The Growth Podcast

Latest Episodes:

Onboarding Done Right: A Masterclass with Ramli John, Author of Product-Led Onboarding Dec 14, 2024

Show notes

In this episode, Ramli John dives deep into the biggest onboarding mistakes teams make and shares proven strategies to optimize the process — personalization, behavior-driven emails, outreach, and identifying key upgrade moments for monetization.

If you want to reduce churn, improve retention, and create onboarding experiences that turn users into loyal fans, this episode is for you.

Agenda:

What Everyone Gets Wrong About Onboarding — 00:00:27

The Onboarding Lessons from CrossFit — 00:03:34

Is This the Best Onboarding Technique You Haven’t Tried Yet? — 00:08:18

What Makes Duolingo’s Onboarding So Addictive? — 00:10:39

Why Most Onboarding Problems Are Really Messaging Issues — 00:23:01

The Best Onboarding Emails That Actually Work — 00:33:10

Outreach Done Right: The Art of Engaging Free Users — 00:38:05

How Onboarding Can Be a Secret Monetization Weapon — 00:41:17

Laid Off? Here’s the Job Advice You Need Now — 00:57:37

The Biggest PLG Motion Mistakes Companies Keep Making — 01:02:47

A Framework to Turn Free Users into Paying Customers — 01:08:28

Great Marketing: Why It Should Attract AND Repel — 01:15:43

Head of Growth Role: Should You Take It or Run? — 01:19:56

Brainstorming That Actually Gets Results — 01:28:04

AI Tools to Increase Your Productivity — 01:31:52

From 9-to-5 to Solopreneur — 01:35:55

How to Sell Thousands of Copies — 01:43:58

Books, Newsletters, and Resources — 01:47:01

Brought to you by:

Zeda.io: Discovery platform to turn your VoC into product insights

Statsig: The complete platform for Product Growth

SectaLabs: Professional headshots from regular selfies

Where to find Ramli:

Twitter

Book

Website

To advertise in the podcast, email productgrowthppp at gmail dot com.

We have some great podcasts coming from Ben Williams, Maria Chec, and Mona Gandhi. I’m so excited to share them with all of you.

This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.news.aakashg.com/subscribe

How to Succeed as a Head of Growth, with Andrew Capland, 2x Head of Growth at Wistia, Postscript Dec 11, 2024

Show notes

Andrew Capland reveals the truth behind short tenures, the realities of building successful growth teams and the playbook for sustainable success.

This episode covers the secrets ofmonetization, frameworks behind data-driven growth models, creating personalised onboarding flows that drive retention, and how to succeed as a growth leader.

Agenda:

Why do growth leaders have such short tenures? - 00:00:26

What’s the real taxonomy of growth roles? - 00:07:33

Common growth role pitfalls and how to avoid them - 00:10:45

Imposter syndrome and how to overcome it - 00:19:35

Why Growth is the fastest-growing function - 00:25:59

Structuring and scaling a winning growth team - 00:32:15

Why documenting how your growth team works can transform your outcomes - 00:38:20

Flexibility vs. focus: The big debate in growth teams - 00:42:17

Mastering the art of creating actionable growth models - 00:47:21

Power and pain of pricing strategies - 00:53:54

Turning anti-conversions into wins - 01:03:24

The framework for optimizing growth managers performance - 01:08:49

When growth teams outgrow themselves and merge back into core teams - 01:15:57

Actionable tips to stand out and land interviews in growth roles - 01:26:55

Career lessons for succeeding and staying ahead in growth roles - 01:30:53

Watch out for these red flags that sabotage growth careers - 01:33:30

What makes the ideal head of growth? - 01:38:37

Proven questions to identify standout talent for growth teams - 01:45:31

Key lessons from product failures and growth missteps - 01:47:39

Brought to you by:

June.so: Customer analytics for product focused teams

Dovetail: The Fastest Way to Understand Your Customer

Where to find Tibo:

Newsletter

Podcast

YouTube

To advertise in the podcast, email productgrowthppp at gmail dot com.

We have some great podcasts coming from Ramli John, Ben Williams, and Maria Chec. I’m so excited to share them with all of you.

