Masters of SaaS: Recent Episodes
Todd Chambers
Masters of SaaS is produced by Upraw Media, a PPC and CRO agency for SaaS companies. The host of the show is Todd Chambers. In each episode, we chat with SaaS entrepreneurs and experts in the field about what got them to where they are today. This includes all the doubts, fears and trade-offs you go through to double down on what you're really good at. What you can expect: - Relevant topics and valuable advice on everything from designing your platform to increasing customer retention and all that’s in-between.- No fluff just actionable tactics and tips you can start applying to your own SaaS business right away. - No bull**t, real stories of both success and failure to keep you motivated and inspired on your journey. - A good time, a splash of good humour, a sprinkling of banter and people who know how to not take themselves too seriously.
In this week's episode of Masters of SaaS, we talk with Shane Murphy-Reuter, the CMO at Webflow, the leading platform empowering designers to build professional websites visually.
Join Todd as he delves into Shane's journey and explores the key insights he has gained as a CMO of one of the most popular SaaS companies at the moment.
In this episode we cover:
- Shane’s biggest lessons from his first 90 days as a CMO - understand why many SaaS companies struggle with poorly defined positioning and the importance of crafting a compelling brand story;
- How to measure effectiveness of marketing activities is essential for scaling demand generation;
- How to get your CFO to approve big budgets;
- How to double a paid media campaign ROI through CRO and media mix optimization;
- The challenges of finding the right Google conversion signal;
- Finally, Shane reveals his strategies for working smarter, not harder.
Tune in and gain the knowledge you need to take your SaaS marketing efforts to the next level!
If you are keen to know more about Upraw Media or be a Masters of SaaS guest speaker, visit uprawmedia.com or DM us on LinkedIn. We are also on Youtube if you'd like to put a face to the names and voices of the best in SaaS. Thanks for tuning in!
In this episode, we dive deep into the world of CRO experimentation programs and why they are crucial for SaaS businesses. We have a heart to heart conversation with Andres Glusman, a “behavioral science nerd who loves applying the craft to all things business” and the CEO at Do What Works - a startup helping growth, marketing, and product teams accelerate their conversion rates.
Discover the true definition of strategy and how it plays a vital role in optimizing conversions. Whether you're a CMO or a marketing professional, you'll gain valuable knowledge about running statistically significant A/B tests and setting parameters for success. Learn how to identify your golden pages, those key areas that have a disproportionate impact on your bottom line, and uncover the meat versus potatoes approach to optimizing user experiences.
But what if your business struggles with low conversions? Don't worry, Andres has you covered. He provides practical recommendations for SaaS businesses facing this challenge. From leveraging media and qualitative research to refining your pitch and continuously iterating on your message, this episode will give you actionable advice to drive improvements and unlock growth.
We also explore the best experiments for SaaS businesses, the 80/20 rule of research, the art of prioritizing experiments, and even some intriguing experiments that yielded remarkable results. With Andres' wealth of experience and expertise, this episode is a goldmine of knowledge for anyone looking to enhance their CRO efforts.
Tune in and get the insights you need to supercharge your conversion rates and achieve remarkable results.
If you are keen to know more about Upraw Media or be a Masters of SaaS guest speaker, visit uprawmedia.com or DM us on LinkedIn. We are also on Youtube if you'd like to put a face to the names and voices of the best in SaaS. Thanks for tuning in!
In this episode, we get up close and personal with Andy Raskin, a strategic messaging consultant and founder of Strategic Narrative, a consulting firm that helps SaaS companies shape their stories to achieve strategic success.
Andy's superpower is crafting stories that inspire action, and his work has helped his clients raise hundreds of millions of dollars in investments. He's a New York Times, Inc., and Forbes contributor, and has lectured at UC Berkeley and Stanford.
But Andy's approach is not just about research and creativity. It's about empathy and connection. He cares deeply about his clients and their audiences, and helping leaders find their true voice is what really drives him.
