Britt will share how the team partnered with creators across different niches to tell authentic product stories while balancing brand and performance goals. We’ll explore how to measure the impact of creator partnerships beyond vanity metrics, what surprised the team along the way, and which lessons product marketers can apply to their own influencer and creator strategies. For WordPress product businesses looking to build trust, reach new audiences, and tell better product stories, this conversation offers a practical look at what creator marketing can really accomplish.

Rather than relying on generic advice, this conversation is grounded directly in real data from our recent Product Growth Survey. Host Matt Cromwell leads a candid discussion examining the survey’s key takeaways—analyzing how real-world WordPress businesses are navigating pricing, retention, acquisition channels, and strategic pivots, and what those trends reveal about what’s actually moving the needle in today's market.

The conversation goes beyond marketing tactics to explore what product owners can actually control in a changing market. The guests share how retention and upsells are driving growth, why product-led growth and education can create powerful momentum, how meaningful new features and pricing changes can move the needle, and why customer support can become a source of product insight and revenue. They also tackle a bigger question facing WordPress businesses today: as AI makes it easier to build alternatives to traditional plugins, how can product companies become more valuable, differentiated, and resilient?

Jonathan has developed dozens of plugins and learned plenty along the way about finding product ideas, marketing paid plugins, working with partners, and building a sustainable WordPress products business. We’ll also explore how AI and modern tools are changing plugin development and QA, along with the lessons Jonathan wishes he knew when he was just getting started. Whether you’re thinking about launching your first WordPress product or trying to figure out what comes next, this conversation offers a candid look at what it really takes to become a plugin developer and build products people want.

On September 2 at noon Eastern, Imran Siddiq of Web Squadron joins WP Product Talk with co-hosts Matt Cromwell and Zack Katz to share his perspective on product website strategy, drawing from his experience building websites, teaching Elementor, creating WordPress content, and working with agencies and product businesses. We’ll dig into how to showcase features without bloated design, when live sandbox demos make sense, how to structure Free vs. Pro offerings, and why transparency can matter more than flashy marketing. If you sell a WordPress plugin or theme, this is a practical look at how your website can turn more visitors into confident customers.

Using a digital product strategy approach, Brad will explore how product teams can align strategy, design, and development to create solutions that solve real problems and deliver measurable outcomes. Whether you're launching a new WordPress product, planning a major feature, or evaluating your product roadmap, this episode will provide actionable insights to help you build the right thing before you start building anything at all.

Ross shares how AI-guided research helped him completely rethink the indexing architecture behind Search & Filter by borrowing ideas from enterprise search systems and adapting them for WordPress. From there, the conversation expands into an exciting look at what's possible when developers use AI to venture into unfamiliar territory, including speech-to-text systems, custom language models, and other ambitious projects that would have once required years of specialized experience. Instead of asking AI to help us build faster, we should ask how AI can help us build things we never thought we could.

Blake shares lessons from evaluating the acquisition, navigating the critical first year of ownership, and balancing the demands of running both an agency and a product company. The conversation explores how an agency background can provide unique advantages when growing a software product, the challenges of taking over someone else's codebase and customers, and why acquisition may be a faster path to product ownership than building from the ground up. Whether you're an agency owner considering diversification or a product entrepreneur interested in acquisitions, this episode offers practical insights into buying, managing, and scaling an established WordPress plugin business.

After more than a decade at WooCommerce, Rémi set out to build a subscriptions plugin that avoids traditional feature paywalls and annual licensing. In this conversation, he shares the thinking behind Milo's monetization strategy, the tradeoffs of monetizing transactions instead of features, and what WordPress product owners can learn from building sustainable businesses around free software. Whether you're evaluating your own pricing model, considering a freemium approach, or wondering where the paywall should live, this episode offers practical insights into alternative WordPress plugin monetization strategies.

Derek shares how he uses his own analytics tools to measure what actually moves the needle, from improving product features to identifying new growth opportunities. Along the way, he explains how real user data inspired his programmatic SEO strategy, why evidence consistently beats assumptions, and how WordPress product owners can make smarter business decisions by relying on the insights already available in their own websites. Whether you're refining your product roadmap, evaluating marketing efforts, or looking for sustainable ways to grow, this episode offers practical lessons in building with data instead of guesswork.

In this conversation about AI for WordPress Agencies, Vito shares what he's seeing across the industry, from agencies using AI to scale faster than ever before to those losing ground as client expectations evolve. We'll explore whether retainers can survive the AI era, what work remains uniquely human, and how agency leaders can prepare for a future where intelligent agents become part of the team.

Viewer Response

Special thanks to M Asif Rahman, founder of WPDeveloper for this special key takeaways he shared on LinkedIn:

Aurelio shares the journey from startup to seven-figure ARR without outside funding, revealing how customer feedback shaped the product roadmap, why reliability became WP Umbrella's greatest competitive advantage, and what it takes to earn the trust of agencies responsible for managing hundreds of client websites. Whether you're building a WordPress product, running an agency, or growing a SaaS business without investors, this conversation offers practical lessons on shipping quickly, building in public, and creating infrastructure that customers can't live without.

In this discussion on Product Positioning for WordPress Plugins, Alex shares strategies for creating customer "aha" moments, communicating value for innovative products, and guiding prospects from awareness to action. Learn why educational content, compelling use cases, customer stories, and effective demos often outperform feature-focused marketing when introducing WordPress products that solve problems customers haven't yet identified.

If you're focused on sustainable growth, this episode will help you rethink how you approach Customer Retention for WooCommerce and why acquisition alone isn't enough. Gina joins co-hosts Matt Cromwell and Katie Keith to share insights on loyalty, post-purchase experiences, and low-friction strategies that can help WordPress store owners increase customer lifetime value.

Drew also shares the product decisions behind balancing automation, control, reliability, and transparency. This episode offers practical lessons for WordPress product teams, hosting providers, plugin authors, and SaaS platforms looking to introduce AI-powered support responsibly—plus what surprised the team and what they’d do differently next time.

Bryce shares what he’s seeing across thousands of stores, where AI is already making an impact, and where the hype still outweighs reality. Whether you're building eCommerce products, running an online store, or supporting clients, this conversation offers practical insights into how AI is shaping the future of eCommerce and what to pay attention to next.

In this episode, Andy Peatling joins us to explore a new approach to building with AI using Miles, an AI Design Partner for WordPress. Miles acts as your AI design partner, helping you create a fully custom block-based design in minutes, then refine it collaboratively. No templates, no page builders, and no shortcuts—just fast, flexible design powered by conversation.

We dive into what vibe-coding really means for WordPress builders, how AI is changing the design workflow, and what this could mean for agencies, freelancers, and product teams. If you’re curious about the future of AI-assisted WordPress development, this conversation offers a practical look at what’s possible right now.

Live on Wednesday, May 6 at 12pm Eastern, Josh teams up with co-hosts Katie Keith and Zack Katz to share real-world insights on how AI startups ship products faster, validate ideas quickly, and build stronger customer relationships. If you're building WordPress AI products or exploring AI startup strategies, this conversation will give you practical ideas you can apply right away.

Whether you're a web developer or agency owner considering building your own product, this episode explores when to outsource, what to keep in-house, and how a side gig can either make you — or break you.

In this special episode of WP Product Talk recorded live at PressConf in Tempe, Arizona, hosts Matt Cromwell and Zack Katz sit down with Matt "TK" Taylor and Matt Kane from Cloudflare to unpack the buzz around EmDash — a new CMS positioned as a “spiritual successor” to WordPress. The conversation dives into how EmDash came to life, its modern architecture built on Astro, and whether this new platform represents a genuine opportunity for WordPress product creators or a potential threat to the ecosystem. From plugin sandboxing and security improvements to portability, hosting flexibility, and AI-native workflows, the guests share their vision for what a CMS built in 2026 should look like.

