Lenny's Podcast: Product | Growth | Career
Scaling Duolingo, embracing failure, and insight into Latin America’s tech scene | Gina Gotthilf (Latitud, Duolingo)
Episode guests
Podcast summary created with Snipd AI
Quick takeaways
- Duolingo's success was driven by their strong mission and values, providing free language education and solving a problem for millions of people.
- Duolingo prioritized organic growth through retention, creating a valuable product and relying on word-of-mouth.
- Data-driven experimentation and continuous improvement were key to Duolingo's sustained growth.
- Building a strong brand with personality and purpose helped drive word-of-mouth referrals and positive PR for Duolingo.
Deep dives
Focus on the Mission and Values
One of the main factors behind Duolingo's success was their strong focus on their mission and values. They were obsessed with solving a problem for millions of people and believed in the importance of providing free language education to the world. This mission drove their marketing, product design, and hiring decisions. It created a sense of purpose and helped them build a loyal user base.
Stay Lean and Prioritize Organic Growth
Duolingo's early success was largely achieved through organic growth rather than paid advertising. They prioritized staying lean and scrappy, not relying on a large budget for marketing. They focused on retention and creating a valuable product that users loved, which led to positive word-of-mouth and organic growth.
Product-Led Growth and A/B Testing
Duolingo's product team played a crucial role in driving organic growth through A/B testing and data analysis. They constantly tested and iterated on their product, using A/B testing to optimize their user experience and drive engagement. This focus on data-driven experimentation and continuous improvement helped them identify what worked and what didn't, leading to sustained growth over time.
Building a Lovable Brand and PR
Duolingo also prioritized building a strong brand that resonated with their audience. They focused on creating a lovable brand and making people feel something through their messaging, design, and user experience. This emotional connection with their brand helped drive word-of-mouth referrals and positive PR, increasing their visibility and user base.
Building a Brand with Personality and Purpose
The podcast episode explores the importance of building a brand with personality and purpose. It emphasizes that a brand should truly stand for something and highlights the significance of communicating the brand's purpose in various communication channels, such as social media, PR, and marketing. The episode also discusses the value of having a unique voice in the brand's communication, using humor and unexpected elements to engage with the audience. It underscores the importance of making people feel something and building a connection with them through the brand's messaging. Several examples, like Duolingo's witty notifications and emails, are shared to illustrate the power of an engaging brand voice.
Navigating the Challenges of Latin American Startups
The podcast delves into the challenges faced by startups in Latin America and highlights the opportunities for growth in the region. It discusses the importance of building a supportive ecosystem to help early-stage tech startups thrive. The episode introduces Latitude, a company focused on creating an operating system for Latin American startups. It explains how Latitude's fellowship program provides entrepreneurs with resources, connections, and mentorship to navigate the unique challenges of the Latin American startup ecosystem. The episode also mentions the significance of paying attention to the emerging trends and opportunities in Latin America, including the fintech sector and B2B platforms.
Key Insights on Branding and Communication
The podcast episode shares key insights on branding and communication strategies. It highlights the significance of conveying a brand's unique voice and personality to differentiate it from competitors. The episode emphasizes the importance of authentic and meaningful communication that resonates with the audience on an emotional level. It discusses the concept of 'fake it till you make it' as a way to overcome imposter syndrome and embrace opportunities for growth. The episode also touches on the power of philosophy in shaping perspectives and explores thought-provoking concepts such as the ship of Theseus allegory. It concludes by encouraging listeners to pay attention to the transformative potential of emerging markets and the opportunities they present.
Making an Impact in Latin America's Tech Ecosystem
The podcast episode explores the motivation behind focusing on Latin America's tech ecosystem and driving its growth. It discusses the untapped potential in Latin America, highlighting the low-hanging fruit for startups and the opportunity to digitize various industries. The episode introduces Latitude's role in elevating the Latin American tech ecosystem through its fellowship program, investment activities, and products that ease the challenges of starting and scaling companies. It emphasizes the need to pay attention to Latin America's emerging market and the potential for social and economic impact. The episode concludes by mentioning the importance of using privilege and personal experiences to make a lasting positive impact on the region.
