WP Product Talk

Together with co-hosts Katie Keith and Matt Cromwell, they explore how WordPress product owners can adopt lessons from Shopify’s agency-first model to build premium, high-touch offerings without ballooning their support teams. If you're tired of chasing app store visibility and want to grow smarter, not just harder, this is the conversation you didn’t know you needed.

Matt Batchelder, head of engineering at Stellar WP and former lead engineer at The Events Calendar, dives deep into building robust product infrastructure. He discusses the complexities of integrating diverse tools and the role of AI in enhancing documentation. The conversation reveals insights on automating workflows and tackling privacy in product analytics. Matt also covers the evolution of licensing practices and the impact of AI on e-commerce, shedding light on how these elements enhance efficiency and user experience in product development.

Selling globally sounds like a dream for WordPress product owners—but doing it well requires more than flipping a currency switch. In this WP Product Talk episode, Katie Keith and Zack Katz welcomed Steve Jones of Equalize Digital to unpack the real-world complexities of building for international sales. From translations and tax compliance to accessibility and currency display, this grounded and insightful conversation explored what it takes to scale responsibly and inclusively. If you’ve ever wondered whether translating your plugin or offering pricing in rupees is worth it, this episode will give you real examples, thoughtful debate, and some surprising conclusions. What makes this discussion especially valuable is its no-fluff honesty. Steve, Katie, and Zack all shared behind-the-scenes experiments—some successful, others less so—that shaped how they now approach international markets. Whether you’re trying to meet European VAT laws, deciding whether AI translation is “good enough,” or just looking to avoid pitfalls with localization, this episode is a must-watch. It’s a refreshingly practical look at what it really means to build WordPress products for a global audience.

Is WordPress ready for its AI pivot? On July 2 at noon ET, join “AI + WP – The Future of WordPress” as Matt Cromwell and Amber Hinds sit down with James LePage, Head of the Core AI team at WordPress.org. We’ll explore why “embrace AI or fade away” isn’t hype—it’s the new survival rule. Expect candid insights on plugin-first AI, revenue models, and concrete first steps you can ship in 30 days. If you build or sell WordPress products, this AI WordPress roadmap could be the difference between leading and lagging.

Welcome to Season 7 of WP Product Talk! We’re kicking off with a powerful episode that explores the big question: Is WordPress dying, evolving, or thriving in 2025? 🎙️ About the Episode In this landmark 99th episode, hosts Katie Keith and Zack Katz are joined by Noel Tock, partner at Human Made, to take a deep and wide-ranging look at where WordPress stands today. From its role in enterprise to missed opportunities around first-party integrations and AI, this conversation dives into trends, challenges, and huge untapped potential. 🧠 Key Topics Covered Is WordPress Still Growing? A discussion on market share, commercial maturity, and how WordPress is perceived inside and outside the ecosystem. Fragmentation and Specialization Why “one-size-fits-all” doesn’t work anymore, and how niche tools are overtaking monolithic CMSs. Enterprise and Product Marketing What enterprises actually need (hint: it’s not more features), why plugin companies struggle to sell outcomes, and the difference between selling to small biz vs. enterprise. First-Party Integrations: A Missed Opportunity How WordPress could have dominated with first-party integrations (e.g. headless, HubSpot), and what it can still do to catch up. AI in WordPress What Shopify is doing that WordPress isn’t, how agentic AI could revolutionize plugin interoperability, and why open source gives us a unique advantage—if we execute. Block Editor in Enterprise Why Gutenberg is surprisingly competitive at the enterprise level, and the push toward a hybrid “content repository” approach. The FAIR Initiative Why FAIR might be the beginning of a unified distribution format—and how it could open doors to entirely new plugin discovery and marketing models. 💡 Best Advice for WordPress Product Owners Katie Keith: Stay informed about where WordPress is headed—especially around AI and the block editor—and let that guide your product strategy. Zack Katz: Don’t sell to enterprise unless you really want to—it’s a different world with different demands, and it might not be worth the effort. Noel Tock: Build at the extremes—either build platforms that own entry points (e.g. enterprise portals), or build sharply defined, innovative tools that are outcomes-first (e.g. the MidJourney of WordPress blocks). 🔗 Links & Resources Selling to Enterprises – Freemius Article Human Made FAIR Package Manager Project Follow Noel Tock: Instagram | LinkedIn

Should You Expand or Double Down? Zack and Amber discuss making the hard call with guest Kevin Geary. When your product is gaining traction, what’s the next move? Do you keep building on what’s working, or take a chance on something new? This week on WP Product Talk, guest Kevin Geary, founder of Digital Gravy, joins hosts Zack Katz and Amber Hinds to talk through one of the hardest choices product makers face: stay focused or diversify. We will discuss the challenges of managing more than one product and how to decide where to invest your time and energy. If you’ve ever wondered whether to grow wide or go deep, this episode is for you. 🎧 Tune in for an honest conversation that can help clarify your next step. Don’t miss it—especially if you’ve got a few domain names burning a hole in your pocket 😀

As a WordPress product founder, figuring out when—and how much—to pay yourself can be one of the trickiest financial decisions you’ll face. In this episode of WP Product Talk, hosts Katie Keith (Barn2 Plugins) and Zack Katz (GravityKit) are joined by Chris Hinds, COO of Equalize Digital, for a candid discussion about the realities of founder compensation in a bootstrapped business. We cover: ✅ How to decide when it’s the “right time” to start paying yourself ✅ Strategies for balancing founder income with reinvestment in growth ✅ The trade-offs between short-term sacrifice and long-term sustainability ✅ Real-world examples of what’s worked — and what hasn’t — from our guests' own businesses Whether you're just starting out or trying to scale without outside funding, this episode helps you navigate the fine line between building a healthy business and making a living from it.

In this insightful discussion, Nathan Weller, Senior Product Marketing Manager at StellarWP, shares his expertise on crafting a successful go-to-market strategy. He emphasizes the importance of understanding product-market fit and the role of planning in aligning with target audiences. Weller highlights leveraging micro-influencers and in-person networking to enhance visibility. He explores effective launch strategies, including early email campaigns and strategic pricing, while also addressing how AI tools like ChatGPT can simplify the process for marketers.

Join hosts Amber, Zack, and guest Ramesh Subramaniam of Retainful to discuss how to decide on a business and pricing model that works for your next WordPress product.

Bringing a WordPress product from alpha to launch is a journey filled with challenges, lessons, and strategic decisions. Join us on February 19 at Noon Eastern as we dive deep into this process with Jonathan Jernigan, author of Pie Calendar. We'll explore the critical steps of refining your idea, gathering feedback, and iterating toward a successful release. Co-hosts Zack Katz and Matt Cromwell will guide the conversation, uncovering insights on developing a WordPress product that stands out in the marketplace. Whether you're an aspiring product owner or looking to refine your go-to-market strategy, this is an episode you won’t want to miss!