- Duration: 15 min
- Platform: zoom
- Source: Read.ai 01JF86KB67JPK4WEE31G6J2TZN (https://app.read.ai/analytics/meetings/01JF86KB67JPK4WEE31G6J2TZN)
Transcript
[Liam Lawson]: What’s going on, man? [Michael Houck]: How’s it going? Yo, yo, what’s up, man? [UNKNOWN_SPEAKER]: How you doing? [Michael Houck]: Good, good, good. Yourself? Yeah, good. [Liam Lawson]: I remember you were in South America, right? [Michael Houck]: Currently in Asuncion at the moment, yeah. I just booked over the weekend a bunch of spots down there. I’m going to Santiago, Mendoza, Bariloche, Buenos Aires, and Floripa. [Liam Lawson]: Nice. Similar plan as I’m headed to BA early Jan and then I want to do Cordova, Mendoza, Bariloche, El Calafate, Ushuaia. Oh you’re gonna go all the way down to Ushuaia, oh look at you. You gotta do it, I mean it’s right on your doorstep if you’re in Argentina anyway surely. [Michael Houck]: Yeah I feel like I want to go back and do like an Antarctica trip at one point and just use that for that. But yeah, I definitely have the urge to book that too. I mean, it’s right there. [Liam Lawson]: How long will you be in Argentina for? What’s that? Sorry? [Michael Houck]: How long will you be in Argentina for? I think like over a month. [Liam Lawson]: Let me check. Starting January then? [Michael Houck]: I’m leaving from here to go to Santiago on the 28th. Yeah, here’s my calendar 28th and then I’ll be in Mendoza from the 3rd till the 16th. Then a weekend in BA and then Bariloche from the 20th all the way until February 14th. So like almost two months. [Liam Lawson]: Cool, I’ll be in BA at the same time, so definitely have you up when you’re down. [Michael Houck]: If you want to get a coffee or something sweet, let’s do it man. It’d be great. Awesome. Cool. So yeah, I guess. We got two main things to talk about. Just want to catch you up on everything. I know we’ve been sort of making changes to the process, so I appreciate you bearing with us. And then happy to talk about the podcast, too. I think that’d be fun. [UNKNOWN_SPEAKER]: Cool. Dope. [Liam Lawson]: Dope. Yeah, if you run me through, because I think we’re just ready to get people on the list, start measuring traffic and stuff. So if you’re able to just take the lead on that, let me know what’s going on. [Michael Houck]: Yeah, for sure. So let me load up. Your beehive here. Basically, we are importing folks. I think we imported a small batch today after a larger batch on Thursday. And then we should have a full week’s batch for next Monday as well. Matt is ramping up that, so we should catch up pretty soon. But if you go into the segments, actually, let me just share my screen. Probably be easier to share my screen. Okay, so we set up these four segments. There’s pending, activate, graduated, and failed. Basically, these are folks who are in the process or have completed the process with you guys. So when we upload people, they get automatically added to this pending segment based on a tag that we apply when we import them. Then they go through an automation. And if they make it through that automation, they get added to graduate. Basically, there’s this activated segment in the middle that’s just like a couple hours they’re in here. So it’s not really super important, but they’re in there for a couple hours. Then they go into the segment. They graduate if they either open a certain amount of emails or click on and engage with a certain amount of emails. If they make it through the whole sequence and that doesn’t happen, then they get added to this failed segment. And they get unsubscribed from the newsletter. So at that point, you know, they’re folks who aren’t opening anything. They’re going to be dragging down your metrics. So we just unsubscribe them and you’re not charged for any of those. You’re only charged for those who make it through to this graduated segment. [Liam Lawson]: Dope. Dope. All right. Looks good. I mean, initially it was 61.8, 1.1. Looks like a pretty good start. Yeah, we’re off to a good start. [Michael Houck]: We’re going to ramp that up pretty significantly over the next couple of weeks, over the holiday. But I think going into January, I feel pretty optimistic about the audience that we’ve pulled in for you guys and the sort of targeting that we’re doing. So I think this could be a good fit. Let’s just see as it goes to bigger size. [Liam Lawson]: Do you have a timeline on when you’ll move to an API? Because that is a… Let me know timeline first and then I’ll explain why. [Michael Houck]: Super important to us. I imagine it’s a high priority thing. Yeah, I need to check with Matt what the exact timeline is. I can get you that estimation today. Yeah, but I know it’s I know it’s a top of mind for him in the in the engineers. [Liam Lawson]: Right, let me share my screen with you so you get context on why it’s important to us. [Michael Houck]: Alright, let me make sure you have the screen sharing permissions. Cozum