I’d never heard of “TTM” until a few years ago.

But I spent many precious postage stamps on it as a child.

Before I tell you what TTM means, here’s one more acronym you’re more likely to recognize:

ICYMI (In Case You Missed It): You can have EveryDeveloper analyze how AI helps devs find and adopt your product. It’s called the ​LLM Reach Assessment​. Give us a week, and we’ll return an AI visibility report.

Meanwhile, pitchers and catchers are reporting to play spring training baseball in Arizona and Florida. The ballparks are much smaller, providing an opportunity for close interaction. And autographs. That means fans and collectors will carry a variety of souvenirs and extra pens to these games.

As a kid, I never went to spring training. Even if I attended a regular game, we always sat a great distance away from the action.

Yet I managed to collect many autographs. Often duplicates from the same person. Looking through my binder as an adult is a little bit embarrassing:

I imagine the guy getting a stack of cards from me, then signing them as he wonders why this kid needs so many! Nevertheless, once I started to collect them, I was addicted.

Here’s how it worked…

1. Choose cards, ones I’m not worried about losing forever
2. Write a note of praise and fandom to the player represented on the cards
3. Include an envelope, pre-addressed to me, with a stamp already affixed

Then I’d stuff those three things into another envelope addressed to the player’s team with “ATTN: Player Name” on the envelope. I stuck a stamp on that one, too, and prayed it would all return to me.

The wait would often be weeks. I had no idea whether my letter had been delivered, if the player had seen it, or when my cards were signed.

But for the cost of two stamps, plus the cards, I might get some signatures in return! Eventually!

I’ve learned this practice continues today, with people sharing addresses and success rates for their through-the-mail (TTM) autograph collecting.

And that’s what recently brought me to my mailbox to open a return from Ron Hassey, the one-time backup catcher for the long-ago World Series-winning Oakland A’s.

I recognized the envelope, addressed to me in my own handwriting.

Even though I already had several of his cards autographed, I’d found some from his earlier playing days. Maybe he’d even reply to my letter, likely a rarity in his retirement, and we’d become old-fashioned pen pals!

I carefully tore the edge of the thick envelope and emptied its contents to the table:

Inside were two unsigned cards and a piece of paper with a printed message:

I am sorry I cannot sign, I am under contract with PastPros. Please contact them for autograph submission. Thank you!

What a disappointment, Ronald!

Apparently, there’s enough interest in the only person to catch two perfect games that he prints up little slips of paper to vex his fans.

I’m not suggesting he owed me anything different, but I also think you can improve upon this experience when you engage developers.

More than ever, you don’t have much insight into that first impression… You can’t even print out notes to pass along.

Today, that “note” is increasingly coming from an LLM.

Do you know what it says about you? How about your competitors? When are you found, when are you invisible, and how well do the popular models know your product?

We answer these questions in the ​LLM Reach Assessment​, delivered much, much faster than TTM autographs.