Join us for a deep dive into the art of storytelling for businesses. We'll analyze the best pitch deck ever, explore how to implement The Strategic Narrative and learn key lessons from Andy's experiences working with over 100 companies. Plus, we'll discuss how to get your team aligned and fully engaged in crafting a narrative that truly resonates.
If you are keen to know more about Upraw Media or be a Masters of SaaS guest speaker, visit uprawmedia.com or DM us on LinkedIn. We are also on Youtube if you'd like to put a face to the names and voices of the best in SaaS. Thanks for tuning in!
In this episode, we talk to Joel Klettke, a storytelling powerhouse and the founder of Case Study Buddy, a company that helps businesses craft irresistible case studies to showcase their success stories. With over a decade of experience in copywriting and content strategy, Joel is a master at crafting narratives that captivate and persuade audiences.
Whether he's working with Fortune 500 companies or small startups, Joel's mission is always the same: to help businesses tell their stories in a way that connects with their target audience and drives results. With his razor-sharp wit and infectious enthusiasm, Joel is a true force to be reckoned with in the world of marketing and communication.
Join us for another episode of Masters of SaaS as we dive into the world of case studies and why they are crucial for SaaS companies. Along the way, Joel covers a range of topics, including why case studies matter, why companies struggle to create them, proactive vs reactive storytelling, and how to make the customer the hero of the story.
Don't miss out on the latest stories from top SaaS experts - delivered straight to your inbox. Join our list: https://uprawmedia.com/saas-podcast
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More about Case Study Buddy: https://casestudybuddy.com/
Joel on LinkedIn: https://ca.linkedin.com/in/joelklettke
Joel on Twitter: https://twitter.com/JoelKlettke
Upraw Media: https://uprawmedia.com
Upraw on LinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/company/uprawmedia
Upraw on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/uprawagency
Upraw on Twitter: https://twitter.com/UprawAgency
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If you are keen to know more about Upraw Media or be a Masters of SaaS guest speaker, visit uprawmedia.com or DM us on LinkedIn. We are also on Youtube if you'd like to put a face to the names and voices of the best in SaaS. Thanks for tuning in!
For this episode, we talk to the original conversion copywriter, Joanna Wiebe, the founder of Copyhackers.
Joanna is a rockstar in the world of copywriting and conversion optimisation. Not only is she the brilliant mind behind Copyhackers, a wildly popular copywriting blog, agency, and copy education provider, but she's also the founder of Airstory, an amazing SaaS product that helps people organize their research and writing.
It's no wonder why Joanna is such a big name in the industry. She's spoken at some of the most prestigious conferences around, including Mozcon, INBOUND, SearchLove, and CXL Live. Her passion for helping others improve their writing and increase conversions is truly inspiring.
Come along as we explore how to build the perfect SaaS-focused conversion landing page, why interviews, demos and thank you pages are the cornerstone for client insights, the best copywriting frameworks, the importance of a value proposition and how to write great CTAs and offers and how to validate the copy on your landing page.
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More about Copyhackers: https://copyhackers.com Joanna on Twitter: https://twitter.com/copyhackers
Joanna’s New Newsletter: https://joannawiebe.substack.com
Upraw Media: https://uprawmedia.com
LinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/company/uprawmedia Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/uprawagency
Twitter: https://twitter.com/UprawAgency
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If you are keen to know more about Upraw Media or be a Masters of SaaS guest speaker, visit uprawmedia.com or DM us on LinkedIn. We are also on Youtube if you'd like to put a face to the names and voices of the best in SaaS. Thanks for tuning in!
For this episode, we talk to the world's most influential Conversion Rate Optimization expert, Peep Laja.
Peep is the founder of three successful companies - CXL, Speero and, more recently, Wynter, a product marketing research platform.
Like many of you I've learned from Peep over the years, so it was humbling to have the opportunity to chat with him.