The discussion also explores the business and community implications: plugin marketplaces, monetization opportunities, governance, and whether EmDash could spark a new “gold rush” for developers. With early community momentum, open-source ambitions, and strong interest from product builders, the panel weighs how EmDash might reshape the future of WordPress — or push it to evolve faster. If you're a WordPress product creator, agency, or developer wondering whether to pay attention to EmDash now or wait and see, this episode breaks down the risks, opportunities, and what to watch next.

Join co-hosts Zack Katz and Katie Keith on April 1 at Noon Eastern / 6pm CET as they unpack the realities of customer discovery, SaaS vs. plugin positioning, education-driven marketing, and creating meaningful early feedback loops. This conversation is especially relevant for WordPress product founders and agency owners considering the leap into SaaS, offering honest insights into the messy, high-stakes work of finding real market fit before it’s too late.

We’ll explore what happens when agencies consolidate their workflows, reduce tool sprawl, and rethink how their WordPress agency tech stack is structured. If you build products for agencies—or run one yourself—this conversation will help you understand where operational friction lives and how unifying tools can reduce support noise, overhead, and churn while improving client outcomes.

This conversation is built for WordPress product owners who want clearer ways to attract, convert, and keep customers without wasting time on random tactics. If you want practical ideas for sustainable growth, this is one live episode you won’t want to miss.

Join hosts Matt Cromwell and Zack Katz on March 11, 2026 at Noon Eastern as they unpack practical ways WordPress product owners can rethink processes, eliminate bureaucracy, and design smarter operations before layering in AI.

https://www.aifirstprinciples.org https://www.wisermethod.com/books

AI is changing how people search for information, and organic traffic that took years to build is starting to erode. If your marketing strategy is mostly built on SEO, that's a real problem. And doing more of the same isn't the answer.

So what do you do instead? Ben Pines - who was the first marketer at Elementor and helped build it into one of the most recognized brands in WordPress - has been working on exactly this question. His answer: founder-led marketing. The kind of brand-building that's rooted in your own story, perspective, and expertise. The kind AI can't replicate.

In this episode, hosts Katie Keith and Ian Misner chat with Ben about what it actually means to shift from SEO-driven marketing to a founder-led approach - and what that looks like for real WordPress product businesses with small teams and limited time.

They'll dive into:

• Why SEO is getting harder and what's actually driving the decline
• What founder-led marketing is and worth pursuing in an AI world
• How to show up consistently without it taking over your life
• Where to start if you've never built a personal brand before

Ben shares why he intentionally rejected the “grow at all costs” startup mindset and instead built a lean, lifestyle-oriented company focused on creative fulfillment, sustainable growth, and strong margins. Rather than chasing headcount as a marker of success, he and his co-founder have designed their business around constraints—time constraints, cost constraints, and deliberate tradeoffs. The result? Four years without hiring, full-time product development, and a system that scales without turning into a support-heavy “debt machine.”

You’ll hear how they:

• Divide responsibilities so product development stays the top priority
• Use customer feedback boards and real-world support data to prioritize features
• Treat support as a growth lever, not just a cost center
• Scale support with documentation, AI, FAQs, and proactive product improvements
• Optimize their WordPress.org plugin page to drive sustainable organic growth
• Convert free users to paid customers through in-product upgrades and conversion optimization
• Approach marketing with restraint—investing in brand building, YouTube partnerships, and coaching instead of spraying money at ads

Ben also pulls back the curtain on growth realities in 2026: the decline of traditional SEO, AI-driven search changes, the stability (and strategy) of the WordPress.org repository, and why brand building and reputation now matter more than ever. Instead of chasing every new channel, he focuses on strengthening core assets—product experience, checkout flow, onboarding, and long-term trust.

The conversation dives deep into practical founder tensions too:

• When do you hire versus staying scrappy?
• How do you avoid building a bloated organization that moves slower over time?
• What’s the risk of keeping all institutional knowledge in two founders’ heads?
• How do you balance growth marketing with product improvements?

If you’re a WordPress product creator trying to bootstrap your WordPress business, build a lean startup, or simply avoid turning your SaaS into a high-burn support machine, this episode is packed with grounded, experience-backed insights you can apply immediately.

Whether you’re at 10 downloads a day or 100,000 active installs, this conversation will challenge how you define success—and help you build a business that works for your life, not the other way around.

Michael Eisenwasser, Co-Founder of Rapyd Cloud, joins Katie Keith and Matt Cromwell for a show-and-tell style conversation about how each of them is using AI behind the scenes in their own businesses.

The focus is on real operational use, building and replacing internal systems, automating testing, improving confidence when making changes, and reducing day-to-day friction for small teams. All three share concrete examples, trade-offs, and lessons learned, including where AI has helped and where it has not been worth the effort.

We dig into:

• Where AI genuinely saves time in internal operations, and where it does not
• Replacing generic tools with custom internal systems built using AI • Using AI for automated testing and infrastructure confidence
• Why internal tooling is the most overlooked AI opportunity for product companies
• What this means for small teams who do not have dedicated ops or infra staff

If you are building a WordPress product, SaaS, or any tech business and feel buried under internal processes, this episode shows how AI can help you run leaner without adding chaos.

In this episode of WP Product Talk, hosts Ian Misner and Zack Katz are joined by Ben Meredith to explore how AI can multiply your support team's impact without sacrificing the human touch. Drawing on his hands-on experience implementing AI-powered support workflows, Ben shares what "4x your team" actually means in practice. We'll cover: How to use AI in support "the right way" The human-AI hybrid model and where each does the heavy lifting Practical implementation without blowing up your existing workflow This episode is for product builders who are curious about AI in support but skeptical of the hype and want real talk about what works, what fails, and what's worth trying.

In this episode of WP Product Talk, hosts Katie Keith and Ian Misner are joined by Devin Walker, recently appointed Artistic Director of Jetpack, to dig into what UX-led product development really looks like in practice. Drawing on his hands-on work shaping Jetpack’s UI, Devin shares how to approach UX decisions deliberately, especially when products are powerful, complex, and used by a wide range of people.

We’ll cover:

• How to think about UX as a product decision, not just a design layer
• Common UI mistakes that quietly frustrate users and increase support load
• Balancing simplicity with power as products grow
• Making better UX decisions without endless redesign cycles

Jason joins Zack Katz and Matt Cromwell for a practical conversation on where core AI is headed, how plugin teams can build on it, and what to pay attention to if you want your product to stay relevant as AI lands deeper in WordPress.

Join Matt Cromwell and Zack Katz live on January 14, 2026 at Noon Eastern Time for a practical conversation about performance, UX, and the real cost of excuses. This one is for builders who want fewer complaints, happier customers, and products that feel modern out of the box.

This episode explores the technical intricacies of MCP, its potential applications, and how it could revolutionize everything from store management to customer experience. They also tackle the challenges, risks, and the future of MCP in the WordPress ecosystem. Tune in for insights on how this technology could unlock new opportunities for product owners and developers.

Nathan Tyler, founder of BlinkMetrics, joins co-hosts Matt Cromwell and Zack Katz to unpack how founders can clarify their message, sharpen their positioning, and help the right customers “get it” faster. Join us live today at Noon ET for a practical, founder-focused conversation.

We’re going live Wednesday, December 11 at Noon ET, with co-hosts Ian Misner and Matt Cromwell, who’ll help unpack how curiosity, experimentation, and a bit of chaos can lead to more meaningful work and maybe even better products.

Follow Up with Nick Hamze

This episode is a follow-up to our earlier conversation with Nick Hamze about building “fun, weird” things in WordPress and the hard truth behind it: shipping is easy now; distribution is not.

Since our original episode in December 2025, WordPress quietly shipped a meaningful change: the Featured Plugins tab inside the Add New Plugins screen is no longer basically static. It’s now rotating every two weeks to spotlight newer plugins with fewer than 10,000 installs.

In this special WP Product Talk follow-up, Nick joins Matt Cromwell and Ian Misner to unpack how the Featured Plugin experiment came together, what the selection criteria looks like, and why this kind of in-dashboard discovery is one of the highest-leverage changes WordPress can make for small plugin makers.

