Helping brands get rankings and revenue from Google, LLMs, AI Overviews | CEO of Contact.so | Mentions.so | Kleo.so

There’s a rumour that we’re the world’s most controversial SEO Agency. But I’d just describe us as innovators. 

We stay on the cutting edge of SEO to help clients get traffic from Google and LLMs that turns into revenue. That doesn't go over well with the dinosaurs who are stuck in the past and too lazy to adapt. 

Our product is simple: work with us and we will make you more money than what you spend with us. 

☎️GETTING IN TOUCH IS EASY:
📞 Schedule a 30-minute free demo with me here: https://contactstudios.co/book-a-call?utm_campaign=Rob%20Hoffman&utm_source=linkedin&utm_medium=social 
(Zero pressure, and if you need to reschedule, go right ahead.)

Rob@contactstudios.com 

Contact Co-Founder & CEO

Rob Hoffman

SEO?
“Just add some keywords”
”Get green lights on Yoast”
”Let’s write a blog and rank #1?”
”Can’t we just buy some backlinks?”

But SEO now is a totally different beast.

Here’s what it actually involves:

- Total Addressable Search Market
- Google Search Console
- “Don’t change URLs”
- Quick win keywords
- Customer research
- Programmatic SEO
- Entity optimization
- LLM optimization
- Keyword Insights
- Topical authority
- Site architecture
- Schema markup
- Core Web Vitals
- Monthly reports
- Log file analysis
- Google updates
- Brand mentions
- Screaming Frog
- Technical audit
- Content decay
- Internal linking
- XML Sitemaps
- Topic clusters
- “llms.txt file?”
- Search intent
- Link building
- “It depends”
- Crawlability
- Canonicals
- Robots.txt
- Digital PR
- Mentions
- Semrush
- E-E-A-T

Just adding keywords or getting green lights on Yoast doesn't get SEO results in 2025.

True SEO and holistic marketing does.

Here’s a crazy stat for you:

AI gets 40% of its answers from Reddit.

Even crazier, in some cases (like Google’s AI Overviews), Quora actually beats Reddit.

(Data found in recent Semrush studies)

This clearly shows that LLMs value authentic, conversational, community-generated content.

So if you’re wondering:

“Why doesn’t AI mention my brand as the best {thing}?”

It’s probably because nobody is saying that in the places LLMs get answers from, especially Reddit.

You should fix that.

1. Build presence in relevant subreddits
2. Contribute value (guides, answers, AMAs)
3. Encourage customers to share experiences

Build your brand on Reddit, not just LinkedIn.

I know I am.

Companies: "Content is king"

But then:

- 1 marketer overseeing all channels
- Interns running their social platforms
- $10K/mo is too expensive for content
- Despite spending 6-figures on paid ads

Drop the performance marketing mindset where content needs to have a clear and instant ROI.

By properly investing in content, you'll attract an audience that will eventually buy from you.

Or you can carry on:

- Not building your brand
- Not growing your audience
- Not increasing inbound leads
- Not getting ahead of competitors

Most companies regret not properly investing resources into content sooner.

Don't let that be you.

How I rank businesses inside LLMs:

AI platforms handle millions of daily queries, Google now shows AI summaries on 1 in 5 searches, Google is making AI Mode the default.

This isn't just another SEO hype.

But successful AI SEO follows 7 key steps that most people completely miss.

Here’s my AI SEO playbook:

Step 1: Map your customer questions

Write down every question from your sales calls. Those same questions are being asked in ChatGPT right now.

But don't stop there. Map the follow-up questions too. LLMs love comprehensive answers.

Step 2: Create answer-focused pages

Build pages that directly answer those questions. Skip the fluff and get straight to solutions.

Step 3: Get authentic forum mentions

Make a real account on forums like Reddit. Use your real name and company. Give genuinely helpful answers in relevant threads.

Answer long-tail questions others ignore. These feed directly into LLM responses.

But don't spam. Communities spot fake accounts instantly.

Step 4: Publish YouTube videos

Target specific problems your customers face. LLMs love video citations for complex topics.

Focus on topics where written content falls short.

Step 5: Build strategic affiliate partnerships

Partner with creators who naturally mention your solutions. Authentic recommendations carry more weight than ads.