Gina Gotthilf is a co-founder and the COO of Latitud, a startup platform supporting the next generation of iconic tech startups in Latin America. Previously, Gina led growth and marketing at Duolingo, which she helped grow from 3 million to 200 million users. She was recently named one of the 500 most influential people in all of Latin America by Bloomberg. In today’s episode, we discuss:
• Behind the scenes of Duolingo’s early growth
• How to balance the “A and B sides” of life
• Stories from Mike Bloomberg’s presidential campaign
• Lessons from Duolingo’s international expansion
• Tactical tips for driving organic growth
• How to use PR, brand love, and community as growth levers
• Why Gina is passionate about investing in Latin America
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Find the full transcript at: https://www.lennyspodcast.com/scaling-duolingo-embracing-failure-and-insight-into-latin-americas-tech-scene-gina-gotthilf-la/#transcript
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Where to find Gina Gotthilf:
• X: https://twitter.com/ginag
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ginafrombrazil/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/gina/
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Where to find Lenny:
• Newsletter: https://www.lennysnewsletter.com
• X: https://twitter.com/lennysan
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lennyrachitsky/
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In this episode, we cover:
(00:00) Gina’s background
(04:34) The Vamos Latam Summit
(07:22) Gina’s “A and B sides” framework
(09:34) Her B side
(16:27) Lessons from working on Mike Bloomberg’s presidential campaign
(20:40) How Gina was able to 3x the conversion rate on a campaign site in one day
(24:34) 4 areas Duolingo leaned into to have success in the difficult world of B2C subscriptions
(36:39) B-side lessons from Duolingo
(42:05) The importance of trusting your gut
(44:54) Organic growth tactics and the importance of branding
(48:01) What makes for remarkable branding
(52:01) Duolingo’s process for keeping copy on-brand
(52:45) How Duo’s passive-aggressive messages led to a movement
(55:19) How Latitud uses niche humor as part of their branding
(56:31) Duolingo’s TikTok
(59:02) Lessons from internationalizing Duolingo
(1:03:51) Why Gina was drawn to the tech industry in Latin America
(1:09:26) What Latitud does
(1:17:20) Opportunities in emerging markets
(1:20:45) Lightning round
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Referenced:
• The Vamos Latam Summit 2023: https://www.latitud.com/vamoslatamsummit
• Ben Horowitz on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/behorowitz/
• Rappi: https://about.rappi.com/
• Reed College: https://www.reed.edu/
• Marcus Aurelius: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marcus_Aurelius
• Mike Bloomberg’s website: https://www.mikebloomberg.com/
• How Duolingo reignited user growth: https://www.lennysnewsletter.com/p/how-duolingo-reignited-user-growth
• Burr Settles on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/burrsettles/
• Nubank: https://nubank.com.br/en/
• Navigating comms and PR | Lulu Cheng Meservey (Substack, Activision Blizzard): https://www.lennyspodcast.com/navigating-comms-and-pr-lulu-cheng-meservey-substack-activision-blizzard/
• 47 Duolingo Memes That Are Equal Parts Funny and Extremely Concerning: https://www.buzzfeed.com/kellymartinez/duolingo-memes-jokes
• Latitud: https://www.latitud.com/
• Brian Requarth on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/brianrequarth/
• On Deck: https://www.beondeck.com/
• Leadsales: https://leadsales.io/en/crm-for-whatsapp/
• Pomelo: https://pomelo.la/latam/
• The Design of Everyday Things: https://www.amazon.com/Design-Everyday-Things-Revised-Expanded/dp/0465050654
• Man’s Search for Meaning: https://www.amazon.com/Mans-Search-Meaning-Viktor-Frankl/dp/1663607982/
• Succession on HBO: https://www.hbo.com/succession
• The Rehearsal on HBO: https://www.hbo.com/the-rehearsal
• The White Lotus: https://www.hbo.com/the-white-lotus
• Bo Burnham: Inside: https://www.netflix.com/title/81289483
• “How is the best-case scenario Joe Biden?” song: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ltg9ohuh0KM
• How to with John Wilson on HBO: https://www.hbo.com/how-to-with-john-wilson
• Viome: https://www.viome.com/
• Levels: https://www.levelshealth.com/
• Andrew Chen’s blog: https://andrewchen.com/
• The ship of Theseus: https://www.philosophy-foundation.org/enquiries/view/the-ship-of-theseus
• Gina Gotthilf on 20VC: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_M7XsTicrY0
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Production and marketing by https://penname.co/. For inquiries about sponsoring the podcast, email podcast@lennyrachitsky.com.
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Lenny may be an investor in the companies discussed.
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