1️⃣ The Weekly Play
Your Best Marketing Asset Costs $0 (Most Startups Ignore It)
It’s customer stories, your secret weapon. Most startups chase expensive ads instead. Big mistake.
Here's why customer stories work:
They prove you're credible when you don't have a big brand name yet.
They show concrete examples of how your product works in the real world.
They help existing customers see the value they're getting (hello, upsells).
How do you go about writing an amazing story? 5 steps:
Dig into the pain your customer faced.
Explain the cost of doing nothing.
Detail exactly how you solved it.
Share precise results with real numbers.
Include quotes and real names with photos.
Where to use them: Your website, blog posts, sales presentations, email signatures, and social media. Ask happy customers to share them too.
Stop spending money on ads that prospects ignore. Start collecting stories from customers who love what you've built.
2️⃣ This Week in Growth
Why 90% of Users Never Reach Their “Aha Moment”
Many SaaS companies lose users before they experience real value. The problem? Poor onboarding that never gets people to their “Aha moment.”
Gizem from ProductLed breaks down the difference between an Aha moment and activation:
Aha moment. When users emotionally realize your product will be valuable.
Activation. When they actually experience that value firsthand.
Companies like HubSpot and Pipedrive nail this by showing users exactly what success looks like before they even sign up.
See Gizem's complete framework for creating Aha moments that stick.
3️⃣ Owned Intel
3 Headlines You Shouldn’t Miss
1. Why X Subscriptions Generate More Revenue Than Creator Revenue Sharing. Linda Hwang shares her honest X monetization journey.
2. Ahrefs Launches Tracker Comparing ChatGPT & Google Referral Traffic. Now you can track AI search as a measurable channel.
3. AI Systems Often Prefer AI-Written Content, Study Finds. AI-assisted content could dominate product discovery as recommendations shift to AI systems
4️⃣ The Scroll Stopper
Why You Don’t Need a CRO at $5M ARR (Despite What Everyone Says)
Jason Lemkin from SaaStr just answered a question many scaling founders ask: “Should I hire a CRO at $5M ARR?”
His answer: No. You need a VP of Sales, not a CRO.
5️⃣ In the Loop
You’re Giving Away Lead Magnets Wrong (Here’s the Fix)
This TikTok creator just shared why most founders lose leads after they download freebies. His fix is simple but brilliant. Watch it now:
@saas_academy This one change to your funnel can give you a double digit boost in demos booked 💰 It’s one of those “obvious in hindsight” efficiency gai... See more
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