Step 6: Maximise quality citations everywhere

Get mentioned in blog posts, forums, podcasts. More citations equal more LLM visibility.

Quality beats quantity. One mention in a trusted source outperforms ten low-quality ones.

Step 7: Track your brand mentions religiously

Use a tool like Mentions to monitor when and how your brand (and each competitor) appears.

The AI revolution isn't killing SEO. It's creating new opportunities for companies willing to adapt.

The biggest opportunity?

Even early-stage companies can win immediately.

You don't need domain authority like Google. You just need to get cited and you’ll start showing up.

We literally live and breathe this SEO framework.

5 years ago, we watched a SaaS company burn through 6 months of content budget. 60 blog posts on topics like "what is email marketing" and "benefits of newsletters."

Their traffic skyrocketed, but their revenue flatlined.

Their entire content game was backwards.

So that's when we built our "SEO Content Pyramid" to flip it completely and start at the top.

Here's how it works:

1. Convert (Top of Pyramid)

High-intent content for people ready to buy.

A. Competitor Comparisons
↳ "beehiiv vs Kit"
↳ "Kit alternatives"

B. Product Reviews
↳ "beehiiv reviews" (brand)
↳ "Kit review" (competitor)

C. Buyer Guides
↳ "Best newsletter platforms in 2025"
↳ "Best newsletter tools for beginners"

D. Product Pages
↳ "Email newsletter software"
↳ "Newsletter platform pricing"

2. Discover (Middle of Pyramid)

Solution content for people exploring options.

A. Solve Pain Points
↳ "How to start a newsletter"
↳ "Newsletter best practices"

B. Case Studies
↳ "Email marketing case studies"
↳ "How [Brand] grew to 100k subscribers"

C. Data Studies
↳ "Open rate benchmarks 2025"
↳ "Email marketing statistics"

D. Templates and Tools
↳ "Newsletter templates"
↳ "Email subject line generator"

3. Awareness (Bottom of Pyramid)

Educational content for people learning and exploring.

A. Definitions
↳ "What is open rate"
↳ "Email deliverability explained"

B. Educational Guides
↳ "How to increase email open rate"
↳ "How to write engaging emails"

C. Industry Trends and News
↳ "Gmail manage subscriptions feature"
↳ "Email marketing trends 2025"

D. Ideas
↳ "Newsletter content ideas"
↳ "Email campaign ideas for holidays"

Start at the top with Convert content. Only move to Discover once you've covered every competitor comparison, product review, and buyer guide. Then tackle Awareness last.

This framework will 10x your SEO results.

SEO is evolving.

Traditional SEO is “get clicks”
LLM SEO is “get cited”

If AI doesn’t know you, the searcher won’t either.

10 examples you need to know:

Traditional SEO vs LLM SEO

If you're an SEO who's ever wanted to work with us, now's your chance.

We’re looking for exceptional SEO strategists who are excited about the future of search.

This isn't just another SEO role.

You'll be working on "new SEO" strategies for some of the most impressive companies out there.

You'll be getting companies visible in a search world that's changing faster than anyone's figured out.

You'll be experimenting with tactics most SEO teams won't touch for another 2 years.

If you're the kind of person who gets genuinely excited about this stuff, we want to hear from you.

Reply below if that's you (or someone you know).

And fill in this quick form: https://lnkd.in/eBgSGK2V

We'll DM the 10 most impressive SEOs this week.

23 content ideas we use to create 100s of new pages for our SEO campaigns, whether it's for a:

- New SaaS start-up
- Small local business
- 9-figure unicorn company
- Mid-sized e-commerce website

Some focus more on driving traffic:

- Lists
- FAQs
- Steps
- Interviews
- Checklists
- Definitions
- Pillar Pages
- Infographics
- Press Releases
- Ultimate Guides
- Trending Content
- Beginner's Guides
- Tips/Best Practices

Others focus more on driving conversions:

- How-To Guides
- Landing Pages
- Product Pages
- Best-Of Posts
- Comparisons
- Case Studies
- Alternatives
- Templates
- Free Tools
- Reviews

But truth is, they're all crucial for:

1. Establishing your authority
2. Building your SEO moat for defensibility
3. Meeting your users at each stage of the funnel

So, I've ranked each content type in the chart below.

