Our CEO shared with Inc. Magazine the ways that entrepreneurs can use the unfiltered voice of their customers to grow their brands.
Like most founders, I keep a pretty hectic schedule. Despite this, I always make time to read my company’s social media comments. It’s where the truth lives—raw, unfiltered and without anyone smoothing them out or presentations interpreting what people “probably mean.” It’s just how your audience really feels, in real time. You can see what makes them laugh, what frustrates them, and what brand messaging doesn’t land at all. Ten minutes in your comment section will teach you more about how people perceive your brand than ten focus groups ever could.
That’s why it confuses me that many founders tend to leave comments completely to their community managers – treating it like noise or something someone else should sort out. They act like they’re above it. But they’re not. When E.l.f. Cosmetics noticed a wave of comments from its own community asking for a specific product, it was senior leadership that saw the comments in real time, then relayed it to the CEO so they could hear the fans asking for it directly. The CEO’s involvement allowed E.l.f. to more quickly build the product, launch it, and create a hit.
Other founders should take note: you can’t lead from an ivory tower and expect to stay connected. Founders who only see the polished summaries or monthly “social recaps” quickly lose touch with reality. When you read the comments yourself, you see what people actually think about what you’ve built. You notice patterns, tone, and sentiment. You feel the energy, for better or worse. Social media comments can supply endless opportunities for brand growth. But taking away the right lessons means learning how to navigate and process this unique world.
Turn problems into opportunities
In many cases, great social listening is about getting ahead of any customer complaints, confusion, or stumbling blocks. If done correctly, you can take what’s happening in any comments filled with confusion and skepticism, and then proceed to turn it into strategy. When this happens, a huge problem revealed in the comments can also become an equally huge benefit.
One of my favorite examples is from payment solutions company Klarna. When they were posting content about their “buy now, pay later” approach, we kept seeing the same comment over and over: “What’s the catch?” People didn’t believe that Klarna’s offering wasn’t a scam. That was a huge signal. It told us that the message wasn’t landing because the audience didn’t fully understand the category yet.
Instead of ignoring all of the comments, we built an entire campaign around that insight. We called it “What’s the Catch?”—explaining the concept in a way that was clear, honest, and entertaining. We treated it as “infotainment,” educating people while keeping the tone fun and relatable.
Filter the signal from the noise
While negative comments can hold brand insights, not every comment deserves a reaction. Living in any social media culture means also understanding that not every person is an honest broker. In those instances, an attack against your brand is just a cry for attention or a strategy to farm engagement.
My personal comment filter is pretty simple: if it’s honest, pay attention; if it’s lazy, keep scrolling. The valuable comments tend to come from people who care enough to say something thoughtful, even if it’s critical. Trolls don’t care because they just want attention.
Another clue is repetition. If a bunch of different people mention the same issue, it’s real feedback. In those cases, don’t waste time arguing. Use that energy to fix what they’re complaining about. And if something strikes an emotional nerve, pause before reacting. Write down what it made you feel, then figure out what truth might be sitting underneath that sting. The best insights usually live inside the comments that annoy you most.
Set a routine to toughen up and build trust
The only way to force yourself to prioritize reviewing social media comments is by making it a routine. Build it into your calendar and stick to it. And read your comments often, not just when something goes wrong.
Go straight to the source and don’t rely on a summary. With enough repetitions, you’ll be able to separate your ego from the data. Just because it stings doesn’t mean it’s wrong. Pay attention to how people talk about you, not just what they say. The tone they use says more than any emoji count ever could.
And most importantly, do something with what you learn. When you respond through action, tone, or strategy, you show your audience that their voice actually matters. That’s how you build genuine audience connection and brand loyalty over time.
It’s all about understanding what consumers are feeling in real time. Those patterns can help a founder refine how their brand shows up on platforms, how to better cater to the needs of current and potential customers, and how to shape the services they offer. When founders treat comments as signals instead of noise, we can tap into a level of customer honesty that can’t be bought.
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