Podcast Notes Playlist: Startup Seth Godin's best tactics for building remarkable products, strategies, brands and more
Key Takeaways
- A brand is not a logo; it is a promise and what the customer expects from your product
- The goal is not to make the product perfect for you, it is to delight your customer
- The key to building a brand: Make a promise and keep it
- Do not sacrifice your agency over the four most crucial things that you should be choosing: your customers, competition, source of validation, and distribution
- On the role of tension in strategy: The customer should consider what their life would be like if your product delivers on what it promises to do
- “If it scares you, it might be a good thing to try.” – Seth Godin
- Better waves make better surfers: Much of your success is determined by choosing the wave and not the skills that you have
- Professionals do their work in a non-narcissistic way: You can’t paint a picture of where you want to go; instead, you should paint a picture of where theywant to go
- Be of service to others!
- “It is very difficult to change what people want, but it is helpful to offer people a chance to get where they always wanted to go in the first place.” – Seth Godin
Read the full notes @ podcastnotes.org
Seth Godin is a legend. He’s a marketer, teacher, entrepreneur, and author of more than 20 books, including Purple Cow, Permission Marketing, and Linchpin. He also writes one of the most popular and longest-running blogs in the world (approaching publishing 10,000 in a row!) and continues to shape how we think about marketing, brand, product, and creating lasting change in the world. In our conversation, we discuss:
• How to build remarkable products that spread
• The four critical strategic choices that determine your future
• How to develop good taste and high standards
• The role of tension in great strategy
• How Seth used Claude to write his newest book
• Much more
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Find the transcript at: https://www.lennysnewsletter.com/p/seth-godins-tactics-for-building-remarkable-products
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Where to find Seth Godin:
• Blog: http://seths.blog/
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sethgodin
• Website: https://www.sethgodin.com
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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) Seth’s background
(05:17) Understanding good taste and upholding high standards
(08:09) Become the best at whatever you do
(09:48) Seth’s journey as a product manager
(14:09) What people often get wrong when building products
(16:00) Building a brand in the age of AI
(19:04) Using AI to enhance writing
(22:40) Four critical elements for an effective strategy
(27:38) The role of tension in strategy
(29:15) The concept of the purple cow
(33:11) "Safe is risky"
(34:56) The power of systems
(37:07) Better waves make better surfers
(38:10) Rebranding vs. re-logoing
(43:07) Empathetic leadership
(44:14) Conclusion and farewell
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Referenced:
• Seth Godin on the Tim Ferriss Show: https://tim.blog/2024/03/20/seth-godin-3/
• Persuasive communication and managing up | Wes Kao (Maven, Seth Godin, Section4): https://www.lennysnewsletter.com/p/persuasive-communication-wes-kao
• Spinnaker: https://spinnaker.io
• Ray Bradbury: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ray_Bradbury
• Arthur C. Clarke: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arthur_C._Clarke
• Isaac Asimov: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Isaac_Asimov
• Roger Zelazny: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roger_Zelazny
• Herbie Hancock: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Herbie_Hancock
• Fahrenheit 451 (game): https://www.filfre.net/2013/09/fahrenheit-451-the-game/
• RTFM: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/RTFM#
• Intercom: https://www.intercom.com
• Claude: https://claude.ai
• ChatGPT: https://chatgpt.com
• Anthropic: https://www.anthropic.com
• Steam: https://store.steampowered.com
• P.F. Flyers: https://pfflyers.com
• Steve Blank’s website: https://steveblank.com
• Marissa Mayer on X: https://x.com/marissamayer
• Jaguar unveils new logo ahead of electric relaunch: https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cgr0pw00n7qo
• IHOP Becomes IHOb, the International House of ... Burgers: https://www.npr.org/2018/06/11/618844977/ihop-becomes-ihob-the-international-house-of-burgers
• Oreo’s Super Bowl Power-Outage Tweet Was 18 Months in the Making: https://www.businessinsider.com/oreos-super-bowl-power-outage-tweet-was-18-months-in-the-making-2013-3
• Tesla’s New ‘Ludicrous Mode’ Makes the Model S a Supercar: https://www.wired.com/2015/07/teslas-new-ludicrous-mode-makes-model-s-supercar
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Recommended books:
• This Is Strategy: Make Better Plans (Create a Strategy to Elevate Your Career, Community & Life): https://www.amazon.com/This-Strategy-Better-Elevate-Community/dp/B0D47T8S7N• Purple Cow: Transform Your Business by Being Remarkable: https://www.amazon.com/Purple-Cow-New-Transform-Remarkable/dp/1591843170
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Lenny may be an investor in the companies discussed.
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