Tweets

@chaddavis @TransistorFM 👀

Say "yes" to the little things that help you grow and make progress in your life.

This year, the most significant action you can take is to make micro-investments in yourself:

- Build that relationship
- Attend that meetup
- Create that project
- Start that podcast
- Go on that retreat
- Apply for that job
- Read that book
- Ask for help

RT @mijustin: How do you know if you're working on a bad business idea?

Bad ideas are hungry: they consume whatever energy, money, or time…

RT @mijustin: The feeling of "exasperated adrenaline" that we experience after we've had a busy day at the office isn't healthy, or sustain…

I wish I could purchase a “perpetuity” license for my domain names + DNS.

@ian__ito @businessbarista @denk_tweets @ankurnagpal @Codie_Sanchez @agazdecki @noahwbragg @arvidkahl 🥰

@sagalbot I think forest fires and smoke will push folks out west.

This is a big deal.

https://wapo.st/3WGzPzA

@noahwbragg @potion_so What a beauty! Congrats! ❤️

@AaronWeiche @DarrenShaw_ Nice! Well done! 🙌

For more podcast growth tips check out:

https://transistor.fm/ideas-promote-podcast

Podcast promotion tips:

- Create better artwork, show titles, descriptions
- Build anticipation before you launch
- Optimize your podcast for search engines
- Cross-promote on other podcasts
- Use video clips to promote episodes
- Ask your listeners to share with their friends

For podcast growth, @JackRhysider's point is 🎯:

"If you don’t make something great, you’re gonna lose your listeners, which means you have to get new listeners faster than you’re losing the listeners. And that’s difficult."

To grow your podcast to thousands of downloads:

- understand your audience better than your competition
- create podcast content that surprises, delights, or engages them
- have access to affordable distribution channels to grow your audience (Twitter, video clips, ads, email)

I like how @misener puts it:

"Don’t start by asking how to build an audience for your podcast. Instead, ask how to build a podcast for your audience."

Too many podcasters are putting hours of work into a show that just isn't compelling for the listener.

Choose a topic, format, tone, and production style that resonates with listeners. 🎯

As podcasters, we need to remember:

Just because we put in the work to plan, record, edit, and publish an episode doesn't mean we're "owed" listeners & downloads.

Your podcast has to be compelling enough that people listen, like it, and recommend it to others.

@shaisc @cgenco 👀

@nowthisnews @TheYelitsa Love your story and your drive @TheYelitsa! It’s inspiring.

@thefirejar @TransistorFM I think it’s called Flip-A-Clip

@OnAirMarc @TransistorFM 🙌

@marcjohns @TransistorFM 🥰

@KarenUnland @TransistorFM 🥰

@aarondfrancis @TransistorFM Thanks! I will. 🙌

@zackgilbert @TransistorFM 🥰

My son is really into animation.

I asked him if he could make me an "8-bit animated video for @TransistorFM."

He's been working on it for weeks.

He just published it here, and I love it! 😄

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qHmDKeJwsY4

@sherrywalling @robwalling Happy birthday @robwalling! 🎉

RT @operaqueenie: 💯 Humans have legitimate consumption issues, but we can’t ignore the choices made by the companies who manufacture and se…

RT @emollick: Two reasons no one changes their mind on Twitter after being dunked on:
1) Pundits who are wrong will not become less confide…

@khemaridh Is this your own observation, or is it based on a study?

@fadyben @thejustinwelsh Thanks! 🙏

(@jackmcdade did the design + build!)

@MJB_SF 💪

Really enjoyed @_etdev’s interview on @IndieHackers.

Great example of how to build a bootstrapped business step-by-step in Japan.

https://overcast.fm/+JmiM-oUDA

Merry Christmas 🎄

@markjjeffery @thisiskp_ @TransistorFM ❤️

@simonswiss Looks pretty awesome!

@jmckinven All of @sivers' books are short and wonderful.

For example, our product, @transistorfm, got a bunch of visitors because it was the 75th anniversary of the transistor.

It's tricky to filter out those kinds of visits retroactively, but they can have a big impact on your visitor --> trial conversion rate.

I've been working in SaaS now for nearly 14 years.

In those years, tracking "visitor --> trial" conversion has become less critical for me.

I still track overall traffic stats, but in a funnel, "visitors --> trial" is so variable that it's hard to attribute it correctly.

Spotted this comment on a Reddit thread discussing the news that Netflix CEOs will be paid $35M - $40M next year.

https://www.reddit.com/r/technology/comments/ztun6j/netflix_says_coceos_reed_hastings_and_ted/j1fh1kb/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=ios_app&utm_name=iossmf&context=3

Honestly, this is probably the best SaaS/indie hacker/bootstrapper podcast interview of the year.