We discuss,
- How to validate ideas
- How Peep approaches bootstrapped growth with limited resources
- The richest sources of qualitative feedback
- What exactly is Message market fit and how you can approach it
- The advantages of speed in business
- How to defend yourself against fierce competition
- Hiring lessons and advice
- How to prioritise your time
In this episode we discuss with marketing positioning legend April Dunford.
Positioning is foundational to everything we do in sales & marketing.
But what exactly is positioning?
It’s a widely misunderstood topic
April says...
“Positioning defines how your product is the best in the world at delivering some value that a well defined set of customers cares about”
If you’re building a SaaS business this is a must watch!
We discuss,
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What exactly is positioning anyway
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The 5 Components of awesome positioning
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How to tackle positioning and in the correct order
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The intersection of jobs to be done & positioning
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When to start positioning in SaaS
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Choosing the right market
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Positioning complex products
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Marketing is not magic dust you can throw on bad positioning
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Message testing around a positioning thesis
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How April became a great storyteller
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Radical differentiation in 2021
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How to hire great marketers
In this episode, we sit down with best-selling author, podcast host and SaaS legend Nathan Latka.
Why is Nathan the most sued podcaster in SaaS? And why the hell does he lean into it?
In his own words:
"Your CAC to get a hater is cheaper than your CAC to get a lover'.Or...
'It’s cheaper to get more people hating me, but most people aren’t tough enough to deal with haters'.We chat about:
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Why Nathan is the most sued podcaster
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Launching his first SaaS company and funding mistakes
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How to convert MRR into upfront cash with Founderpath
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Why you should focus on revenue per employee
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How & why Nathan bends the rules
- And batching tasks to save on switching costs
For this episode, we sit down with Cris Villar. Cris is the Co-Founder and VP of Customer Success at Landbot, a product that transforms your website into a Conversational Experience to increase engagement and conversion rates.
I was amazed to learn that Landbot was born out of a product bug...
... A bug that skyrocketed conversions from 5% to 27%!
It’s easy to look at successful companies and think their success was linear and without serious setbacks. The reality is that many companies have limited resources, pivot and get punched in the face… daily. But the ones still standing get back up and keep going.
Who knows, a product bug can lead to an incredible insight!
Often times, the obstacle is the way. That was certainly the case for Landbot.
In this episode, you will learn:
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How to leverage free platforms like Product Hunt to accelerate growth
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The importance of positioning and how to approach it
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Outbound sales mistakes and why “supporting is the new selling”
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Why Landbot are dedicating 70% of their resources on activation and why you should be too
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And the challenge of time management in the retention economy & advice to tackle it.
In this episode, we talk to Annie Maguire, a Conversion Copywriter. She’s worked with companies like Samsung, Visa and Loreal, helping them convert leads through customer research and copywriting.
Let’s face it; if your messaging sucks, PPC won’t work! You can spend 100k per month on ads, but if you don’t know how to talk to your customers… You've already lost.
In my opinion, SaaS companies often overlook messaging - or get it wrong. They often end up with copy that’s either too clever or too generic, vague or just “meh”.
In this episode, you will learn:
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The most common SaaS copywriting mistakes
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The importance of qualitative research
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How to make the most out of your data
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Different methods to collect qualitative research
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How to conduct customer interviews
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Drawing insights from quantitative and qualitative research
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How to structure landing pages
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The most impactful copywriting changes you can make
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And how to craft a strong value proposition!
This week we sit down with Guillaume Moubeche of Lemlist, who went viral for refusing $30M. They’ve never taken funding or needed paid advertising. Guillaume tells us why, and how he is on a mission to reinvent what start-up success looks like.
Lemlist is a sales automation platform that allows B2B companies to automate their sales prospecting on various channels - cold e-mail, social selling, calls… In just three years, they grew from zero to 10k plus customers & 5M ARR.