This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.news.aakashg.com/subscribe

How to Get a Product Leadership Job, with Collin Lernell, 3x Sr. Dir of Product (Udacity, Noom, Patreon) Dec 07, 2024

Show notes

In today’s episode, Colin Lernell, Senior Product Director (Patreon, Noom, Udacity) unveils the secrets of the hidden job marketfor product leaders, revealing how to create a "market of one" positioning, build a reputation that opens doors, and leverage networking to land unlisted roles.

He also shares actionable advice on optimizing LinkedIn profiles, crafting impactful outreach, and navigating the realities of pre-IPO versus Big Tech opportunities.

Agenda:

What People Get Wrong About Product Leadership Job Searches — 00:00:47

How to Conduct a Reputation-Based Job Search — 00:01:25

Misconceptions About Reputation — 00:07:41

Balancing Content Creation with Your Job Responsibilities — 00:09:56

The Most Effective Channel for Job Searches — 00:13:16

Understanding Candidate-Market Fit — 00:16:51

How to Get in Front of Top Recruiters — 00:21:40

Optimizing Your LinkedIn Profile — 00:30:58

The Psychology of Interviewee — 00:39:29

Should You Accept a Downgraded Role? — 00:47:27

The Reality of Taking Equity as a Product Leadership Candidate — 00:57:27

The Current Interview Process for Product Leaders — 01:03:18

Four to Five Interviews but No Offers—What’s Going Wrong? — 01:11:56

If You’re in a Full-Time Job Search, Listen to This — 01:20:58

Should You Write 'Laid Off' on Your Resume? — 01:23:46

Negotiation 101 — 01:27:55

Should You Ask for More During Negotiations? — 01:43:17

Negotiating a $1.2 Million Offer to $1.5 Million — 01:50:58

What’s a Reasonable Amount to Negotiate? — 01:58:29

Why You Should Continue Job Searching Even After Accepting an Offer — 02:06:37

Brought to you by:

Zeda.io: Discovery platform to turn your VoC into product insights

Statsig: The complete platform for Product Growth

SectaLabs: Professional headshots from regular selfies

Where to find Colin:

Twitter

Newsletter

Coaching

To advertise in the podcast, email productgrowthppp at gmail dot com.

We have some great podcasts coming from Andrew Capland, Ramli John, and Ben Williams. I’m so excited to share them with all of you.

This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.news.aakashg.com/subscribe

Mastering Product Strategy With Melissa Perri, Author of Escaping the Build Trap Dec 03, 2024

Show notes

In today’s episode, Melissa pulls back the curtain on what product strategy really is (and isn’t), how to scale high-performing teams without losing focus, and the biggest mistakes PMs make when balancing user needs and business goals.

This is a masterclass for PMs at every stage who want to excel at rethinking roadmaps, avoiding execution traps, and building products that drive measurable outcomes — not just features.

Agenda:

Are You Stuck in the "Build Trap"? Here’s What It Means — 00:00:14

Founder Mode: Why It’s a Double-Edged Sword — 00:07:58

The Science Behind Crafting a Winning Strategy — 00:13:17

Company vs. Product Strategy: What Most PMs Get Wrong — 00:21:34

What Really Defines Product Strategy? — 00:29:34

The 5 Layers of Strategy Every PM Must Master — 00:33:18

Empowering Teams: The Secret to Unlocking Their Full Potential — 00:39:26

From Tactical to Strategic: A Roadmap for Junior PMs — 00:48:11

How to Create Game-Changing Initiative Lists as a PM — 01:02:41

Why PMs Are Losing Their Seats at the Figma Table — 01:09:36

Prioritization Perfected: Mastering the Cost of Delay Concept — 01:18:29

The Untold Truths About Product Operations — 01:23:22

Scaling Up? Beware of These Common Team Mistakes — 01:32:15

“Product Kata”: The Iterative Framework That Drives Success — 01:35:59

Keeping Up With the Rapid Evolution of Product Management — 01:43:41

How to Land Your Dream PM Job: Proven Advice That Works — 01:52:23

Behind the Curtain: A Business Breakdown You Need to Hear — 02:02:59

Brought to you by:

Enterpret: Transform customer feedback into product growth with custom AI

Anvil : The fastest way to build software for automating documents

Dovetail: The Fastest Way to Understand Your Customer

Where to find Melissa:

Online training & course

Website

To advertise in the podcast, email productgrowthppp at gmail dot com.

