Traction Podcast

On this episode, Kyle Poyar, Operating Partner at OpenView shares 11 rules to grow faster with low cost customer acquisition tactics using real-life examples from leaders like Calendly, Loom, Notion and Webflow.   Viral products not only sell themselves but they market themselves, too. The fastest-growing companies generate 2x as many new sign-ups from product referrals compared to everyone else. Even if your product isn’t inherently viral, it pays to make customer-assisted marketing a pillar in your growth strategy.   Specifically, Kyle shares:   - How to reduce CAC. - How to treat your marketing as a product that offers real value to users. - Why you should focus your marketing on user pain, not just buyer pain. - Programmatic “how to” templates, free sidecar products, and social features. - Standard content vs. product education and docs. - How PLG can reach customers in atypical ways. - 3 steps to drive virality. - Tried and true strategies to add virality through community and word of mouth. - To optimize your marketing, look closely at product activation.   Learn more at https://tractionconf.io   Learn more about OpenView at https://openviewpartners.com/   #product #marketing #innovation #fundraising #fintech   This episode is brought to you by:   Zendesk makes it easier to support your customers with customer service, engagement, and sales CRM solutions. Qualifying early-stage startups can get 6 months free of Zendesk Suite and Zendesk Sales CRM. Go to zendesk.com/startups to apply now.   Each year the U.S. and Canadian governments provide more than $20 billion in R&D tax credits and innovation incentives to fund businesses. But the application process is cumbersome, prone to costly audits, and receiving the money can take as long as 16 months. Boast automates this process, enabling companies to get more money faster without the paperwork and audit risk. We don’t get paid until you do! Find out if you qualify today at https://Boast.AI.   Launch Academy is one of the top global tech hubs for international entrepreneurs and a designated organization for Canada's Startup Visa. Since 2012, Launch has worked with more than 6,000 entrepreneurs from over 100 countries, of which 300 have grown their startups to seed and Series A stage and raised over $2 billion in funding. To learn more about Launch's programs or the Canadian Startup Visa, visit https://LaunchAcademy.ca    Content Allies helps B2B companies build revenue-generating podcasts. We recommend them to any B2B company that is looking to launch or streamline its podcast production. Learn more at https://contentallies.com

On this episode, Casey Winters, former CPO at Eventbrite shares 5 key steps to drive a sustainable user acquisition strategy from his experience helping scale iconic brands like Pinterest, Airbnb, Grubhub, Tinder, Canva and Lyft.   Specifically, Casey covers:   - The two types of growth strategies that startups should consider. - An example of a complex startup that changed over time. - The attribution and payback period. - The best way to approach attribution. - The fastest way for startups to fix growth problems.   Learn more at https://tractionconf.io   Learn more about Eventbrite at https://www.eventbrite.com/   #product #marketing #startup #growth    This episode is brought to you by:   Zendesk makes it easier to support your customers with customer service, engagement, and sales CRM solutions. Qualifying early-stage startups can get 6 months free of Zendesk Suite and Zendesk Sales CRM. Go to zendesk.com/startups to apply now.   Each year the U.S. and Canadian governments provide more than $20 billion in R&D tax credits and innovation incentives to fund businesses. But the application process is cumbersome, prone to costly audits, and receiving the money can take as long as 16 months. Boast automates this process, enabling companies to get more money faster without the paperwork and audit risk. We don’t get paid until you do! Find out if you qualify today at https://Boast.AI.   Launch Academy is one of the top global tech hubs for international entrepreneurs and a designated organization for Canada's Startup Visa. Since 2012, Launch has worked with more than 6,000 entrepreneurs from over 100 countries, of which 300 have grown their startups to seed and Series A stage and raised over $2 billion in funding. To learn more about Launch's programs or the Canadian Startup Visa, visit https://LaunchAcademy.ca    Content Allies helps B2B companies build revenue-generating podcasts. We recommend them to any B2B company that is looking to launch or streamline its podcast production. Learn more at https://contentallies.com  