- From Traffic-Focused to Conversion-Focused
- From Difficult to Easy to publish from start-finish

Use it to prioritize your website's content plan:

(And stop shooting in the dark)

I just went on Greg Isenberg's podcast and broke down 6 proven playbooks that took bootstrapped SaaS from $0 to $300K MRR.

Real examples.
Real numbers.
Real tactics you can copy.

Here's how to get customers for your SaaS in 2026:

(PS. Watch the podcast here: https://lnkd.in/e-CjhaAz)

The companies we're reverse engineering:

- Kleo: $61K MRR
- TrustMRR: $24K MRR (in 30 days)
- Teachizy: $65K MRR
- Tally: $338K MRR
- LocalRank: $47K MRR
- Mailscale: $100K+ MRR

Playbook 1: The Waitlist Strategy

We used this for Kleo. Hit $61K MRR in 53 days.

The framework: Content → Email → Webinar

Create "edusales" content that subtly teases your product. Don't hard sell. Lead with value. Plug your tool in ONE bullet point.

Launch beta to your waitlist with early-bird lifetime discount.

We offered the first 500 users lifetime access for $59 (normally $99).

This creates scarcity and FOMO.

Hit $61K MRR before even launching publicly.

Stack your calendar with customer calls. Use first 500 users to iterate. Then relaunch to second cohort at a higher price.

Playbook 2: The Wave Surfer Strategy

TrustMR by Marc Lou: $24K MRR in 30 days.

Pieter Levels tweeted, complaining about fake MRR screenshots on X.

Marc shipped TrustMRR within 48 hours.

He didn't use his own audience. He piggybacked on Pieter’s virality.

Ship fast. Quit fast if it doesn't work.

Build virality into the product. TrustMRR is inherently shareable.

When you get massive attention but low intent, sell ads instead of subscriptions.

Playbook 3: Language Arbitrage Strategy

Teachizy: $65K MRR

They took Kajabi/Teachable and made it 100% French.

That's it. Same product. Different language.

SEO in other languages = marketing on easy mode. High volume. Low competition. It's what SEO in English looked like in the early 2000s.

Playbook 4: AI Search Strategy

Tally: $338K MRR

They became the #1 recommended form builder in ChatGPT.

Result: 2,000+ new users from AI search in 2025 alone.

Created comprehensive alternatives pages and "best of" articles. When people search "Typeform alternative" in ChatGPT, Tally shows up first.

Traffic from ChatGPT converts 4-5x better than Google. In some cases, 17x better.

Why? People trust ChatGPT like a friend.

Plus ChatGPT gives 2-3 recommendations vs 1,000 blue links.

The next 6 months are the biggest window to take advantage of this.

Playbook 5: Signal Search Strategy

LocalRank: $47K MRR. Made $5K MRR on day one.

They shipped ONE feature (a heat map) to test market response.

This let them validate demand before investing months into a full platform.

They launched it on YouTube and X (YouTube drove 80% of signups)

Oops, I've run out of characters.

Check out Playbook 6: High Ticket Ad Strategy (Mailscale: $100K MRR) in the comments 👇

I spent 8 hours researching these SaaS strategies so you don't have to...

Which playbook do you like best?

Google: Handles 90% of all searches, 16.4B queries per day, owns YouTube, has 14% stake in Anthropic, powers Claude with TPU chips, owns Gemini, tracks the world via Maps, builds self-driving cars at Waymo, owns Android, powers 3B devices, sends 831x more visitors to sites than all LLMs combined.

ChatGPT: New browser basically powered by Google.

Google is the internet.

If you're a software engineer who's ever wanted to work with me, Jake, Lara and the Kleo team, now's your chance:

Co-founder building Kleo.so and Mentions.so

I'm hiring for a Full Stack Developer at Kleo!

First thing you need to know: we're scaling fast.

If you have:

3+ years full stack experience (ideally TypeScript)
⁠2+ years cloud computing (ideally Vercel)
⁠2+ years relational database experience
⁠2+ years building async workers

You might be our next best team addition.

We need someone who has:

- Experience creating AI based tools (ideally chat bots)
- ⁠Experience using AI Code editors (e.g. Claude Code)
- Built Chrome Extensions (optional)
- Design first attitude when architecting solutions
- Follows latest AI trends and loves AI in general

What you’ll be doing:

Taking ownership of design and feature implementation, and responding to Technical Support Tickets for bug fixes.