This interview with @shl about @gumroad’s pricing increase is excellent.

@arvidkahl isn’t afraid to clearly ask the hard questions, while remaining empathetic.

This conversation spurred lots of thoughts for me. 😄

https://overcast.fm/+XcqwSlqyI

It’s not just me: the ads are getting worse. https://twitter.com/jamesm/status/1606392802690179106

@bagelsangranola I switched from TypeForm to @heyreform and it’s been great. 👍

Way more affordable.

🎯 https://twitter.com/girdley/status/1605976720846135296

@digitaltrouble Holy crap that site loads fast

@msitver My ads on Twitter have definitely gotten worse.

Remarkable how similar all of these acquisitions go.

https://justinjackson.ca/is-the-money-still-bored

Back in 2016, I noticed how *bad* ads on Tumblr has become.

“These are clearly "bottom of the barrel" type ads.”

Today, in 2022, I’m seeing the same kinds of ads on Twitter.

@TylerMKing 🙌🎉

@5harath I think @podysseyapp does the best job of surfacing great episodes:

https://apps.apple.com/app/id1194905015

RT @sarah_edo: Most of us who work on heavily used systems at scale saw this one coming, and that they would propose a rewrite as they just…

An example of a successful SaaS that’s decided to not increase pricing: https://twitter.com/hiderrick/status/1605703270667669504

RT @colinyjchung: 5/ Eponymous by @mijustin

What I love about Justin's newsletter is, like my newsletter, it's not just "tips, tricks, and…

@jsonperl Increasingly it feels like many of the problems in tech businesses are a result of sloshing around venture capital, which enables people to build companies that don’t have real fundamentals (revenue - costs = profit)

As @matthewstoller says, it’s “Counterfeit Capitalism.”

Cool 📷 thread 👍 https://twitter.com/BelleNoelPhoto/status/1605580821661786114

This case study is interesting. 👀

https://twitter.com/mijustin/status/1605687833561550848

@cgimmer This is wild.

"Practically overnight, our MRR increased by over 86%."

But if you look at what's happened since the price increase, MRR has fallen (every single month!) from $365k to $285k.

https://demo.baremetrics.com/stats/mrr

RT @mijustin: Just got an interesting DM from a SaaS founder doing $ multi-millions in ARR.

"After the price increase, revenue and profit…

Just got an interesting DM from a SaaS founder doing $ multi-millions in ARR.

"After the price increase, revenue and profit went up, but # of new subscribers started going down. This caused MRR growth to slow."📉

Specifically: customers stopped recommending the product as much.

I'd love to see some case studies with numbers.

Anyone know of any?

Calling @Patticus, @earthlingworks, @asmartbear, @patio11, @robwalling, @jasonlk.

https://twitter.com/mijustin/status/1605637453339320320

@earthlingworks I'd love to see some case studies with numbers.

I wonder if @itsurboyevan or the folks at @every ever did some analysis on the Netflix pricing increase. 🤔

I want to see articles that explore long-term effects:

How was brand perception affected? ("Intercom isn't for small startups anymore")

How is acquisition affected? ("We went from 2,000 trials to 500")

How was CAC affected? ("We had to spend more on ads.")

LTV? Churn? ARPU?

Lots of articles explore the short-term benefits of a price increase ("MRR is up! ARPU is up!") but don't explore how the long-term effects.

Searching for published studies on the "long-term effects of price increases in SaaS."

Haven't found anything yet that looks at how increasing SaaS pricing affects: LTV, customer acquisition (number of leads, conversion rate), etc.

Anyone have anything?

"Look ma, we made it to the Patreon Creator Survey."

Doing the @Patreon Creator Survey.

They explicitly call out "Member shoutouts in podcast episodes" as a perk for a podcast's patrons.

At @TransistorFM, we've noticed this is the most simple & effective perk to offer supporters; they love getting a shoutout + link in show notes.

@earthlingworks Coming back to this:

How do you test the long-term effects of pricing changes?

Do you compare that cohort to other cohorts for churn, LTV, ARPU, over a period of time? (How long?)

Any trends you've noticed there?

This "move fast and break stuff" CEO mentality comes from what @matthewstoller calls "Counterfeit Capitalism."

CEOs get used to running companies on zero profits and unlimited capital and focus on objectives like "hire and grow as fast as you can."

https://mattstoller.substack.com/p/wework-and-counterfeit-capitalism

@iroughol 100%

@wesbos I thought for sure your number 1 language was going to be Turbo Pascal.

@emd @BenBajarin @TransistorFM 👋 We'd be happy to help you at Transistor (or answer any questions you have).