On this episode, Kirsten Newbold-Knipp, Chief Marketing Officer at FullStory shares 5 proven tactics to create a successful analyst relations program that will drive long-term brand and revenue through influence. A recent survey noted that 92% of enterprise buyers leverage analyst reports and reviews to make buying decisions. Analyst Relations is an often overlooked but key driver in "influencing the influencers" to make buying decisions. Specifically, Kirsten covers: - Why analyst relations aren't out of date.- The most fun (and most challenging) part of being an analyst.- How to manage expectations around you.- Knowing how you're relevant to an analyst and what benefits them.- Early-stage investment options.- Why you should accept advice from analysts.   Learn more at https://tractionconf.io Learn more about FullStory at https://www.fullstory.com/   This episode is brought to you by: Zendesk makes it easier to support your customers with customer service, engagement, and sales CRM solutions. Qualifying early-stage startups can get 6 months free of Zendesk Suite and Zendesk Sales CRM. Go to zendesk.com/startups to apply now. Each year the U.S. and Canadian governments provide more than $20 billion in R&D tax credits and innovation incentives to fund businesses. But the application process is cumbersome, prone to costly audits, and receiving the money can take as long as 16 months. Boast automates this process, enabling companies to get more money faster without the paperwork and audit risk. We don’t get paid until you do! Find out if you qualify today at https://Boast.AI. Launch Academy is one of the top global tech hubs for international entrepreneurs and a designated organization for Canada's Startup Visa. Since 2012, Launch has worked with more than 6,000 entrepreneurs from over 100 countries, of which 300 have grown their startups to seed and Series A stage and raised over $2 billion in funding. To learn more about Launch's programs or the Canadian Startup Visa, visit https://LaunchAcademy.ca  Content Allies helps B2B companies build revenue-generating podcasts. We recommend them to any B2B company that is looking to launch or streamline its podcast production. Learn more at https://contentallies.com   #startup #marketing #PR #AnalystRelations

On this episode, Anna Griffin, Chief Marketing Officer at Intercom discusses how to accelerate business growth through nano-engagement, why this type of engagement is critical for growing companies and how it can scale. Growing users without engagement are the empty calories of growth. It feels good, but it’s not good for you. Users who are not engaged will eventually churn. Specifically, Anna covers: - The only thing businesses of the future will compete on. - The most important business metric today. - How to create ongoing customer engagement at scale. - What is modern engagement? - How entire organizations can work in unison to improve their customer experience.   Learn more at https://tractionconf.io Connect with Anna Griffin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/annahgriffin/ Learn more about Intercom at https://www.intercom.com/   This episode is brought to you by: Zendesk makes it easier to support your customers with customer service, engagement, and sales CRM solutions. Qualifying early-stage startups can get 6 months free of Zendesk Suite and Zendesk Sales CRM. Go to zendesk.com/startups to apply now. Each year the U.S. and Canadian governments provide more than $20 billion in R&D tax credits and innovation incentives to fund businesses. But the application process is cumbersome, prone to costly audits, and receiving the money can take as long as 16 months. Boast automates this process, enabling companies to get more money faster without the paperwork and audit risk. We don’t get paid until you do! Find out if you qualify today at https://Boast.AI. Launch Academy is one of the top global tech hubs for international entrepreneurs and a designated organization for Canada's Startup Visa. Since 2012, Launch has worked with more than 6,000 entrepreneurs from over 100 countries, of which 300 have grown their startups to seed and Series A stage and raised over $2 billion in funding. To learn more about Launch's programs or the Canadian Startup Visa, visit https://LaunchAcademy.ca Content Allies helps B2B companies build revenue-generating podcasts. We recommend them to any B2B company that is looking to launch or streamline its podcast production. Learn more at https://contentallies.com #growth #marketing #startup

On this episode, Eric Siu, Chairman at Single Grain reveals the timeless, tested growth-marketing principles he has used to help several companies.   Specifically, Eric covers:   - Why podcasts have a high retention rate.   - How to increase organic engagement on LinkedIn.   - Why YouTube shorts are a big opportunity right now.   - Pillar content and the framework for repurposing your content.   - The most important factor when it comes to running ads.   - How to capture people's attention.   Learn more at https://tractionconf.io   Connect with Eric Siu: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ericosiu/   Learn more about Single Grain at https://www.singlegrain.com/   #growth #marketing #startups   This episode is brought to you by:   Zendesk makes it easier to support your customers with customer service, engagement and sales CRM solutions. Qualifying early-stage startups can get 6 months free of Zendesk Suite and Zendesk Sales CRM. Go to zendesk.com/startups to apply now.   Each year the U.S. and Canadian governments provide more than $20 billion in R&D tax credits and innovation incentives to fund businesses. But the application process is cumbersome, prone to costly audits, and receiving the money can take as long as 16 months. Boast automates this process, enabling companies to get more money faster without the paperwork and audit risk. We don’t get paid until you do! Find out if you qualify today at https://Boast.AI. Launch Academy is one of the top global tech hubs for international entrepreneurs and a designated organization for Canada's Startup Visa. Since 2012, Launch has worked with more than 6,000 entrepreneurs from over 100 countries, of which 300 have grown their startups to seed and Series A stage and raised over $2 billion in funding. To learn more about Launch's programs or the Canadian Startup Visa, visit https://LaunchAcademy.ca   Content Allies helps B2B companies build revenue-generating podcasts. We recommend them to any B2B company that is looking to launch or streamline its podcast production. Learn more at https://contentallies.com