Why join us:

You'll be part of joining the fastest-growing content creation tool on the market. This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to join us before we scale further.

You'll also be able to move into senior and management roles in the near future as we grow.

And you'll be working 100% remotely.

If this sounds like you (or anyone you know) please fill in this form here:
https://lnkd.in/erncQE2m

Looking forward to meeting some of you soon!

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Unleash The Knowledge, LLC

• LinkedIn Growth Agency for Entrepreneurs, Executives, Coaches, Consultants, and Agency Owners to join the Top 1% of LinkedIn in their industry so they can close high-ticket deals.
• Digital community of 180,000+ readers promoting self-education through non-fiction books to create more lifelong learners. 
• Developing creative strategies to get books into more hands 
• Consulting with authors on how to turn their book and knowledge into a business.

Founder & CEO

Pavilion

Pavilion is the leading community for networking and learning with other GTM leaders worldwide.

Executive Member

I help Agency Owners, Coaches, and Consultants Join the Top 1% on LinkedIn in 90 Days to Earn High-Ticket Clients | Feat. in Forbes | 500+ clients | 2x D1 Basketball Conference Champion

In March 2020, I left a $22,500/yr job working for UConn Men’s Basketball.

I bet on myself.

On paper, I was on track to build an incredible career with a championship program.

However, my heart wasn’t in it anymore.

6 months prior to leaving, I started a simple Instagram page.

I called it Unleash The Knowledge.

Most people thought I was crazy but I saw the long-term vision.

4 years later, I run a multi-6-figure business from anywhere in the world, all off my laptop.

My Instagram page is now at 127,000 followers, all from starting from 0.

I’ve worked with 500+ authors, coaches, consultants, and founders.

Some of my past well-known clients include: 

- Rick Ross, Grammy-nominated Rapper
- Jim McKelvey. Co-Founder of Square
- Kara Goldin, Founder of HINT Water
- Terry Virts, NASA Astronaut

Today, I help Founders, Consultants, and C-Suite join the top 1% on LinkedIn in 90 days.

If you want to grow your audience on LinkedIn and attract your dream clients using organic social content, here are 3 ways I can help you today:

1. Follow me on LinkedIn, for daily free content

(scroll up and hit the bell to get notified)

2. Get my 30 Free Templates to craft client-attracting content in less than an hour

(go to https://www.authorityauthoraccelerator.com/opt-in-page-6348)

3. DFY LinkedIn Content Writing & Growth - for founders, consultants, and c-suite who want direct support to join the top 1% on LinkedIn and accelerate lead flow to start attracting more clients online.

DM me “DFY” and I’ll get you details.

Thanks for reading this far.

To your success,

Owen “LinkedIn Growth Guy” Sammarone

Owen Sammarone 🚀

I sat on stage in Boston last weekend.

Nearly 200 people staring at me.

I was on a panel with 3 other guys who built massive audiences around non-fiction books.

And something clicked...

Most founders hide behind their content.
They post tips and frameworks but never share the story behind them.
They're terrified to step on a stage and speak their truth.

Here's what I realized: 

Your story is your unfair advantage.

No one else has walked your exact path.
No one else has your failures, breakthroughs, and lessons.
And when you share them, in person, on a stage, in front of real humans, everything changes.

The BookThinkers event in Boston proved this to me.

Here's four lessons I learned from speaking to nearly 200 purpose-driven professionals:

Lesson 1: The energy in the room is different than online.

You can't fake the immediacy of a live audience.
I saw it in their eyes when I shared my journey.

Lesson 2: Speaking on stage forces you to refine your message.

You can't ramble like you do in a post.
You distill fast and learn what actually lands.

Lesson 3: Sharing your journey builds deeper trust than any framework.

People didn't want my 5-step blueprint.
They wanted to connect with someone who's been where they are.

Lesson 4: This ignited a bigger vision for me.

I want to speak on more stages in 2026.
I want to connect deeply and refine my message until it's razor-sharp.

Your audience needs to hear your story, not just your advice.

If you've been thinking about speaking, sharing your journey, or showing up more publicly, do it.