is weird about that sometimes. [Liam Lawson]: Good desktop. Alright, If we jump into here, so we have a custom dashboard for growth made up. So for example, forward is one of our acquisition sources, and we have all the CPAs and stuff. And right now, if you import directly, it doesn’t basically bring that up into the source that it’s coming from It only does that via API. So that’s why it’s important to us, because that automatically thing is here, and it means we can take one look at it and see the open rate as it click rate, and two big measures for us is school upgrades. So how many people from there, from that specific acquisition source, then upgraded to school, and what their ad click value is as well. So we have, basically, based on the amount of subscribers and the amount of spend that we’ve had, that’s all this kind of calculation in the background, we can see how profitable that specific source is. That’s why moving from manual towards an API is and very important for us to be able to basically see. So we can do it manually just now, but being able to see that the search channel, they did this amount. Okay, we can see that seven of upgrade school rate means we can pour twice the amount of money into that growth source, no problem. [Michael Houck]: Yeah, we don’t want to make you guys do any extra reporting or manual work or anything like that. Plus you guys are way more advanced than I am with my own newsletter with reporting. So yes, we will take care of that for you. I’ll make sure that Matt gets to it. It ASAP and we get it. We get it finished and then live. I’ll let you know when that happens, but I’ll give you an estimate today. [Liam Lawson]: And then just to be sure, right so? When you’re targeting, then you eventually once they’ve graduated, you add them to the newsletter. At that point, did they go through our welcome sequence? [Michael Houck]: No, they’ve already received. They’ve already received your welcome sequence. It’s just this alternate version of it that has the the segmentation like process built into it basically. So if they’re engaging with the welcome sequence, then they’ll get added to the main newsletter. If they don’t, then they’ll be failed. [Liam Lawson]: Yeah, I’m just I’m wondering if it’s best to send them just regular newsletters. Then if they engage with the regular newsletters, then add them to the welcome sequence. Like I think that may be a better way of doing it. I don’t want to fuck up something that’s good already, because that open rate’s obviously pretty good. I’m just thinking it logistically makes more sense that if they engage with the newsletter, then they get added, and it’s like, okay, welcome to AI2Report, and it’s just easier. [Michael Houck]: Okay. It’s actually the same that one of our other early clients has asked for, so we’re gonna build that process today, and we can just apply it to what we’re doing for both of you guys. Okay. Because I agree. There is logic to say, hey, we want to see if they engage with the real newsletter. Let’s not worry about the welcome sequence until after they’ve sort of proven that they’re going to be engaged. And my thought was. Originally, since you guys have the hub spot like lead bank in there like let’s reduce the cost as much as possible for you guys with as many people that is possible, but I see it the other way too, so it makes total sense. [Liam Lawson]: It would be it would be any other way, right? Whether you leave with the welcome sequence, you’ll meet with newsletter and then you the welcome sequence, the HubSpot lead magnet is still in there, right? [Michael Houck]: The only difference would be that the people who aren’t opening the emails wouldn’t get the HubSpot thing. So I guess it really doesn’t make any difference in practice. [UNKNOWN_SPEAKER]: Got you. [Liam Lawson]: I just see what you’re saying. The people that aren’t opening it wouldn’t get it, or then maybe they don’t engage as much. But I think it would work around the same. And it just makes sure that the people we are sending to HubSpot are high quality, do want to receive the newsletter, and they’re not confused about it. And I think it’s just kind of more congruent with brand IP and everything else. [Michael Houck]: Cool. We’ll make that change to the segments either this afternoon or overnight tonight. So you’ll be all set for the next batch that we upload. Dope. [Liam Lawson]: I mean, I think if we can have two things, if we can move on to API and if we can change around the way that we do that, then for me on my end, I can then look at you as an acquisition source as a growth source and be like, here’s the amount of upgrades, here’s estimated ad revenue, here’s all the numbers in comparison to everything else. And realistically, if it’s very positive, as it already looks like, then I can be like, okay, let’s double, triple, quadruple our budget with my goal. [UNKNOWN_SPEAKER]: Cool. [Michael Houck]: