Episode 14: Copy Hacking for Conversions w/Joanna Wiebe

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In Episode 14, Joanna Weibe (founder of CopyHackers) sets us all straight on what copy hacking (writing conversion copy for the web) is all about, and how it can help your startup.  We cover Joannas foundational years as a copywriter, then move on to what she’s learned about copy writing on the web. 

Copy Hacking Talking Points

  • Why everything you learned about writing in high school & college is wrong
  • What makes web copy/conversion copy unique
  • Why the best person to do your copy hacking is you
  • Why getting & keeping consistent web traffic is hard
  • Why news stories about huge traffic spikes are garbage

and a bunch of other topics that are near to my heart as an aspiring bootstrapper.

@copyhackers – Joanna Weibe on Twitter
CopyHackers – where startups learn to convert like mofos
Intuit
Lance Jones – Joannas husband, co-founder of Copyhackers
Hacker News
Page99Test
Unbounce
Swipe file – A swipe file is a collection of tested and proven advertising and sales letters. Keeping a swipe file (templates) is a common practice used by advertising copywriters and creative directors as a ready reference of ideas for projects.
Drip campaign – Drip marketing is a communication strategy that sends, or “drips,” a pre-written set of messages to customers or prospects over time.
Squeeze page – A squeeze page is a landing page created to solicit opt-in email addresses from prospective subscribers.
Portent – headline-generator
SmallSpec – Christopher’s startup; painless functional specifications

Plus Joanna did a Tuesday Tear-Down of my SmallSpec page.

To start the episode, I ranted like a crazy person about my soul-crushing winter, and revealed the extreme action I recently took regarding my product SmallSpec.  I now regret taking such extreme action, but don’t see any way I could have avoided it.

As a 10-year copywriter and 5-year CRO pro responsible for selling 30,000 eBooks and helping 100s of startups with blog posts that have reached an audience of 100,000+, Joanna is in a unique position to help startups with their copy hacking.

We trace her journey from having a day job writing web copy all the way to her present work with startups. The interview covers the whys and hows of why copy hacking is not as accessible a skill as it may appear.  Joanna tells us how to make it more accessible, and what to do to maintain your momentum.

The ethos of “do the work, then do the work again” applies heavily to copy hacking and web marketing in general. Joanna makes it clear that diligence is rewarded over the long-term when writing web copy.  We also talk about some of the common mistakes that beginning copy hackers make when it comes to their new app, site or landing page.

To finish it all off, Joanna shares her three concrete action items for aspiring copy hackers to get started with writing conversion copy.

Comments & feedback are welcome via Twitter or e-mail.

 

 

Episode 7: Commit to Launching Product w/Ian Landsman

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What are you prepared to do?  That’s the question Ian Landsman poses in Episode 7 as we talk about launching product.  Ian takes us from his start in retail all the way through learning to code and eventually launching product of his own.

Bootstrapped Product Talking Points

  • trial and error in the service of selecting a product,
  • pros, cons and opportunities of launching Saas apps vs on-premise apps,
  • why podcasting in 2013 is like blogging in 2004,
  • the role of youth & confidence vs age & wisdom when launching product,
  • the importance of community

We also talk a bit about the red ocean/blue ocean strategy, which was also addressed in Episode 6.  Ian is a big proponent of the “red ocean” strategy, and he tell us why.  He also addresses how the world of launching product has changed in the past 10 years; more tools, communities, and information are available to aspiring bootstrappers now than ever before.  We also take a detour into Curmudgeon-ville and talk about what it’s like to launch as an older-than-college-age entrepreneur.

We finish the show with three actionable bullet points for launching product.  As a 10-year veteran of running a successful bootstrapped business, Ian has been there and done that.  Stick around for the entire episode to see what three things are so important to launching product, Ian thinks you should do them right now.

 

UserScape – Ian’s company
HelpSpot – Ian’s 1st product; Help Desk Software for Email/Web Customer Service
Snappy – Ian’s latest product; Customer Service, Simplified
Bootstrapped.fm – Andrey’s bootstrapped product podcast

Joel on Software Forums – where an entire generation of bootstrappers got their start
Office Depot
EngineHosting
ZenDesk
Laravel – the elegant PHP framework for web artisans
Red Ocean strategy vs Blue Ocean strategy
SmallSpec – painless functional specifications; join the launch list

Episode 6: Acquiring a Software Product w/Carl Diesing

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In episode 6, Carl Diesing shares the story of how his consulting firm went about acquiring a software product (Saas app).  We talk about running a consultancy while building or buying a product, and the appeal of diversifying out of pure consulting.  Carl walks us through the process of acquiring a software productand tells us what he had to pay attention to for it to work.

