Join Nate Matherson as he sits down with Daryna Kulya for the sixty-sixth episode of the Optimize podcast. Daryna is the co-founder of OpenPhone, a business phone system designed for startups and small businesses. In our episode today, Nate and Daryna explore OpenPhone's unique go-to-market strategy, including the scrappy tactics used to acquire their first 1,000 customers and how they scaled their content marketing and SEO channels. Daryna also shares insights on the importance of building trust with early customers through exceptional support and the role of press and partnerships in scaling OpenPhone. Listen to hear why she emphasizes the value of word-of-mouth marketing and her thoughts on accelerating it. In this week’s deep dive, listen to Daryna share everything you need to know about OpenPhone's journey from a free beta to a paid product and the lessons learned along the way. Daryna gets tactical, sharing her experiences in Facebook groups, subreddits, and leveraging content to drive growth. Rounding out the episode, Daryna and Nate cover topics like investing in brand-building, the challenges of creating engaging video content, and the future growth strategies for OpenPhone.Closing the episode is our popular lightning round of questions!

Learn More About Daryna Kulya

Daryna Kulya is a Co-Founder of OpenPhone, the world's best business phone.

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/darynakulya

Join Nate Matherson as he sits down with Kevin Indig for the sixty-fifth episode of the Optimize podcast. Kevin is an advisor to some of the world’s fastest-growing startups and has defined organic growth strategies for companies like Ramp, Reddit, Bounce, Dropbox, and Hims. Before becoming an advisor, Kevin led SEO and growth at major companies like Shopify, G2, and Atlassian. He also publishes the Growth Memo, a popular newsletter with over 14,000 subscribers, where he shares insights on SEO, growth, and digital marketing. In our episode today, Nate and Kevin dive into the latest on Google’s core updates, including early insights into the August core update. Kevin shares his observations on recoveries related to the Helpful Content Update and discusses the impact of volatility in search results. Listen to hear why he suggests caution when making changes in response to core updates. In this week’s deep dive, Kevin explains everything you need to know about AI overviews in 2024. Kevin gets tactical, sharing insights from his extensive analysis of AI-generated content, including the pros and cons of using AI in SEO strategies. Rounding out the episode, Kevin and Nate cover topics like the rising importance of user-generated content (UGC) sites, the evolving role of backlinks, and the surge of interest in programmatic SEO. Closing the episode is our popular lightning round of questions!

Learn More About Kevin Indig

Kevin is an advisor to some of the world’s fastest-growing startups and has defined Organic Growth strategies for companies like Ramp, Reddit, Bounce, Dropbox, Hims, Nextdoor and Snapchat.

Kevin led SEO and Growth at the world’s leading e-commerce platform Shopify, the #1 marketplace for software G2 and the #1 developer company Atlassian.

Once a week, he sends The Growth Memo to +14,000 subscribers and regularly speaks at conferences around the world.

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kevinindig/

Join Nate Matherson as he sits down with Eli Schwartz for the sixty-fourth episode of the Optimize podcast. Eli is an SEO advisor who has collaborated with major companies like Coinbase, Tinder, and Quora, and is the author of the influential book Product-Led SEO. Eli shares his expertise on the current state of SEO, offering a nuanced view of AI overviews and their potential long-term implications for search results and monetization strategies. He also discusses the seesaw nature of algorithm updates, explaining how unintended consequences often lead to significant shifts in search rankings. Listen to hear why Eli suggests that SEOs shift their focus from top-of-funnel keywords to more valuable mid-funnel and bottom-funnel opportunities, especially as Google's approach evolves. In this week’s deep dive, Eli also explores the complex interplay between Google’s business model and its AI initiatives, shedding light on why Google might be deliberately pulling back on certain AI features. Rounding out the episode, Nate and Eli cover various additional topics, including the potential antitrust actions against Google and what they could mean for the future of search. Closing the episode is our popular lightning round of questions!

Learn More About Eli Schwartz

Eli is the best-selling author of Product Led SEO and a growth advisor and SEO strategic consultant who has helped drive hundreds of millions of dollars in annual revenue for companies like Tinder, Coinbase, WordPress, Faire, Gusto and more!

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/schwartze/

Join Nate Matherson as he sits down with Meg Scarborough for the sixty-third episode of the Optimize podcast. Meg is the CEO and founder of Megawatt, a B2B content marketing agency specializing in technical content for the tech industry. With a deep passion for technology, Meg has built her agency around helping companies in cybersecurity, developer tools, and data infrastructure create content that truly resonates with their technical audiences. In our episode today, Nate and Meg explore how to create impactful content for technical audiences, the challenges in cybersecurity marketing, and how AI is shaking up the SEO landscape. Listen to hear Meg discuss the importance of writing for the people who could be your buyers, focusing on their day-to-day challenges and how your content can make them look like heroes. In this week’s deep dive, Meg shares her approach to creating helpful content that is not just SEO-driven but genuinely useful for technical buyers. Rounding out the episode, she also discusses the evolving role of AI in content creation, especially in the tech space, and how companies can navigate these changes to maintain effective content strategies. Closing the episode is our popular lightning round of questions!

Learn More About Meg Scarborough

Scarborough is the CEO and founder of Megawatt, a B2B content marketing agency specializing in complex and technical niches, such as cybersecurity, IT, DevOps, AI/ML, and data. Meg lives in Boston with her husband, two young kids, two cats, and a dog. In her spare time, she enjoys cycling around the city, cooking elaborate meals, and watercoloring.