We also dig into:

• Why the old Featured tab needed a reset
• The curation guidelines Nick is using (and why they matter)
• How the first featured plugins saw immediate install spikes (including Ollie Menu Designer)
• What a “fair” and sustainable discovery system could look like next (filters, categories, better browsing)
• How the community can participate without turning it into a popularity contest

Links & Resources

Featured Plugin discussion in WordPress Slack: https://wordpress.slack.com/archives/C0AJB2960NS

Matt’s thread showing the Ollie Menu Designer download spike: https://x.com/learnwithmattc/status/2028804166747824311

This article at The Repository covers the conversation as well: https://www.therepository.email/the-wordpress-featured-plugins-tab-is-now-rotating-hidden-gems-every-two-weeks

We’re going live today, Dec 3 at Noon ET, with co-hosts Ian Misner and Katie Keith, who will help unpack what these changes mean for anyone building or scaling a WordPress product business.

We will cover:

• Why Rodolfo believes one-time pricing can be more sustainable than people think
• How small but focused utility plugins can outperform larger subscription-based products
• When a non-subscription model makes strategic sense and when it does not
• What this means for founders deciding how to price their next product

If you are rethinking your pricing strategy or wondering whether subscriptions are always the right answer, this conversation offers a rare look at a completely different approach.

For WooCommerce product builders, that promise is compelling: AI-powered workflows, merchant-aware extensions, and deeper, more meaningful integrations between WooCommerce and AI systems. But it also raises some hard, practical questions:

• Is MCP ready for real-world product development?
• What does it actually take to make a WooCommerce product MCP-aware?
• And is the hype worth the investment right now?

In this episode of WP Product Talk, Zack Katz and Ian Misner are joined by Nik McLaughlin from SkyVerge (GoDaddy), who has been digging into WooCommerce MCP firsthand: prototyping real integrations and pressure-testing whether MCP makes sense for serious product teams.

This will not be a surface-level overview. It will be a grounded conversation about opportunity, risk, and timing.

We’ll unpack the realities of building an add-on business inside another company’s ecosystem – from navigating limitations and dependencies to building relationships that help your product thrive.

🎯 Key Takeaways

🧩 1. Build Where There’s a Proven Market — But Do Your Homework

The biggest insight for me was how all three guests — Melissa (Star Cloud), Zack (GravityKit), and Katie (Barn2) — emphasized that building on top of a popular platform is a shortcut to product–market fit.

But it’s not enough to just pick the biggest name.

Melissa shared how her team interviewed potential ecosystems (like KadenceWP, Elementor, Divi) before committing — digging into:

• How active and open their developer communities were
• Whether founders were visible and communicative
• If the product had technical stability and funding longevity

Zack echoed this: when he chose Gravity Forms, it wasn’t just the market share — it was their developer-first culture, predictable updates, and strong backward compatibility.

💡 Actionable takeaway: Before you build, vet your platform partner like an investor. Check their roadmap, Slack groups, and developer documentation. If they don’t value external developers, move on.

🤝 2. Treat the Platform Owner as a Partner — Not a Competitor

This theme kept coming up: success in an add-on business depends on having a mutually beneficial relationship with the parent product.

Zack shared that Gravity Forms gives certified developers Slack access, roadmap previews, and early GitHub updates — which let his team stay compatible and confident. Katie contrasted that with WooCommerce, where early on, there was zero relationship — and she had to grow independently. Only in recent years has WooCommerce opened up to community dialogue. Melissa described Cadence as “democratic,” letting devs monetize through Cadence Cloud and even licensing APIs.

💡 Actionable takeaway: Be proactive in communication. Offer feedback, share improvements, and show how your success lifts the platform’s ecosystem. Collaboration gets you access, visibility, and smoother integrations.

⚙️ 3. Expect Platform Risk — and Outperform It by Being Excellent

Every guest admitted that when you build on someone else’s product, you’re vulnerable to that platform changing direction or adding your feature into core. But instead of fearing it, they all agreed on one defense: be the better version.

• Melissa: “We deal with threats by being excellent.” Her team invests in documentation, training, and customer education — things most platform developers don’t do.
• Zack: “If Gravity Forms built a GravityView competitor, we’d just have to be better.”
• Katie: pointed out how WooCommerce often adds basic versions of popular plugin features — but leaves plenty of room for specialized, advanced solutions.

💡 Actionable takeaway: Don’t just rely on your integration — differentiate through support, UX, and focus. Your edge is execution quality and customer experience, not just your technical connection.

✳️ In short:

If I had to summarize this episode in one line:

“Add-on success = great partner choice + great relationships + relentless excellence.”

It’s a masterclass in how to build with an ecosystem, not under it.

Mentioned in this Episode

We’ll cover everything from pricing psychology to partnership campaigns, so you can make the most of your Cyber Monday WordPress plugins strategy.

🎯 Key Takeaways

🧭 1. Black Friday Is About Meeting Customer Expectations — Not Just Discounts

If there’s one drum the whole panel kept beating, it’s this: you don’t have to love Black Friday, but you can’t ignore it.

Zack Katz (GravityKit) admitted he used to resist the consumerism of it all — he even tried a “Giving Thanks” sale instead — but eventually realized that expectation trumps philosophy. Customers come to your site that week expecting a deal. If they don’t find one, they’ll just go buy a similar plugin from someone who’s running one.

Katie Keith (Barn2) added a nuanced point: even if you don’t discount, you still need to “show up” in the conversation. A promotion doesn’t have to mean a percentage off; it can mean a lifetime plan, a bonus add-on, or an early renewal perk.

Ian Misner (KestrelWP) framed it perfectly:

“Black Friday is the one time of year your audience’s buying intent shows up for free — so lean into it.”

For product founders, the takeaway is clear: Black Friday is less about sales psychology and more about participation. You can choose the format — bundle, credit, or limited edition offer — but being absent makes you invisible.

💌 2. Email Segmentation Is the Unsung Hero of Black Friday Wins

Every panelist agreed: email drives the majority of Black Friday revenue. But what separated their results wasn’t volume — it was segmentation.

Ian shared that last year, his team learned people will “let you email them way more than usual” during Black Friday week — as long as the messages feel relevant. He’s now leaning into deep segmentation and personalization, even with a relatively small list (~10K subscribers).

Matt Cromwell (ex-StellarWP) highlighted a specific tactic he learned from Chris Lema:

“Put a link at the top of every email saying, ‘Not into Black Friday promos? Click here,’ and tag them as opt-out. That way, you can email aggressively without burning out your long-term subscribers.”

Katie Keith built on that, explaining how Barn2 tailors their Black Friday messages by customer type — offering upgrades or cross-sells to existing users instead of generic discounts.

So the tactical lesson here:

• Start early. Warm up your list before November.
• Segment smartly. “New,” “active,” and “churned” users need different offers.
• Give control. Let people opt out without unsubscribing altogether.

Black Friday email success isn’t just “more emails.” It’s more respect with strategy.

💡 3. Treat Black Friday Like a Retention Strategy — Not a One-Weekend Cash Grab

This was one of the most refreshing themes of the episode: all four co-hosts talked about turning Black Friday customers into long-term loyalists.

Ian described how CheckoutWC is using their “Account Funds for WooCommerce” extension to give customers store credit or rewards that bring them back in January. Katie and Zack both shared stories of early renewal campaigns — offering existing subscribers a smaller pre-Black Friday discount (like 25% off instead of 40%) to renew early and skip the chaos.

Ian summed it up well:

“It’s not about the four days — it’s about how you attach those buyers to you so they keep buying after the sale.”

That’s also why several of them prefer Cyber Monday positioning over Black Friday — it aligns with digital products, software, and continuity rather than impulse shopping.

The broader takeaway: treat Black Friday as a loyalty event, not just a sales event. Build offers that bring customers back, not just in.

💬 Mentioned in this Episode

👉 Tune in to learn how to turn feedback into focus without letting feature creep take over.

