Post Status Podcasts

In this episode, Cory Miller and Corey Maass discuss the future of WordPress. From the adoption of the block editor to the rise of headless WordPress, they consider the impact on the growing WordPress community. Gain insights on how WordPress professionals can stay ahead of the curve, the importance of keeping up with the latest updates and developments in the WordPress ecosystem, and the significance of fostering a strong and supportive community. This is an honest and hopeful look at the current and future state of WordPress.

Top Takeaways:

• Keep up with the latest WordPress updates. It's important for WordPress professionals to stay up-to-date with the latest WordPress updates, including security patches, bug fixes, and new features. This will ensure that your WordPress site stays secure and runs smoothly.
• Invest in continuous learning. As WordPress evolves, it's important to invest in continuous learning to keep up with the latest trends, technologies, and best practices. This can include attending conferences, networking with other professionals, and regularly reading blogs and publications related to WordPress and web development. Keeping up with the latest trends and best practices can help professionals stay competitive and provide the best possible service to their clients.
• Focus on user experience. User experience should be at the forefront of any WordPress professional's mind. This means designing websites that are easy to use, fast-loading, and visually appealing, as well as ensuring content is relevant and engaging for the target audience. By focusing on user experience, WordPress professionals can create websites that are both effective and enjoyable to use.

🔗 Mentioned in the show:

• Crop.Express
• Jetpack
• Automattic
• WooCommerce
• Matt Mullenweg
• Chris Coyier
• CSS-Tricks
• CodePen
• Yoast
• WP Engine
• GitHub
• Atlassian
• Trello
• Asana
• Basecamp
• Zapier
• Dropbox
• Zoom
• Notion
• Figma
• Sketch
• InVision

• Corey Maass
• Cory Miller (CEO, Post Status)
• Olivia Bisset (Intern, Post Status)

The Post Status Draft podcast is geared toward WordPress professionals, with interviews, news, and deep analysis. 📝

Browse our archives, and don’t forget to subscribe via iTunes, Google Podcasts, YouTube, Stitcher, Simplecast, or RSS. 🎧

Cory Miller is joined by Jess Friedman from WP Cloud discuss how hosting companies can improve their infrastructure and services to provide better performance and reliability to their customers. They also dive into the importance of customer support, the benefits of using managed hosting services, the ethics of data collection, and more. The experience and expertise offered are sure to inspire you to increase your standards of service.

Top Takeaways:

• Outsourcing Infrastructure. WordPress hosting companies can benefit from outsourcing their infrastructure to specialized providers such as WP Cloud. This can free up their customer support team from dealing with infrastructure-related issues and enable them to focus on providing better customer service and value-added services.
• Increase Customer Satisfaction. By democratizing publishing and providing a superior WordPress experience, hosting companies can reduce churn and retain customers who may otherwise switch to other platforms if their WordPress experience is subpar.
• Set Up for Speed. While many factors can impact website speed, some of the most important ones include optimizing images, using a content delivery network (CDN), and minimizing the use of plugins. By focusing on these areas, WordPress agencies can help their clients improve their website speed and ultimately provide a better user experience for their visitors.

🙏 Sponsor: A2 Hosting

A2Hosting offers solutions for WordPress and WooCommerce that are both blazing fast and ultra-reliable. WordPress can be easily deployed on ANY web hosting plan from A2: Shared, VPS, or Dedicated. A2 also offers Managed WordPress and WooCommerce Hosting. Take a look at a2hosting.com today!

• WP Cloud
• WP Hosting Benchmarks $25-50
• WP Hosting Benchmarks $201-500
• Kinsta
• WP Engine
• SiteGround
• Bluehost
• DigitalOcean
• Pressable
• cPanel
• Plesk
• Cloudflare

• Jess Friedman (Head of WP Cloud)
• Cory Miller (CEO, Post Status)
• Olivia Bisset (Intern, Post Status)

The Post Status Draft podcast is geared toward WordPress professionals, with interviews, news, and deep analysis. 📝

Browse our archives, and don’t forget to subscribe via iTunes, Google Podcasts, YouTube, Stitcher, Simplecast, or RSS. 🎧

In this episode, Cory Miller and Corey Maass share their insights and experience about the challenges of finding the right balance between simplicity and complexity and the importance of testing and documentation. They also share their personal stories of how they got started with WordPress and how their experiences have shaped their approach to plugin development. This episode is a must-listen for anyone interested in developing WordPress plugins, especially if you are looking to improve your development process and create more user-friendly plugins.

