Lenny's Podcast: Product | Growth | Career

Maya Prohovnik, Spotify’s Head of Podcast Product and employee #1 at Anchor, shares her journey in transforming podcasting. She discusses 'dogfooding' as a way to empathize with creators and the balance between data and intuition in decision-making. Maya reveals strategies for maintaining a startup culture in a corporate setting and offers tactical tips for public speaking. She reflects on the impact of Spotify’s acquisition of Anchor and emphasizes the importance of community engagement in nurturing new podcasters.

Nilan Peiris, Chief Product Officer at Wise, shares his expertise in word-of-mouth marketing and product-led growth strategies. He provides tactical advice on boosting referrals and discusses how NPS surveys shaped Wise's growth. Nilan reveals a small change that tripled referrals and explains how Wise's innovative pricing strategies build customer loyalty. He emphasizes fostering a culture of experimentation and balancing data with intuition in product development, offering insights on enhancing user experiences to stimulate organic growth.

Itamar Gilad, a product coach and author with a rich background at Google and Microsoft, dives deep into the concept of being 'evidence-guided' in product management. He discusses innovative testing methods like fake doors and smoke tests that shift the focus from opinion-based to evidence-backed decision-making. Gilad also introduces the GIST model for effective roadmapping and the idea of metric trees to align organizational goals. He emphasizes the importance of using actual customer data over gut feelings, which resonates with product managers aiming for impactful outcomes.

Christopher Lochhead, a 14-time bestselling author and the 'godfather' of category design, dives into the powerful concepts of defining your market. He breaks down the 'Frame It, Name It, Claim It' framework and why traditional notions like product-market fit can be misleading. Lochhead emphasizes the importance of 'languaging' in marketing, showcasing how it can transform brand perception. He urges entrepreneurs to innovate rather than just compete, offering insights on creating unique market categories for lasting success.

Oji Udezue, Chief Product Officer at Typeform, brings a wealth of experience from Twitter, Calendly, and Atlassian. He discusses his effective frameworks, like 'Where to Fish to Land a Unicorn,' to identify high-potential markets. Oji emphasizes the importance of pinpointing the 'sharpest' problems for product success. He also shares tactics for optimizing onboarding to boost user retention and innovative strategies for increasing product virality. Plus, he introduces the concept of 'forest time' for clearer strategic thinking.

Andy Johns, a former tech executive and VC at giants like Facebook and Twitter, is now a mental health advocate dedicated to helping high achievers and veterans. He candidly shares his journey from burnout to self-discovery, discussing the importance of mental well-being over career success. Listeners will learn about his four-step process for personal transformation, the necessity of acknowledging suffering, and why a writing practice can foster healing. He also offers tips on finding a good therapist and emphasizes the value of self-compassion in the healing journey.

Claire Butler, Figma's first GTM hire and a key player in their growth story, shares fascinating insights into the company's unique approach. She reveals how the bottom-up growth strategy sparks success by prioritizing individual contributors. Claire discusses the vital role of 'designer advocates' in fostering product passion and the impact of their freemium model on growth. Listeners will also discover strategies for spreading adoption within organizations and the importance of community engagement in scaling a startup.

Tim Holley, VP of Product at Etsy, shares insights from over a decade at the company, focusing on navigating corporate culture shifts and adapting during the pandemic. He discusses Etsy's rapid transition to mask production, enhancing buyer experiences, and optimizing conversion rates through experimentation. Holley emphasizes the importance of collaboration in product management and the need for clear guiding principles. He also explores maintaining authenticity in a competitive marketplace while hiring adaptable talent to foster innovation.

Meltem Kuran Berkowitz, Head of Growth at Deel, has played a pivotal role in scaling the company from $0 to $300M in just three years. In this engaging discussion, she reveals how they leveraged low-cost growth channels and why early awareness campaigns in B2B marketing can be counterproductive. Meltem emphasizes the importance of effective SEO strategies and shares her unique 'traffic light' framework. Additionally, she discusses structuring growth teams and building a solid startup culture to support rapid expansion.

Bob Moesta, co-creator of the Jobs To Be Done framework and CEO of The Re-Wired Group, shares his expertise on understanding consumer behavior. He uses relatable examples, like Snickers versus Milky Way, to illustrate the essence of JTBD in product choices. The conversation covers best practices for interviews with B2B and B2C customers, common pitfalls in implementation, and when JTBD might not be the right approach. Moesta emphasizes the importance of context and genuine customer needs in driving effective product development.