We’ll explore what AI does best today, where it still falls short, and what’s coming next for product owners who want to scale smarter without losing the human touch. Tune in October 15 at Noon Eastern Time for this lively, future-focused discussion on the evolving world of AI in WordPress support.

Show notes:

• DocsBot.AI (not "DocSpot"!)
• Cromwell's blog article: The Real Power of AI in Support Isn’t Fewer Tickets; It’s Better Answers for More People

We’ll dive into:

✅ How to decide when to build a new product versus doubling down on an existing one ✅ The frameworks and habits that help multi-product teams stay aligned ✅ Real-world examples of cross-promotion that actually drive growth ✅ Common mistakes that fragment focus and how to avoid them

If you’re managing - or planning to manage - more than one WordPress product, this episode will give you practical insights to help you balance growth across your portfolio.

In this episode of WP Product Talk, we’re joined by Robert Abela of Melapress to explore how your audience shapes every decision you make. From enterprises that demand security and compliance, to agencies that need scalability and flexibility, to end users who want simplicity and speed, your product’s direction, pricing, support model, and growth strategy all hinge on understanding your customer.

We dig into:

• The key differences between building for enterprises, agencies, and end users
• How to identify your true audience and stay focused on their needs
• Real-world trade-offs product makers face when choosing their market
• Lessons from Robert’s journey at Melapress and how he’s navigated audience alignment

If you’ve ever struggled with feature creep, pricing decisions, or figuring out who your marketing should target, this episode is for you!

Co-hosts Katie Keith and Matt Cromwell will explore how lifetime sales shape product growth, customer feedback, and long-term sustainability for WordPress founders. If you’ve ever wondered whether lifetime deals are a rocket booster or a weight that drags you down, this episode is for you.

We cover:

• ✅ How AI systems decide which products to highlight
• ✅ What makes content “AI-friendly” (and what doesn’t)
• ✅ Adjustments you can make to your current content strategy
• ✅ Opportunities to future-proof your marketing as AI search grows

If you want your product to stand out in the era of AI-driven search, this episode gives you actionable insights and clear steps to take advantage of the shift.

If you’re building WordPress products, this conversation is your chance to hear directly from Matt about the opportunities — and risks — of AI adoption. We’ll also take live questions, so bring your perspective and join the discussion about the future of WordPress and AI.

Links:

• Ma.tt
• Core AI
• AI Building Blocks
• WordPress Playground
• Telex post on X by Jamie Marsland

• How Jack is already using AI to streamline customer support and business operations
• What’s working today in AI automation inside WordPress businesses
• Where the biggest opportunities (and pitfalls) lie for product makers
• Practical steps you can take to start automating your own workflows

Whether you’re curious about saving hours each week, scaling your team’s capacity, or just trying to figure out what’s actually possible with today’s AI tools, this conversation will give you the clarity and inspiration you need!

Links from the show

• Jack's AI-generated notes for what to discuss
• Jack's ongoing Claude Automation Hub repository
• Claude Desktop
• Claude Code

Whether you’re launching a new product, scaling an established one, or rethinking your pricing model, you’ll learn:

• How to align pricing with your product’s life cycle
• Ways to use pricing changes to capture market share
• What pitfalls to avoid when experimenting with price

Listen to the episode for practical advice, candid stories, and actionable takeaways to help you make smarter pricing decisions that drive both profit and growth.

The discussion explored how the WordPress theme market has evolved from legacy PHP-based themes through page builders to the current block theme ecosystem, with particular focus on the challenges of adoption, developer experience issues, and market opportunities.

The conversation concluded with practical advice for newcomers: focus on vertical markets and specific niches rather than trying to build generic themes, and consider solving real-world problems that happen to use WordPress rather than building "WordPress themes" as the primary goal.

The discussion highlighted that while the block theme market is wide open for innovation, success requires understanding the new paradigm and targeting specific audiences with focused solutions.

Hosts Zack Katz and Amber Hinds will discuss with Elena how to capture feedback that matters, analyze it effectively, and translate it into features your customers will love.

Whether you’re a solo founder or part of a product team, you’ll learn how to build a continuous feedback process that fuels your roadmap, strengthens user loyalty, and drives sustainable growth.

In this episode of WP Product Talk, hosts Matt Cromwell (StellarWP) and Zack Katz (GravityKit) are joined by Matt Batchelder (StellarWP) to unpack the tools and systems WordPress product owners rely on to run smooth, scalable businesses.

What makes this discussion especially valuable is its no-fluff honesty. Steve, Katie, and Zack all shared behind-the-scenes experiments—some successful, others less so—that shaped how they now approach international markets. Whether you’re trying to meet European VAT laws, deciding whether AI translation is “good enough,” or just looking to avoid pitfalls with localization, this episode is a must-watch. It’s a refreshingly practical look at what it really means to build WordPress products for a global audience.

Expect candid insights on plugin-first AI, revenue models, and concrete first steps you can ship in 30 days. If you build or sell WordPress products, this AI WordPress roadmap could be the difference between leading and lagging.

🎙️ About the Episode

In this landmark 99th episode, hosts Katie Keith and Zack Katz are joined by Noel Tock, partner at Human Made, to take a deep and wide-ranging look at where WordPress stands today. From its role in enterprise to missed opportunities around first-party integrations and AI, this conversation dives into trends, challenges, and huge untapped potential.

🧠 Key Topics Covered

• Is WordPress Still Growing? A discussion on market share, commercial maturity, and how WordPress is perceived inside and outside the ecosystem.
• Fragmentation and Specialization Why “one-size-fits-all” doesn’t work anymore, and how niche tools are overtaking monolithic CMSs.
• Enterprise and Product Marketing What enterprises actually need (hint: it’s not more features), why plugin companies struggle to sell outcomes, and the difference between selling to small biz vs. enterprise.
• First-Party Integrations: A Missed Opportunity How WordPress could have dominated with first-party integrations (e.g. headless, HubSpot), and what it can still do to catch up.
• AI in WordPress What Shopify is doing that WordPress isn’t, how agentic AI could revolutionize plugin interoperability, and why open source gives us a unique advantage—if we execute.
• Block Editor in Enterprise Why Gutenberg is surprisingly competitive at the enterprise level, and the push toward a hybrid “content repository” approach.
• The FAIR Initiative Why FAIR might be the beginning of a unified distribution format—and how it could open doors to entirely new plugin discovery and marketing models.

💡 Best Advice for WordPress Product Owners

• Katie Keith: Stay informed about where WordPress is headed—especially around AI and the block editor—and let that guide your product strategy.
• Zack Katz: Don’t sell to enterprise unless you really want to—it’s a different world with different demands, and it might not be worth the effort.
• Noel Tock: Build at the extremes—either build platforms that own entry points (e.g. enterprise portals), or build sharply defined, innovative tools that are outcomes-first (e.g. the MidJourney of WordPress blocks).

🔗 Links & Resources

• Selling to Enterprises – Freemius Article
• Human Made
• FAIR Package Manager Project
• Follow Noel Tock: Instagram | LinkedIn

When your product is gaining traction, what’s the next move? Do you keep building on what’s working, or take a chance on something new? This week on WP Product Talk, guest Kevin Geary, founder of Digital Gravy, joins hosts Zack Katz and Amber Hinds to talk through one of the hardest choices product makers face: stay focused or diversify.

We will discuss the challenges of managing more than one product and how to decide where to invest your time and energy. If you’ve ever wondered whether to grow wide or go deep, this episode is for you.

🎧 Tune in for an honest conversation that can help clarify your next step. Don’t miss it—especially if you’ve got a few domain names burning a hole in your pocket 😀

We cover:

✅ How to decide when it’s the “right time” to start paying yourself ✅ Strategies for balancing founder income with reinvestment in growth ✅ The trade-offs between short-term sacrifice and long-term sustainability ✅ Real-world examples of what’s worked — and what hasn’t — from our guests' own businesses

Whether you're just starting out or trying to scale without outside funding, this episode helps you navigate the fine line between building a healthy business and making a living from it.