Yeah, sounds good to me. We’ll be on that. I’ll get back to you with an update on timeline today. But yeah, totally aligned. Dope. [Liam Lawson]: And then in podcast, I’m assuming you’ve obviously got a bunch of stuff in the works, a bunch of stuff you’re currently doing. What is a good timeline for you to kind of get you on the podcast and talk to you about your journey and what you’re building right now. [Michael Houck]: How much time would we need for the, for the call? Hour. Hour. Okay. Yeah, we can probably do it. Um, honestly we can probably do it first half of next week. If you guys are free on Monday, that would be ideal. If not, then till after new year’s at least. [Liam Lawson]: Yeah, I can do Monday. [Michael Houck]: I’m down for Monday. I’m just around this time. I’m free after 11 on Monday. Anytime after 11. Time is it for you just now? [Liam Lawson]: It’s 12. Yeah, it’s 12. So does the same time work? Then we’ll just do 2 PM again, which is right now is basically 12th. [Michael Houck]: Yeah, we can do right now on Monday. That’s fine. [Liam Lawson]: I hate times on so much going to be easier when you’re in Buenos Aires. [Michael Houck]: Yeah, it’ll be way easier once I get down south and everything’s plus two. Cool. I’ll set that up just now. [Liam Lawson]: That all makes kind of sense on our end. Is there anything else you need from us that would make this smoother? No, I don’t think so. You guys have made it super easy. [Michael Houck]: You’re not going to be charged again on the 19th, which I know is our renewal date. I think you’re not going to be charged. We’ll make a decision about what what to go forward with once we get up to that 8K range for you guys. [Liam Lawson]: Yeah, well, in terms of just like billing and how that works. [Michael Houck]: Yeah, just in terms of billing, because right now you’re set to renew, I think, later this week, but that won’t happen. We’re gonna put a pause on it until we decide what to do. [Liam Lawson]: Yeah, I mean, it sounds as if we’re still tweaking things in, right? And then once they are tweaked in, you should be able to deliver a consistent amount of subscribers per month so we can have it start a recurring thing, right? [Michael Houck]: Yeah, correct. Doesn’t make sense to have it recur right now. And I think we talked about that beforehand too, is having it be a one time thing to start. [Liam Lawson]: So just wanted to confirm that that won’t happen in the short term. Yeah, dope. I think it should be exciting. Hopefully everything is getting tuned in. And to give you context, well, we’re doing a rebrand over the new year. So moving from AI tool report to the AI report, because it’s just kind of more in line with what we actually do. So that domain will be changing in that kind of first week after the new year and we’ll be changing it on like our ESP and stuff. So with that, obviously you’re aware kind of changing that domain as well. We’re going to be smart warming and building that domain up and stuff. So in terms of turning on like more and more growth, we’ll probably be looking at the end of January, start of February to like really boost those numbers up. [Michael Houck]: Okay, that sounds good. On smart warming, I’m curious because you guys are going to be the first people we’re working with who are doing this while we’re active. With you, would smart warming not be a good time to actually turn growth up a lot because you’re gonna be leveraging Beehive’s sending infrastructure rather than your own? [Liam Lawson]: From what I understand, I spoke to Beehive and their internal team and they said that the best way to warm up is to basically only send to your most engaged subscribers who you know are gonna open that email within the first 30 days. So turning up growth is a bit of a risk because we’re like we don’t know whether these people are going to be engaged or not in the same way that we are going to their core audience. So they pretty much confirmed that. Basically said when you’re less than two people that I’ve clicked within the past eight days, only sent to them and then add batches of 10,000 and after that to get that new domain kind of right and ready. And then at that point we could turn on more growth. [Michael Houck]: Got it OK, so just keep me in the loop with timeline on that will be ready to go well before then. [Liam Lawson]: So it will be good. Yeah, dope alright. I’ll send you an invite for next week. And cool. It’s exciting to be down in Argentina as well. [Michael Houck]: Yeah, man. I’ll let you know. I think I’m staying in, what is it called? Palermo, Hollywood. I think it’s Hollywood, not Soho. My Airbnb is at a similar location as well. [Liam Lawson]: Like kind of between, I think it’s Palermo, Hollywood and Collegiales. So right in that middle part. So I’m right around there as well. [Michael Houck]: All right, we’ll grab coffee or something. [Liam Lawson]: All right, sounds like a plan.