Bootstrapped Product Talking Points

  • why acquiring an existing product makes sense,
  • what to do first after the acquisition,
  • when to worry about ambitious consulting employees,
  • the importance of making your product good before you promote it,
  • how to keep your consulting practice running smoothly

Acquiring a software product seems strange to many founders, but Carl thinks it really can be a great way to get right into the market. If you’re already running a consultancy and can’t devote too many resources to developing your own, an acquisition can be a huge leap toward having something to sell.  We also talk about general consulting topics, and how to make sure your consultancy is in good enough shape to diversify into products.

We finish the show with Carl’s three bullet points for bootstrappers.  Whether you’re looking to acquire a software product or develop your own, you’ll find Carl’s advice helpful.  Are you looking to keep doing consulting or freelancing work?  Are you planning to just expand your efforts into product without leaving client work?  This episode will show you what that looks like.

DNL Omnimedia – Carl’s consulting company
Expens’d – Simplified expense tracking online

Ruby on Rails – Web application framework optimized for sustainable programming productivity
Ian Landsman – founder of Helpspot and Snappy
Andrey Butov – founder of Uberdeck
Bootstrapped.fm – Andrey and Ian’s podcast
Patrick McKenzie – founder of Bingo Card Creator
Brennan Dunn – founder of Planscope
Rob Walling – founder of Drip
Flippa – The #1 Marketplace for Buying and Selling Websites
Red Ocean strategy vs Blue Ocean strategy
SmallSpec – painless functional specifications; join the launch list

Episode 2: Delegating Your Bootstrapped Product Efforts w/Ruben Gamez

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Ruben Gamez of Bidsketch joins me on this second episode.  We discuss his journey from freelancer to day job and on to product. We learn what Ruben did right from the very start.  We also learn what practices he’s developed over time.  There’s also some frank talk about the importance of delegating.

Bootstrapped Product Talking Points

  • giving yourself time to develop your domain expertise, be it design or development
  • what it takes to become good at delegating and outsourcing, and what you gain from it
  • respecting your own value, and asking for the money
  • the most important thing Ruben gained after acquiring a competitor
  • how to pick the right writers for your content marketing efforts
  • why “marketing first” was the right approach for Bidsketch

And more, including how Ruben would do pricing differently, and why he avoided letting his personal identity get too deeply imprinted as the public face of his company (here’s a hint: can your business stand on its own if you’re not there?).  

The theme of letting go & delegating comes up throughout this episode.  It’s a practice that benefits Bidsketch as a bootstrapped product startup, and Ruben clearly feels strongly about it.

Bidsketch – Ruben’s bootstrapped product; create professional client proposals in minutes
The Business of SoftwareEric Sink‘s book that inspired an entire generation of bootstrappers
Patrick McKenzie – author of many fantastic and educational marketing blog posts over at Kalzumeus
Peldi’s blog – founder of Balsamiq, all-around nice guy and fantastic marketer

Episode 1: From Freelancer to Bootstrapped Product Launch w/Rob Walling

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I’m so grateful to announce that the first episode of Chasing Product is now live.

In this episode, Rob Walling shares what he’s learned while making the transition from freelancing to launching bootstrapped products. We spend a bit of time talking about the mental game of a bootstrapper, then move on to marketing for engineers.

Bootstrapped Product Talking Points

  • Rob’s take on how long it took for him to “own” his bootstrapper-ship,
  • finding people to support & understand your endeavors,
  • coming to understand marketing from an engineering background,
  • why your freelancer marketing skills probably aren’t good enough even if you have some,

and more, including the story of how Rob acquired (not built!) HitTail (a must for any aspiring bootstrapper who considers buying a bootstrapped product instead of building one) and what’s going on with his latest bootstrapped product, GetDrip.

We finish off with concrete, can-do action items for your own bootstrapped product launch. Would you like to walk away from this podcast with nuts-and-bolts actions you can take to move yourself closer to being able to validate or launch a bootstrapped product? Then hold on all the way through to the end, you’ll definitely learn something.

Proper show notes will be up later.

  • Cogeian.com – my consulting firm
  • SmallSpec.com – my bootstrapped product. Painless functional specs in minutes, guaranteed.
  • SoftwareByRob.com – Rob Walling’s bootstrapped product blog
  • StartupsForTheRestOfUs.com – Rob Walling’s bootstrapped product podcast
  • GetDrip.com – Rob Walling’s current bootstrapped product. Use email to convert more visitors to customers.
  • HitTail.com – Rob Walling’s other current bootstrapped product. Guaranteed to increase your organic search traffic.

Getting this first episode out the door has been a lot of work, and I’m thankful to every guest who agreed to come on & record a show. Look forward to more great guests with more wisdom about releasing a bootstrapped product in the coming weeks.