, which Eduardo answers transparently.14:28–17:13 · Guest disagreement 1/10 Growth Hacking Tools and Hashtag Optimization Strategies Eduardo walks Nathan through growth hacking tools including SocialBlade, SocialRank, and business analytics, while educating listeners on proper hashtag ranges.17:13–20:27 · Guest disagreement 0/10 Sponsor Message: FreshBooks Small Business Accounting Nathan reads a FreshBooks sponsor integration before running through the standard Famous Five rapid-fire questions with Eduardo.20:28–21:38 · Guest disagreement 0/10 Show Conclusion and HostGator Promotional Offer Nathan provides a solo monologue summarizing the episode, pitching upcoming interviews, and delivering an ad read for HostGator.1:07–4:59 · Nathan pushing back 3/10 Debunking Vanity Metrics and Instagram Strategic Value Nathan probes Eduardo on whether Instagram metrics are just vanity before interrogating his specific monetization model with Movement Watches. Eduardo cooperatively explains affiliate splits, per-post pricing, and campaign durations.4:59–9:39 · Nathan pushing back 5/10 Tai Lopez Growth Strategy and Account Acquisition Economics Nathan cuts through Eduardo's broad narrative about Tai Lopez's general marketing strategy to demand exact details on Eduardo's specific deliverables, fees, and reasoning behind account acquisition vs leasing shoutouts.9:40–12:22 · Nathan pushing back 2/10 Influencer Networks and High-Profile Client Collaborations Nathan asks about collaborations with high-profile names like Gary Vee and Dan Fleishman, seeking to uncover whether an underlying power network drives Instagram influencer pages.12:22–14:27 · Nathan pushing back 2/10 Classy Savant Agency Origins, Financials, and Team Structure Nathan quickly drills into the agency's founding year, 2016 revenue, 2017 pacing, and operational team structure, which Eduardo answers transparently.14:28–17:13 · Nathan pushing back 1/10 Growth Hacking Tools and Hashtag Optimization Strategies Eduardo walks Nathan through growth hacking tools including SocialBlade, SocialRank, and business analytics, while educating listeners on proper hashtag ranges.17:13–20:27 · Nathan pushing back 0/10 Sponsor Message: FreshBooks Small Business Accounting Nathan reads a FreshBooks sponsor integration before running through the standard Famous Five rapid-fire questions with Eduardo.20:28–21:38 · Nathan pushing back 0/10 Show Conclusion and HostGator Promotional Offer Nathan provides a solo monologue summarizing the episode, pitching upcoming interviews, and delivering an ad read for HostGator.

speaking balance: gold is Nathan, purple is the guest (3 minute bins)

0:00 · Nathan 51.7% · guest 48.3%0:00 · Nathan 51.7% · guest 48.3%3:00 · Nathan 15.8% · guest 84.2%3:00 · Nathan 15.8% · guest 84.2%6:00 · Nathan 19.6% · guest 80.4%6:00 · Nathan 19.6% · guest 80.4%9:00 · Nathan 24.4% · guest 75.6%9:00 · Nathan 24.4% · guest 75.6%12:00 · Nathan 18.2% · guest 81.8%12:00 · Nathan 18.2% · guest 81.8%15:00 · Nathan 25.8% · guest 74.2%15:00 · Nathan 25.8% · guest 74.2%18:00 · Nathan 63.4% · guest 36.6%18:00 · Nathan 63.4% · guest 36.6%21:00 · Nathan 100% · guest 0%21:00 · Nathan 100% · guest 0%
Sharpest disagreement ▶ 9:04 Reframing account purchasing vs promotion

Eduardo reframes Nathan's assumption that buying accounts is inherently cheaper, pointing out that rebranding accounts damages engagement and organic audience retention.

 Hardest push from Nathan ▶ 6:11 Cutting off broad marketing talk

Nathan interrupts Eduardo's broad tangent regarding Tai Lopez's giveaways to firmly steer the conversation back to Eduardo's exact role and pricing.

 Biggest teaching moment ▶ 16:25 Hashtag strategy breakdown

Eduardo educates the audience on why generic high-volume hashtags fail and explains the strategic ceiling of 5 to 15 targeted hashtags.

