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Horizons Pod with Nate Desmond

Horizons Pod with Nate Desmond

By: Marketing insights from the cutting edge of growth
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 Subscribe at: https://horizonspod.com/ Join Nate Desmond as he dives deep into modern marketing. Each week, you'll hear war stories and tactical breakdowns from growth operators who've scaled products from zero to millions – from consumer apps saving tens of millions in acquisition costs to B2B companies charting their course to $100M+ in revenue. This isn't theory – it's a weekly masterclass in growth strategy, featuring makers and marketers who've built the products you use daily. Each episode unpacks the hidden mechanics behind viral loops, marketplace dynamics, enterprise sales motions, and acquisition strategies that actually work.

horizonspod.substack.comNate Desmond Economics
Episodes
  • Why Marketers Need To Say No More Often with Brian Austgen | Horizons Pod

    Why Marketers Need To Say No More Often with Brian Austgen | Horizons Pod
    Jun 17 2025
    Listen now on YouTube, Spotify, and Apple.—Brian Austgen is the Director of Demand Generation at Maxio, a B2B billing and financial reporting platform, and has over a decade of experience in digital marketing. (including a time when we both worked at the same education technology company)Here’s some of my takeaways from this week’s episode…1/ 🚀 The best-performing B2B marketing channel in 2025? Webinars. At $20k per event, they're delivering 4x expected results. Pro tip: Focus on timely messaging + strong partners/influencers + strategic promotion timing2/ 🎯 Your budget = your strategy. When allocating funds, map spending to company goals first, then use data for established channels and gut instinct (backed by experience) for new ones3/ 🧠 Want better marketing instincts? Test with discipline. Set clear hypotheses, define success metrics upfront, and ensure failures create actionable feedback → knowledge → power4/ 🤝 Agency management golden rule: If you're constantly pushing back on their recommendations, you've either hired the wrong agency or you're being stupid. They should drive strategy while you provide context5/ 📊 PLG (Product Led Growth) is transforming B2B marketing. Converting users to a free trial > booking sales calls. Focus on the first 2 minutes of product experience to start the flywheel6/ 🎨 Color testing in ads is surprisingly impactful. Simple color changes can dramatically affect performance - sometimes more than messaging tweaks7/ 🤖 AI sweet spots: Creative asset generation, video editing, and campaign planning. But garbage in = garbage out. Experienced marketers get better AI outputs because they feed it better inputs8/ 🎯 Top B2B marketing mistake? Assuming what worked before will keep working. Great marketers have multiple playbooks ready when the current one stops performing—Where to find Brian Austgen: * Maxio billing software: https://www.maxio.com/* LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/brianaustgen/* X: https://x.com/brianaustgen—In this episode, we cover:00:00 Introduction and Setup 01:41 Undervalued Marketing Channels 05:26 Balancing Focus and Experimentation 08:06 Improving Marketing Intuition 09:12 Testing Methodologies in Marketing 09:42 Leveraging Data for Marketing Decisions 19:09 The Power of Webinars in Marketing 28:28 Building Credibility in Leadership 36:16 Navigating Rebranding Challenges 43:26 Building an Effective Marketing Team 46:22 Navigating Agency Relationships 49:33 Managing Agency vs. Direct Reports 53:56 Impressing Leadership as an Employee 55:49 Best Practices for Agency Interactions 57:53 Strategic Marketing Allocation 01:00:58 Common Growth Mistakes in Scaling 01:03:58 Sales and Marketing Alignment 01:08:04 B2B vs. B2C Marketing Dynamics—Obligatory disclaimer: I've worked at YouTube and Google for about a decade in various marketing teams. Nothing I say in my personal spaces is necessarily endorsed by them. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit horizonspod.substack.com
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    1 hr and 8 mins
  • Why You're Wasting Ad Budget Without Even Knowing It with Jacqueline Freedman | Horizons Pod

