Ira Ko

🧪 CRO Case Study Episode 54 One A/B test → 930K plus revenue 🚀 Swipe to learn how one A/B test added over $930K to our client's annual revenue. The Results Breakdown: +$77,558 per month +$930,696 per year (forecasted) +$0.58 revenue per session Bookmark this!

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3 years of pricing lessons at Equals condensed into one blog post. Since starting the company, we've tinkered a lot with pricing and packaging. It's one of the single most impactful levers early stage companies can pull. I think folks *don't* experiment with pricing enough, or take big enough bets when they do. We've tried free. We've tried completely sales led. We've tried not listing pricing on the site. Matt Hodges details all the plans we've had, why, and what we've learned in our latest installment on Wrap Text. https://lnkd.in/ecckEDba

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I know we just published our Seed 100 and Seed 40 lists, but I'm already thinking about our next VCs list. Who are the top solo VCs out there right now? Comment 👇🏽 for recommendations.

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A marketing measurement perspective that I don't see represented often is that, for a substantial proportion of advertisers, last-click really is optimal. If a fairly new mobile app with low TAM penetration scales exclusively on Facebook, how much actionable insight is gained by introducing complex measurement machinery? While I'm certainly guilty of advocating it, the viewpoint that more sophisticated measurement infrastructure is always better strikes me as overly generalized. In certain contexts, orchestrating experiments or building, tuning, and deploying probabilistic models probably won't meaningfully impact advertising efficiency. And in those specific (again: not all!) contexts, with limited data and a homogenous (possibly, single-channel) channel mix, reducing interpretability and overhead might do more harm than good. Creating complexity where last-click may perform just as well as an ensemble of methodologies doesn't actually optimize the bias/variance tradeoff -- it may not reduce bias sufficiently to compensate for a large increase in variance.

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Turn one event into 2.8+ million impressions? New case study w/ Vin Matano 🐝 and Demandbase out now! - Follow our DICE framework to maximize your event ROI so you don’t have to roll the dice with in-person content. D-esign I-deate C-apture E-dit - DESIGN your event content plan before the event. Factor the RSVP list, influencer partners, and key marketing messaging before the start time. This will inform the topic selection and shot planning during the event. The more homework you do upfront, the easier it is to hit a home run at the event. IDEATE on content topics and thoroughly prepare. Be intentional and formulate a concrete shooting plan. This can include video topics, storyboarding, branding, and questions for the participants. You want to focus primarily on execution during the event, so it’s key to get the preparation in order. CAPTURE your event in a versatile manner. Now that you have your content plan, you can focus on 1) DOCUMENTING the event and 2) CREATING original content at the event. You want a fair balance of both so you can produce versatile videos (short form, interviews, hype video, recap, long form) with original b-roll. EDIT your raw assets into usable content. Think carefully about how you want to distribute the content. Fast-paced short form is great for organic social while more cinematic shots can serve as promotional reel for future events and sponsor activation. DO NOT post anything raw. Create with audience enjoyment top of mind. - Watch the full video for a detailed breakdown. Hosting an event and interested in turning it into a content factory? Hit up EventShark 🦈

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Beware❗ — do NOT make this all too common goal-setting mistake... Brand founders of scaling DTC brands often feel tempted to pivot their goals when they don't seem to be working out. But here's the kicker: they're going about it all wrong. Let me clarify: well-crafted, clearly defined goals are sacred and should not be changed frequently. But do you know what SHOULD be changed frequently? The strategies you implement to achieve those goals! If you find yourself struggling to gain traction on some of your growing brand's goals, don't make any changes to them right away... Instead, get your team together for a brainstorming session on new and creative strategies you can implement to move your goals closer to the finish line. -- Did you find this post helpful? If so, consider resharing it and giving me Jon Blair a follow. #dtcbrands #scaleyourbusiness #founders