 Nathan holds their own ▶ 8:57 Challenging agency spend vs acquisition

Nathan challenges the economics of repeatedly paying $5,000 for shoutouts instead of outright acquiring the underlying luxury page.
the scores for every segment, with the reasoning behind each
ChapterTopicNathan as informed peerGuest teachingGuest disagreementNathan pushing backWhy
Debunking Vanity Metrics and Instagram Strategic Value 4213 Nathan probes Eduardo on whether Instagram metrics are just vanity before interrogating his specific monetization model with Movement Watches. Eduardo cooperatively explains affiliate splits, per-post pricing, and campaign durations.
Tai Lopez Growth Strategy and Account Acquisition Economics 4315 Nathan cuts through Eduardo's broad narrative about Tai Lopez's general marketing strategy to demand exact details on Eduardo's specific deliverables, fees, and reasoning behind account acquisition vs leasing shoutouts.
Influencer Networks and High-Profile Client Collaborations 3212 Nathan asks about collaborations with high-profile names like Gary Vee and Dan Fleishman, seeking to uncover whether an underlying power network drives Instagram influencer pages.
Classy Savant Agency Origins, Financials, and Team Structure 3102 Nathan quickly drills into the agency's founding year, 2016 revenue, 2017 pacing, and operational team structure, which Eduardo answers transparently.
Growth Hacking Tools and Hashtag Optimization Strategies 2511 Eduardo walks Nathan through growth hacking tools including SocialBlade, SocialRank, and business analytics, while educating listeners on proper hashtag ranges.
Sponsor Message: FreshBooks Small Business Accounting 1000 Nathan reads a FreshBooks sponsor integration before running through the standard Famous Five rapid-fire questions with Eduardo.
Show Conclusion and HostGator Promotional Offer 0000 Nathan provides a solo monologue summarizing the episode, pitching upcoming interviews, and delivering an ad read for HostGator.

Statements from this episode (9)

Disclosure
Gonzalez: MVMT Watches paid 15% affiliate commissions on early Instagram campaigns
“So I was getting about a 15%.”
Eduardo Gonzalez Jun 5, 2017 ▶ 3:40
Disclosure
Gonzalez charged $125 to $150 for 24-hour posts on 380K-follower Instagram pages
“So if they're doing Classy Savant, if they're doing a 380,000 follower luxury niche, it's gonna be about 125 to 150 dollars per post, and that, that lasts you about a day.”
Eduardo Gonzalez Jun 5, 2017 ▶ 4:17
Assertion Not checkable as stated
Gonzalez: Tai Lopez paid my agency $5,000 to gain 10,000 Instagram followers
“He paid me 5000.”
Eduardo Gonzalez Jun 5, 2017 ▶ 8:10
Assertion Supported
Gonzalez: Classy Savant owned a luxury Instagram account with 930,000 followers
“That page is really awesome because that page is about a 930,000 follower luxury, luxury page that we have.”
Eduardo Gonzalez Jun 5, 2017 ▶ 8:29
Insight
Gonzalez: Rebranding acquired Instagram accounts destroys reach unless niches match exactly
“When you rebrand a page, you also lose some of the following and it isn't as organic. So I want people to understand like, yes, you can go out and buy a page, but if you want to do it, you should probably try buying a page that's as similar and as close to the…”
Eduardo Gonzalez Jun 5, 2017 ▶ 9:09
Disclosure
Gonzalez: Classy Savant ran early social growth campaigns for GaryVee and Tai Lopez
“So we've done movement watches. We've done Gary Vee. We've talked about Tai Lopez. We've also talked about there's a couple other brands. I worked a little bit with secret entourage.”
Eduardo Gonzalez Jun 5, 2017 ▶ 10:12
Disclosure
Gonzalez: Mr. Good Life and I controlled 11M combined Instagram network reach
“I have five million, and then with my business partner, Mr. Good Life, Rock Good Life, a lot of people know who he is us combined, we have about 10.5, eleven million,”
Eduardo Gonzalez Jun 5, 2017 ▶ 11:17
Assertion Not checkable as stated
Gonzalez: Dan Fleishman and Brandon Hampton controlled over 30M Instagram followers
“And then we have Dan Flashman and Brandon Hampton, so they're also some people that we've worked with before in the past, and they're also, they're past the thirty million mark,”
Eduardo Gonzalez Jun 5, 2017 ▶ 11:35
Insight
Gonzalez: Instagram posts should use five to 15 hashtags, but never more
“What you really want to do is if you ever want to start working with hashtags, you want to keep it in between five to 15. You never really want to do more than that.”
Eduardo Gonzalez Jun 5, 2017 ▶ 16:41
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