    Why You're Wasting Ad Budget Without Even Knowing It with Jacqueline Freedman | Horizons Pod
    Jun 10 2025
    Listen now on YouTube, Spotify, and Apple.—Jacqueline Freedman is the CEO and Founder of Monarch Advisory Partners, a full-stack marketing consultancy specializing in GTM, MarOps, and MarTech. Prior to launching her consultancy, Jacqueline was the 5th marketing hire at WeWork during their hypergrowth phase and the 1st Marketing Operations hire at Grammarly during their transition to a B2C2B model.Here’s some of my takeaways from this week’s episode…1/ 📊 Process trumps perfection: When scaling marketing ops, focus on creating foolproof processes rather than expecting perfect execution. Create clear documentation, role-based access controls, and simplified workflows that even non-marketers can follow successfully.2/ 🎯 Community over metrics: Sometimes the most valuable marketing initiatives don't have clear KPIs. WeWork's building newsletters focused on community-building rather than specific metrics, showing how brand value can outweigh immediate measurable results.3/ 🔄 Post-mortems are gold mines: After mistakes, focus on "what happened, how it happened, why it happened, and how to prevent it." Document learnings and use them to improve processes. The response to failure matters more than the failure itself.4/ 💰 Daily data syncs = massive savings: Small operational improvements can yield huge returns at scale. Example: Updating paid ad suppression lists daily instead of monthly saved millions in ad spend by preventing mistargeting of existing customers.5/ 🎨 B2B doesn't mean boring: B2B companies can (and should) be more playful with their brand voice. While you don't need to chase every trend, establish a clear brand persona and don't default to overly formal communication.6/ 📈 Personalization needs substance: Move beyond basic "{first_name}" personalization. Focus on meaningful data points that provide value to users, while being mindful of privacy boundaries.7/ 🤝 Vendor partnerships matter: Build strong relationships with your marketing tech vendors. Join customer advisory boards and provide detailed feedback - you know the problems, they know how to build solutions.8/ 👥 Cross-functional translation is key: Marketing ops pros must be "global translators" between teams. Success comes from ability to communicate technical concepts to non-technical stakeholders and vice versa.—Where to find Jacqueline Freedman: * Monarch Advisory Partners: https://www.monarchadvisorypartners.com/* The Martech Weekly: https://themartechweekly.com/* LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jacquelinefreedman/—In this episode, we cover:00:00 Optimizing Ad Spend & Intro Jacqueline Freedman 01:11 Early Career: Jacq of All Trades & Remote Work Pioneer 02:58 Scaling WeWork's Hyper-Localized Newsletters (500 Buildings!) 04:22 The "Why" Behind WeWork's Emails: Community Over KPIs 06:16 The Unmeasurable Value of Brand Marketing 07:33 The Tech & Process Behind 500 Weekly Emails 09:30 Empowering 500 Non-Marketers to Be Marketers 11:46 Hyper-Localization: Beyond Countries to Buildings 13:09 Joining Grammarly: Building B2B Marketing Ops from Scratch 15:00 Hot Take: Why MQLs Aren't Dead (If Done Right) 19:19 Defining Your Ideal Customer Profile (ICP) 22:08 Grammarly's B2C to B2B Pivot: Finding the New ICP 24:15 AI in Writing: Tool, Threat, or Transformation? 26:54 Grandfather's Wisdom: Clients & Stakeholders Make or Break Your Day 27:30 The Power of Stakeholder Relationships & Listening Tours 30:16 Bridging the Gap: Marketing & Engineering Collaboration 33:02 Being "Dangerously" Technical as a Marketer 37:06 Facing Pay Inequity & Advocating for Fair Compensation 39:23 The Art & Discomfort of Negotiating for Yourself 43:06 Confessions of a Recovering Workaholic: Boundaries & Balance 45:35 Learning from Mistakes: A Post-Mortem Tale ("Winner of AB Test Here") 51:28 Blameless Post-Mortems & Process Improvement Culture 53:15 How You Leave Matters: Employees & Unsubscribers 55:58 Beyond First Names: Creating Impactful, Personalized Campaigns (WeWork Year in Review) 1:01:37 Should B2B Brands Be More Playful? 1:03:57 Saving Millions: Daily Data Syncs & Ad Suppression at Grammarly 1:08:07 Partnering with Vendors to Shape MarTech's Future 1:10:10 Where to Find Jacqueline & Final Thoughts—Obligatory disclaimer: I've worked at YouTube and Google for about a decade in various marketing teams. Nothing I say in my personal spaces is necessarily endorsed by them. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit horizonspod.substack.com
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    1 hr and 12 mins
  • Counterintuitive Growth: Add Friction to INCREASE Revenue with Alexey Komissarouk | Horizons Pod