Top Takeaways:

• Building a successful plugin requires a deep understanding of user needs and pain points: Understanding your users' needs and pain points to develop a plugin that solves their problems effectively is critical. This requires continuous user testing and feedback to improve functionality and user experience.
• Collaboration and communication are crucial for plugin development: Plugin development is a team effort that requires effective communication, collaboration, and project management. Clear communication channels, regular meetings, and shared project management tools help ensure everyone is on the same page.
• Monetization strategies should align with user value: Considering various monetization strategies for plugins, including premium features, subscriptions, and sponsorships, is helpful. Your chosen strategy should align with the user's value proposition and offer a fair exchange of value. Being transparent with users about the plugin's monetization strategy and how it impacts their experience is important for successful adoption.

• Crop.Express
• WPEngine
• Pagely
• StudioPress

• Corey Maass
• Cory Miller (CEO, Post Status)
• Olivia Bisset (Intern, Post Status)

The Post Status Draft podcast is geared toward WordPress professionals, with interviews, news, and deep analysis. 📝

Browse our archives, and don’t forget to subscribe via iTunes, Google Podcasts, YouTube, Stitcher, Simplecast, or RSS. 🎧

As Corey Maass and Cory Miller move further into their experience of launching a WordPress product in public, they delve into the insights they’ve gained and the obstacles they are facing. Listen to their perspectives on building a community around the product, overcoming challenges, handling feedback, and implementing effective marketing strategies.

Top Takeaways

• The impact of technology on personal and professional lives: Technology has revolutionized various aspects of our lives, from communication and information access to work and productivity. This brings about the benefits and challenges of living in a digitally connected world, including privacy, cybersecurity, and work-life balance issues. .
• The role of mindfulness in the digital age: Mindfulness practices can help individuals navigate the challenges of the digital age, such as reducing stress, improving focus and concentration, and promoting healthy technology habits. Integrating mindfulness into daily routines and setting boundaries with technology is more important than ever. 
• The need for conscious and intentional technology use: Being conscious and intentional about how we use technology, including being mindful of the impact of technology on our physical and mental health, relationships, and overall well-being, is critical. Being thoughtful about developing healthy technology habits, such as managing screen time, practicing digital detox, and being mindful of online behavior, can have a significant impact

• Crop.Express
• iThemes
• Caldera Forms 
• Restrict Content Pro 
• WooCommerce 
• Gravity Forms

• Corey Maass
• Cory Miller (CEO, Post Status)
• Olivia Bisset (Intern, Post Status)

The Post Status Draft podcast is geared toward WordPress professionals, with interviews, news, and deep analysis. 📝

Browse our archives, and don’t forget to subscribe via iTunes, Google Podcasts, YouTube, Stitcher, Simplecast, or RSS. 🎧

Learn from Corey Maass, the go-to on WordPress product design topics, and Cory Miller, a master on the business of WordPress. They discuss finding the balance in the small and big pictures of product development, highlighting the process of trial and error.

Top Takeaways

• Courage Under Fire. After what feels like a miserable failure, it’s vital to keep trudging forward. Great product design takes time to build and grow in the space you are putting it into. Keeping your passion alive and remaining consistent in your efforts will eventually lead you to success.
• The Impact of Thoughtful Design. Developing a product is of course based on meeting some kind of user need, but it’s important to consider if you are really going to make that user’s life easier with your product. When the end user is your top priority, your product will shine, and you’ll be proud of the direct impact you made in someone’s everyday life.
• Finding the Spark in Your Product. Focusing on the overall product journey is key for great product development, but zooming in on the minor details is also just as important. Brainstorming and finding the spark is not easy, but it is crucial to set your product apart from the rest.
• Using Your Audience to Improve Development. Put your ideas and questions out there for your audience to speak to. If you are wondering how people will perceive a certain product aspect or want more information on what their exact pain points are, it’s good to directly ask. Getting information straight from your customers or peers can help you make well-informed decisions in product development.

• Crop.Express
• StickerMule

• Corey Maass
• Cory Miller (CEO, Post Status)
• Olivia Bisset (Intern, Post Status)

The Post Status Draft podcast is geared toward WordPress professionals, with interviews, news, and deep analysis. 📝

Browse our archives, and don’t forget to subscribe via iTunes, Google Podcasts, YouTube, Stitcher, Simplecast, or RSS. 🎧

Learn from Corey Maass, a master of WordPress plugins and apps, and Cory Miller, a marketing, business, and WordPress experience guru. The two discuss the intimacies of partnering on a product and how solopreneurs can benefit from support.