The stage is waiting.

Thank you to Nick Hutchison and the BookThinkers team for putting on a killer event. I can't wait for BookThinkers LIVE 2026.

If you're an author, coach, speaker, or entrepreneur, you will want to be at this event.

Maybe they will let me speak again :)

Brant Menswar Steven Pressfield Kary Oberbrunner Christian F Johnson Evan Carmichael Ryan Lang Zach Hesterberg Elle Petrillo Jill Schulman Maya Payne Smart Cindra Kamphoff, Ph.D., CSP, CMPC Markus Kaulius Ken Rusk Angel Fernandez Jr. Igniting Souls Brand Builders Group Strategic Coach Alex Wieckowski 📚 Matt Karamazov Wayne Mullins Ugly Mug Marketing Chris Green Anjel B Hartwell Anjanette “AJ” Harper Chris Jordan Jonas Koffler Alan Gregerman Fred Joyal

Premium LinkedIn Ghostwriter for C-Suite Leaders | Amplifying ideas, stories, & wisdom that transform industries | 500+ clients served | 2x Founder & Speaker

I flew out of the smallest airport I've ever been to this Thanksgiving.
New Haven, Connecticut.
And I found the best use of a vending machine I've ever seen.

Over the holiday, I traveled through 4 states: New Jersey, New York City, Newport, Rhode Island, and the Connecticut coastline.

Grateful for the journey. 
Grateful for the people. 
Grateful for the experiences.

But what stopped me in my tracks was this:

A vending machine. At the gate. Selling books.

Not chips. Not candy bars. Not overpriced sodas.

Books.

Here's why this matters.

Most vending machines sell you something to pass time.
This one sold you something to spend time well.

Think about it.

You're about to sit on a plane for 2 hours. Maybe more.

You could scroll. You could snack. You could zone out.

Or you could read.

Someone at that tiny airport in New Haven thought about that moment.

They asked: What do people actually need right now?

And instead of defaulting to junk food, they chose knowledge. Story. Connection.

That's thoughtful innovation.

It's not flashy. It's not complicated.
It's just someone paying attention to what serves people better.

I didn't buy a book. I had one with me. Actually, two, but who's counting.

But I stood there for a minute just appreciating it.

Because small decisions like that one add up.

They signal that someone cared enough to reimagine what a vending machine could be.

Not every innovation needs to be a breakthrough.
Sometimes it's just putting the right thing in the right place at the right time.

So here's to the person who decided to put books in that vending machine.

And here's to noticing the small, creative ideas that make life a little better.

What's a small innovation you've seen recently that made you stop and appreciate it?

This door changed everything.

Last week I went back to URI to speak to students.

The night before I went to the basketball game.

And I saw this door again.

Back then it didn't have the branding.
Just a door with a light on.

I was 18.
Scared.
Looking for my shot.

I walked in.
Rang a diner-style bell on the desk.
No one was there.

A woman popped out from around the corner, startled.

I now realize it was her day off.
She was probably just grabbing something quick.
And there I was an 18-year-old kid interrupting her day off.

But I didn't leave.

I asked: "Are there any opportunities in sports where I can get involved?"

That question changed my life.

She gave me a shot. She connected me with the director of basketball ops.
Soon after, I became a student manager for URI men's basketball.

4 years with the Rams.
Then 2 years at UConn as a graduate assistant.

All with Coach Hurley; learning what it takes to be a champion.

He exposed me to self-development.
Books.
Podcasts.
Personal growth.
The idea that you could design your life.

Basketball led to books.
Books led to business.
Business led to me standing in front of students last week, teaching them what I learned.

All because I walked through a door and asked.

Here's what I know:

Life doesn't hand you opportunities.
You create them.

You set a vision.
You take action.
You get in the right rooms.

You open doors.
You ring bells.

Most people wait.
They hope someone will notice them.
They think success happens to them.

It doesn't.

You make it happen.

I was an 18-year-old kid with no connections.
No resume.
No experience.

Just a question.

6 years in basketball.
5 years in business.
A full life of growth, all from one decision.

Don't wait for handouts.
Don't wait for life to happen to you.

Set the vision.
Take the action.

Ring the bell.

This week, a prospect asked me how to find speaking leads.
I told him that wasn't his problem.