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Niche doesn't mean single-product. Data from TideMark's 2024 Vertical & SMB SaaS Benchmark Report backs this up. The sauce for Vertical SaaS is owning a niche and layering new products over time to grow 'share of wallet'... Here’s what I’ve learned from acquiring and operating Micro SaaS: // Product Expansion: - Start with your core offering, but always be mapping out adjacent pain points - Look for low-hanging fruit - features users are cobbling together with spreadsheets or third-party tools - Aim for products that increase switching costs and make your solution "stickier" // Acquisition vs. Development: - Sometimes it's faster to acquire a complementary product than build in-house - Look for small, bootstrapped tools in your vertical that solve adjacent problems - Assess potential acquisitions based on tech stack compatibility and integration ease // Pricing and Packaging: - Bundle strategically - not all products need to be sold separately - Use add-ons to increase ARPA without scaring off smaller customers - Consider usage-based pricing for auxiliary products to lower the barrier to adoption // Sales and Marketing: - Retrain your sales team on solution selling rather than product pitching - Develop clear ideal customer profiles for each product combination - Use your existing customer base as a testbed for new products // Technical Considerations: - Plan for integration from day one - whether building or buying - Prioritize a consistent user experience across products - Consider a modular architecture to facilitate future expansion // Metrics to Watch: - Track product adoption rates within your customer base - Monitor support ticket volume as you add products - Keep a close eye on churn rates for single-product vs. multi-product customers The multi-product approach isn't just about making more money. In smaller verticals, it's often the only path to building a substantial business. It's about creating an ecosystem that comprehensively serves your niche, making it harder for competitors to dislodge you. Depth plus breadth. But don’t diversify for the sake of it — be strategic, based on actual user needs and market dynamics. Follow me if you want to learn more about my journey of acquiring & operating Micro SaaS. For the love of the game 🏴‍☠️ ⚡ #Growth #Product #Strategy #Sales #Marketing

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Is AI going to steal your job? If you’re a dev marketer, probably not. For all the econ nerds out there, it has a lot to do with the Baumol effect. What do I mean by that? At its simplest, marketing isn’t manufacturing. Sure, AI tools that help you write ad copy or even spit out pictures and videos might mean more output with a lot fewer inputs. But here’s the catch: without human touch, those outputs lack quality. As I’ve learned building both ScraperAPI and TLDR, devs in particular really need to feel a sense of trust before they bother with your product. I’ve seen firsthand how hard ads and messaging can flop when there isn’t human emotion or knowledge feeding it from the other side (which is exactly why we hire tech experts to curate our newsletters). Marketing is a lot more like the education and arts sectors in that way — it can’t function well without skilled humans. And the stakes here are only getting higher… Anything that AI can automate is just going to become table stakes. The real value will come from all the things AI CAN’T do, raising the importance of retaining and finding marketers who can really tap into their human side, not just crank on ChatGPT all day. tl;dr: AI is great for automating the tedious tasks, but it will never replace the human touch needed to build trust with the ever-skeptical developer audience.

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Great chatting with Marc Petit and Patrick Cozzi about how to use 3D models across your business to reduce costs and in rease sales as well as the importance of standards for 3D on the web. #3Dmodel #digitaltwin #xr

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🍀 The long-term risks of partnerships come into play when founders need sustained support for growth. Factors like: - agency availability,  - resourcing,   - costs  can become hurdles. Not every agency can handle the "zero to one" phase and the following scaling. Growth demands a partner capable of evolving with your needs, not just delivering short-term fixes.

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Last night, while in town for GAI Insights #GenerativeAIWorld, I co-hosted a dinner with long time friend Dave Balter and True Ventures, gathering top minds in AI, VC, and entrepreneurship in Boston. BrandRank.AI CTO Matt Cox (based in Boston w/our tech team) and investor Bill Hildebolt of gen.video joined us. We dove into how AI is revolutionizing productivity across industries. The consensus? AI literacy is becoming as crucial as digital literacy was a decade ago. Our discussion centered around four key themes: - AI'S IMPACT ON BUSINESS: From automating tasks to enhancing decision-making, AI is transforming how companies operate and compete. - HUMAN-AI COLLABORATION: We explored the potential of AI as a creative partner and decision-making tool, and the implications for various industries. (Perfect timing for CincyAI for Humans (CincyAI) one-year anniversary celebration today.) - THE FUTURE OF WORK: We debated which jobs might be displaced, which new roles will emerge, and how to prepare for an AI-driven workforce. - ETHICAL AI AND BRAND PERCEPTION: Our work at BrandRank.AI is showing how AI can reveal uncomfortable truths about brands, raising questions about transparency and authenticity. (Are LLMs are too smart for BS!) What jumped out in the conversation is that AI isn't just a tool – it's becoming a collaborator, creator, and potential competitor. Are we ready for AI in boardrooms, creative processes, and as the primary interface for brand interactions? The entrepreneurial energy was palpable as we explored opportunities in AI-driven health monitoring and human-AI creative collaboration -- this balanced with ethical considerations and the responsibility we bear as leaders in this space. The future of business is AI-collaborative. Are we prepared to be good partners? This discussion echoed the conference's sentiment, bolstered by outstanding presentation by MIT and HBS faculty: we're in an unprecedented moment of disruption. It's not just a technological shift, but a fundamental reimagining of work, creativity, and interaction. (Amazing conference so far Paul Baier, John Sviokla Liz Vanzura) Great time to be an entrepreneur! And the ultimate test for leadership! Thanks Dave, Gus Coldebella and True team for great and timely conversation. Kelly Cohen Hank Hudepohl Carl Fraik Aftab Pureval Kendra Ramirez Christopher Brock Jon Salisbury Helen Todd (Human) Jon Salisbury Jack Wyant MJ Price 🌱Lauren Morgenstein Schiavone Judy Zitnik Christopher Morse Christy Page Jocile Ehrlich Lee Beech Tracey Cooke Sherrie Kinderdine Adriana Altuve Chetan Parekh Diana Takach Jonathan Carson