Top Takeaways:

• The Value of Partnerships. Starting a business can be a lonely experience. Having someone to bounce ideas off, talk through tough subjects with, and celebrate successes with makes a significant difference. Having that collaborative support system can make managing a business more enjoyable and streamlined, which is a huge benefit, especially for startups and small businesses.
• Discussion vs. Decision. It’s important to be intentional with communication considering the stage you are in when you are improving a product or creating something brand new. Being vocal about whether you are still discussing or whether you are ready to make decisive moves is critical to keep the process moving forward without missteps.
• The Art of Failing. Understanding that taking risks and being willing to fail in order to ultimately achieve success is key for solopreneurs and partnerships. Quantifying your success rate on projects isn’t the ultimate indicator of how successful you truly are. Stumbling through a myriad of shortcomings while still pursuing success is powerful.

• Crop.Express
• Elementor
• Beaver Builder

• Corey Maass
• Cory Miller (CEO, Post Status)
• Olivia Bisset (Intern, Post Status)

The Post Status Draft podcast is geared toward WordPress professionals, with interviews, news, and deep analysis. 📝

Browse our archives, and don’t forget to subscribe via iTunes, Google Podcasts, YouTube, Stitcher, Simplecast, or RSS. 🎧

The talented team from Modern Tribe joined Cory Miller for this critical discussion about accessibility in WordPress. They highlight accessibility as a non-negotiable aspect of web development and provide guidance for leaders, developers, and designers to ensure your websites are accessible to all people.

Top Takeaways:

• Why Value Accessibility? Accessibility ensures all people have access to the things we create. It can’t be an afterthought or something for the web dev team to figure out. It must drive the entire creative process and serve as an anchor to ground our teams and our work.
• Requirement vs. Challenge. Most creative projects work within a set of requirements. These don’t prohibit the creative process. Instead, they challenge us to enhance the things we build and make them better than we might have without thinking through and within these constraints.
• It’s All Around Us. We think of accessibility as a new idea, but in so many spaces, it’s the norm. We have curb cutouts and braille signage. We see this every day, so tech is catching up.
• Improving Usability. Developing through the lens of accessibility means delivering experiences that solve people’s problems and help them with tasks.
• It Takes Tools. The creative and engineering are just rails. Utilizing tools to ensure accessibility when publishing and setting up processes and guidelines will equip you to flex as requirements change. It’s necessary for your organization to resource accessibility for it to be done effectively.

• Modern Tribe
• Eric Meyer
• MySpace

• Chris Kindred (Director of Backend Development, Modern Tribe)
• Sarah Gless (Creative Director, Modern Tribe)
• Mike Klanac (Director of Business Development, Modern Tribe)
• Cory Miller (CEO, Post Status)
• Olivia Bisset (Intern, Post Status)

The Post Status Draft podcast is geared toward WordPress professionals, with interviews, news, and deep analysis. 📝

Browse our archives, and don’t forget to subscribe via iTunes, Google Podcasts, YouTube, Stitcher, Simplecast, or RSS. 🎧

As the development of Crop.Express continues, Cory Miller and Corey Maass continue to gain clarity on what is needed for their product to succeed. They discuss features and integration, free vs. paid versions, ensuring compatibility, and more, as they fold in their experience, expertise, and gathered feedback into the future strategy of their product business.

Top Takeaways:

• Cultivating empathy is important for developers. It's essential to understand the needs of different users, particularly those who are not very tech-savvy or who come from different cultural backgrounds. Empathy helps create products that are more user-friendly and accessible to a broader audience.
• Collaboration is crucial for success. No matter how brilliant a product developer is, they can't do everything on their own. They need a team of people with different skills and backgrounds to support them, whether it's in terms of design, marketing, or other areas. Building a supportive team requires humility and a willingness to accept feedback and help from others.
• Failure is a necessary part of growth. Many product developers go through a difficult experience where they realize that their work isn't as good as they thought it was. This experience can be humbling, but it's also an opportunity to learn and grow. It's important for developers to be open to feedback, to take risks, and to be willing to try new things, even if it means making mistakes along the way.