We have some great podcasts coming from Colin Lernell, Andrew Capland, and Ramli John. I’m so excited to share them with all of you.

This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.news.aakashg.com/subscribe

How Tibo Sold over $10M in SaaS Products by Breaking All the Rules of Traditional Product Building Nov 29, 2024

Show notes

As I’ve often said, PMs and aspiring PMs can learn a lot from the scrappy, relentless mindset of solopreneurs and indie hackers. Today’s episode is a masterclass in just that.

In this podcast, he pulls back the curtain on rapid product validation, the perils of building on third-party platforms, leveraging AI to slash development costs, and why distribution — not just the product itself —is the ultimate key to success.

Agenda:

His initial journey and reflections — 00:00:41

Story behind shipping 11 products before mega hits — 00:13:25

Giving away 25% equity to a Twitter influencer — 00:18:58

The “hows” and “whys” of partnerships — 00:23:02

Getting suspended on LinkedIn — 00:28:14

Becoming Product Hunt Maker of the Year — 00:36:32

Going from paying $0 to paying $42K/mo for Twitter API costs — 00:45:16

Selling TweetHunter and Taplio to Lempire for $8 million — 00:51:44

Should you reduce prices to reduce churn? — 00:58:46

Acquiring new projects (Feather and Revid) — 01:01:01

Story behind getting kicked out of Beehiiv — 01:03:45

Why and how PMs should build with AI — 01:10:33

Building your personal brand a.k.a. distribution — 01:24:32

Why revenue is the best idea validation — 01:26:45

Criteria for deciding which ideas to build — 01:28:18

What do you think about the product manager role? — 01:41:14

Pros and cons of building in public — 01:44:37

Managing time as a product builder — 01:48:49

Brought to you by:

June.so: Customer analytics for product focused teams

Dovetail: The Fastest Way to Understand Your Customer

SectaLabs: Professional headshots from regular selfies

Where to find Tibo:

To advertise in the podcast, email productgrowthppp at gmail dot com.

We have some great podcasts coming with Melissa Perri, Colin Lernell, and Andrew Capland. I’m so excited to share them with all of you.

This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.news.aakashg.com/subscribe

What it means to be Design-Led, with Benjamin Humphrey (Former Growth Designer at Atlassian, CEO at Dovetail) Nov 27, 2024

Show notes

In this episode, Benjamin Humphrey, CEO and founder of Dovetail, takes us inside the methods that have propelled his company to become a $970M platform, trusted by industry giants like Google, Shopify, and Notion.

Benjamin unpacks the philosophy behind design-led growth, emphasizing the power of intuitive, user-centric products and how his team prioritizes pushing features to 100% completion.

In today's episode, we cover:

Why Dovetail Was Built – 00:00:10

The Consumerization of Enterprise Software – 00:02:45

Dovetail’s PLG Philosophy: Building for End Users – 00:05:01

Building Teams That Own Problems – 00:14:30

When Founders Should Hire PMs – 00:18:05

What It Means to Be Design-Led and Product-Led – 00:21:10

Balancing Speed and Quality in Product Development – 00:24:20

Planning with Design Vision Workshops – 00:27:00

Scaling Without Outbound Sales – 00:30:40

The PLG Iceberg Explained – 00:34:05

Driving User Activation – 00:37:50

Turning Users Into Advocates – 00:42:15

Pricing and Packaging as a Growth Lever – 00:46:05

Integrating AI Thoughtfully – 00:50:30

Common AI Feature Design Mistakes – 00:55:10

Refining Features for Impact – 00:59:25

Staying Ahead in the AI Space – 01:03:15

Lessons from Features That Didn’t Work – 01:07:10

Collaborating Between PMs and Designers – 01:12:45

Replacing PRDs with Storytelling – 01:17:30

Figma’s Role in Collaboration – 01:21:20

Productivity Systems of a CEO – 01:25:15

Using AI Tools Like ChatGPT – 01:28:40

Lessons from the Jira Growth Team – 01:34:25

The Future of Product Management – 01:40:10

Advice for Aspiring Founders – 01:43:00

Lightning Round: Favorite Tools and Lessons – 01:45:20

Why Product Quality Always Wins – 01:47:15

Brought to you by:

Zeda.io: Discovery platform to turn your Voice of Customer into product insights

Dovetail: The Fastest Way to Understand Your Customer

SectaLabs:

Where to find Benjamin

Website

To advertise in the podcast, email productgrowthppp at gmail dot com.

