ProductLed Podcast

Jeff Coyle is the Co-Founder and Chief Strategy Officer of MarketMuse, an industry-leading content planning technology. Today, he will explain how community management principles can support product-led growth. Jeff also discusses how community drives “sales-led growth” and the importance of employee advocacy in the success of a community. MarketMuse, his platform, identifies content quality issues and creates a channel for content optimization. Show Notes [1:10] Traditional product management and traditionally trained product managers do not typically come from the land of social media. [5:31] How has the community influenced overall product-led growth? [8:22] The importance of having thick skin is that you can experience what it’s like to have a negative emotion emerge and create more transparent communication. [15:54] Employee advocacy and its social impact [23:18] Key takeaways from this episode that listeners should consider. About Jeff Coyle Coyle is the Co-Founder and Chief Product Officer of MarketMuse. This company assists content marketers in establishing topical authority, improving content quality, and transforming semantic research into actionable insights. Prior to joining MarketMuse, he previously operated his own marketing consultancy and managed the Traffic, Search, and Engagement team for TechTarget, a leader in B2B technology publishing and lead generation. Links Product Led Slack Community Profile Market Muse Email address: jeff@marketmuse.com Jeff on LinkedIn Jeff on Twitter

April Dunford is the author of “Obviously Awesome”, and in this episode, she talks about positioning—what it is and why it’s important. She dives into some of the analogies she used in her book to explain how positioning works. She also brings up Clay Christensen's milkshake story to break down the 5 components of positioning. She then answers some of the viewers’ questions, offering practical advice for startups. Show Notes [03:22] Some misconceptions about positioning, why positioning is important in business, and how it differs from traditional branding [09:22] Why positioning is like the opening scene of a movie [16:25] Some signs of weak positioning: total confusion, wrong comparisons, prospective clients don’t think your value is valuable or they think your vision is just a fantasy [20:25] Define what makes your product special and then figure out what is the best context to frame those qualities in [25:35] The 5 components of positioning: competitive alternatives, unique capabilities, differentiated value, target market segments, and market category [27:58] On Clayton Christensen’s “Jobs to Be Done” theory [36:05] How to convince buy-in companies that positioning is important [43:18] How to define positioning if you do not have best customer fit yet [45:08] How positioning influences product development [50:05] How to position your product or company if you want to cater to different countries About April Dunford April Dunford studied engineering in university and then spent the first 25 years of her career as a marketing executive for startups. She has worked as a consultant for more than 100 companies, helping them fine-tune their sales and marketing teams. Aside from being an expert on product positioning, April is also a mentor, an adviser, and a keynote speaker. She lives in Toronto, Canada with her kids and a small dog. Links Salesforce Competing Against Luck by Clayton Christensen Profile April Dunford's website April Dunford's Twitter

Pedro Clivati, Head of Growth at GrowthHackers, shares insights on high-tempo testing, measuring success for growth teams, embracing failure, and starting small with experiments to drive growth. He emphasizes the importance of running tests, correcting misconceptions about growth hacking, and promoting wins across the company.

Alison Taylor and Trevor Johnston are the co-founders and co-CEOs of Jane, an online platform for health and wellness practitioners that makes it simple to book, chart, schedule, bill, and get paid. They join Ramli on the show to talk about product-market fit and how customer service is at the heart of a product-led business. They then go through the steps they have taken (and still take) to overcome growing pains. Show Notes [01:17] How the Jane app came to be and scaled with just one “customer support” team [05:34] The signup process is a way to get customers committed and to get them on the product journey [08:00] Why Alison and Trevor decided not to go with the freemium model  [09:48] About Jane’s high-touch onboarding experience [12:26] Prioritize loyal customers over sales [15:23] The evolution of Jane’s signup process [19:30] About Jane’s org structure and support system [23:48] The challenge of hiring and helping people develop their careers [28:05] How marketing and engineering fit in Jane’s org structure [30:05] Alison and Trevor’s advice for product-led startups About Alison Taylor and Trevor Johnston Alison Taylor has been in the healthcare space as a business manager since 2008, and she believes in the integration of work into life and life into work. She hired Trevor’s creative agency to brand her clinic, Canopy Integrated Health, which she opened in 2011. Trevor Johnston loves doing creative things with technology to create enjoyable experiences and to solve people’s problems. He co-founded Thought Shop Creative Inc. and was its lead digital guy until 2016. Jane is his first app and his first foray into coding. Profile Jane Alison Taylor’s LinkedIn Trevor Johnston’s LinkedIn