• Sticker Mule
• Canva
• Kickstarter
• Unsplash
• Stock Unlimited

• Corey Maass
• Cory Miller (CEO, Post Status)
• Olivia Bisset (Intern, Post Status)

The Post Status Draft podcast is geared toward WordPress professionals, with interviews, news, and deep analysis. 📝

Browse our archives, and don’t forget to subscribe via iTunes, Google Podcasts, YouTube, Stitcher, Simplecast, or RSS. 🎧

In this episode, Corey Maass and Cory Miller focus on preparing Crop.Express for launch. They discuss building launch assets, utilizing a freemium model as a path toward a premium product, and future possibilities.

Top Takeaways:

• Value of a Soft Launch. This is a great way to test the waters and get initial feedback. If you utilize a soft launch, you need to be willing to make changes and improvements based on that feedback before you fully launch.
• Building a Sustainable Premium Product. Start by setting up a basic website and integration to attract customers. Establishing a freemium model allows you to identify what users will value enough to pay for and provides space for your plugin to become a recommended tool for users, agencies, and hosting providers as a premium product.
• Feedback as Fuel. Gathering input from customers and agency owners in the WordPress ecosystem can help you understand the barriers to adoption, like already established workflows, the challenge of installing and learning a new tool, and limitations within initial versions to full adoption.
• Importance of Image Use. Current workflows make images an afterthought in content creation, but they are critical to drawing interest, provide context, and evoke emotion. While there may be SEO value, the primary purpose is to appeal to human visitors. Creating tools to make this easier is the case for Crop.Express.
• Consider the possibilities. As product creators, you should continue to explore potential opportunities for development. Leveraging AI, increasing user engagement, and offering more value can uncover future revenue streams while you focus on current integration points.

• Crop.Express
• Canva
• Photoshop
• Stock Unlimited
• Unsplash
• Content Journey
• Hacker News
• Beaver Builder
• Patrick Garman
• Hendrick Luehrsen
• Elementor
• Jess Frick
• Pressable
• Kadence

• Corey Maass
• Cory Miller (CEO, Post Status)
• Olivia Bisset (Intern, Post Status)

The Post Status Draft podcast is geared toward WordPress professionals, with interviews, news, and deep analysis. 📝

Browse our archives, and don’t forget to subscribe via iTunes, Google Podcasts, YouTube, Stitcher, Simplecast, or RSS. 🎧

Brandon Dove, co-founder of Pixel Jar, joins Cory Miller to discuss his WordPress plugin, AdSanity Plugin. They dive into the nuance of advertising, evaluate the benefits of free and paid plugins, and talk through the challenges and opportunities available to agencies who invest in product development while providing other services.

Top Takeaways:

• Recurring Product Revenue. While it can be challenging for an agency to balance custom service work with product development, having a product that generates recurring revenue can provide a cushion and diversify the overall business revenue. AdSanity is a successful example of this, and the team is working on dedicating more resources towards the product to even out development between the two sides of their business. However, it can be difficult to maintain free plugins without generating revenue, and it's important to consider how to incorporate them into the business model.
• Value vs. Spam in Advertising. For many people, advertising has become a four-letter word, so there is a need to help customers become good advertisers rather than just spamming ads everywhere. It’s critical to empower your visitors by explaining the importance of creating a community around the site to allow for more meaningful conversations with visitors.
• The Point of Free Plugins. Building free plugins is more about passion and community engagement than being a lead generator. The main outcome has been connecting with people within the WordPress community, but those connections remember to come to you for solutions. So the increased exposure can lead to revenue in the long term.

🙏 Sponsor: GoDaddy Pro 

Top-Tier Managed WordPress hosting solutions for Enterprise, the Public Sector, and Media companies. We invented Managed WordPress and we never stopped raising the bar. Expect Extraordinary!

🔗 Mentioned in the show:

• Brandon Dove
• Ad Sanity
• Pixel Jar
• WebDev Studios
• Avatar Manager
• Admin Columns
• WordCamp New York

• Brandon Dove (Cofounder, Pixel Jar)
• Cory Miller (CEO, Post Status)
• Olivia Bisset (Intern, Post Status)

The Post Status Draft podcast is geared toward WordPress professionals, with interviews, news, and deep analysis. 📝

Browse our archives, and don’t forget to subscribe via iTunes, Google Podcasts, YouTube, Stitcher, Simplecast, or RSS. 🎧