We have some great podcasts coming Thibault Louis-Lucas, aMelissa Perri, and Colin Lernell. I’m so excited to share them with all of you.

This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.news.aakashg.com/subscribe

How to Do Product Discovery Right with Pawel Huryn, 175K+ on LinkedIn, Senior PM and Author Nov 21, 2024

Show notes

This episode is a masterclass in modern product management—featuring cutting-edge frameworks, actionable strategies, AI integration, competitive edge tactics, and aligning product goals with overarching business objectives.

In today's episode, we cover:

Junior PM Roles Are Done – 00:02:17

Why Talking to Customers Alone Isn’t Enough – 00:07:44

Balancing Team Empowerment with Team Maturity – 00:10:26

Do We Need a Clear Definition of the Product Trio? – 00:17:49

What’s Wrong with the Famous Double Diamond Framework? – 00:22:18

Fixing the Double Diamond Framework – 00:24:04

The Triple Diamond Framework Explained – 00:27:20

The Three Types of Product Metrics – 00:37:44

How Do Metrics Differ From Teresa Torres’ Product Outcomes? – 00:38:13

How Strategy Differs From a Business Model – 00:44:43

What’s Wrong with Popular Strategy Canvases? – 00:46:57

Why Managing Risks Is the Heart of PM – 00:53:06

The Main Types of Risks in Product Management – 00:54:11

Extending the Opportunity Solution Tree (OST) – 01:00:32

How to Prioritize Ideas Effectively – 01:07:16

Why the ICE Framework Is Practical for Prioritization – 01:10:25

Growing 100K+ Followers on LinkedIn in 12 Months – 01:12:38

How to Start a Post With a Great Hook – 01:14:10

Examples of Bad Hooks and How to Upgrade Them – 01:16:45

The Rules for Crafting a Message That Resonates – 01:19:12

Driving Action With an Effective CTA – 01:21:38

Checklist for Creating a Stellar LinkedIn Post – 01:23:42

Best Systems for Growing a Newsletter – 01:27:08

Managing Content Creation Alongside a Full-Time Job – 01:30:46

Tips for Writing Substack Notes That Perform Well – 01:33:22

Adjusting Copywriting for SEO Success – 01:35:18

Top Use Cases for AI in Product Management – 01:38:07

Should PMs Create Content? – 01:40:32

How to Avoid Burnout as a PM – 01:42:44

Modern PM Practices – 01:45:12

Brought to you by:

June.so: Customer analytics for product focused teams

Sprig: Build products for people not data points

Dovetail: The Fastest Way to Understand Your Customer

Where to find Pawel:

Newsletter

To advertise in the podcast, email productgrowthppp at gmail dot com.

We have some great podcasts coming Benjamin Humphrey, Thibault Louis-Lucas, and Melissa Perri. I’m so excited to share them with all of you.

This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.news.aakashg.com/subscribe

How to Win on TikTok and Medium with Professor Aaron Dinin, 100K+ on each Nov 17, 2024

Show notes

In this episode, we dive into the foundations of social media success with Aaron Dinin, Duke University Faculty in Innovation and Entrepreneurship.

With a PhD in English literature and a background as a tech entrepreneur, Aaron brings a unique lens to the world of social media, challenging the idea that modern content creation is a fleeting trend.

In today's episode, we cover:

Core Technology is Storytelling - 0:00

Getting a Social Media Teaching Position - 1:03

Storytelling as Kingmaker - 4:17

Ad Break: Enterpret - 4:28

Short Form Video Fundamentals - 11:52

Hook, Tension & Conclusion - 13:10

Creating Content with Tension - 14:42

Content Templates & Structures - 16:58

What Makes Videos Go Viral - 18:58

The Power of Multiple Hooks - 21:05

Traffic Leaking Strategy - 23:41

Trend Jumping Explained - 25:16

Why Negative News Works - 29:55

Video Production Workflow - 41:35

Filming in Real Time - 45:20

Editing Process Revealed - 48:30

Ad Break: Work OS - 53:01

Daily Content Creation Tips - 1:12:15

LinkedIn Video Strategy - 1:20:16

Cracking Instagram Growth - 1:24:28

TikTok vs Instagram Algorithm - 1:29:45

Building Medium Following - 1:31:36

Writing Process for Articles - 1:36:40

Using AI for Content - 1:42:15

Ad Break: Anvil - 1:53:25

Being a Character Online - 1:54:32

Character Creation Benefits - 1:59:45

Scaling Beyond Yourself - 2:03:45

Where to Find Aaron - 2:05:07

Brought to you by:

Enterpret: Transform customer feedback into product growth with custom AI

WorkOS: Your App, Enterprise Ready

Anvil - The fastest way to build software for automating documents

Where to find Aaron Dinin

Twitter

Website

To advertise in the podcast, email productgrowthppp at gmail dot com.

We have some great podcasts coming from Pawel Huryn, Benjamin Humphrey, and Thibault Louis-Lucas. I’m so excited to share them with all of you.

This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.news.aakashg.com/subscribe

Stop Using Frameworks: Lessons from Super-Senior IC PM Vineeth Madhusudanan (Microsoft, Meta, Statsig) Nov 13, 2024

Show notes

In this episode, Vineeth dives deep into product management principles that defy frameworks.

With a big tech background leading product teams at Microsoft, Facebook—and now Statsig—he brings some hot takes on how to PM.

In today's episode, we cover:

Vineeth’s Early Days and Career Path – 00:03:20

Navigating Product Management at Microsoft – 00:12:05

Shifting from IC to Manager Roles – 00:18:45

Joining Facebook and Learning Scale – 00:23:10

Early Lessons in Product Thinking – 00:29:40

Product Features vs. Customer Pain Points – 00:36:00

Experimentation: Core to Product Development – 00:42:30

Balancing User Feedback with Innovation – 00:47:55

Frameworks: Helping or Hindering High Performers? – 00:58:10

The Art of Experiment Reviews at StatSig – 01:03:45

Customer-Centric Development: Going Beyond Data – 01:12:20

From Big Tech to Startup Culture – 01:19:55

Adapting Product Strategies to Fit Company Stages – 01:24:30

Hiring and Mentoring Product Managers – 01:29:50

Frameworks Are for Average Performers – 01:37:15

Building Cross-Functional Collaboration – 01:44:00

How AI is Transforming Product Management – 01:50:30

Leadership Insights: Empowering High Performers – 01:55:20

Vineeth’s Advice on Navigating PM Careers – 01:59:00

Final Reflections on Product Innovation – 02:04:10

Brought to you by:

Zeda.io: Discovery platform to turn your Voice of Customer into product insights

Sprig: Build products for people not data points

Anvil - The fastest way to build software for automating documents

Where to find Vineeth Madhusudanan

Statsig

To advertise in the podcast, email productgrowthppp at gmail dot com.

We have some great podcasts coming from Aaron Dinin, Pawel Huryn, and Benjamin Humphrey. I’m so excited to share them with all of you.

This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.news.aakashg.com/subscribe

How ZoomInfo Grows: The Story, Growth Motion, and Product Strategy with CEO and Founder Henry Shuck Nov 10, 2024

Show notes

"If I’d had access to data-driven insights, customer activation secrets, and proven go-to-market tactics that billion-dollar companies use, I’d have scaled my company so fast..."

Well, Christmas came early this year as Henry Schuck —generously—unpacks the exact strategies that have driven ZoomInfo’s exponential growth from a bootstrapped startup to a publicly traded powerhouse!

Henry shares a rare look into the disciplined decisions behind ZoomInfo’s rise, the role of AI in reshaping sales intelligence, and his approach to leading a resilient, future-proof organization. This conversation is packed with tactical insights for anyone aiming to elevate their growth strategy and make a real impact.

In today's episode, we cover:

Founding Story: Funding with Credit Cards – 00:01:15

Finding Product-Market Fit Through Focused Targeting – 00:09:08

Rebranding from DiscoverOrg to ZoomInfo – 00:26:30

Current Business Model: Products, Segments, and GTM Strategies – 00:46:59

Developing ZoomInfo Copilot: Leveraging AI for GTM – 01:02:37

Brought to you by:

June.so: Customer analytics for product focused teams

Sprig: Build products for people not data points

OneSchema: Automate CSV imports directly in your product

Where to find Henry

Twitter