In this episode of the ProductLed Podcast, Wes Bush chats with Basecamp co-founder Jason Fried about its distinct and challenging perspective that has set Basecamp up for success. Jason explains why every business should have a unique point of view and shares how his team thinks through them, as well as his philosophy around the process of finding one. He also details the role that books play in his overall business strategy. Key Moments: [03:05] Origin of the underdog mindset and personal experiences.[07:11] Critique of the growth-at-all-costs mentality in startups.[13:18]: How to go about identifying your unique point of view[20:25] Role of books in sharing their company philosophy.[28:06] Balancing successful products and exploring new ideas. About Jason Fried Jason Fried is the co-founder and CEO of Basecamp, a project management and team collaboration software company. He is the co-author of several bestselling books, including Rework, and It Doesn't Have to Be Crazy at Work. Jason Fried | LinkedIn About Wes Bush: Wes Bush is the founder and CEO of ProductLed and the world’s leading expert on product-led growth. He is the bestselling author of Product-Led Growth: How to Build a Product That Sells Itself and the upcoming Product-Led: Your Go-To Manual for Scaling a Product-Led Business, due in August 2024 (Read the first three chapters for free). Wes Bush | LinkedIn

Gina Allman, ProductLed's content specialist, discusses researching content, highlighting the 50 best PLG examples, focusing on user experience, key takeaways for transitioning businesses. She shares insights on creating original content for the blog, drawing from her diverse background in finance and marketing.

In this episode, Wes Bush speaks with Fletch co-founder Anthony Pierri to discuss the nuances of crafting impactful homepages for B2B SaaS businesses. They discuss the pitfalls of generic messaging and how companies can deliver a more focused narrative by highlighting specific use cases. They also analyze the benefits of contextual positioning, which centers on the user’s immediate needs rather than relying solely on competitor comparisons. They dissect Zapier’s homepage and share how it demonstrates its core automation workflows without overwhelming users with too many options, allowing them to grasp the platform's value rapidly. Key Moments: [03:15]: Problems with broad, generic messaging[06:40]: Competitive vs. contextual positioning[11:20]: Effective storytelling strategies and emotional connections[14:50]: A case study on Zapier’s homepage[19:30]: How specific messaging clarifies value propositions[24:10]: Closing advice for aligning messaging with user needs About Anthony Pierri  Anthony Pierri is a seasoned product marketing expert and co-founder of FletchPMM. He specializes in helping horizontal product-led growth (PLG) startups optimize their website homepages to drive more sales and user acquisition. Anthony Pierri’s LinkedIn About Wes Bush Wes Bush is the founder and CEO of ProductLed and the world’s leading expert on product-led growth. He is the bestselling author of Product-Led Growth: How to Build a Product That Sells Itself and the upcoming Product-Led: Your Go-To Manual for Scaling a Product-Led Business, due in August 2024 (Read the first three chapters for free). Wes Bush’s LinkedIn

In this episode of the ProductLed Podcast, Wes Bush and Laura Kluz discuss the crucial process of team auditing, which is essential for hiring, firing, and promoting within a product-led business. The episode provides a comprehensive guide on how to critically evaluate team members based on five core standards: core values, motivation, skill gaps, capacity, and results. Wes highlights the importance of aligning these evaluations with the company's strategic goals to foster a high-performance team culture. Key Highlights : 1:02: Discussion on making crucial team decisions.2:04: Introduction to the five core standards for auditing.10:11: Evaluating team member motivation.12:01: Assessing skill levels and training needs.13:11: Importance of understanding team member capacity.16:56 The role of results in the auditing process.22:00 Integrating contractors into team audits. About Wes Bush: Wes Bush is the founder and CEO of ProductLed and the world’s leading expert on product-led growth. He is the bestselling author of Product-Led Growth: How to Build a Product That Sells Itself and the upcoming Product-Led: Your Go-To Manual for Scaling a Product-Led Business, due in August 2024 (Read the first three chapters for free). Links: Wes Bush | LinkedIn

In this episode of the ProductLed podcast, Wes Bush and Laura Kluz discuss how to create an ideal environment for your high-performing team. They chat about the vital role of setting and maintaining high standards, which are crucial to driving team performance. Wes discusses the standards you need to set as a founder: values, motivation, skillset, capacity, and results. Wes emphasizes that a company's standards greatly influence not just the internal culture, but also how customers perceive and interact with the business. Key Highlights 2:26: Introduction to the topic and importance of high standards.4:04: Discussion on different types of standards such as core values and motivation.6:05: Wes elaborates on the priority of core values within the team.10:15: Discussion about motivation and setting up employees for success.14:02: Closing remarks on implementing standards.16:00: Final thoughts and takeaways. About Wes Bush: Wes Bush is the founder and CEO of ProductLed and the world’s leading expert on product-led growth. He is the bestselling author of Product-Led Growth: How to Build a Product That Sells Itself and the upcoming Product-Led: Your Go-To Manual for Scaling a Product-Led Business, due in August 2024 (Read the first three chapters for free). Links: Wes Bush | LinkedIn

Business strategist Wes Bush shares tips on boosting organizational efficiency through the three 'C' strategies: classify, calibrate, and chart. The discussion includes creating actionable KPIs, mapping out accountability charts, and identifying critical hires for team success.