We discuss,
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How Lemlist mastered organic growth;
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Why Guillaume Turned Down $30M investment;
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The pitfalls of focusing too much on funding;
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Guillaume's journey to become a successful entrepreneur;
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The difference between getting acquired and taking investment;
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Advice for aspiring entrepreneurs;
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Why positive feedback and non-violent communication is key;
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And how Guillaume got scammed by the Chinese mafia (really)!
In this episode, Mark Colgan, Co-Founder & CRO of Speak On Podcasts, shares his 10 years experience in outbound sales
Mark previously ran a team of 100 outbound prospectors, he’s a coach for sales impact academy, startup advisor and mentor and he now runs an agency called speak on podcasts.
The conversation is a deep dive into how SaaS companies can approach outbound Sales.
We cover,
- Having the right mindset & intention
- Defining your ICP & Personas
- Prospecting
- Using triggers to focus on prospects that are more likely to convert
- Preparing your data
- Outreach and how to leverage the best channels
- How to approach messaging.
- The advantages of starting your own podcast
We speak with Shay Howe, Vice President of Platform Strategy at ActiveCampaign.
With 130,000 customers and around 800 employees, ActiveCampaign offers tools like Email marketing, forms, CRM, landing page, live chat and a bunch more.
They help businesses meaningfully connect & engage with their customers through customer experience automation.
In this episode, we cover:
- How Shay’s upbringing made him a life-time learner and problem-solver;
- The importance of being “maniacally” customer focused in the SAAS industry;
- Advice on leadership and management
- How to quickly validate ideas through VOC insights
- How to structure one to ones to make your team more introspective
In this latest episode I speak Mikael Thuneberg the CEO & Founder of Supermetrics.
https://youtu.be/UdpOiC5Tqtw
Supermetrics picks up all the marketing data you need and brings it to your favorite reporting, analytics, or storage platform — whether that’s a spreadsheet, a data visualization tool, or a marketing data warehouse.
A whopping 10% of global advertising spend is reported through Supermetrics.
- We cover the origin story and revenue growth over the last 10 years.
- How he found the primary traction channel in 2015 which had an immediate impact on revenue. What it was like mentally switching from a one man shop.
- We also tackle their funding, the future of data management with AI & machine learning, productivity, rapid growth during COVID.
In this episode, Alex Theuma, CEO & Founder of SaaStock, shares his learnings on what you need to consider when planning and running your own online conference or event.
Prior to COVID 19, SaaStock ran the largest in person SaaS events in Europe with their flagship event being held in Dublin each year. In March 2020 ticket sales dried up & SaaStock’s revenue went to zero. They had to quickly pivot, remobilise and switch to an online event experience.
What else we cover:
- a brief history of the conference
- how SaaStock re-invented its industry-leading conference
- why replicating a virtual event from a live event doesn't work (and what does)
Links >>
Upraw media: https://uprawmedia.com/
Episode summary: https://uprawmedia.com/blog/saastock-alex-theuma
In this episode, Matthew Barnett, founder and papa bear at Bonjoro, tells us all about the value of customer support for a business and how it can become a strategic investment that increases customer retention and reduces churn.
We also cover:
- the importance of brand authenticity and how the teams have leaned into their own quirky & human approach
- customer advocacy and how this can be used as a core growth lever.
- matt's top video tips for SaaS companies
- how to find and maintain focus in your work
Links >>
Upraw media: https://uprawmedia.com/
Episode summary: https://uprawmedia.com/blog/customer-support-bonjoro
Question for brand marketers: how do you get found before anyone goes to Google?
Paul Campillo, Director of Brand at Typeform helps us answer the above question and also takes us through the company's 3-step framework to a meaningful brand design.
You'll also get to hear more about:
- why we should stop creating hot dog content (and what that means)
- the importance of passing down wisdom in a growing team
- why branding has to come from the Founder
- the most undervalued part of a copywriting framework
Links >>
Upraw media: https://uprawmedia.com/
Episode highlights: https://uprawmedia.com/blog/podcast-meaningful-brands-paul-campillo
In this episode I speak with Dave Woodward The CEO of ClickFunnels and host of the weekly Funnel Hacker Radio Podcast.