Co-hosts Matt Cromwell and Zack Katz will dive into the key elements of a winning strategy. Don’t miss this chance to gain expert advice and ask your burning questions!

Co-hosts Zack Katz and Matt Cromwell will guide the conversation, uncovering insights on developing a WordPress product that stands out in the marketplace. Whether you're an aspiring product owner or looking to refine your go-to-market strategy, this is an episode you won’t want to miss!

Don’t miss this engaging conversation that will equip you with practical tips and design know-how to craft an unforgettable logo. Our co-hosts combine their diverse WordPress product experience with Joel’s creative insights to offer a well-rounded perspective. Tune in to transform your brand identity and stay ahead in the competitive WordPress market.

Show Notes

Bootstrapping

Bootstrapping involves funding your product solely through your own resources. This approach can be beneficial for maintaining full ownership and control over your business. However, it may limit the speed of growth compared to funding that allows you to focus solely on product development.

Loans as Funding Sources

Using loans for product development can provide the necessary capital without giving away equity. However, it entails risks such as debt servicing and requires careful planning to ensure revenue generation can cover the loan payments.

Investment and Equity Considerations

When seeking investment, it's essential to evaluate whether you need external capital. Giving up equity can dilute ownership and may lead to pressure for a quick exit. Understanding investor goals is crucial before proceeding.

Crowdfunding and Pre-orders

Funding a product through pre-orders or crowdfunding platforms like Kickstarter can be effective. However, successful campaigns often require a strong marketing strategy and an existing following to attract backers.

Understanding Your Numbers

Having a solid grasp of your financial situation is vital for determining the best funding strategy. This includes monitoring revenue, expenses, and forecasting future growth.

Freemium versus Premium Models

Freemium models can be advantageous in attracting users but may lead to lower valuations due to reliance on upselling to convert free users. Investors often prefer premium models that demonstrate clear revenue potential.

Show Notes

Importance of Research

Conducting thorough research on existing solutions is crucial before developing a new product. This helps identify gaps in the market, evaluate competitors, and discover ways to differentiate the forthcoming product. Paying for access to competitors’ solutions can offer valuable insights.

Product Ideas from Agency Work

Many product ideas stem from experiences in agency work. Engaging with clients can reveal repeated needs or gaps that the market hasn't addressed yet, allowing developers to create solutions that serve a broader audience.

Crowded Markets Can Be Beneficial

Entering a crowded market isn't always a disadvantage. If a developer can provide a unique solution or improved functionality in a space with existing products, they can meet the demand for better options, as evidenced by a number of successful plugins.

Focus on Pain Points

Identifying and addressing specific pain points that users experience with current solutions can lead to the creation of successful products. Listening to feedback from potential users helps refine product ideas and ensures that they meet actual needs.

Iterative Prototyping

Employing a rapid prototyping approach to quickly test out product ideas can be beneficial. The ‘3-3-3’ principle encourages developers to create small prototypes, gradually expand upon them, and test for market interest before fully committing to development.

Show Notes

Importance of Pricing Strategy

A well-thought-out pricing strategy is vital for maximizing revenue and ensuring sustainable growth for WordPress products. Poor pricing can hinder a product's viability, affecting long-term operations.

Evolving Pricing Models

Traditional pricing models in WordPress often do not suit modern SaaS needs. The episode highlights a shift from lifetime licenses to annual subscriptions and introduces newer models like monthly billing, emphasizing the importance of adaptability.

Utilizing Hosted Components

Incorporating hosted or SaaS components into products allows for recurring billing and improved retention strategies as customers need to renew their subscriptions to access services.

Testing and Iteration of Prices

Continuous testing and iteration of pricing strategies based on customer behavior and market trends are crucial for finding the optimal price point and maximizing value.

Value Metrics in Pricing

Identifying a value metric tied to the product’s success is essential. This metric should allow for natural revenue expansion as customer usage increases, promoting long-term profitability.

Customer Segmentation for Feedback

Understanding which customer segments to prioritize for feedback on pricing changes is necessary. Focus should be on high-value customers whose input can drive more impactful changes.

Leveraging Billing Software

Using reliable billing software, such as Stripe or Chargebee, can simplify revenue tracking, customer billing, and help implement diverse pricing strategies effectively.

Pre-Billing Advantages

Pre-billing for subscriptions provides clearer revenue forecasting, better tracking of customer retention and expansion, and less hassle related to chargebacks or account cancellations.

Show Notes

Importance of A/B Testing

A/B testing is crucial for optimizing website conversions as it provides concrete data on which changes positively affect user behavior. Tom explains that making changes based on common sense alone can lead to misunderstandings about what truly drives sales and conversions.

Case Studies and Experiences

Katie shared her experience with A/B testing using Google Optimize and later switching to the A/B Split Test plugin. Tom also discussed a successful test on his plugin's checkout page that resulted in a 25% increase in conversions by reducing distractions.

Identifying What to Test

Tom recommends focusing on key pages within your conversion funnel for A/B testing, such as homepage and pricing pages. He suggests utilizing analytics to track engagement and identify where users drop off.

Testing During Events like Black Friday

There is a debate about whether to pause A/B testing during high-traffic events like Black Friday. Tom indicates that results can still be meaningful despite traffic fluctuations, but others might prefer to avoid unrelated tests during such peak times.

Suggestions for Effective A/B Tests

Tom advises maintaining simplicity in tests, focusing on small changes at a time, and using feedback mechanisms like live chat to gather ideas for improvements. The use of AI suggestions in planning tests was also highlighted.

Data Privacy and Compliance

The discussion covered the importance of GDPR compliance, as Tom’s A/B Split Test plugin does not store data on external servers, emphasizing privacy and control for users.

Continuous Learning Through Testing

Both Matt and Tom emphasized the iterative nature of A/B testing, where the goal is to continually refine and improve based on previous test results and user feedback.

Show Notes

SEO Importance for WordPress Products

SEO is vital for WordPress product creators, as it provides a way to build organic visibility and drive long-lasting traffic. It involves understanding and addressing the entire customer journey, from initial discovery to purchasing decisions, and is essential for differentiating your product in a competitive landscape.

Understanding Search Intent

Focusing on different search intents (navigational, commercial, transactional, informational) is crucial. SEO professionals should create content that fulfills these intents and drives users from discovery to conversion, keeping in mind that AI and search engines are evolving.

Keyword Research Strategies

New product owners should begin with keyword research, targeting long-tail keywords that have lower competition. Tools like Google Search Console and SEMrush can help identify relevant keywords with potential traffic. It's essential to prioritize specific phrases that are relevant to your product to improve discoverability.

Link Building and Digital PR

Link building remains important but should focus on organic acquisition through digital PR and community engagement. Participating in forums and sharing your expertise can naturally lead to backlinks, enhancing your authority and visibility.

Analytics Setup and Measurement

Properly setting up analytics is crucial for understanding traffic sources and conversions. Both Google Analytics and alternative platforms like Fathom can provide insights, but it's essential to ensure they don't hinder site performance. Tracking which content drives sales is a key aspect of SEO success.

Community Engagement

Engaging with the WordPress community through events, forums, and social media can enhance brand awareness and potentially lead to user referrals. Building personal connections within the community allows for greater collaboration and opportunities.

Here's some helpful links as background information for this discussion:

• A very scannable and digestible timeline of events by the team at The WP Minute
• Paid Memberships Pro decides to remove their plugin from wordpress.org and gets a threatening DMl from Matt Mullenweg about it.
• Developers Remove Plugins From WordPress.org Repository After ACF Controversy – WP Tavern
• WP Fusion sent Automattic a cease and desist to get their free plugin removed from wordpress.com (slightly related)

Join us as we explore the implications of the latest updates in the WordPress ecosystem and share insights on how to adapt your approach to remain independent and maintain control. This is an essential conversation for anyone involved in the freemium model within the WordPress community.