    Counterintuitive Growth: Add Friction to INCREASE Revenue with Alexey Komissarouk | Horizons Pod
    Jun 3 2025
    Listen now on YouTube, Spotify, and Apple.—Alexey Komissarouk is a growth engineering pioneer who's generated hundreds of millions in revenue through data-driven experimentation at companies like MasterClass and Opendoor.Here’s some of my takeaways from this week’s episode…1/ 🎯 Good friction > No frictionWhen done right, adding strategic friction (like onboarding quizzes) can actually increase conversion by building user intent. MasterClass saw this when they made users go through a quiz that showcased their full content library before hitting the $180 price tag.2/ 📊 Simple metrics > Complex metrics The best metrics are trivially explainable. While it's tempting to create complex formulas that capture every edge case, stick to metrics that everyone can understand and act on. MasterClass used "expected LTV per homepage visit" - sophisticated but still clear.3/ 🧪 Pattern matching > First principlesDon't waste time reinventing the wheel. Start by copying what works in your industry - the win rate on proven tactics is much higher than novel ideas. Once you've exhausted the obvious wins, then innovate.4/ 🚪 Fake doors unlock real insightsWhen testing major changes (like pricing), use creative "fake door" tests. MasterClass tested lower price tiers by showing them but upgrading users to premium "for free" - getting real data without the engineering investment.5/ 📈 Process > OutcomesCelebrate velocity and good experiment design over wins. Build a culture that praises rapid iteration and learning rather than just successful tests. This keeps teams motivated through the inevitable failures.6/ 🎯 Structured decisions > Gut callsUse formal prioritization frameworks (like RICE) to evaluate experiments. This makes decision-making transparent, coachable, and helps surface non-obvious winners that might get overlooked.7/ 🔍 Business metrics > Vanity metricsDon't trust surface-level engagement metrics (opens, clicks). One push notification test looked like a 10% loser on engagement but drove 10% more orders. Always measure what matters to the business.8/ 👥 Leadership taste > Perfect metricsWhile good metrics matter, having leadership with strong product taste is crucial for maintaining quality. The best defense against growth tactics degrading product quality is experienced leaders who can spot and stop harmful optimization.—Where to find Alexey Komissarouk: * Blog: https://alexeymk.com/* LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alexeymk/* X: https://x.com/alexeymk—In this episode, we cover:00:00 Introduction and Background 01:15 Experimentation and Growth Engineering 01:33 Measuring Experiment Success 04:22 Defining Growth Engineering 07:15 When to Hire Growth Engineers 26:55 Understanding SaaS Business Metrics 28:06 Industry Variations in Growth Strategies 29:59 Navigating Regulatory Challenges in Growth Engineering 30:40 The Intersection of Marketing and Engineering 34:26 Skills for Growth Engineering 36:19 Learning from Others in Growth Engineering 39:22 Counterintuitive Experiment Results 41:56 The Importance of Metrics in Marketing 44:33 Incentive Design in Business 46:51 Leadership and Quality Control in Growth Engineering 49:09 Balancing Short-Term and Long-Term Goals 51:35 Building a Culture of Experimentation 57:46 Innovative Pricing Strategies 01:02:05 Growth Engineering Beyond Subscriptions—Obligatory disclaimer: I've worked at YouTube and Google for about a decade in various marketing teams. Nothing I say in my personal spaces is necessarily endorsed by them. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit horizonspod.substack.com
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    1 hr and 3 mins
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