In just 6 years, the company went from 0 to 125K Customers, 350 employees and $150 Million in annual revenue, and what it meant for him.
Did we mention they did it with zero funding?
We also went through a variety of topics, including:
- how to instil a company’s culture from a small team to hundreds of employees
- how to build a community with people, not for them
- the work people should prioritise to become more effective leaders
Upraw media: https://uprawmedia.com/
Episode highlights: https://uprawmedia.com/blog/customers-clickfunnels
In this episode we're talking to Lorena Morales, VP of marketing at Go Nimbly.
Get ready for a wild ride through the lessons of becoming a marketing leader: from moving to the US as an immigrant student to the often-overlooked importance of self-awareness and its impact on building a happy team.
Other topics we dive into:
- the role of speed and adaptability in marketing
- how to measure branding ( if you think you can't, give this episode a listen!)
- why sleep is on her one on one meeting checklist
Upraw media: https://uprawmedia.com/
Episode highlights: https://uprawmedia.com/blog/lead-go-nimbly
As a startup CEO, where do you spend most of your time as the company grows?
Common answer: in meetings;
Ideal answer: prioritising your customer base more
Chris Ronzio, CEO and founder of Trainual walks us through the lessons and key decisions that took the company from 0 to 5 Million ARR in just two and a half years.
By our standards, that's pretty impressive.
We also cover:
- how to approach unit economics as a SaaS startup
- the simple practice that helps him answer all the common messages he gets on his channels
- how to use customer feedback to drive your business
Links >>
Upraw media: https://uprawmedia.com/
Episode highlights: https://uprawmedia.com/blog/customers-trainual
How often should you follow your gut feeling? 🤔
Xenia Muntean, CEO and Co-founder of Planable shares her thoughts on this in the latest episode of the Masters of SaaS podcast. She also reveals how you can align your gut feeling with decisions about people, culture and your product.
Here's what else you'll get to hear:
- how to build and maintain a great company culture
- why every job candidate for Planable has to add five questions to their job application
- how to manage multiple feature requests from customers and stakeholder
Links >>
Upraw media: https://uprawmedia.com/
Episode highlights: https://uprawmedia.com/blog/work-culture-planable
What is a piece of bad advice that you've heard and is usually disguised as useful?
Our next guest Mike Korba, CMO at User.com has an answer that's definitely worth hearing – especially if you're working in a startup.
In this episode we discuss:
- how industry-specific investment can be a superpower
- how it changes your company's approach to growth
- the full story behind the company's great domain name – It took one year of negotiation that started at 400k. Yes, you read that right.
Links >>
Upraw media: https://uprawmedia.com/
Episode highlights: https://uprawmedia.com/blog/scaling-user-com
Be honest: how many times have you worked on a content piece that you thought was great, sunk hours into it, only to get zero engagement on it?
Tim Soulo, CMO at Ahrefs and our next guest is convinced that it's because you're not saying anything new. He learned that after asking Rand Fishkin, co-founder and CEO of SparkToro for a tweet to share his work.
Rand's feedback was incredibly insightful and ended up being more than just a fail story!
We cover all this plus:
- How a SaaS company with limited resources should approach SEO
- The framework to select and create content around business potential
- The three variables required to gain links to your content
Links >>
Upraw media: https://uprawmedia.com/
Episode transcript: https://uprawmedia.com/blog/seo-ahrefs
On this first episode, we chat with founder of Convert.com, Dennis van der Heijden about his 10-year journey from securing Silicon Valley funding to leading a fully remote team on trust.
What else we cover:
- why funding can be helpful but also hurtful when you're starting a business
- how to encode autonomy and purpose alignment into your company's DNA
- why his current title is Head of Global Happines
Links >>
Upraw media: https://uprawmedia.com/
Episode transcript: https://uprawmedia.com/blog/trust-convert-com