Co-hosts Zack Katz and Amber Hinds will guide the discussion, exploring innovative strategies to revitalize your email marketing efforts and turn it into a powerful tool for your WordPress business. Don’t miss this chance to transform your approach to email marketing!

Co-hosts Katie Keith and Matt Cromwell will guide the discussion, offering insights on how to effectively integrate personal branding into your WordPress strategy. Tune in to discover actionable tips that can help you stand out in the competitive WordPress landscape.

Co-hosts Katie Keith and Matt Cromwell will discuss with Kevin how to effectively build anticipation and engage your audience. They will cover strategies for timing your promotional activities, leveraging social media, and maintaining interest through the launch period and beyond. This episode offers actionable advice on creating a compelling narrative and ensuring your product launch captures attention.

Tune in to gain valuable insights into making your next product launch a success.

Part 1: WordPress Market Share Analysis

Joost de Valk (Yoast SEO, Emilia Capital) and Noel Tock (Human Made) examine the WordPress market share. Is it really declining? How do we measure it? We'll delve into factors such as changes in the overall market landscape, emerging competitors, and evolving user preferences. Analyzing both raw data and underlying trends, we'll discuss whether WordPress' apparent stabilization signifies a peak or a new phase of sustained growth.

Part 2: Strategizing for the Future

Miriam Schwab (Strattic, Elementor) and Rich Tabor (Automattic) explore solutions. What can product businesses do to adapt to a declining WordPress market share? How can digital marketing strategies be leveraged effectively? What role does enhancing customer experiences play? Can utilizing AI and big data analytics uncover new business opportunities? How important is fostering customer loyalty? Should product offerings be innovated regularly? How can user engagement be optimized? By exploring these questions, we'll uncover strategies to help WordPress businesses not only maintain but also increase their market share, ensuring long-term growth and success.

Here's some resources for you to read in advance:

• Noel Tock's Market Share research presented at WordCamp Asia 2024
• Joost's CMS Market Share analysis which is continually updated.

Show Notes

We had a great conversation and the live chat was really lively! Thanks everyone for being there.

The WP Minute was there, and they did a great write-up of the episode.

The folks at Search Engine Journal also did a nice write-up.

The Repository newsletter did some excellent follow-up commentary about the Marketing Consortium idea that we discussed as well.

Alex Standiford (WPPT Guest) was there live, asked some great questions, then posted this great follow-up about the importance of focusing on why people choose WordPress in the first place, and it's not because of features!

Best Advice

Like every episode, we wrapped it up with asking each person what their best advice is for product businesses listening to this conversation. Here's a quick summary:

• Miriam wants everyone to focus on creating excitement around WordPress and around WP products.
• Rich kept it short and sweet: "Focus on building beautiful simple experiences"
• Noel said we all need to start competing with the rest of the world, get out of the WordPress bubble.
• Joost wants everyone to try a new plugin every week for inspiration and motivation. Maybe check out Shiny New Plugins for a start!
• Amber wants us all to contribute at Contributor Day at least once a year.
• Matt wrapped it up recommending every product owner to write a "Why WordPress is perfect for {your product purpose}". He cited GiveWP's article called "Why WordPress is the Best Platform for Online Fundraising"

Show Notes

Some links mentioned during the show:

• Is This the Death of CodeCanyon and ThemeForest?https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sdGPAkiYAps
• Pros and Cons of Going Non-Exclusive: Weighing the Options for WordPress Plugin and Theme Makers https://freemius.com/blog/pros-cons-selling-wordpress-plugins-themes-non-exclusively/

It has been a volatile period for SEO, with seemingly-constant Google algorithm updates which have led to unpredictable ups and downs in many website owners' search rankings.

But all is not lost! Join co-hosts Katie Keith and Zack Katz as they talk to WordPress and marketing expert Patrick Rauland about how to diagnose and tackle marketing problems. He'll be sharing real-life examples on how he has done this in his own work, with actionable advice on how WordPress product owners can do the same.

🎯 Key Takeaways — What Product Owners Can Apply Right Now

1. Fix the Real Problems, Not the “SEO Tricks”

What really hit home for me was Patrick Rauland’s story about Xero Shoes — the way his team spent months fixing hundreds of “paper cut” SEO issues (broken links, weird headings, hidden H1s) and saw almost no improvement. The turnaround only came when they stopped obsessing over technical checklists and started thinking like their users.

Patrick’s lightbulb moment came from a simple Google search — realizing that customers searching “barefoot shoes” weren’t looking for a deep guide; they just wanted to see the product: color, shape, price, and a quick sense of what it is. Once Xero Shoes added a product block right on the homepage (with structured product metadata), they instantly jumped back to the #1 ranking.

Takeaway for product owners: Stop treating SEO as a mechanical game of fixes. Step back and ask: “What is the user really trying to accomplish with this search?” Then make it ridiculously easy for them to get that answer — whether that means showing product info sooner, summarizing key features above the fold, or making your calls to action clearer. Google rewards user satisfaction, not just “clean” websites.

2. Diversify Your Marketing Channels Before Google Forces You To

Zack Katz’s segment was a wake-up call — even with years of high-quality, original, human-written content at Gravity Kit, their organic search traffic dropped by over 50%. The message was clear: You can do everything right and still lose visibility when Google’s algorithms shift.

What was smart about Zack’s response — and what Katie Keith backed up with her Barn2 experience — was diversification. Zack started testing PPC again (despite his ethical reservations about Google Ads), explored Pinterest, and doubled down on YouTube. Katie added that her company’s YouTube channel has become a stabilizing force: as blog traffic dipped, video traffic filled the gap.

Takeaway for product owners: Don’t rely on Google alone to feed your business. Every healthy company needs at least two strong, independent channels — one that’s working now, and another that’s being actively built. That could mean video, newsletters, communities, marketplaces, or even affiliate partnerships — anything that keeps your business visible even when search rankings fluctuate.

3. Invest in Credibility: E-E-A-T Is the New SEO Foundation

The conversation about “E-E-A-T” — Expertise, Experience, Authority, and Trust — was another big moment. Katie shared how Barn2 completely reworked their author pages to prove real credibility: bios, author photos, social links, press mentions, and quotes from recognized experts. Patrick reinforced that Google wants to trust the sources it ranks, especially after so much AI-generated content has flooded the web.

Patrick’s advice was super practical: start with your author pages. They’re built into WordPress, they’re easy to improve, and they signal real people behind your content. Link to your real profiles, show credentials, list the tools you use, and reference third-party validation (like Trustpilot or G2). In other words: make it obvious that your content comes from an expert who’s been there.

Takeaway for product owners: SEO today isn’t just about keywords or backlinks — it’s about proving you’re legitimate. Make your authors visible, your brand trustworthy, and your expertise tangible across the web. Google — and your potential customers — will reward that authenticity.

🛠️ Tools, Platforms & Resources Mentioned

Not so fast. In today’s world, where website owners increasingly demand more from their sites and stretch the boundaries of what can be done within WordPress, you should think outside the plugin and theme box, too. Would your product benefit from a companion web or mobile app? Should your plugin not be a plugin at all but an app instead? Find out in this episode of WP Product Talk, hosted by Amber Hinds, Matt Cromwell, and guest Colin Daniels of FooEvents.

Throughout the episode, co-hosts Katie Keith and Amber Hinds will explore with Alex the key aspects of setting up and optimizing an affiliate program. They’ll discuss best practices for recruiting and maintaining effective affiliate relationships, techniques for tracking and enhancing affiliate performance, and the overall impact of affiliate marketing on business growth.

The conversation, with co-hosts Matt Cromwell and Zack Katz, will explore the nuances of engaging with the WordPress community, the importance of tailored marketing approaches, and effective communication strategies. They will also discuss how to leverage marketing automation tools to enhance outreach and customer engagement within the WordPress ecosystem.

As the paramount WordPress product owner, Matt has a huge amount of experience of building successful WordPress products. In this episode, co-hosts Matt Cromwell and Katie Keith ask the question "What would Matt do?" when it comes to product development, customer experience, marketing, and business. That way, other product owners can learn from his success.