On this episode, Oji Udezue, former Chief Product Officer at Calendly and former Head of Product for Creation & Conversation at Twitter provides a framework for evaluating startup ideas based on their potential for growth and expected outcomes.   Specifically, Oji talks about:   - A different way to focus on and understand your addressable market.   - Which workflows are worth optimizing for profit?   - Why some workflows are more profitable than others and how to tell ahead of time.   - High-intensity niche workflows — the most lucrative workflows.   - Where your focus should be if you want to start a high growth company.   Learn more at https://tractionconf.io   Get Oji’s Product Led Growth Book: https://howtoplg.ck.page    Connect with Oji Udezue: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ojiudezue/   This episode is brought to you by:   Zendesk makes it easier to support your customers with customer service, engagement and sales CRM solutions. Qualifying early-stage startups can get six months free of Zendesk Suite and Zendesk Sales CRM. Go to zendesk.com/startups to apply now.   Each year the U.S. and Canadian governments provide more than $20 billion in R&D tax credits and innovation incentives to fund businesses. But the application process is cumbersome, prone to costly audits, and receiving the money can take as long as 16 months. Boast automates this process, enabling companies to get more money faster without the paperwork and audit risk. We don’t get paid until you do! Find out if you qualify today at https://Boast.AI.   Launch Academy is one of the top global tech hubs for international entrepreneurs and a designated organization for Canada's Startup Visa. Since 2012, Launch has worked with more than 6,000 entrepreneurs from over 100 countries, of which 300 have grown their startups to seed and Series A stage and raised over $2 billion in funding. To learn more about Launch's programs or the Canadian Startup Visa, visit https://LaunchAcademy.ca    Content Allies helps B2B companies build revenue-generating podcasts. We recommend them to any B2B company that is looking to launch or streamline its podcast production. Learn more at https://contentallies.com   #product #startup #innovation #plg

On this episode, Raj Sarkar, Advisor and former CMO at 1Password shows us how marketing-led growth, powered by a term he’s coined ‘outbound fury’, can help you engineer virality, displace the competition, and win the hearts and minds of millions.   More specifically, Raj covers:   - The concept of outbound fury and why you need it in your business.   - How outbound fury works.   - How to make a boring topic like security accessible to the masses.   - Will outbound fury work for any product?   - How do you operationalize outbound fury?   Learn more at https://tractionconf.io   Connect with Raj Sarkar: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rajsarkar/    Learn more about 1Password at https://1password.com/   This episode is brought to you by:   Zendesk makes it easier to support your customers with customer service, engagement, and sales CRM solutions. Qualifying early-stage startups can get 6 months free of Zendesk Suite and Zendesk Sales CRM. Go to zendesk.com/startups to apply now.   Each year the U.S. and Canadian governments provide more than $20 billion in R&D tax credits and innovation incentives to fund businesses. But the application process is cumbersome, prone to costly audits, and receiving the money can take as long as 16 months. Boast automates this process, enabling companies to get more money faster without the paperwork and audit risk. We don’t get paid until you do! Find out if you qualify today at https://Boast.AI.   Launch Academy is one of the top global tech hubs for international entrepreneurs and a designated organization for Canada's Startup Visa. Since 2012, Launch has worked with more than 6,000 entrepreneurs from over 100 countries, of which 300 have grown their startups to seed and Series A stage and raised over $2 billion in funding. To learn more about Launch's programs or the Canadian Startup Visa, visit https://LaunchAcademy.ca    Content Allies helps B2B companies build revenue-generating podcasts. We recommend them to any B2B company that is looking to launch or streamline its podcast production. Learn more at https://contentallies.com   #product #marketing #startup #growth

On this episode, Lucie Buisson, CPO at Contentsquare, Anique Drumright, VP of Product at Loom and Casey Winters, CPO at Eventbrite discuss how to build hypergrowth teams that ship blockbuster products consistently.    Lucie, Anique and Casey have built and scaled products to millions of users. In this session, they provide invaluable insights and give advice on:   - When founders should hire a head of product and what their role should include.   - The role and success metrics of product operations.    - How to think about building and scaling your existing team.   - The difference in types of people recruited for early-stage, mid-stage and late-stage companies.   - How to retain core talent and keep them engaged as the company grows and the stakes change.   - Balancing big, bold ideas with incremental improvements as you scale.   Learn more at https://tractionconf.io   Connect with Lucie Buisson: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lucie-buisson-3195b272/   Connect with Anique Drumright: https://www.linkedin.com/in/anique-drumright-53978a1a/   Connect with Casey Winters: https://www.linkedin.com/in/caseywinters/   This episode is brought to you by:   Zendesk makes it easier to support your customers with customer service, engagement and sales CRM solutions. Qualifying early-stage startups can get six months free of Zendesk Suite and Zendesk Sales CRM. Go to https://zendesk.com/startups to apply now.   Each year the U.S. and Canadian governments provide more than $20 billion in R&D tax credits and innovation incentives to fund businesses. But the application process is cumbersome, prone to costly audits, and receiving the money can take as long as 16 months. Boast automates this process, enabling companies to get more money faster without the paperwork and audit risk. We don’t get paid until you do! Find out if you qualify today at https://Boast.AI.   Launch Academy is one of the top global tech hubs for international entrepreneurs and a designated organization for Canada's Startup Visa. Since 2012, Launch has worked with more than 6,000 entrepreneurs from over 100 countries, of which 300 have grown their startups to seed and Series A stage and raised over $2 billion in funding. To learn more about Launch's programs or the Canadian Startup Visa, visit https://LaunchAcademy.ca    Content Allies helps B2B companies build revenue-generating podcasts. We recommend them to any B2B company that is looking to launch or streamline its podcast production. Learn more at https://contentallies.com   #product #innovation #startup