Most folks switch to us from those two for:
- host multiple podcasts on one account
- nice podcast website themes
- ability to do private podcasts
- a simpler, more modern UI
- better customer support

@geoff_l We’re trying experiments and innovating! We’re just doing it at a sustainable pace. 🧘

There's some good discussion on this topic happening over on Mastodon as well:

@mykalmachon@indieweb.social/109547055879810073" rel="noopener noreferrer">https://mastodon.social/@mykalmachon@indieweb.social/109547055879810073

@tonkapark Perhaps it's just the market I'm in, but:

a) whenever I do that calculus (churn vs more money from new customers), keeping existing customers happy wins.

b) our prices at Transistor haven't gone up that much?

So many CEOs feel like they need to "move fast."

But in my experience, slow, steady, thoughtful actions often produce better results.

@Jared_Falk Does speed always matter though?

It feels like you could also argue that slow, steady, thoughtful actions often produce better results.

I'm also confused why so many companies are moving to raise prices now.

During a recession, aren't customers trying to reduce expenses?

Why give folks a reason to leave?

Isn't it better to keep your prices the same and attract more customers looking to save money?

The willingness of some CEOs to move fast, and make big risky decisions with impunity, boggles my mind.

Is this really the best strategy?

Maybe it’s because Transistor is small, but I’m very much in the “keep the boat steady” camp.

RT @tunguz: I decided to teach my kids an important lesson in economics this weekend.

They set up a lemonade stand.

They were only allo…

@JordanGal In which way?

(Managing existing cash raised or managing customer revenue & expenses?)

@noahwbragg He reversed part of it.

But links to all Mastodon profiles *AND* posts are still being blocked.

https://www.theverge.com/2022/12/15/23512113/twitter-blocking-mastodon-links-elon-musk-elonjet

Plus, the fact that he was willing to block/penalize links in the first place is enough to be concerned.

If Elon won't let us post links to our other social profiles, let's share our podcast URLs while we still can.

Reply to this tweet with a link to your podcast.

(RT this so more people see it) ✊

spicy https://twitter.com/TransistorFM/status/1604936837990322176

RT @shaun_vids: this post appears to be in violation of the twitter rules. i am going to report it

@paulg @skyler_fs this you?

https://twitter.com/paulg/status/1592852796185128961?s=20&t=plHuyICPzNpvksowN2vymw

@StevenNatera "any attempts to bypass restrictions on external links to the above prohibited social media platforms through technical or non-technical means (e.g. URL cloaking, plaintext obfuscation) is in violation of this policy."

https://help.twitter.com/en/rules-and-policies/social-platforms-policy

It's remarkable how much can change in a month.

@ayushsoni_io that's @tdinh_me's amazing app @XnapperHQ.

Go buy it and support indie products!

@RobinStanley @kylegawley @levelsio It specifically says you can't say it if you include your username.

But it also says:

"any attempts to bypass restrictions on external links to the above prohibited social media platforms through technical or non-technical means is in violation of this policy"

Old Musk rhetoric: "Free speech absolutism!"

New Musk policy: "I will censor information that threatens my power and interests. I will punish individuals who speak out against me. I will make it difficult for people to gather elsewhere to express their views publicly."

RT @mijustin: "Twitter is a platform for free speech."

Also:

"Here is a list of things you can't say on our platform." https://t.co/ONnCS…

@kylegawley @levelsio If you read the whole policy, it explicitly says they will remove any posts mentioning links or usernames to "prohibited 3rd-party social media platforms"

There are specific examples of what you can't say anymore:

“follow me on Instagram”
“check out my profile on FB / mastodon"

These are the "Prohibited platforms" on Twitter now:

"Facebook, Instagram, Mastodon, Truth Social, Tribel, Post and Nostr, Linktree, LinkInBio."

But according to this new authoritarian decree, LinkedIn is still ok.

@kdewirth This is straight-out fucking bananas.

You can't get more authoritarian than this.

@danicodeve @stolinski You can't:

"Prohibited platforms:

Facebook, Instagram, Mastodon, Truth Social, Tribel, Post and Nostr. 3rd-party social media link aggregators such as linktree."

"Twitter is a platform for free speech."

Also:

"Here is a list of things you can't say on our platform."

Is this the “free speech absolutism” we were promised?

Why stop here Elon? Why not just ban all hyperlinks all together?

Can I still link to my blog? For how much longer?

Holy crap.

Now on Twitter, you are no longer allowed to share links to other social media platforms.

You are no longer allowed to share your username for other social networks (Mastodon, Instagram, FB, etc).

You are no longer allows to use linktree.

https://help.twitter.com/en/rules-and-policies/social-platforms-policy https://twitter.com/Support/status/1604531261791522817