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Ghost recommendation button and open-web proof loop

Add Ghost's recommendation modal to signup and navigation, then let the open-web recommendation file turn those picks into discoverable proof.

legendary tacticfree budget

Why this can grow a startup

Most newsletter recommendation systems disappear after the signup thank-you screen. Ghost lets publishers keep that motion alive in two places: the recommendations modal opens after signup and can also live behind a navigation link. Under the hood, Ghost publishes recommendations to a well-known JSON file and notifies other sites via Webmention. That makes the recommendation surface useful for readers and legible to other publishers at the same time. The page is not only a widget. It is part of the publication's public graph.

Company example

Ghost says the recommendations modal appears when a new member signs up, can be opened at /#/portal/recommendations from site navigation, adds recommendations to /.well-known/recommendations.json, and notifies the recommended site via Webmention.

Source and metric

Source: Ghost Developer Docs: Recommendations

Ghost publishes recommendations to /.well-known/recommendations.json and exposes them through a modal at /#/portal/recommendations.

GhostCommunitySEOopen webrecommendationsdiscoverabilitysubscriber handoff
GrowthDex operator note

When to use it

Use this when Ghost, Community, SEO is relevant to open web, recommendations, discoverability and you can run a bounded test with a free budget.

When not to use it

Do not use it as a substitute for customer evidence, a clear owner, or a measurable stop condition. Local platform rules and market behavior still need checking.

Founder checklist

  1. Read Ghost Developer Docs: Recommendations and identify what is directly supported.
  2. Choose one channel context: Ghost, Community, SEO.
  3. Define the test around Ghost publishes recommendations to /.well-known/recommendations.json and exposes them through a modal at /#/portal/recommendations..
  4. Set an owner, evidence window, and stop condition before launch.

Explore the context

Advisory bridge

Apply this with an operator

Build creator and community systems around real incentives, trust, and repeat participation.

Work with Ian