On this episode, Mary D'Onofrio, Partner at Bessemer Venture Partners discusses how to build an enduring $100M ARR business.   Specifically, Mary covers:   Why $100M (“Centaur”) is the new milestone to strive for and why the term was coined.   What companies that reach Centaur status all have in common.   What companies that fall off their projected growth path have in common.   Defining a cash conversion score and what it means for a company.   How research and development spending changes over the lifespan of a $100M ARR company.   Top 3 tips for founders to grow operationally-efficient businesses today.   Learn more at https://tractionconf.io   Connect with Mary D'Onofrio: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mary-d-onofrio-a125b2154/   Learn more about Bessemer Venture Partners at https://www.bvp.com/   This episode is brought to you by:   Zendesk makes it easier to support your customers with customer service, engagement and sales CRM solutions. Qualifying early-stage startups can get six months free of Zendesk Suite and Zendesk Sales CRM. Go to https://zendesk.com/startups to apply now.   Each year the U.S. and Canadian governments provide more than $20 billion in R&D tax credits and innovation incentives to fund businesses. But the application process is cumbersome, prone to costly audits, and receiving the money can take as long as 16 months. Boast automates this process, enabling companies to get more money faster without the paperwork and audit risk. We don’t get paid until you do! Find out if you qualify today at https://Boast.AI.   Launch Academy is one of the top global tech hubs for international entrepreneurs and a designated organization for Canada's Startup Visa. Since 2012, Launch has worked with more than 6,000 entrepreneurs from over 100 countries, of which 300 have grown their startups to seed and Series A stage and raised over $2 billion in funding. To learn more about Launch's programs or the Canadian Startup Visa, visit https://LaunchAcademy.ca    Content Allies helps B2B companies build revenue-generating podcasts. We recommend them to any B2B company that is looking to launch or streamline its podcast production. Learn more at https://contentallies.com   #saas #startup #centaur

On this episode, Tomasz Tunguz, Managing Director at Redpoint Ventures discusses fundraising in today's environment, which is radically different from his past 14-year experience in venture capital.    Before joining Redpoint Ventures, Tomasz was the product manager for Google’s AdSense social-media products and AdSense internationalization. In total, he's worked with six unicorns from when they were very small till they became massive.   Specifically, Tomasz covers: How public and private markets are changing and how founders perceive these changes. How software companies today are valued in the public markets. Why private markets are slowing down, and what will give private markets a boost over the next four years. Learn more at https://tractionconf.io   Connect with Tomasz Tunguz: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tomasztunguz   Learn more about Redpoint Ventures at https://www.redpoint.com/   This episode is brought to you by:   Zendesk makes it easier to support your customers with customer service, engagement, and sales CRM solutions. Qualifying early-stage startups can get 6 months free of Zendesk Suite and Zendesk Sales CRM. Go to zendesk.com/startups to apply now.   Each year the U.S. and Canadian governments provide more than $20 billion in R&D tax credits and innovation incentives to fund businesses. But the application process is cumbersome, prone to costly audits, and receiving the money can take as long as 16 months. Boast automates this process, enabling companies to get more money faster without the paperwork and audit risk. We don’t get paid until you do! Find out if you qualify today at https://Boast.AI.   Launch Academy is one of the top global tech hubs for international entrepreneurs and a designated organization for Canada's Startup Visa. Since 2012, Launch has worked with more than 6,000 entrepreneurs from over 100 countries, of which 300 have grown their startups to seed and Series A stage and raised over $2 billion in funding. To learn more about Launch's programs or the Canadian Startup Visa, visit https://LaunchAcademy.ca    Content Allies helps B2B companies build revenue-generating podcasts. We recommend them to any B2B company that is looking to launch or streamline its podcast production. Learn more at https://contentallies.com   #product #marketing #innovation #fundraising #fintech