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Thrive is a silent killer of a channel. But driving velocity can be tricky. At least until yesterday. Thrive and Instacart have teamed up to provide Thrive Carrot Ads. Now you can drive velocity with a surgeon's scalpal. Oh, and if you're approaching Thrive's Innovation Program. This is your chance to secure a permanent spot on their digital shelf. If you're interested, feel free to DM me or book a call. (No, I cannot get you 𝙞𝙣𝙩𝙤 Thrive. But I can help you stay there.) ——— 🔹 We grow brands on Amazon. 🔹 We increase velocity in Whole Foods, Walmart, Target, Walgreens, CVS, Kroger, Sam's, COSTCO, and lots of other cool retailers. #cpg #cpggrowth #retailgrowth #retailvelocity #omnichannel #retail #amazonagency #retailmedia #shoppermarketing #instacart #thrive #thrivemarket #carrotads

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Special feature post in The GTM Newsletter today: Kyle Poyar broke down 10 “PLG plays” that every company should implement - even if they’re *NOT PLG*. Kyle consistently shares exceptional content around PLG, growth and pricing. It was a ton of fun collaborating and seeing his breakdown. The first point is an interactive demo on the website. The fourth point is to leverage product data to drive customer outcomes. This fourth point I found particularly interesting. The CRM is the "source of truth" for go-to-market teams, but often lacks product analytics to provide customer behavior understanding from in-product activities without human or sales rep involvement. But in reality, even non-PLG companies can use this data to assess customer health and tailor sales conversations. I'll drop the link to the details on these 10, including examples and screenshots 👇 -- The GTM Newsletter is a weekly newsletter by GTMfund's media brand, GTMnow, that goes out to over 50k revenue leaders who are scaling their companies and careers. If you aren't already subscribed, you can do so through the Substack post in the comments.

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The more startups I work with, the more I believe having a distribution advantage from the early days matters. If you build it, they will not always come. If you build it AND market it, they will. We're hosting a GTM Summit at Pear VC in early Sept focused on how to build your GTM from zero to 1. If you're a founder working on this stage, I'd love to see you there. We have a great lineup of speakers (including some of my favorite GTM experts like Armando, Rosie, and Alexa) that will share their hard earned lessons and mistakes in scaling GTM. RSVP link in the comments.

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💡 What’s the best tech stack for my consumer brand? I get this question a lot, especially as we head into BFCM prep and code freezes. 📅 Whether you’re getting organized or just curious about the tech behind your favorite DTC brands, we’ve got you covered. At HSR, we’ve done the heavy lifting and identified the must-have components for an early-stage tech stack that every founder should know before the most critical quarter of the year. 📈 Ready to power up your business for Q4 and unlock the secret tools? 🚀 👇 Dive in here: https://lnkd.in/ga6BQQXS #DTC #TechStack #BFCM #BusinessGrowth #Scalability #Entrepreneurship #ConsumerBrand

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20 minute video now live on the exact things you need to get right before heading into Q4 and BFCM. Breakdown everything you need: ✅ Offer: How to know if you're profitable ✅ Creatives: What will most likely work / not work ✅ LPs + Attribution Windows to run

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Are you a founder or CEO prepping for fundraising? Or a GTM pro who works for one? You’ll want to check out our new interactive fundraising deck and executive summary templates. While AssetMule was designed to help GTM teams better engage prospects with interactive sales assets, we’ve started to see an influx of founders signing up to build their fundraising assets. And it makes total sense. Just like buyers, investors are overwhelmed with the amount of pitches coming their way and are harder to reach than ever before. Founders need new ways to rise above the noise and earn their attention. And that’s exactly what AssetMule is designed to do. Not only will these templates help you pull your core fundraising assets together in a fraction of the time and with less effort, but they’ll help you engage investors in a more meaningful way and book more pitch meetings. Check out the demo below and sign up for AssetMule to get started for free.