Matt discusses his broad role in the WordPress ecosystem, the significance of customer feedback, and the challenges of managing numerous plugins like Jetpack. He shares that if given the chance, he would have split Jetpack into multiple plugins earlier to address customer concerns about bloat and bundled features.

The conversation also touches on the importance of in-person events like WordCamps in growing a product's community and visibility, which Matt believes to be crucial despite the predominance of competitors at such events. Matt also emphasizes that success often comes from relentlessly engaging with customers, collecting feedback, and iterating based on that input.

Sharing insights from his sabbatical, Matt notes the value of doing customer support himself and the surprising benefits of understanding user pain points directly. They also dive into the necessity of balancing free and premium features to maintain business viability without alienating users.

Matt's vulnerability about WP Tavern and his lack of attention on it is highly relateable for any WordPress product owner.

Throughout the episode, the hosts and guest underline the importance of community, the power of continuous learning, and the need to adapt to changing market dynamics. Insightful and inspiring, this episode offers a wealth of knowledge for anyone involved in the WordPress ecosystem or looking to build a successful product.

Welcome to another episode of WP Product Talk! Today, we're diving into a compelling question that many WordPress product creators face: what lies beyond the WordPress ecosystem?

With WordPress powering a significant portion of the internet, it's tempting to keep our focus narrow. However, today's discussion with Ronnie Burt, head of Gravatar at Automattic, opens up a world of possibilities. We explore the potential of expanding our products beyond the familiar territory of WordPress, tapping into broader markets, and embracing challenges that come with venturing into new digital landscapes.

Remember that stepping out of WordPress doesn't just mean facing new technical challenges—it also opens up vast opportunities for growth and innovation. If you enjoyed this journey into the possibilities beyond WordPress, don't forget to like, subscribe, and share this episode. Your support helps us bring more insightful discussions to light. See you next week!

It turns out, the issue stemmed from a simple yet impactful error: an email malfunction that failed to notify customers about upcoming renewals. This discovery led to a broader discussion on customer communication, the importance of preemptive outreach, and the implications of such oversights on business operations.

The dialogue between Matt and Katie reveal an insightful exploration of the nuanced customer experiences that WordPress product owners face, particularly around automatic renewals and the challenges of email deliverability. They shared diverse perspectives from the WordPress community that responded to Katie’s tweet, emphasizing the varying reasons behind refund requests, from simple forgetfulness about a service's auto-renewal setup to more complex issues like the impact of Google's SEO updates on WordPress products.

Furthermore, the conversation delved into strategies for reducing refunds and improving renewal rates, including the significance of continual product development and engagement with customers.

Katie highlighted a personal anecdote about an analysis they conducted at Barn2, which underscored the importance of understanding time-based cohorts and their renewal behaviors.

The discussion concluded with actionable insights for WordPress product businesses, emphasizing the value of customer feedback during the refund process and how it can inform product improvements and marketing strategies.

Joining us for this insightful discussion is Freemium expert, Daniel Iser. With years of experience in the industry, Daniel has successfully navigated the challenges of creating and monetizing Freemium plugins. Tune in to hear his expert advice on finding the sweet spot between free features and premium offerings, and learn how to maximize your plugin's potential for success.

Joining us for this episode is founder of WP Engine, Jason Cohen. Jason has founded two unicorns: hypergrowth companies with over $1 billion valuations. Do you want to rapidly scale your product, reaching a million active installs or more? Jason has worked with a variety of companies across different industries and has a proven track record of turning struggling products into successful ventures. Don't miss this opportunity to learn from his expertise and take your business to the next level.

Joining us for this insightful discussion is renowned WordPress developer and coding standards expert, Joost de Valk. With years of experience in the industry, Joost has a wealth of knowledge to share on why adhering to WordPress Coding Standards is crucial for the success of your plugins. Tune in to hear their expert advice, practical tips, and real-world examples that will help you elevate your plugin development skills.

Join special guest, Thomas Fanchin from Weglot, as he shared how Weglot scaled it's business to over 60K Active Installs and a 45Million Euro investment round. You won't want to miss hearing their valuable advice and tips on how to grow your own business and achieve your goals.

Joining the conversation are our co-hosts, Matt Cromwell and Katie Keith. Matt, with his deep understanding of WordPress products, and Katie, known for her expertise in running a successful WordPress product business, will add their perspectives to this enlightening discussion. Together, we'll explore the nuances of running a WordPress business efficiently and the impact of outsourcing on growth and sustainability.

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Kathy, with her rich background including pivotal roles at KadenceWP and Wordfence, brings a wealth of experience in nurturing and growing vibrant online communities around tech products.

Co-hosts Matt Cromwell and Katie Keith will delve into the nuances of community building with Kathy, exploring how a strong community can be a game-changer in the success of a WordPress product. Whether you're just starting out or looking to expand your existing community, this conversation is packed with valuable takeaways.

Our convo with Tammie delved into several key areas relevant to WordPress product developers. Here are some insights from the discussion:

1. Adaptability and Flexibility: It's so important to build products that are adaptable and flexible to meet future changes in WordPress, such as updates in core functionalities and user expectations.
2. Understanding Core Developments: Product developers need to stay informed about changes in WordPress core to anticipate and react to changes that could affect their products.
3. Experimentation and Testing: We really encourage product owners to experiment with new WordPress features and test them thoroughly to understand how they might impact or enhance your product.
4. Collaboration and Community Engagement: Engaging with the WordPress community and collaborating with other developers is crucial to enhance your product roadmaps and stay informed about best practices and emerging trends.
5. User-Centric Design: Always design your WordPress products with your target audience in mind to ensure that new features align with user needs and improve usability.

Best Advice

At the end of every show we share our "best advice". Here's a quick summary of today's episode:

1. Iterate and Experiment: Continuously iterate and try new things. The focus should be on experimentation and not getting stuck on perfection.
2. Engage and Collaborate: Building relationships and collaborating within the community can provide new insights and strengthen product development.
3. Understand and Act on User Needs: It's crucial to deeply understand what your users need and how these needs might evolve with changes in WordPress and technology in general.
4. Plan for Flexibility: Given the fast-paced nature of WordPress development, plan for flexibility in product design to accommodate future changes without extensive overhauls.

This law will have global implications, much like GDPR did for privacy. If your WordPress plugins or themes are inaccessible, you could be fined or lose customers as website owners stop using your products.

Are your products ready for the European Accessibility Act?

Find out if this law applies to you and how to make your plugins and themes compliant in this episode of WP Product Talk with hosts Amber Hinds and Zack Katz, joined by special guest Rian Rietveld.

Show Notes

Some links and resources mentioned during the show:

In this episode of WP Product Talk, hosts Matt and Zach discuss how YouTube affects WordPress product owners with special guest Jamie Marsland from PootlePress. They cover various topics including the value of consistent content creation, leveraging YouTube's algorithms, and the types of video content that attract engagement. Jamie also shares personal experiences, tips for creating impactful videos, and how his successful YouTube channel has significantly boosted his business and community connections. The conversation emphasizes the importance of authenticity, planning, and regular publishing as key elements to thriving on YouTube.

Show Notes

Katie had a hottake after this episode about leveraging the WP admin dashboard widget. Check out the convo on X here:

Thanks Medeiros for being a longtime fan of WP Product Talk. This was your one claim to fame, enjoy!

Amanda will share her insights and proven tactics to help you understand how to effectively use pre-sales calls and webinars to grow your sales. Whether you are just starting out or looking to refine your existing sales strategy, this discussion will provide valuable insights.

In this episode, Piccia will unravel the ethical considerations and potential pitfalls of using deceptive patterns, also known as "dark patterns," in product design. She will guide us through the importance of balancing a compelling user experience with honest and straightforward design principles. Co-hosts Matt Cromwell and Zack Katz will join Piccia in this thought-provoking discussion, offering insights into how you can create user-friendly, ethical, and effective UX designs for your WordPress products.