Here's what actually is 👇

He came to me worried about two things: not knowing how to find leads and getting his content to resonate with the right people.

I had to be honest with him.

There is no shortage of leads.

LinkedIn alone has over 1 billion users.
The average household income? $124,000.
And compared to every other social platform, it has the fewest people posting content.

It's the least noisy platform for professionals.

So what's the real problem?

Most professionals expect the world to run to them with their credit card out.

That's not how this works.

You need to give people a reason to:
• Follow you on social
• Read your content regularly
• Connect with you privately
• Trust you enough to invest

Without that reason, they won't.
And no amount of posting will fix it.

Here's where most authors and speakers blow it.

They believe their ideas are the best thing ever.

And sure, maybe they are.

But pride doesn't connect with people.
Relatability does.

If your content is all about YOU and YOUR ideas without marrying it to a lesson the reader actually cares about, well...

They won't read it.
They won't follow you.
They won't engage.

The shift required is simple but brutal.

You have to put your pride aside.

Use your core ideas. 
Use your experiences. 
But anchor them to something the reader can apply, feel, or learn from in their own life.

Make it about them, not you.

That's the connection.

When your content speaks to the reader's problems, challenges, and outcomes...they start to trust you.

When they trust you, they follow you.
When they follow you, they reach out.
When they reach out, you close deals.

But it all starts with making your content about the READER.

Not you.

This is much easier said than done. 
This is how we help founders, C-suite, authors, and speakers.

We turn their wisdom into growth content that builds authority, trust, and opportunity on LinkedIn.

We have a couple spots open before we wrap up for the year.

If you're interested in leveraging LinkedIn to become your deal-closing machine without lifting a finger in 2026, book a call with me through the link in the comments.

Don't waste another day posting into the void.

18 years old: Lost. Insecure. Graduated high school with a 2.8 GPA and no clue who I was. Got into college, fortunately. 

19 years old: Found identity through basketball. Still unsure of my purpose, but learning discipline, and replicating success.

20 years old: Showing up every day for the basketball team. Wanted to become Mr. Reliable. Busting my butt in the classroom. Joined social fraternity for “balance” 

21 years old: Won a college basketball championship. Felt on top of the world. 

22 years old: Graduated with honors. Two-time basketball champion. Started my own honors society. Got into UConn’s business school and landed the men’s basketball graduate assistant job. 

23 years old: Worked 80+ hour weeks. Earning $22,500/yr. Going to graduate business school 3x a week for 3 hours each day. Started a book Instagram page that would quietly change my life. 

24 years old: Made my first $200 through the book page. Covid hit. Left basketball for good. Moved back home with Mom. Went all in on that book page. Burned the boats on a “safe” career to chase freedom. 

25 years old: Turned that page into a business. Learned how to sell, fail, and rebuild from scratch. Made $100k. 

26 years old: Kept reading. Kept learning. More mistakes and failures but continued to grow. Said yes to a ton of opportunities. Focus was scattered. 

27 years old: Still running book promotion campaigns. Started ghostwriting for business owners on LinkedIn. Started coaching authors and coaches on scaling on Instagram.  Hit my first $30k/month.

28 years old: Still feeling scattered with focus and energy but pressing forward. Scaled to my first $40k/month. Started a podcast on book marketing and recorded 160+ episodes in one year. Leaning further into LinkedIn ghostwriting than book promotions. 

29 years old: Partnering with major CEOs and authors. Building a 7-figure agency and writing the book I wish I had at 18.

Still in the arena. Still learning.

To everyone trying to figure it out, your early chapters don’t define you. 
They prepare you.

Keep building. Keep believing. 
Your future self is already proud of you.

taplio

The Battle

Rob Hoffman

Owen Sammarone 🚀

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Performance ScoreRob Hoffman's LinkedIn Performance

Performance ScoreOwen Sammarone 🚀's LinkedIn Performance

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taplio

The Battle

Rob Hoffman

Owen Sammarone 🚀

Followers

Posts

Engagements

Likes

Performance Score.css-goub6s{font-size:var(--chakra-fontSizes-md);font-weight:500;color:var(--chakra-colors-gray-600);display:block;margin-top:var(--chakra-space-1);}Rob Hoffman's LinkedIn Performance

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