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In 2024 I did AMAs with 14 of the top CMOs and CROs. Here's some of their top tips, tactics, and advice as you go into 2025. But first, let's meet our experts! -Sterling Snow - Former CRO of Divvy from BILL, scaled from inception to a $2.5 billion exit in just four years -Jon Miller - Former CMO of Demandbase, co-founder of Adobe Marketo and Engagio -Carol Meyers - Former CMO of Rapid7, drove 10x revenue growth over eight years and led four successful IPOs -Udi Ledergor 🏳‍🌈 - Chief Evangelist and former CMO at Gong, grew marketing from 0 to hundreds of millions in revenue -Tricia Gellman - CMO Box, former CMO Drift, a Salesloft company, Checkr, Inc. -Jason Grunberg - CMO of Bluecore, previous marketing leadership roles at Marigold and Oracle -Puja Rios - COO at Kevel, former CRO of Frame.io, scaled the company from $19m to over $100m ARR in 2.4 years -Alex Rosemblat - Former CMO of Datadog, scaled marketing from Series A through post-IPO hyper-growth -Lauren Vaccarello - Former CMO of Salesloft, previous executive marketing roles at Salesforce, AdRoll, and Box -Grigoriy (Greg) Kogan - VP Marketing & Growth at Pinecone, engineer turned marketer who coined the term “vector database” -Jessica Gilmartin - CMO of Calendly, previously CMO of Honor and Lighthouse AI -Bernd Leger - CMO of Cornerstone OnDemand, over two decades of B2B marketing experience -Andrea Kayal - CRO Help Scout, Dean of Pavilion CMO School, former CMO of Electric, Upserv, and Signpost -Amandine Servain - VP of Marketing at Wunderkind, previous executive roles at Experian and Cheetah Digital They had TONS of advice but here are some of my favorites: “WABL - Would Anything Be Lost? When reviewing marketing materials, ask yourself: if we removed this, would anything of value be lost?" - Greg Kogan “Hold every function accountable for one stage later in the sales funnel than they have direct control over. Eg Marketing should not only be responsible for demand gen, but also closed-won business.” - Sterling Snow "Always find a way to make your number and keep moving the goalposts every quarter" - Alex Rosemblat "People buy from people they trust. Period end of story. Our largest deals got over the line because of the humans and trust they built." - Puja Rios "Revenue is a lagging indicator, leading indicators such as New MRR, New ARR, and net expansion are more valuable insights." - Andrea Kayal “Creating a new category is expensive and risky. 70%+ of publicly traded software companies reinvent existing categories for a reason.” - Udi Ledergor  "Focus on the 80% of your monetizable user base when creating website experiences and onboarding." - Jessica Gilmartin "Institutionalize intelligence across teams to ensure insights from account research are effectively communicated." - Jason Grunberg “Conduct quarterly surveys to identify pain points and potential solutions [including tools] within your team.” - Amandine Servain Full post here! http://bit.ly/4h4BDwf

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Product-led growth is a lot of fun... until it isn't. When you're getting 100s of signups a month, it's really easy to ignore churn—you know it's there, but it's not *the* big problem (yet). You should be optimizing for acquisition as a growth-stage startup. At the same time, you can't afford to keep churn on the back burner for too long... I see it happen all the time. Founders wait until churn becomes a thorn in their side to take it seriously. They wake up one morning and find their startup at the following inflection point: > Revenue lost from canceling customers is *COMPLETELY* offsetting revenue gained from incoming customers < Even scarier, they don't even know the main drivers of churn. Since they acquire customers in a hands-off manner, they never learned the finer details about *real* customer needs, pain points, and how their product is failing to address them. Suddenly, runaway growth has turned into runaway churn... You've now got a big problem on your hands—one that'll require significant investment, a company-wide effort, and months (if not years) to get under control. But there's one thing you can do today to start reducing churn in a meaningful way: you can implement a customer offboarding flow. Customer offboarding done right will help your business in two key areas: 1️⃣ You'll begin to understand WHY customers aren't renewing - Is your pricing out of whack? - Is marketing attracting the wrong buyers? - Has a new, lower-cost competitor emerged? - Is there a lack of functionality in the product? - Is there a season where more customers tend to churn? 2️⃣ Then you can take that data, run effective win-back campaigns with it, and begin reducing churn "I left because of price" → 30% off for 3 months "Temporary cancellation" → 90-day account pause "Lacking feature 'X'" → reach out when gap is filled Done right, you can cut active churn by up to 40%. Better yet: what you don't save, you'll learn from—enabling you to make better product, pricing, and re-marketing decisions. Although this is far from being "silver-bullet" churn solution, it's a quick win that drives long-term value. Curious to see what this looks like in practice? Drop a comment (or leave me a DM) and I'd be happy to show you :)

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