According to Inc, founders who read their own social media comments gain direct access to unfiltered customer sentiment that often gets lost in polished reports. When E.l.f. Cosmetics executives noticed repeated comments requesting specific products, they relayed this directly to the CEO, leading to rapid product development and successful launches. Similarly, payment company Klarna observed consistent “What’s the catch?” comments about their buy-now-pay-later service, revealing customer skepticism about the entire category. This insight sparked their “What’s the Catch?” campaign that educated consumers through entertaining content. Both examples demonstrate how real-time comment monitoring at the leadership level can drive significant business outcomes faster than traditional market research methods.
The Ivory Tower Problem
Here’s the thing about delegating social comments to community managers: you’re filtering reality through multiple layers. When founders only see monthly social recaps or polished summaries, they’re getting the sanitized version of customer sentiment. But the raw, emotional, sometimes messy comments? That’s where the truth lives. I’ve seen too many leaders act like they’re above reading comments, treating them as noise rather than signal. And that’s a massive strategic mistake.
Turning Problems Into Opportunities
The Klarna example is particularly brilliant. When people kept asking “What’s the catch?” about their payment service, they could have treated it as negative feedback. Instead, they built an entire campaign around that exact skepticism. They created “What’s the Catch?” content that educated while entertaining. Basically, they took their biggest objection and turned it into their strongest marketing asset. That’s the kind of strategic pivot that only happens when leadership is directly engaged with customer feedback.
Why It Matters Now
We’re living in an era where customer expectations have completely changed. People want to feel heard, and they’re not shy about expressing themselves in comments. When founders engage directly, they’re not just gathering data—they’re building trust. The E.l.f. Cosmetics story shows how quickly things can move when leadership sees fan requests in real time. No committees, no filtered reports, just direct action. That speed and authenticity? You can’t buy that kind of competitive advantage.
Getting Started
So how do busy founders actually make time for this? It doesn’t need to be hours every day. Even ten minutes of scanning comments can reveal patterns you’d never see in a report. Look for recurring questions, emotional reactions, and unexpected uses of your products. The key is consistency—making it part of your daily or weekly routine. Because honestly, if you’re not listening to what people are saying about your brand in public, where exactly are you getting your customer insights from?