Show Notes

Piccia shared some robust resources and concepts while on the show. Matt did a quick thread to highlight them:

But here they are as well at a glance:

In this episode, James will share his knowledge and proven tactics to help you understand how to effectively price your WordPress products. Whether you are just starting out or looking to refine your existing pricing model, this discussion will provide valuable insights. Co-hosts Amber Hinds and Zack Katz will delve into the nuances of pricing in the competitive WordPress market, ensuring you walk away with practical advice and innovative strategies to boost your business.

This episode promises to delve deep into the crypts of business succession planning with a hauntingly fun twist. Discover how to draft a plan that ensures your business legacy remains intact even from the other side. Learn the macabre details of wills, trusts, and the digital footprint you'll leave behind. Whether you want your business to rise like a phoenix or rest peacefully in its crypt, this episode offers spine-chilling insights to protect your entrepreneurial spirit beyond the grave.

Resources:

• Katie Keith's business continuity document

Learn how to strategize, implement effective marketing campaigns, and optimize your product for maximum visibility and conversions. If you're looking to make the most out of the Black Friday sales frenzy, this episode is an indispensable resource you won't want to miss.

Overall the discuss was rich on the importance of innovation in product development within the WordPress ecosystem. Here are some key insights:

1. Listening to Users: A major theme highlighted by Ben Ritner is the value of listening to user feedback. He emphasizes that successful innovation often stems from understanding user needs and pain points rather than just focusing on technical prowess or market trends.
2. Being Your Own Customer: Ritner also talks about the importance of using your own products to identify issues and areas for improvement. This approach helps ensure that the product remains relevant and user-friendly.
3. Balancing Innovation with Familiarity: There's a delicate balance between introducing new, innovative features and maintaining enough familiarity so users don't feel alienated. Successful products often manage to introduce innovations that feel both fresh and intuitive.
4. Innovation as a Necessity: Zack Katz discusses how products must continually evolve to stay relevant. He mentions that "innovate or die" is a critical mindset because stagnation leads to obsolescence as user needs and technological landscapes change.
5. Long-Term Planning: Both Katz and Ritner stress the importance of looking beyond immediate product features and focusing on long-term product strategy and market trends. This forward-thinking approach is crucial for sustained innovation.

Best Advice from today's Guest and Co-Hosts

The best advice shared in the podcast, particularly towards the end, revolves around the continuous cycle of innovation and relevance. Katz stresses that product developers need to be proactive about innovation, suggesting that companies should "cannibalize their own products" to stay ahead, much like how Apple did with the iPhone and iPod. This proactive approach in innovation ensures that a product stays ahead of competitors and remains relevant in changing markets.

This advice is a strong reminder for product developers and business owners that innovation isn't just about creating new products but also about continuously improving and adapting existing ones to meet emerging customer needs and market dynamics.

Vikas will share key strategies, gleaned from years in the field, that can make your product demos resonate with your target audience. This episode is designed to offer an invaluable primer for anyone looking to amplify the impact of their WordPress plugin or theme through live demos. Don't miss out on this practical, enlightening discussion packed with actionable advice and tips. Elevate your product demonstrations and, in turn, your sales numbers.

This episode aims to offer an expert guide on how to establish and maintain customer feedback loops, and why they are pivotal for your WordPress product's financial health. Co-hosts Matt Cromwell and Amber Hinds facilitate an insightful dialogue that will furnish you with practical tools for implementing this crucial business strategy. Whether you're just starting out or are already an established brand, this episode promises actionable insights to improve your bottom line.

In this episode of WP Product Talk, Amber Hinds and Zack Katz discuss the critical importance of User Experience (UX) for WordPress product owners. They are joined by guest Rich Tabor, a product manager at Automatic, who brings deep insights into the intersection of product management and user experience.

Key Quotes from Rich Tabor:

This episode offers a close look at how UX design can make or break your WordPress product. Co-hosts Amber Hinds and Zack Katz will steer this vital discussion that you won't want to miss. Walk away with actionable tips and strategies to refine your product's user experience and put your business on the path to greater success.

Best Advice from the Episode:

• Amber Hinds: Emphasizes the necessity of UX in creating more sticky customer relationships where users are more likely to continue using a product due to a positive experience.
• Zack Katz: Points out that developers are not always the best at creating user experiences, suggesting the importance of involving UX specialists in the product development process.
• Rich Tabor: Highlights the significance of user experience as a central aspect of product design, advocating for a people-first approach in developing products.

This episode is a treasure trove of insights for WordPress product owners, stressing that an exceptional user experience is essential not just for user retention but also for standing out in a crowded marketplace. For a deeper dive into these insights, listening to the full episode is highly recommended.

With the ever-growing maze of social media platforms and strategies, it's crucial to know where to focus your energy. Tune in to glean insights from Karmen's vast experience, and learn the best practices to elevate your WordPress product in the digital social sphere. Engage in this enlightening conversation co-hosted by Katie Keith and Zack Katz.

An important and valueable watch for any WordPress product owner.

Remkus will share tips on developing your WP plugins with performance and security in mind. In this episode, Remkus shares his tips on making great WordPress tools. He uses real stories to help explain his ideas. Whether you're new to WordPress or have been doing it for years, this chat with Remkus is sure to be helpful. Come join us for a fun talk about creating successful WordPress products! WP Product Talk is a weekly podcast designed with WordPress product owners in mind.

Learn why branding matters, how to build trust with your audience, and tips for creating a memorable brand. From practical advice on hiring designers early to the significance of knowing your core values, this discussion covers it all. Plus, get a sneak peek into Yoast's new venture, Emelia Capital, and their upcoming pitch sessions at WordCamp Europe. Don't miss out on strategies to elevate your WordPress brand and stand out in the market!

Show Notes

In this episode of WP Product Talk, Matt Cromwell, Katie Keith, and guest Amber Hinds discuss the importance of making WordPress products accessible. Amber, the CEO of Equalize Digital, brings a rich background in WordPress accessibility and emphasizes the moral, legal, and business reasons behind ensuring accessibility. They discuss the challenges of achieving accessibility and the benefits of bringing on experts, sharing their own experiences with accessibility testing and improvements.

The discussion moves into practical advice, where Amber highlights the importance of proactive testing, even suggesting specific tools like the axe linter and her own free plugin for initial assessments. The panel agrees that accessibility should not be treated as a one-time project but rather as an ongoing commitment integrated into daily development workflows. The conversation uncovers common objections faced by product owners, such as the complexities of retrofitting accessibility into existing products and the reluctance to invest time and resources. Amber suggests gradual, prioritized improvements and automated testing to make the process more manageable.

A significant segment is dedicated to explaining the Voluntary Product Accessibility Template (VPAT) and its role in documenting a product's accessibility compliance. Amber explains that having a VPAT can be crucial for selling to governmental and large organizational clients, helping to avoid potential legal issues and enhancing marketability. The episode wraps up with actionable advice from each participant: Matt emphasizes the utility of hiring experts like Amber, Katie stresses the importance of regular testing and team training, and Amber encourages eager developers to start testing and learning about accessibility right away. The importance of embedding accessibility into the company culture and considering it early in the product development process is a recurring theme throughout their discussion.

• Accessibility Checker plugin
  • Free plugin on the Plugin Directory
  • Learn more about the Pro plugin on the Equalize Digital website
• Voluntary Product Accessibility Template
• axe DevTools Linter by Deque
• WordPress Accessibility Meetup
• Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act (AODA)

Join Katie Keith and Alex Denning as they discuss the challenges and strategies for marketing WordPress products, especially for developers who are not marketing experts. Together they explore the importance of Search Engine Optimization (SEO) content, email marketing, and using marketplaces to reach audiences.

Get insights from Alex on effective SEO practices, the benefits of building a strong product, leveraging early adopters, and the use of tools like Falcon AI for predicting content success. The discussion also touches on financial analytics for business growth and provides advice for new plugin shops on how to launch their products successfully.