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/meganscarborough

Megawatt content: www.megawattcontent.com

Join Nate Matherson as he sits down with Jonny Price for the sixty-second episode of the Optimize podcast. Jonny is the VP of Fundraising at WeFunder, a platform that empowers startup founders to raise capital from their customers and community. With a background in management consulting and experience at Kiva.org, Jonny brings a wealth of knowledge to his role in democratizing angel investing. In our episode today, Nate and Jonny dive into the underreported growth tactic of community rounds, exploring how startups can leverage them to build stronger customer relationships and enhance their go-to-market strategies. Jonny also speaks to the regulatory landscape, expressing insights about SEC rules and the impact of allowing unaccredited investors into startup funding. Listen to hear why he suggests setting an attainable allocation for community rounds to create a positive signal. In this week’s deep dive, listen to Jonny share everything you need to know about conducting community rounds in 2024. Jonny gets tactical, sharing multiple examples of successful community rounds, including companies like Mercury and Beehive, and how they achieved rapid funding success. Rounding out the episode, Jonny and Nate cover topics like the benefits of engaging community investors, potential pitfalls to avoid in fundraising, and innovative marketing strategies used by WeFunder to support startups. Closing the episode is our popular lightning round of questions!

Learn More About Jonny Price

Jonny is the VP of Fundraising at WeFunder, a YC-backed platform that helps startups raise capital from their customers and community, as well as rich people. Before joining WeFunder in 2018, Jonny founded the U.S. lending division at Kiva.org. Jonny originally hails from the UK, but now lives in Nashville with his wife Ali, and their three children.

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jonnyprice/

Join Nate Matherson as he sits down with Matt Lenhard for the sixty-first episode of the Optimize podcast. Matt is the co-founder and CTO of Positional, a company building an all-in-one tool set for content marketing and SEO teams. In our episode today, Nate and Matt explore topics like AI overviews, SEO optimization, and Google's SERP strategy. Matt also speaks to the mechanics of AI overviews, expressing insights from his recent study on their workings. Listen to hear why he suggests using AI overviews as a prompt for content improvement. In this week’s deep dive, listen to Matt share everything you need to know about optimizing for AI overviews in 2024. Matt gets tactical, sharing multiple case studies on how vector similarity impacts the likelihood of being referenced in AI overviews. Rounding out the episode, Matt and Nate cover topics like the correlation between SERP ranking and AI overview inclusion, and the future of backlinks in SEO. Closing the episode is our popular lightning round of questions!

Learn More About Matt Lenhard

Matt Lenhard is the Co-founder and CTO at Positional. Before starting Positional, Matt spent most of the last decade building startups, and content marketing and SEO have always been important customer acquisition channels for his companies.

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/matt-lenhard/

Join Nate Matherson as he sits down with Bennet Johnson for the sixtieth episode of the Optimize podcast. Bennet is the Director of Growth Marketing at Talkiatry, where he drives new patient growth via organic and paid channels. With prior roles at Twitter and The Wall Street Journal, Bennet brings a wealth of experience in growth marketing. Over the past year, Bennet and his team have grown Talkiatry's organic search traffic by over six times, from 30,000 to over 200,000 monthly visitors. In our episode today, Nate and Bennet explore topics like growth marketing strategies, the importance of content quality, and programmatic SEO. Bennet shares insights into scaling content production, highlighting the creation of 200 blog posts and various landing pages within a year. He also discusses the critical role of internal reviews and medical oversight in ensuring content accuracy and quality. Listen to hear why Bennet emphasizes the value of user-centric content and how Talkiatry leverages both editorial and programmatic approaches to enhance its SEO efforts. In this week’s deep dive, Bennet explains the strategic use of data from paid marketing to inform organic search strategies, optimizing for high-intent searches like “psychiatrists near me.” Rounding out the episode, Bennet and Nate cover topics like integrating quizzes for engagement, the interplay between paid and organic marketing channels, and the significance of internal linking. Closing the episode is our popular lightning round of questions!

Learn More About Bennet Johnson:

Bennet Johnson is the Director of Growth Marketing at Talkiatry. He’s responsible for driving new patient growth via Organic and Paid channels. He’s also worked in growth marketing roles at Twitter and the Wall Street Journal.

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bennetjohnson/

Talkiatry: https://www.talkiatry.com/

Join Nate Matherson as he sits down with Turner Novak for the fifty-ninth episode of the Optimize podcast. Turner is the founder of Banana Capital and host of The Peel, one of Nate's favorite podcasts. Turner is an investor known for his insightful and often humorous takes on startups, tech, investing, and the stock market. He has built a significant following on Twitter, where he shares memes and insights. In today's episode, Nate and Turner explore topics like starting a podcast, growth strategies, and social media marketing. He explains how he uses the podcast to meet new people, support portfolio companies, and generate ad revenue. Turner also discusses the importance of creating engaging content and shares tips on making a podcast episode interesting and educational. Listen to hear why he suggests using a podcast for customer conversations and building a strong personal brand. In this week’s deep dive, Turner shares everything you need to know about leveraging social media for podcast distribution and growth. Turner gets tactical, sharing examples of how to create effective thumbnails and titles and use multiple platforms for maximum reach. Rounding out the episode, Turner and Nate cover topics like the challenges of starting a podcast for startups, the importance of founder-led content, and the evolving landscape of social media marketing. Closing the episode is our popular lightning round of questions!

Learn More About Turner Novak:
Turner is the Founder and General Partner of Banana Capital, an early-stage venture capital firm. Turner is also the host of The Peel, a podcast for founders and technologists.

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/turnernovak/
Banana Capital: https://www.bananacapital.vc/
The Peel: https://www.youtube.com/@ThePeelPod